3 Ways That 5 Changes Can Have 7 Impacts On ... (whatever)

If the universe isn't actually "infinite", it is practically infinite ...

According to Stephen Hawking, universes are born and die all the time - he calls them "bubble universes". A "bubble universe", no larger than an atom, might spring into existence and then disappear, as you are reading this, right under your nose - that may seem disturbing, but it is quite normal. There might be an infinite number of these universes, everywhere, bubbling up.

If some radical interpretations of quantum theory are true, then there are potentially an infinite number of quantum states - each state governed solely by the laws of probability, providing for an infinite number of time-lines and simultaneous (if contradictory) outcomes. We need not kill another cat to discuss Schrödinger’s thought experiment, but rest assured the "live cat" and "dead cat" are in super-position and represent two distinct, equally likely, universes - and, in that sense, "the cat is fine" (meow).

Any single "bubble universe", like our universe, might be infinitely large - eventually (who knows).

There might also be the infinitely small - think of the smallest thing, divide by two, and that keeps going. The limit of 1/x, as (x) approaches infinity, might be zero - but it's a "zero" we never reach (see "Xeno's Paradox" for a more ancient consideration).

Time might be endless, going on forever and ever and having neither a beginning nor an end. That's kind of wacky too ...

So, as you can see, the universe might be infinite in all directions - space, time, outcome, small and large. There may be different kinds of "infinity" - like the fact that there are more real numbers than integers - but proving one "infinity" is more "infinite" than another is scholastic masturbation (best left to mathematicians like Georg Cantor).

I say all this because the WWW is filled with lists of "stuff to do" or "not do" and these lists are exceedingly finite ...

"5 Things not to say in an interview ..."

"3 Ways to impress your boss ..."

"10 words you should never use ..."

"7 things I learned from my ... whatever ..."

"4 Ways to Learn from Chipotle ..."

"12 Ways to get food poisoning ..." - item 1: eat at Chipotle ...

The only thing that most of these magical lists have in common, beyond their grotesque oversimplification of life, is that their length is greater than zero and usually less than 100.

In fact, we can derive a rule here:

Dan's Rule of WWW Do/Don't Lists: The list will contain at least one item, and no more than 100.

I know, I know - people love lists ...

People love quick-fix delusions too - hence low-carb diets, Obamacare and "quantitative easing".

People love E-Z answers whilst confronting the reality, the complexity, of human existence - because real life often sucks and has no easy solutions.

There is no reason to believe this will change, this might very well be a part of our flawed human condition - irrespective of the infinity that is our universe, the myriad disorder that contrasts with our cartoon version of it.

We make lists of 5, 6, 7 - and the universe remains an uncountable, uncomfortable, set of stuff that mocks our attempt at enumeration.

Thousands of years from now, when alien archaeologists uncover our futile attempts at civilization, we will be on their "lists" as well ...

"T'rgorls 5 (of Remulax-232): Things Not To Do If You Want Your Species To Survive ..."

(America's example will be number 1, however)

(and we can cheer this)

(we're number 1)

(that should make you feel better)