If people look at a topic, does it exist, only so far as to when people are looking at it? And when people stop looking at it does it cease to exist when people have stopped looking at it and not replying to it and then does it exist in the past?

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
If people look at a topic, does it exist, only so far as to when people are looking at it? And when people stop looking at it does it cease to exist when people have stopped looking at it and not replying to it and then does it exist in the past?

Quantum posting, that's all we need!

To answer your question: Yes with an "if", no with a "but". Or vice versa.



[edit on 8/20/2008 by schrodingers dog]

Originally posted by Frankidealist35
If people look at a topic, does it exist, only so far as to when people are looking at it? And when people stop looking at it does it cease to exist when people have stopped looking at it and not replying to it and then does it exist in the past?

Sometimes a topic will drop off the bottom of the page (below zero point), at which time, since I am no longer observing it, it will revert to a more virtual state. The act of my observing the topic has a definite effect on it, since the number of "views" changes every time I do, slightly yet ultimately changing the importance of the topic, itself. My viewing might encourage others to do so, giving it more energy and thus keeping the thread actual and above zero point.

In this particular forum, however, similar if not identical topics appear at seemingly regular intervals, leading me to suspect that the topics may be influenced by other, unseen variables beyond my perception.

How apt that Shrodinger's Dog follows a question resembling Shrodinger's Cat.

*rolls with laughter*

I've always thought the frequency of similar posts, intriguing yet ignored posts, and practically all posts are a bit "quarky."

Cheers!

But this is the real reason for moderators. These guys are doing a noble job - constantly looking at threads so they will not go into Limbo. And since number of threads grow very fast, each person has to observe several threads in a shifts. Sweatshop, really.
Imagine if one of them blinks! The whole thread on recent war with thousands of replies can vanish without a trace.

Well, obviously, if no one is viewing a topic. for all tenses and purposes, it doesn't exist.

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
Quantum politics

You mean Quantum Posting.

Frankly, I like the Black Hole Theory of Posting, as many threads seem to suck ordinary logic right out of the known universe.

The creator of a thread is also an observer. Or did you guys forget that? What can happen is that a member can not notice a thread, or the thread will not even exist in his reality.

The Self of my infinite multitudinous Self's in a superposition state are all encompassing in all and every moment/s of time and space and are subsequently doing all the nessecary task/s for my enhanced observation and interaction of all and any said task/s at all and any given point.
Hence in laymans terms; all bases are indeed covered

[edit on 20-8-2008 by Epsillion70]