Reality Game

The aim of science is not to find the "meaning" of the world. The world has no meaning. It simply is.
- John Bainville, "Beauty, Charm and Strangeness: Science as Metaphor," Science, 281, 1998

In this Reality Game, imagine that an angel hands you an ancient King James Bible and draws a box around the first three verses of Genesis.

1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth.

2. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.



The angel points to the Bible. "Select any one of the ten words in the first verse: In the beginning God created the heaven and the Earth."

You silently pick a word.

1. Count the number of letters in the chosen word and call this number N1. Then go to the word that is N1 words ahead. (For example, if you picked the first "the," go to "created," which is three words away.)

2. Now count the number of letters in this new word -- call the number N2 -- then jump ahead another N2 words.

3. Continue until your chain of words enters the third verse of Genesis. Stop. You are now pointing to a word in the third verse.


I can guess the word you are now on. But how is this possible?

Click here to see my guess.

Your view of reality will change as you embark on this shattering odyssey of self-discovery.




Web page copyright Cliff Pickover.