Keto Krumbs -- My Advice

When I posted my keto diet comment on Facebook (bemoaning the fact I was not losing weight), I was looking more for sympathy than advice. But I got lots of advice (and sympathy, too).

I didn't need advice as I'm under the care of both a registered dietitian and my family doctor. but I did appreciate the fact that my friends cared.  Obviously, I'm not the only one battling a weight problem.

There is  lot of information, misinformation and sponsored 'information' out there on the keto diet and all the derivatives thereof (high fat & low/no carb, high protein & low carb, fasting & low carb, intermittent fasting, low cal & high fat).  In fact, there is a lot of misinformation on all things dietary.

There is actually surprisingly little non-biased, evidence-based dietary advice available to anyone, my doctor and dietitian included. This in a world where weight loss is a multi-billion dollar industry and has been for decades. It's my suspicion that those industry dollars sponsor a lot of the questionable 'information' and 'research' out there.

My dietitian provided me some trusted links to the little available truly scientific evidence on the keto diet as well as links to some of the research behind Canada's most recent food guide.

I thank my friends for caring but that advice? Let's put it this way, I know firsthand how easy it is to get people to believe whatever one posts online, whether it be a blog, a Facebook page, a forum, Twitter--YouTube. Even though I clearly identify myself as a science fiction author, I get an amazing amount of positive online feedback when I answer questions about, or pontificate on quantum physics. People, I'm not a scientist. I do not have a degree in science--or in anything. I suck at math--I use my fingers to count.

People are overly ready to grant "Expert" status to anyone who is able to string together the proper buzz words. Throw tachyon, wave function, spin and entanglement in, and anything I say must be legitimate, right?

This propensity to want to believe what one reads hopefully causes no harm in the realm of  multi-universes and Schrodinger's Cat, but when it comes to one's health--ask a professional what sites can be relied on for accurate info.

Keto Krumbs has been brought to you by  SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT 

"I loved it from the first word."

"And the ending I never expected"

"thoroughly rocked my socks..."

“like a good episode of The Twilight Zone"

Top Five Reasons to Buy DISPASSIONATE LIES

- 1 -

You want to know what the future will be like, and if there will be a future.

- 2 -

You worry about hackers and internet security and the presence of hormones in our food and drinking water and wonder if there’s any hope for us.

- 3 -

You like stories about strong female characters who do great things for the world…and for themselves.

- 4 -

For those who like realistic fiction, there are pages at the back listing links to the research the author used.

- 5 -

This is the sixth book from this author and each one has been better than the one before.

Eileen Schuh, Author
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

What does it actually mean that Schrödinger's cat is both alive and dead?

Here's my answer to the question as posted on the Quora forum:

Schrödinger's thought experiment about the cat was indeed meant to draw attention to the absurdity discovered in quantum physics, quanta being the particles that make up atoms and particles of energy such as electrons and photons (particles of light).

Physicists were saying that until a quantum is observed and measured it exists in a quasi state of realty. It is only our observation and measurement of quanta that causes them to condensate out of all their possible locations into a single location in time and space and take their place in our world as either matter or energy. This notion was being accepted by scientists but Schrödinger thought we ought to be looking for an explanation that made more sense. Things either are or aren't, exist or don't, are here or are there--just like his cat has to be either dead or alive, whether or not we can see it.

 

To this day, however, physicists believe in and follow the Copenhagen interpretation of the nature of quanta and all experiments seem to prove that it is true-- at the subatomic level, matter and energy do not exist in a tangible state until we observe them. In an effort to make sense of this, physicist Hugh Everett came up with his Many Worlds Theory that hypothesizes that everything that can possibly happen, does happen--in a universe somewhere. Each quantum exists in every possible state in every possible location at every possible moment in time although we can only observe a single state.

What does this mean for Schrödinger's Cat? It means that reality splits in two the moment the scientist opens the box to observe the state of the cat. In one universe the scientist finds the cat alive and in another universe, he finds the cat dead. This supposedly makes more sense than having a cat that is neither dead or alive until it is observed.

This also means in a universe somewhere I won the lottery, and in many others, I don't even exist. Do we get to choose which universe we observe and inhabit? Can we communicate with alternate universes? Is fate, choice or circumstance creating our lives, our worlds, our universe?

Here's the link to the original question, my answer and others' answers on Quora

Brought to you by 

SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT

 

"I loved it from the first word!"

"And the ending I never expected"

"thoroughly rocked my socks today..."

"a book that engaged all senses and emotions"

“After the last few years of dull novels I was ecstatic to read SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT" 



Eileen Schuh, Author
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT in simple terms

You know how when a fan is spinning at top speed and you can't see exactly where each individual blade is? The particles that make up atoms (quanta) exist in a state like that--smeared out in space and time. One quantum theory says it is not just that they are moving too fast for us to see, they are in reality, spread out like that (a wave function).

The theory says they remain in this state until we observe them, whereupon they condense into particles in a particular place. (Kind of like sticking your hand into a fan to stop the blades so you can see each blade and exactly where it is.)

This theory about quanta, the building blocks of all matter, was fine and good until physicist Erwin Schrödinger pointed out that it doesn't make sense in reality. He asked what would happen if a cat was in a box that was set up to release poison and kill the cat if a quantum was fired at it and hit a certain spot. If quanta don't gel into particles and therefore are unable to 'hit a certain spot' until we observe them, and we fire one at the box, what happens to the cat before we make our observation? Is it dead or alive, neither or both?

He was saying that contrary to quantum theory, reality must exist independent of our observation of it.

However, despite Schrodinger pointing out the nonsensical implications of the theory, it to this day remains an important and accepted explanation for the behaviour and nature of quanta, a theory adhered to by the world's top physicists, many great mathematicians and countless rational scientists of many ilks.

Reality, therefore, does not condense out of the realm of all possibilities into one point in space and time until we observe it.

 
Very simply put, this theory is the scientific way of saying existence is mind over matter.


Eileen Schuh, Author
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

"I'll be happy when..."

I learned to read when I was three. I nagged my older sister into bringing books home from school for me to devour.

Perhaps my passion for literature stems from the fact I was raised in isolation on a dirt farm on Alberta’s prairies. There were no televisions, telephones, iPhones, iPods/Pads, or playschools. In fact, there was no electricity. I quickly discovered that books were at least as entertaining as trapping gophers, petting piglets, and building tree forts. Their exciting worlds and colourful people deepened my life and stirred my imagination. It was about then that I decided I would write books.

As I aged, I discovered that writing wasn’t a lucrative career but rather something one must have money to do—a profession somewhat like farming. But, like farming, I decided, these difficulties could be overcome if one possessed a passion for the craft.

“Please, God,” I prayed as education, various paying careers, a marriage, and three children sucked away the years. “If you just help me find the finances to write a book, I will be happy forever. I promise.”

There were small writing successes—a children’s short story, a magazine article, a Journalism diploma. I managed to wangle a few years as a small-town reporter and a newspaper editor. My life took me through a dozen moves and through the decades many half-written books, sketchy stories, diaries, poems, and letters were packed away and forgotten.

The muses, however, never let me forget my passion. “Please, God,” they prayed with me. “Give Eileen the time, the energy, the money, the space to write and she’ll be happy forever. We promise.”

When my youngest turned 25, when the family business finally became self-supporting, when an able secretary finally took my place behind my desk and in front of the phone, I announced to my family and my world, that I, Eileen Schuh, was going to make her childhood dream come true.

Fifty years of pent up stories spewed forth. Words, phrases, settings, characters, and plots. Sunsets, autumn leaves, and azure skies. Page after page. Chapter after chapter. Sequel after sequel. I was writing.

“Please, God,” I prayed as my queries netted rejection after rejection. “If you just help me get one of my books published, I’ll be happy forever. I promise.”

A story resurfaced that had germinated during the time when I was mothering three toddlers. I transcribed it from my mind to my computer. I re-read, researched, re-wrote, and revised. I acquired a Book Marketing Coach--Cheryl K Tardif--and with her able help, I created a cyberspace presence. I learned to Tweet. I established a blog and a website. I joined writers’ groups and forums. I researched publishers and agents. I attended writers’ conferences.

I hesitantly sent out queries to publishers. “Are you interested,” I asked, “in a psychological crime thriller that spans two universes?” Two of the three publishers I emailed it to, rejected it within weeks. Thirteen months later I flicked on my computer, played solitaire until the internet connected, and then opened my yahoo email account and clicked on my first message:

“Eileen,
Sorry for the delay. I’m finally getting caught up and I’m pleased to let you know that I would like to accept Schrödinger's Cat for publication by WolfSinger Publications in 2011….
Attached is a contract.... I look forward to working with you….”

I stared at my monitor. My story would be a book in 2011…a book, with my name on. An ebook as well as a print book—“Schrödinger’s Cat” by Eileen Schuh.

I stared at the surreal email. I made a coffee and ate a candy. I paced. There were tiny little tears. Though I had met many along the way, this journey to fulfill a life-long dream had in essence been a solo journey. In like form, I relished the solitary celebration and savoured my success in quietude.

Not until hours later, when my husband arrived home from work, did I share the news. He looked proud.

I intended my son, Christopher, to be the next one I’d tell. I grabbed his passport from my safe and raced to town. He’d bought a motorcycle and was planning to cross the border on a business road trip to Reno.

I sat across from him in his office and hesitantly laid his passport on the desk. He still had the golden curls and blue eyes with which he’d been born. His warm smile was very familiar. As was his dimple. His chuckle. His grin.

“When are you leaving?” I asked. “When will you be back? Will you have your cell phone? Watch for other drivers. Don’t get lost. Call me.”

He printed his itinerary, scribbled phone numbers on the back. Smiled. He was happy. Excited. He didn’t want me to ruin it by worrying.

I stood to leave. “Drive slow. Watch for deer. Have fun. Call me.” I plodded back to my car, turn the ignition key, and whisper a prayer. “God, keep him safe.”

When I got home, I realized that I forgot to tell Christopher that I’m about to become a published author. I sent him an email.

The next day hubby and I went to our cabin. Our friends invited us next door for the evening. As we walked the path through the budding Saskatoon bushes, I rehearsed my announcement and anticipated their response. I accepted a beer and took a chair by their campfire.

We talked about the long and happy summer days of the not-so-long-ago—when we were younger, our kids were toddlers, and our parents still shared our lives. It was past midnight but the summer solstice twilight was still brushing orange across the western sky when we headed back to our cabin. I looked up at the distant, faint stars. Was heaven up there? “Dear God, please hold those we once touched and loved close to your heart.”

Not until I was in bed did I realize I’d forgotten to tell the neighbours that I was about to become a published author. For how many years had I longed for this moment? “Dear God, I’ll be happy when...” Here I was, with that when present, and suddenly so much other stuff seemed so much more important.

There are many morals to this story. However, the most important lesson I learned is that happiness isn’t derived from outer circumstances but rather bubbles up from within. Do not wait for happiness—reach out and grab it. Create it. Coddle it. Embrace it. Find it in many places.

Have many goals. Many successes. Many people in your life.

Never give up on your dreams.
Be passionate about your pursuits.
Live a full and busy life.

"Schrödinger’s Cat," an adult sci-fi novella will be published in 2011.

Chordelia finds herself straddling two of the alternate realities proposed in Everett’s Many Worlds Theory of Quantum Physics.

The emotional toll of living two diverse lives proves too much. She must decide if she is willing to sacrifice the chance to be with her dying child in order to save her marriage in the other universe.

She thinks she’s planned it well—she’s researched her choices, prepared herself for the consequences, put everything in place. She makes her decision. However....

Life, as it has the propensity to do, strikes back with the dark and unexpected.

WolfSinger Publications, out of Security, Colorado, USA, is a micro-press company that publishes short novels. Their print books are available through online retailers such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Borders.com and their ebooks are available from places like Amazon.com (Kindle), Apple (iPad), Kobo and Barnes & Noble.com, Smashwords.com and other ebook
retailers.

Wofsinger offered contracts on 11 books for 2011.

Wolfsinger is also the parent for two on-line magazines:
The Lorelei Signal http://www.loreleisignal.com/
and Sorcerous Signals http://www.sorceroussignals.com/
as well as the print compilation of both - Mystic Signals.

They have a FaceBook page and a website
http://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/


Eileen Schuh,Canadian Author
"Schrödinger’s Cat"
http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Who's Schrödinger’s Cat?

My first published novel, Schrödinger’s Cat, will be released in 2011 by Wolfsinger Publications. But, who the heck is Schrödinger and what’s with his cat?

That’s what my hapless heroine asked when confronted with that phrase. It all has to do with quantum physics, believe it or not.

“Oh, I thought you meant cat, like pussy cat,” Chorie said.
“I do mean a pussy cat.”
“Quantum physics has pussy cats?”

Click to sample or purchase

Yes, quantum physics has a cat. A cat trapped in a box. A cat that is neither dead nor alive. It all started like this:

The tiny building blocks that make up matter, like electrons and photons, have dual personalities. Scientists can do experiments that prove these quanta are not particles but wave functions. Unfortunately for those of us who are rational, they also can do experiments that prove they are not wave functions but particles. Quantum physicists learned to live with the ambiguity and declared that it was the observation of these entities that determined which face they showed to the world.

Along about that time, Schrödinger said something like, “Wait a minute, guys. That makes no sense at all. Suppose you put a cat in a box and then you shoot an electron at it. Suppose the box is rigged to kill the cat if the electron turns out to be a particle and not kill it if it is a wave function. What happens to the cat until an observer takes a peak to see which face the electron showed us?”

Everyone went something like, “Oh, yeah. You’re right. There must be something wrong with our math. With our experiments. With our equations.”

Then along came Everett. And he said, “Wait a minute, guys. Your theory is correct because everything that can possibly happen does happen. Each possibility splits off into a new dimension. Schrödinger’s electron is both a particle and a wave function. The cat both lives and dies. The observer sees the cat both dead and alive. This is my Many Worlds Theory and it gets rid of Schrödinger’s troublesome cat and lets you keep your math and science and ambiguity. For in one world the electron is a particle and the observer finds the cat dead. In another world, the electron is a wave function and the observer sees the cat alive.”

Or something like that.

Schrödinger’s Cat by Eileen Schuh—a psychological crime thriller than spans two universes. Coming in 2011 from Wolfsinger Publications.

Stay tuned for more information on my writing career—and on Schrödinger’s nasty feline.

Eileen Schuh, Author
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ