I'm feeling lucky

20241119

On this day, my eighth wedding anniversary

Okay! Let's start here. :)

A hand-drawn 2x2 grid diagram introducing knowledge states. The grid shows: bottom-left quadrant 'A' (solid blue, representing Known/observer's center); top-left and bottom-right 'B' (blue/pink stripes, representing Knowable); top-right 'C' (solid pink, representing Unknown). Black borders separate quadrants but have gaps at their midpoints, suggesting connections between adjacent zones. A legend explains: A=Known=observer's center of awareness (blue), B=Knowable (pink/blue stripes), C=Unknown (pink).

Which is to say,

  • A (blue) = Known = observer's center of awareness

  • B (pink/blue stripes) = Knowable

  • C (pink) = Unknown

This 2x2 grid is suggestive of the way these regions interact, relative to the observer's point of view.

Let's talk about problems. 🤩

What is a problem?

Something painful, maybe? Something that grabs our attention unpleasantly? Something that you're unwilling to co-exist with in its current state of balance? Is a problem for someone else you're unaware of still a problem for you?

Let's define any balanced system as (XY). Perhaps these are the known/knowable parts of a three-body linkage/engine. (XY) together are operating in balance. Either them by themselves is a "problem", i.e. a half in search of its other half, or an agent that's looking for its rhythm and is testing itself against any other agents it comes across. We'll call this a "problem", hehe.

Let's think about this from the observer's point of view.

The representation system I'm using below uses ABC (and in one spot B₁ and B₂, where we need to distinguish between the two B areas), referencing Known, Knowable, and Unknown zones using the same outlined 2x2 grid we saw a minute ago. I'm simplifying the graph a little bit, to reduce clutter, but I'm anchoring with blue and pink as visual cues for how knowledge states sit here.

The dot in the center of the lower-left (aka Known aka center of the observer's awareness) square indicates the observer itself. ("Ourselves"?)

Anyway, let's move through these. Numbering these 8 charts as lines of language, left to right descending:

  1. CXY

    1. X and Y are both hanging out in C, the Unknown

    2. X and Y can see each other, which means they get to operate in their shared rhythm.

    3. The observer is unaware of both X and Y.

    4. There is no problem.

  2. BXCY

    1. X has advanced into B, the Knowable territory.

    2. Y remains in C, the Unknown.

    3. X and Y can see each other, which means they get to operate in their shared rhythm.

    4. The observer can only see X.

  3. BXY

    1. Y has joined X in B, the Knowable territory.

    2. X and Y can see each other, which means they get to operate in their shared rhythm.

    3. The observer is aware of both X and Y.

    4. There is no problem.

  4. AXBY

    1. X has moved into Known territory, which is the observer's center of awareness.

    2. Y remains in B, the Knowable territory.

    3. X and Y can see each other, which means they get to operate in their shared rhythm.

    4. The observer has up-close knowledge of X, but does not have up-close knowledge of Y.

    5. This is a problem if the observer doesn't trust that X (which it can see up close) and Y (which it can fuzzily see further back) can figure it out.

  5. AXY

    1. X and Y have both moved into Known territory, which is the observer's center of awareness.

    2. X and Y can see each other, which means they get to operate in their shared rhythm.

    3. The observer has up-close knowledge of both X and Y.

    4. This is only a problem if the observer doesn't like XY, lol.

  6. AXCY

    1. Okay here we've jumped states a bit.

    2. X is in Known territory, which is the observer's center of awareness.

    3. Y remains in the Unknown.

    4. For the first time in our exploration here, X and Y cannot see each other.

      1. Now let's think about this for a second. Another way to define this scenario is that the observer is has fixed X in its awareness, and has fixed the absence of Y in its awareness as well.

    5. If the observer is willing to hang out with miracles, they stand a chance at seeing X operate in tandem with an invisible Y. If not, the observer has a problem.

  7. BXCY

    1. We've seen this before, in diagram #2, but I've drawn it a second time here because the observer can conceive of separate zones of Unknown, zones which cannot directly interact without passing through the Unknown (aka without dissolving beyond definition as a part of their transition).

    2. The idea here is that the observer has shunted X from B₁ to A and through to B₂, perhaps on its way back to C where it can rejoin Y beyond the observer's ability to observe. This is suggestive of a kind of respiration.

  8. B₁XB₂Y AKA GOD HELP YOU

    1. The observer sees X over in one Knowable zone, and Y over in another, separate Knowable zone.

    2. The observer has a problem. 🤩 What will they do?

Eight hand-drawn 2x2 grids showing how entities X and Y move through knowledge states, numbered 1-8. Each grid maintains the same structure: black borders with midpoint gaps, dot in lower-left representing observer, and consistent color coding (blue=Known, pink=Unknown, stripes=Knowable). Starting with 'CXY' where both X and Y are unknown (top-right), through various states of knowability, ending with 'B₁XB₂Y' where X and Y are in separate Knowable zones. Each diagram is labeled with its state (e.g., 'AXBY') and shows positions of X and Y relative to the observer's perspective. The final diagram (#8) includes the subtitle 'AKA GOD HELP YOU', emphasizing the problematic nature of X and Y being visible but separated.
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