Flashforward: Shrodinger's Tivo (spoilers?)

I'm really enjoying the new ABC show "Flashforward" - at this moment I'm one episode behind and just about to catch up. From a Quantum Mechanics point of view this is an interesting point to be: I don't know if that next episode, there in my Tivo DVR, is the best episode yet, or if it's just ok. Until I observe it, it's both, according to QM. Quantum Mechanics is a truly fascinating arm of science: it literally seems to break down to, for all intents and purposes, magic at the basics. We've observed a particle cease to exist in one spot and appear in another without existing in the space inbetween - teleportation. A split particle, whose halves vibrate identically from stimulus on one no matter how far apart they are may prove the key to faster than light (indeed instantaneous) communication over great distances in space - explaining how Captain Kirk and all those admirals could hold a conversation without delays in it light years apart.

The premise of Flashforward is that everyone on Earth simultaneously has a vision on what they'll be doing for 2 minutes and 17 seconds at the exact same time six months into the future. A fascinating idea. Some people see themselves in new jobs, which they go out and apply for after their visions. Others see unhappy changes in their lives that they hope won't actually unfold. Still others see nothing at all, leading them to believe they'll be dead in six months time. What's interesting, though, is that while many of them see themselves in a position that is created by the flashforward - like the FBI agent Mark Benford who literally sees himself investigating the cause of the flashforward, using clues seen in the future to guide his investigation in the present - none sees what is the most obvious thing that will occur at that moment: a pause, like midnight on New Year's Eve, as we reach the moment we have seen, feared, and anticipated for the last six months. One flashforward overhears a newsman on TV describing a senator's scandal - in fact, wouldn't he be saying "Here it is, we've reached the moment that changed the world when the global community saw it six months ago!"???

Of course, a vision of the future that merely reveals itself to

be aware of having been seen in the past (whew!) does not make for good TV. Rather than getting an immutable view of the future, the world in Flashforward seems to have been placed in a six month long Schrodinger's box - but given the view of one possible outcome. It's already clear on the show that's not the only possible future, as Agent Al Gough commited suicide to avoid his future vision of a world in which he accidentally killed the mother of two young boys. Despite having seen a future for himself, he now undoubtably will not fulfill it. Both states - alive and dead - were possible outcomes of the six month long box.

If you're not familiar with Schrodinger's Cat, Wikipedia can help you out here. Animal Man - one of the better, most underused characters in the DC Universe (for reasons I'll hope fully explain here one day) once described the thought experiment using a pizza, a hot pepper package in the box being either broken - making the pizza too spicy to eat - or whole, leaving the pizza edible. I only mention this because I really liked Animal Man, and I hung this comic on the wall for a long time.

Just as an aside, The X-Files once dealt with the question of future knowledge in a differentway. In the episode "Clyde Bruckman's final repose," Peter Boyle as Clyde warned Mulder that he would find himself in the dark kitchen of a hotel, chasing someone, only to be jumped and choked from behind. Mulder, finding himself in a dark kitchen and suddenly

realizing this is the vision described to him, whirls around with gun in hand to get the drop on his assailant - only to be set upon by the assailant, in the shadows that were directly in front of him, now choking him from behind. Mulder's vision was not a box with two possible outcomes, it was truly an immutable future, and any twist and turn he made to avoid it only brought him closer to it.

Poor Schrodinger's cat. Or not. As long as you don't open the box, it's okay to feel fifty percent sorry for him.

Fridge part 2

Well, I didn't quite manage to give away one of these snazzy 70's Superman magnets yet, though I did get some good guesses as to the geek interests seen on my fridge, below. Maybe five was too many to ask for. For the record, here's how I count them:

1) Freakies Magnets

2)DC Superheroes

3)Disneyland ride vehicles

4) Milk and Cheese (Evan Dorkin comic)

5) Star Trek monster magnets from the Las Vegas Hilton

6) Peanuts characters (Spike and Shermy from Schulz museum).

7) Mystery Science Theater 3000

8) Coca Cola machine

9) Young Simba from The Lion King

10) Lost (ABC TV)

The reason for keeping multiple Superman and Robin magnets, is they have different color schemes, so as a true completist collector I have to keep one of each variation.

This still leaves me with one Superman magnet I'm trying to give away - so maybe I should look for a Superman fan. I'll mail it to the first person who comments the answer to this Super-question:

What are two types of Kryptonite besides Green and Red?

Over at Questionable Content this morning, Jeph Jacques has depicted a typical interaction between a comic artist and a super fan.  Check it out here.

The fridge of a geek

Taking a close look at my refrigerator, it's clear it belongs to a collector. And, that I like Pollo Loco. Some of these magnets I picked up here and there, because they happened to fit my interests.

Chief here are the plastic DC magnets that I got as a kid. Very textural and bright, I bought these when I was a very young collector, and you don't see them much anymore. And who can believe they did a magnet of the Riddler? How cool. I vaguely remember they might've done the Penguin as well, and I'm always keeping an eye out for any I don't have.

There's also a complete set of Freakies magnets here. I'll be writing more about Freakies shortly, but basically they're cereal-selling monsters that completely captivated me in the early 1970s, despite their distinctly unappetizing appearances. You'll see seven of them on the fridge, that's all of them.

Now, I've got a spare Superman magnet (besides even the two you see here) and I thought it would be interesting to give it away to a reader here. So, I'll mail it to the first person who can correctly answer the questions below.

1) I count 9 different categories I collect on this fridge, including Freakies and superheroes. Please name five of the others.

2) I have two Superman magnets and two Robin magnets. Can you see why? (Hint: it's a collector thing).

Please send your answers to fancollectorgeek@earthlink.net. This is open to anybody, whether I know you, am related to you, or you live on the other side of the globe. I'll post in comments when someone has completed.

Enjoy!

Happiness is a little book

Growing up in the late 60's early 70's I have many, many fond memories of Peanuts characters in my life. I was way too little to read or understand the comic strips, but I remember cherishing a number of these little square hardcover books when I was a very little kid. Happiness is a Warm Puppy (first published in 1962) was a huge hit in the decade of peace, love, and bomb-banning, and this was very much the look of Peanuts merchandise at the time: Strict black line art printed on very heavy - not always particularly pretty! - colors. These may look odd compared to the mostly pastel stuff you see today from Peanuts, but back then shirts, banners, and sleeping bags with Peanuts characters and quotes are slogans were everywhere. (the torn dust-jacket here may throw you off - the title isn't carried through to the book below).

I couldn't help but share this odd example from Puppy. I can't help but think Charles Schulz couldn't have been entirely happy with this depiction of the kids in a tree. They look more like they were drawn sitting around a campfire, then had a tree drawn in instead. (They all also look like they're a second away from slipping off their branches!)

Happiness is a Warm Puppy inspired sequels, like Happiness is a Sad Song. It also inspired many parodies, some "ribald" as they would have been labelled back then, and some innocent. Probably the best known is "Happiness is a Warm Gun," a slogan seen in a gun magazine which inspired the Beatles song.

Much less known these days, I think it's safe to say, is this example from Johnny Hart's line of B.C. comic strip paperbacks. I didn't make the connection myself until I saw it on the shelf near the Peanuts books - but I'm sure it wasn't lost on the book-buying public back in 1972 when it was released. Hart preferred puns in his strips, and even book titles, but he probably just couldn't resist a little self-deprecating comparison to the number one selling Peanuts merchandising juggernaut he was "competing" with.

Well, they're all good reads, and remind me of my childhood. anytime I come across a B.C. paperback I don't have for a quarter, or one of those funny little square solid-color books for a good price, I still like to pick them up today.

The Quintuple Quandary Quizzification

I'm going to sprain a brain lobe trying to come up with a Big Bang Theory-esque title each time, but heck, it's fun. Here I am trying to post more than once a week, and about the whole range of my collecting and fandom, but I keep getting so much cool Big Bang theory stuff sent my way, that's all I'm getting on here. But I'm not complaining!

I had handed to me tonight (in the Pasadena Cheesecake Factory, no less) a hard copy of a very nice Warner Brothers Employee E-Newsletter that I'd never heard of, called "Behind the Shield." (Referring to the WB logo shield). In it last month was a "Five Questions With...Jim Parsons" column that I hope they won't mind me sharing with you now:

What's your favorite thing about playing Sheldon?

In a weird way, (it's) all the longer passages they give him to say-especially the ones laden with scientific terms. I mean, they are mind-numbing at times, trust me, but there is no satisfaction like the kind you get from not only memorizing these, but from making sense of them-both for yourself and the audience.

When you heard that "The Big Bang Theory" had been picked up for two seasons, how did you celebrate?

I lead a very lame life in terms of celebrations. So, there was no champagne uncorked or anything like that. I remember thinking immediately of all the new scientific terms this would mean I would have to memorize (or, in reference to the above question, "GET to memorize!").

When you're not shooting your own TV show, are you a big TV watcher?

I tend to always have the TV on, but this doesn't mean I am actually watching anything. I am unfortunately remarkably talented at singing commercial jingles and can identify most commercial products within just a few notes. this really can't come in handy any day...

What do you order from the Commissary on the Studio lot, and what's your favorite thing from craft services?

The Commissary has the most wonderful peanut butter cookies I've ever eaten. As far as our own craft services is concerned, Jeannette is such a wonderful human being-she not only always has something delicious set out, but is constantly asking if she can make one of us something in particular. I love her.

Who is the biggest celebrity you've seen on the Warner Bros. lot?

John Stamos. And I say this having laid eyes on George Clooney as well, but I have to tell you that I was more stunned to see Mr. Stamos. No offense, George...you're still number two in my book!

___________________________________

So, kind of fun to see something a little inside like this. this hard copy will definitely be a permanent part of my BBT collection, and I'm going to make a point of trying the peanut butter cookies next time I'm lucky enough to have lunch at the Warners Lot.

And also - I've seen both John Stamos and Arnold Schwarzenegger over there, and I was way more impressed when I saw Stamos too.

Great minds stun alike? :)

The Hofstadter-Cooper Haute Couture

I was very surprised to learn this week that CBS publishes a magazine called Watch! It's been around for about four years, and literally covers all things CBS, past and present.

I discovered this publication existed when a copy turned up on Ebay offering one of seven current covers featuring the Big Bang Theory cast elegantly dressed in a way beyond the means of their characters. As a collector of all things BBT, I snatched it up right away. (Hurray for "Buy it Now!")

Even better, the cover offers a way to order all seven different covers directly (or specific individual ones, in case, say, you're more specifically a Kaley Cuoco and/or Jim Parsons fan). Too impatient to wait for my Ebay purchase to arrive, I contacted the magazine and they were kind enough to oblige me with a copy of the ad to order from, reproduced below.

I suppose I shouldn't feel left out that I hadn't heard of Watch! - as you can see in the clip here, David Letterman had never heard of it when Neil Patrick Harris mentioned the publication sent him off on a luxurious trip on the Orient Express for the cover story in the last issue.

Letterman pointed out that he'd been working for CBS since NPH had a paper route and he'd never heard of the magazine, or been sent on the Orient Express by CBS...

Kids, and Big Bang Theory fans, you can check out the magazine's web site here. Best of all - free three year subscriptions (that's 18 issues) are being offered to the first 50,000 subscribers who sign up by next September, so it looks like you can get your first BBT issue for free! I'm looking forward to seeing this - it looks like a slick publication, and you can't beat the price.

Here's the offer for the collector covers - it should expand when you click on it.

Read!