THE PALE KING

LIBERTIES AND HYDROGEN

I just noticed that liberties on a go board correspond to the placement of hydrogen atoms on simple alkane hydrocarbons, e.g. n-propane includes eight hydrogen atoms and three go stones placed in a straight line will have eight liberties, the same holds true for any straight chain arrangement. Isopropane would correspond with the empty triangle with seven liberties or seven hydrogens––but isopropane does not exist–– if you were to create isopropanol with an opponents stone representing an oxygen atom then the analogy would stand or an isopropyl moiety with the central carbon/stone attached to an R-group. Cyclobutane includes eight hydrogrens and a square four stone unit (not to be confused with a ponnuki) will have eight liberties. Cyclohexane includes twelve hydrogen atoms and the corresponding six stone ring/eye has twelve liberties. I wonder if the convergence does not end there, could the same factors that define the strength and influence of a go shape impact, say, the stability of a molecule?

ON READING AND BOOKS

"When we read, another person thinks for us: we merely repeat his mental process. It is the same as the pupil, in learning to write, following with his pen the lines that have been pencilled by the teacher. Accordingly, in reading, the work of thinking is, for the greater part, done for us. This is why we are consciously relieved when we turn to reading after being occupied with our own thoughts. But, in reading, our head is, however, really only the arena of some one else’s thoughts. And so it happens that the person who reads a great deal — that is to say, almost the whole day, and recreates himself by spending the intervals in thoughtless diversion, gradually loses the ability to think for himself; just as a man who is always riding at last forgets how to walk. Such, however, is the case with many men of learning: they have read themselves stupid."

JOHN Q. BEAGLE

I have been attempting to contact the renowned arylcyclohexylamine chemist and author of this review who went by the name "John Q. Beagle" or "hms_beagle" simply "Beagle". He is known for writing a piece on the synthesis of 4-MeO-PCP that sparked a great deal of discussion regarding the compound's potency and duration, he was also a contributor to Rhodium where he wrote about the chemistry of dialkyltryptamines and adrenochrome. Given his level of expertise I would not be surprised if he is currently developing legitimate pharmaceutical NMDA-antagonists. I am aware he could once be reached at beagle@mcafeemail.com but that address has since become invalid. If anyone who is Beagle, or was Beagle, or knows Beagle, reads this and wishes to point me in his direction it would be greatly appreciated. 

HIS MASTERS'S VOICE #2

A passenger, sterilized in body and mind (lest he bring into our great land either Asian flu or Asian ideas), pumped full of vitamins and videotapes, will be able to move from city to city, from continent to continent, from planet to planet––with ever-increasing speed and security. And the vision of all this phenomenally efficient, solicitous machinery is supposed to take our breath away, so that we never get around to asking what exactly is gained by these lightening-fast peregrinations. Such speeds used to be too much for our old, animal body; travel from hemisphere to hemisphere, when too sudden, would disrupt its circadian rythmn. But, fortunately, a drug has been found to nullify that disruption. True, the drug sometimes causes depression, but there are other drugs to raise your spirits. They do cause heart disease. But, then, one can insert polyethylene tubes into the coronary arteries to prevent them from clogging.

RISUS SARDONICUS

HONINBO JOWA VS. INTETSU AKABOSHI