Meet The Beables

In particular we will exclude the notion of 'observable' in favour of that of 'beable.' The beables of the theory are those elements which might correspond to reality, to things which exist. Their existence does not depend on 'observation.' Indeeed observation and observers must made out of beables.

I use the term 'beable' rather than some more committed term like 'being' or 'beer' to recall the essentially tentative nature of any physical theory. Such a theory is at best a candidate for the description of nature. Terms like 'being', 'beer', 'existent', etc., would seem to me lacking in humility. In fact 'beable' is short for 'maybe-able'.

—John S. Bell, "Beables for quantum field theory," in Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics.

Dead Leaf Roundabout

London plane trees, Cowper Street & Nevada, Palo Alto, CA.

What is the slashdot amnesia phenomenon?

What is the slashdot amnesia phenomenon? (via yak).