High On Possibility

The New Year

Music=
1. Low- Coldplay


"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."- Confucius

UFOtext=

"In Eurozone- Second Foundation wiped out- nothing left but cult of crazy people. " Astira paused and the Dragon listened.

"They set up hyperspace link to Oceania-  then Oceania link to Kalgan. Beyond that don't know." Astira stopped and looked at the Dragon.

"So what u think Dragon- u think Astira lost her freakin mind?"

The Dragon listened to the whisper of his deep inner thoughts. He spoke-

"Our galaxy is in great peril. The deviations from psychohistory in Kalgan invalidate the basis of psychohistory."

The Dragonfly lowered her eyes and then looked up to a stunned Astira.

.....

Standing on the main dock of London, gazing from low to high, the Count beheld the vast expanse of ocean and sky. Years ago he stood alone on a similar dock at Paris- but that dock now lay abandoned. At that time Kiritimati <> held his key to great fortune and power. Now he returned with a modest entourage- Aristarchus of Samos and Princess Lei- seeking only the fortunes of history- and of the heart.

UFOtwit

Tick-Tock

White Jade

Music=

1. Appels + Oranjes- Smashing Pumpkins

2. Pat A Pan- Mannheim Steamroller

3. A Love Before Time (Mandarin)- CoCo Lee

UFOtext=

Astira reached the gate by nightfall. A few winter stars hung crazily above in the Czech sky, but no moon lit the way. She lifted the latch and pulled with all her might on the heavy metal gate. The gate gradually opened wide and she crossed over, her pulse rising from the effort. She then walked along a snowy path lit by paper dragon lanterns swinging in the cold wind. A bright moon of white jade appeared between the trees, scattering the bright snowflakes and revealing a distant pagoda. Astira felt her eyes become heavy- she could now see the robed figure of the Dragonfly standing in the flickering light.

......

"The end of the world- and- the beginning of the world! It is the way of revolution."
Princess Lei then paused, seconds of time becoming centuries to the Count. In a forest of jade, each falling snowflake became it's own winter- each melting snowflake it's own spring.

UFOtwit

Kiritimati

Island World

Music=

1. Oceania- Smashing Pumpkins

UFOtext=
The clock struck five- Princess Lei appeared. The Count, refreshed from a rare afternoon nap, escorted the Princess up a winding flight of stairs to the frontside balcony overlooking the streets of Paris. A hint of twilight gradually deepened as they spoke.
"So- pressing business takes you to Italy, Kashmir and Hong Kong."
"Yes." said the Princess, her eyes rising like crescent moons.
"Are you familiar with Kiritimati?" asked the Count.
"I've heard of Kiritimati- it's beyond even the Silk Path."
"Yes." said the Count, he then explained-
"Kiritimati is a deep pearl at the bottom of a mysterious sea."
At that very moment the twilight deepened and revealed its first star.
------
Astira took a chance and opened the hyperspace link. A hologram appeared showing two dense spiral arms of the Mleko Droga galaxy- the myriad islands of Oceania lay strewn between in a rare fine dust of stars.

UFOtwit

Xmas Blues

Liuli

Music=

1. Fiction- The xx

UFOtext=

The sun rose victorious. The Count's tired eyes contracted slightly in the true light of mid morning. He knew- at this very moment- the Princess lay sleeping, her mind a theater of dream, a revelation of hope and despair. He knew- later in the afternoon- her almond eyes would open to the world, fresh as the morning glory.
Through his long day he would wait for the rise of the sun in the Far East.

UFOtwit

Roof Of Stars

From Empire To Foundation

Music=

1. Stand Inside Your Love- Smashing Pumpkins

2. Angels - The xx

"Only after winter comes do we know that the pine and the cypress are the last to fade."- Confucius

UFOtext=

Two armed shadowy figures jumped the strolling man. Aristarchus flinched and watched the three figures argue- pushing and shoving. Then a lone man emerged from the parked vehicle. He walked up to the strolling man and the two began to talk, turning away from the others. After five minutes of talking, the strolling man pointed to the abandoned house. The two men then embraced. Within minutes all of the armed figures withdrew and then drove away. Only the dark figure of the strolling man remained. He turned toward the abandoned house and gazed- his eyes afire as if dreaming of angels. For an hour the candles of night burned low and late. And like the night, the dark figure disappeared with the faint blue of morning.

................

Astira pulled out her i5 and scanned the electronic lock on the door of the apartment. By hacking the network of the apartment complex, her i5 could assume the passbook identity of the renter and open the lock. In a flash the door opened as if by magic. Once inside she streamed a copy of the video surveillance of the prior ten minutes into the security system. Drawing her laser pistol, she then searched the rooms of the apartment. Nobody at home and she found what she was looking for- a small holographic computer device. She flipped it on with her i5 passbook. She quickly found the interstellar hyperlink- the room filled with a sapphire glow. She pinged the sapphire bloom- her i5 indicated a communication link of about 10,000 light years- the approximate distance to the center of the galaxy- and the Second Foundation. She felt a moment of panic- she was not only cut off from her normal channels of communication to the Second Foundation, there was a real possibility the Second Foundation no longer existed! She might be the last star in the long night!
But then she thought of the Dragonfly and their impossible trek to the Roof of Heaven.

UFOtwit

Possibility Tree

Tree

Music=

1. Destination Unknown- Smashing Pumpkins

"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance." - Confucius

UFOtext=

Astira never liked rolling the dice, she preferred stacking the deck. xx

 UFOtwit

Soft Landing

Twinkling Star

Music=

1. One Diamond, One Heart- Smashing Pumpkins

"You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Christopher Columbus

UFOtext=

Aristarchus watched a figure dressed in the black of night stroll down the street.

 UFOtwit

Candles In The Sky

by MarioGuti

Music=

1. Starlight- Muse

2. I Will Be Your Friend- CoCo Lee

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Confucius

UFOtext=

The Hummingbird perched upon a key branch of psychohistory spanning 75,000 light years over one millennium in space and time. Aristarchus smiled in deep satisfication, but he realized how precarious the situation remained over the next few hours. He pulled away from the crack and padded back to the moonlit window. He spied the three dark figures hiding in the shadows below.

Deal in hand, the Princess returned to the moonlit window. She touched her black diamond. Somewhere above she would find the Twinkling Star. But now the only stars above her burned low like candles in the night.

………….

Astira stood still, reading the emotional patterns around her. The patterns were strange and cult like- Kafkaesque- as if she found herself in an insane asylum….

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Too Good To Be True?

Foundation & Bridge

Music=

1. One Friend House- Adam Panic

2. This Book Is A Movie- Spoon

"You cannot open a book without learning something."
- Confucius

UFOtext=

Aristarchus peered through the crack. He stretched his awareness to read the emotional patterns of the
Princess. He felt the sense of wings rising and falling until she launched into flight- she quickly turned from her perch and flew to Saveur.
"Ok- 1 trillion up front- we have a deal."
And she hovered in the air above the pythons of the night.
…………….
Astira knew she could trust nothing or no one- except herself. She stretched her awareness to read the emotional patterns of the people around her- at present her only bridge across the downfall of the Second Foundation.

UFOtwit

*

Black Diamond

Music=

1. Let's Go (Ikimasho)- Yuto Miyazawa

2. The Mystery Zone- Spoon

"The Essence of Knowledge is, having it, to use it."
- Confucius

UFOtext=

Princess Lei  touched her black diamond and the hologram vanished. The half moon of Lutetia was now half full.

.........................

Astira knew her cover blown- they mark Astira for death- but they not know she know. How to apply her knowledge?

*

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Twinkling Star

Lanterns

Music=

1. One Diamond, One Heart- Smashing Pumpkins

"The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death."-
O. Wilde

UFOtext=

The Milky Way spilled across the black velvet hologram as if poured from the half moon of Lutetia. A ghostly image of Princess Lei framed by a broken window materialized and undulated like a mirage of thermal waves in atmosphere.
"Only 1 trillion up front- is there any hope for a deal?"
"No- the Mongols face great risk from the Empire."
"Try again to get a deal with the Mongols. We cannot fail."
"Princess- nothing less than 50% up front will suffice."
"Wait," said a figure dressed in the black of night.
Two crew members of the Twinkling Star turned to the figure.
"I am willing to provide the full 5 trillion euros with only nano interest. But I insist on one austere condition. "
"What is that?"
"My involvement must not be revealed to the Princess. In fact- I was never here."

………………

Astira clicked off her i5 and stared at the green walls of the ladies room. Hacking the network produced a normal array of local white nodes, but the saphire bloom revealed a mysterious hyperspace link- most likely a gated interstellar connection. But who? And for what? What sort of organization could set up its own private hyperspace network? She felt a cold chill of fear but gathered herself and hurried out of the hideous green room. If only she had a bodyguard

1 .

 UFOtwit

A6*

Diamond Glow

Music=

1. Crystalised- The xx

2. A Message- Coldplay

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."-   Arthur C. Clarke

UFOtext=

Princess Lei watched the half moon of Lutetia seemingly drift through a light mist in the night air. Somewhere nearby, in geosynchronous orbit, her personal spacecraft "The Twinkling Star" kept a distant watch and monitored her position to the nearest millimeter. She touched her black diamond necklace, the Yin diamond  <> , and a biosensor verified her identity. She could now transmit a very low power signal to the The Twinkling Star on a very unusual set of frequencies. Those frequencies formed an encrypted braid of information- the secret whisper of the Hummingbird in the wild.
………….
Astira pinged her surroundings with her i5. A network of active white nodes appeared with a mysterious saphire bloom.

*

UFOtwit

Burning Empires

Prague

Music=

1. Let's Go (Ikimasho)- Yuto Miyazawa

2. Disarm- Smashing Pumpkins

"takenoko no sanbon me yori tsuki yo kana" - Issa

UFOtext=

Aristarchus watched the troika of figures split up and take positions of cover surrounding the house. For the next three or four minutes nothing happened. Aristarchus then turned away from the balcony window and returned to the crack in the floor.

"Look," said Sauveur.

"I'll pay 1 trillion up front, and 4 trillion when you deliver- assuming the euro drops like you say."

"Only 1 trillion?" exclaimed the Princess.

"Make it 2 trillion up front and we have a deal." 

"No can do," said Sauveur.

"Look- my connections to the Foundation are money good- but they have to see the product first."

Princess Lei then turned away from Sauveur and walked to a broken window where she gazed upward into the moonlight of Lutetia. 

………………

Astira knew Prague as a child on Name Day, and then later in her early youth. But now everything changed- her city transformed into a beautiful but dangerous underground for the Second Foundation. Like herself.

UFOtwit

Graffiti

Breaking Wave

Music=

1. Amazing- Seal

"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each." -- T.S. Eliot

UFOtext=

The sun broke above the horizon and spread its morning fire. Xanthia bolted across the hard pack sand running in long clean strides to the distant pier. Deep blue waves crashed upon the perimeter of the beach and spread into thin shiny fans about his flashing feet. 

"Xanthia- my love, tell me what you see."

"I see a white tiger- a white tiger dressed in stripes of graffiti."

"Xanthia- my love, I am here- the tiger is but an illusion in your mind. You must look through the tiger of graffiti."

"Athena- my eyes are clear, my soul is clean."

Xanthia then burst across the fleeting shadows of the pier. 

 UFOtwit

The Long Night*

5 Senses

Music=

1. Wake- Linkin Park

2. Wide Awake- Solab

"Life comes from the Earth and life returns to the Earth." -Zhuangzi

UFOtext=

Aristarchus watched and listened through the crack. Princess Lei spoke softly in the quiet night of the abandoned house.

"I can deliver one metric ton of rare earth minerals through the junk ships of Hong Kong within 3 months. I assure you we can evade the authorities of the Empire- the Foundation would have an underground link to the riches of the Silk Path. Are you interested?"

Sauveur took a moment to consider.

"Like everything, it depends on the price." said Sauveur.

"How much?"

"Five trillion euros." said the Princess.

"That's rather high don't you think?" asked Sauveur.

"No, in 3 months time the euro will be worth much less." explained the Princess.

"A lot can change in 3 months for sure." said Sauveur.

Aristarchus sensed a change. He rose from the floor and quietly padded his way to the window on the balcony. He peered into the moonlit streets. A small vehicle stopped one block away and three figures emerged. Their silent shadows in the moonlight moved toward the abandoned house.

"I think we have company." thought Aristarchus to himself.

.....................

Astira saw the man standing in the street. She keyed xx into her i5. She slipped it back into her pocket and then she felt the warm heat of her small laser pistol. Now she was ready for her blind date.

* 

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The Black Swan Branch

Beta

Music=

1. Loud Music= Michelle Branch

"A Visi-Sonor- and of a make to distill joy out of a dead man's heart."- The Mule 

(in Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Empire)

UFOtext=
Xanthia listened to the scientist-
"Everyone knows about the jump from classical computers to quantum computers. The classical computer types in only one bit of information per keystroke- either a 1 or 0 for a spin up or down. The quantum computer types in much more information per keystroke- for example, it types into a quantum spin state where one knows only the probabilty that the spin points up or down. As a result the quantum computers vastly outperform the classical computers. Today I want to talk about an even more powerful kind of computer- complex quantum net computers that might someday answer any answerable question asked of it! For example, we all know that here on the Foundation none of us knows anything to speak of about psychohistory. A few crackpots work on psychohistory and they entertain us with their drivel- but we all know that they ultimately don't have a clue! However, this new generation of quantum net computers might actually discover and develop the science of psychohistory- if we just ask it to in the right way!" And the young man made a face at his amused audience.

Xanthia stirred in his seat-
It was vital that the First Foundation remain in the dark about psychohistory. Who could say whether or not the new computers could discover psychohistory? The most brilliant psychohistorian alive- Aristarchus of Samos- repeatedly stressed the possibility of disruptive technological change that nobody could anticipate. He proved every branch on a realistic psychohistory probabilty tree carries the invisible and mysterious black swan branch- that branch which covers the possibility that something else might happen- something that nobody thought about. A simple example of the black swan branch involved a coin toss- one branch for a head, one branch for a tail and then the black swan branch- like when the coin bounces around on the table and then finally comes to rest- balanced perfectly on its edge- neither head nor tail!
"Hi- my name is Beta."
Xanthia turned in his seat to see a young student with a shiny silver pendant.

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Flames Of History

s-rae

Music=

1. Burn It Down- Linkin Park

2. Tinfoil- Linkin Park

"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."- Voltaire

UFOtext=

Aristarchus peered down through the crack in the floor at the man named Michael. He stood proximate to Princess Lei and when he turned briefly Aristarchus got a good look at his face. Aristarchus felt a shock of recognition.

"Of course," he realized, looking up from the floor into an aerial  shaft of moonlit dust, "it now makes perfect sense. It is the infamous underground figure Michael Sauveur- or as he is known in Londontown, Sir Michael the Savage." 

He knew the firebrand Sauveur was banned from Londontown and could be arrested in Paris. A politically active black marketeer like Sauveur would support the cause of Princess Lei's revolt from the Empire. Aristarchus knew well his fractal probability trees of psychohistory. The beautiful Princess Lei would likely bloom in the role of a key branching variable on the Silk Path- and thus for the entire galaxy including the Foundation. 

-------

The man waved and smiled at Astira. She sat down at the small outdoor table and said hello, slipping her shiny i5 into her pocket.

"You know, I've heard so much about you. It's so good to meet you in person!" he said, looking at her with a calculating smile.

"Oh yea, live at 5, that's me!" said Astira, and she made a little bit of a cartoon play face.

"Let me introduce myself- my name is Max Iglinsky." and the man paused.

The world stopped. Astira began to cry but she felt shock instead. Her stomach twisted in fear and then she felt a hatred twist inside her- she stared at the man. Then the Dragon spoke to her and led her to become one with the grasses, to become one with the river and to become one with the sky. She led herself to heightened awareness beyond the blinding chaos of her emotion- she saw both danger and opportunity. She knew her beloved Max from the days of Telegraph Pass in the high mountains. This man was not Max Iglinsky.

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ixx5

idiotgraphic

Music=

1. Intro- The xx

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Chinese Proverb*

UFOtext=

Like a moonlit spider Aristarchus climbed up the side of the abandoned building. He crawled carefully upon the roof, then swung down upon a small balcony on the second floor. He heard the faint murmur of voices. He then reached through a broken window pane and gently unhooked a small latch. He very slowly opened the antique door to avoid making any creaking noise. With just enough space, he entered a room imbued by only the faint stray moonlight filtering through the windows. Like a stray dog on the prowl he quietly padded his way on the old creaky floor. The voices below on the first floor were now clear enough to hear. He listened intently as he stared through a crack in the floor.

"Look, Michael, these numbers are scary. The Empire hammers us everyday. Their spies are everywhere. Their bureaucrats manipulate governments and markets against us. How long can we go on like this? No one will hear or listen to our voice!" The words of Princess Lei then burned quietly in the night like a constellation of stars.

-------

Astira walked along the riverfront as if she were a tourist. Then her mobile i5 lit up with a message and spoke-

"Astira- Look over here on your right- see xx?"

Astira clicked off her i5. At certain pseudorandom times- like now- the symbol xx identified members of the Second Foundation. 

"Now is xx trouble…" she thought to herself.

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* = recent tweet from @titanraines

Way Functional

Prague Bridges

Music=

1. Trouble Comes Running- Spoon

"There is one single thread binding my way together…the way of the Master consists in doing one's best…that is all. - Confucius 

UFOtext=

Aristarchus carefully shadowed Princess Lei. She walked quickly and chaotically through a maze of backstreets, frequently looking over her shoulder- no place for a Princess in the dark of night he thought to himself. And then she stopped- but in front of a small dark abandoned building with broken windows. The Princess lifted her gown and then jumped through a window, disappearing in the dark.

-------

Astira crossed the bridge. She wasn't looking for trouble, but trouble had a way of looking for  her.

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Paradox

Junks In Paradox

Music=

1. Paradise- Coldplay

UFOtext=

Imperial forces of the Empire rained death and destruction upon the coastal revolutionary strongholds in a typhoon of terror. A young girl darted through the dark streets and alleys, stopping chaotically to look over her shoulder, or look up into the exploding night sky. She carried handwritten messages- no electronic communications could be trusted……

Ten years later and far away, Princess Lei opened her eyes to the shimmering band of the Milky Way arcing across the Parisian sky. The "hummingbird" carried her own handwritten messages hidden within her dress- no electronic communications could be trusted……

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Visitor

Apple Tree

Music=

1. White Shadows- Coldplay

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."- Buddha*

UFOtext=

The next day the sun rose in the far east. Astira and the Dragonfly listened to every word of the Dragon- one blink of attention and one vital word might be lost- one vital node in a holistic expression of being- a oneness with the morning sun, the soft breeze and the sparkling noise of flowing waters. Astira opened her awareness upon the oneness around them and then she understood. She saw the possibility tree grow from the grasses and she beheld the branches unfold into a fractal complexity of outcomes- each outcome its own bloom of being, each outcome a child of possibility. She reached upward and plucked one bloom from one branch and then she knew the future. The Dragon smiled and the morning sun rose higher into the blue sky- silent clouds of white shadow flew to the horizon like birds.  

The next day the sun rose in the far west. Astira walked through the spaceport in a sea of strange faces. Tears of dragons trickled down her cheeks.

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* = a recent tweet from @titanraines

First Up

WikiPaint- beta version

Music=

1. One Thing- One Direction

UFOtext=

The next day Edmund met Susan on the water lilly bridge. Cool emerald shadows held off the summer heat of Paris.
"Something's got to give- either the past or the future- the status quo- or total revolution."  And Susan looked into Edmund's dark eyes for any sign of light.
The Count of Monte Sano gazed with perfect composure upon the Princess of the Orient as if she were a marble statue. And then he opened the hidden trap door and crawled into the dark tunnel that led to the wide dark sea. The Byronic storms of night passed and he awoke to their present moment upon the garden bridge- not a bridge to the past- a bridge to the future….

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The Dragon & The Tiger

The Dragon

Music=

1. History Will Teach Us Nothing- Sting

2. Tides- Sting

UFOtext=

Astira worked her way through the crowd. The Dragon Master stood in chains before the Tiger Master- she concentrated her mind to read the emotions of the Dragon Master but she could only sense an inner calm of high consciousness- as if the Dragon Master stood upon a peak and the valley of creation lay below. In a blur of motion the universe stood still. The Dragon whirled and twisted in his chains, throwing his guards off balance- in a flash a saber of light melted away the chains- Ninja stars then swarmed the stage in a deadly firefly dance, but the elusive Dragon became one with his shadow- the stars sailed harmlessly through his shadows of darkness….

Astira reached for her laser pistol but the wings of the Dragonfly enfolded her-

"Yes- A- it is but a matter of honor now- only a matter for the face of the Dragon and the face of the Tiger- we are only blades of grass upon which they walk." And the Dragonfly lowered her eyes and held Astira close in gentle embrace.

Astira looked up to the stage and watched the Dragon Master and the Tiger Master bow to one another. Only one would see the sun rise.

-----------------------------

Princess Lei held the Count in her arms. Yin to yang- as if the round sun could rise and set on the horizon of love- always and forever- at the very same moment- a Paradox in time that would never die…….

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L'île des rȇves

seurat- grande jatte

Music=
1. Dream #9- John Lennon

UFOtext=

Edmund reeled backward and staggered senseless from the cave- his brain seized in a daze of utter disbelief. Below the trees he could hear the breaking surf and far away lay the blue horizon of sea and sky. He wanted to run away forever but he turned back to the night of the cave and she stood there- veiled in a gown of pale white moonlight- and he felt his soul drowning within her eyes. Her eyes, her eyes like warm watercolors in a distant spring. He then reached out to hold her but he held only the moonlight.

"Count!" exclaimed the Princess- and she rushed to his side. 

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The Black Diamond

Music=
1. Speed Of Sound- Coldplay

UFOtext=

As the sun set somewhere, somewhere it rose- the yin to the yang. Dressed in the shadows of night, Princess Lei made her way to the Count's apartment. The weight of revolution lay heavily upon her shoulders. The door opened.

The Count rose to greet the Princess, admiring the simple lines of her gown in flowing black silk. 

"Princess Lei, so good of you to join us." And then the Count stopped- astonished and stricken with the emotion of a deep memory. He stared at the luminescing black diamond perched upon the soft white breast of the Princess.

"Princess Lei, your diamond necklace…." 

The Princess spoke in soft clear words.

"Count, the black diamond is exceedingly rare. Like other black diamonds, it was created in a supernova billions of years ago. Most black diamonds are polycrystalline, but this diamond is a pure crystal. It is the Yin diamond, and legend says there exists an interlocking Yang diamond. The Yang diamond is lost to history though." And the Princess smiled and pursed her lips.

The Count's eyes began to tear in the wonder of it all. How many years ago on that distant island of hidden treasure- how many years ago when the Count first opened that archaic box on that deserted island- thousands upon thousands of sparkling jewels in waterfall cascade- and there, in a seperate small compartment- a perfect black diamond with a strange interlocking shape- the Yang diamond!

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Liberty Tree

"A fair budding branch from the gardens above,

Where millions with millions agree,

She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love,

And the plant she named Liberty Tree.

The celestial exotic struck deep in the ground,

Like a native it flourished and bore;

The fame of its fruit drew the nations around,

To seek out this peaceable shore."

- Thomas Paine


Music=
1. The Journey- Boston
find complete poem and articles at
root source= wikisource author search  for Thomas Paine
wikisource link

First Place

top section by sergey-ignatenko

Music=

1. The Delicate Place- Spoon

UFOtext=

Aristarchus walked along a thin red line- the proper role of the Second Foundation in guiding galactic history along its possibility tree remained subtle, indirect & most of all secret. 

Princess Lei peered at Aristarchus intently.

"Aristarchus, everyone knows of the existence of the Foundation at the edge of the galaxy. Everyone knows about their magical technology. But I've heard rumors that they can also predict the future. What say you about that?" 

And she opened her hands in a graceful gesture of wonder.

Aristarchus spoke thoughtfully & chose his words carefully.

"I think such rumors are myth. From my own studies of simple mathematical trees I think the difficulties in predicting the future go beyond even the Foundation. Time & change remain great mysteries to us all."

Search For Information

Music=

1. Black Background- The Presets

UFOtext=

Aristarchus discovered the mathematical instability of the Silk Path. But refining the probability tree required more information from the field- Princess Lei formed a delicate key branching variable in the psychohistory of the Silk Path- and thus the Milky Way galaxy. 

Search For Foundation

Music=
1. Aeons- The Presets

UFOtext=

"Think of it as a possibility tree with roots in antiquity & branches of future possibilities. The roots of our tree retrodict the past & the branches of our tree predict the future. Believe it or not, in some ways it is easier to predict the future than retrodict the past."  Aristarchus paused.

Princess Lei & the Count turned toward each other, the Count gazing into the deep watercolors of her almond shaped eyes. Those eyes held the beautiful mystery of antiquity & the vision of the future.

Rapid Slowdown

Music=
1. Don't Panic- Coldplay

UFOtext=

In the way of great change or revolution alterations of confidence demarcate the uncertain path. In the Count's estimation, Princess Lei & her followers found their nadir upon them now- but their zenith lay in a future sky.

Paper Tigers

Flying Tigers pic from Wikipedia

Music=
1. Gel- Collective Soul

UFOtext=

The morning moon slept in the blue sky, but awakened bright in the fall of night. The Count & Princess Lei enjoyed exotic green tea shipped from the Pearled Harbour system- the "western" gateway to the Silk Path stretching across the far reaches of the Milky Way.

"You see our precarious situation Count- the waning Empire still holds significant sway even as a multitude of local systems break apart into an unstable & and toxic barbarism. Our shifting allies are but paper tigers….." and she raised her arms in a sweeping motion across the glittering stars of the night.

Silk Path

Music=

1. Magical Mystery Tour- Beatles

UFOtext=

The paradox of a morning moon signaled the start of the next day. Princess Lei gave the Count much to think about...

Trojan Horse

Music=

1. Ride Captain Ride- Blues Image

UFOtext=

"So what are we living in now?" Princess Lei asked. "A free society, or a crypto-dictatorship?"*

* This quote taken from a recent WND interview with UK banned Dr. Mike Savage. 

Oiseau-mouche

Music=

1. Princess Leia's Theme- London Symphony Orchestra

UFOtext=

The spirit of the long day withdrew gracefully behind a thin   twilight palette. One by one the stars opened their eyes upon deepening velvet. Word by word the Princess of Revolution revealed her heart. 

"Count, the Empire unjustly controls our planet & our lives. Their tyranny reigns upon us without regard. Our sacred lives are but playthings to their leaders. My dear Count, I beseech your understanding."

Her watercolor eyes then rose as sylphlike crescent moons above the darkness of the Count's heart. 

Jardin des Tuileries

Music=

1. Hummingbird- Seals & Crofts

UFOtext=

"How many Napoleons flew to freedom from Empire- only to perish," thought the Count. He glanced poignantly at Susan Lei as she walked along the garden sidewalk- another Princess of Revolution to be buried in history. But in a small universe of spring she remained a simple creature of beauty- part Asian, part African & part Polynesian. Her father was I.M. Lei, the famed architect schooled by the Empire- but an architect who designed buildings constructed with new composite materials created by the Foundation. 

Perpetual Motion

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1. Crackerbox Palace- George Harrison

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"7%? Is that all?" asked Susan Lei, as if a disappointed bride on her wedding night.
The Spanish ambassador shrugged & the Count smiled in a bemused manner. After all, the short term movements in stocks & bonds were of no great concern to the Count- he played upon the stage of longer &  historic spans of time. Speaking of which,
"This long term refinancing operation, it reminds me of a perpetual motion machine." 

First Day Of Spring

Music=

1. Here Comes The Sun- Beatles

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"Waves of emotion change faster than the weather- but they follow patterns..." said Layla, casually brushing back her blonde hair.

"Yes, like waves on a pond- but those patterns change unpredictably when a pebble is tossed into the pond." said Mark.

"Yes, that's true- but the changed wave pattern is still a solution of the wave equation for the pond- just a different solution from the one before." said Layla in return.

"But if you can't predict how long a wave pattern will last, you can't predict much of anything!" said Mark.

Layla stirred in her chair.

"But what if we enlarge our system to include all information- that is suppose there really are no pebbles beyond our system, only unknown influence from the part of the pond we cannot see- then we would have one endogenous solution of the wave equation for all time- we just wouldn't know which one because we can't see all of the pond- we can only make educated guesses about which solution we are looking at based on the part of the wave pattern we can see." said Layla. And then she stirred her coffee with a silver spoon as she contemplated her imprecise analogy.