26 January 2013

what are the chances?

I believe in chaos and randomness. Unless something can be explained by the known laws of physics and chemistry, I don't believe in it. I reserve judgement on things I have experienced - my grandma Sadie's uncanny perceptions, for example, and the time something told me to swerve out of the lane seconds before a crushed car on a flatbed came flying off. My little elephant (VW beetle: elephant because it was grey and it had a trunk up front) would have been demolished, and I wouldn't have felt too good myself.

This one, though: too woo-woo for me.

Have you ever played with one of these? They're fun. They're also uncanny. Not so uncanny that they can't be explained by pretty standard AI stuff, but - uncanny. Especially if you think you've come up with a word that isn't simple. 

So there I was, at Barnes and Noble, and I decided to play with one. I thought of an animal and answered 5 questions. FIVE questions, and it got the answer right: "hedgehog."  

Really? Enough people think of hedgehogs to add it to a toy's database?  I guess so.  Next time I play with it, I'll have to think of something really different. Any suggestions to help me stump the toy? 

Why am I even writing about this? I guess, because I'd really like to believe in magic.

Anyway, here's some eye candy for you - my latest completed handspun. This one is "Chicken of the Forest," 180 yards of Corriedale, SW Merino, and Tussah silk from Enting Fibercraft. I might combine it with the green from the last post and make a fluttery little shawl. Or, I may just add it to my basket o'handspun and pet it. Either way. It's all good.


4 comments:

Donna Lee said...

The Furbie my daughter had used to give me the creeps even though i KNEW it was a mechanical toy. He talked to me.

I am also a big believer in science and facts and have no patience for woowoo. My one and only exception is the time I saw (and I mean really saw) my then recently deceased cat walk through the bedroom door and turn around and look at me before she walked away. We were companions for 20 years. Could it have been wishful thinking? Of course. But it felt so real. It spooked me for days

KSD said...

Pangolin.

Nicole said...

Sounds like a neat toy! And the handspun is lovely.

Devin said...

zebu