-------- Original Message --------
--- On Thu, 7/31/08, Stan Kelly-Bootle <skb@BOOTLE.BIZ> wrote:
...
> Before outstaying my welcome, this Planck Time, being the
> theoretically
> smallest measurable interval, presents us with the QUANTUM
> view of time as
> DISCONTINUOUS. A much bigger strain on commonsense than SR
> or GR. Just as
> energy comes in little lumps, time goes by in little jumps.
May I rephrase this comment, losing both its vigor and its
wit?
This Planck Time presents us with the possibility that
a yet-unknown (though there are promising possibilities)
quantum theory of everything might have a mathematical
structure that could be interpretable as saying that time
is discontinuous, if people want to interpret it that way.
> Quite a jolt if
> you enjoy singing the Hymn: TIME LIKE AN EVER-ROLLING
> STREAM, BEARS ALL ITS SONS AWAY!
But streams are discontinuous, made of atoms.
If I may turn from physics units (the Planck time, Watts)
to entomology, in April I asked on the leps-talk list
where the diana and atlantis might occur together, as
Kinbote says Shade told him they do in New Wye. Here
are two responses that I'm finally getting around to
posting, with permission. The result was a lot more
ambiguous than I'd hoped. However, the result does
include a VN anecdote and a glimpse of a topic that some
of us know little about, though it was important to VN.
Chris Durden responded:
"I would suggest Augusta Co., VA as most likely, in the
vicinity of Elliott Knob and Augusta Springs. I would
caution however that Nabokov had a wicked sense of
humor. He once sent a card to Harry Clench with a
watercolor illustration of *Leptidea virginiensis*.
Neither Harry nor I were able to find that species
anywhere. I am still looking."
Harry Pavulaan responded to me:
"I don't know any place where the two species occur
together. Speyeria atlantis occurs high up in the
Canadian Zone while S. diana occurs much lower down
in the Transition Zone but I'm not even sure they
occur close enough together at this time to be in
the same county. I think the Virginia records are
mainly strays coming down from the Spruce Knob area
but may be resident in very small numbers. Spruce
Knob currently seems to be the southernmost location
where you can expect to find atlantis. The diana
records you refer to (where both species occur
together) are likely historic records or more recent
records but being at the northeastern edge of diana's
range, they are likely not common. Bath County, VA.
is the farthest north area where diana can be expected
and these are all within the transition zone and upper
austral zone.
"It is possible that in the earlier part of last century,
diana was more frequent in the more northward counties
where it was recorded, thus coming within a county's
distance of atlantis.
"That's the best explanation I can come up with."
I responded:
"Thanks, Harry! That's helpful information.
"The passage that mentions the fritillaries also mentions
'the extraordinary blend of Canadian Zone and Austral Zone'
in the region, at an altitude of about 1500 feet. This
'extraordinary' makes me wonder whether Nabokov wanted
to create a place as non-existent as his state of
Appalachia and town of New Wye."
Harry Pavulaan responded:
"You're probably right. The Canadian Zone does not occur
until you get above 4000'. It's quite abrupt when you come
up from the east, with Transition Zone going right up to
the crest of the Allegany Front then immediately switching
over to Canadian Zone at the top. It blends into the
Transition Zone to the west, but the Canadian Zone really
is limited to the very highest elevations that are most
exposed to the elements. 1500 feet puts it on the lower
slopes just above the Valleys which is about where the
Austral Zone blends into the Transition Zone.
"Nabokov probably did want to create a fictional place, but
not far from reality, and the place where diana and
atlantis overlap were his fantasy. But who knows, he MIGHT
have found them together somewhere, but just strays either
way. [...]"
Jerry Friedman