F is for . . .

Image source: Creative Commons courtesy of Anna Gutermuth

Felix, as in the short story Felix Was Here by L.G. Keltner. This tale won the honor of being the title work in the upcoming IWSG Parallels anthology to be released on May 3. The writing is absolutely superb.

This story focuses on Betty, who is living what seems to be a normal life until she hears the name Felix. Then maelstrom of feelings and memories start to sneak in and she gradually realizes that the world she is experiencing is not quite real.

The idea of a false universe (hey, another f-word!) is not an idle question. Go ahead and Google “Is the universe real” and down the rabbit hole you will go. There are physicists who hypothesize that everything we are experiencing right now is a computer simulation. Yep. The Matrix again.

Image source: Beat Küng

All I have to say is, “Can I have an upgrade, please?” (Actually I should get down on my virtual knees and thank them for not making me a dung beetle. All things considered my reality is pretty sweet.)

Why would physicists question reality in this manner? Check out this article at the Smithsonian's website. Four possible realities are discussed for our universe. 1. It is a hologram. 2. It is a computer simulation. 3. It is a black hole. 4. It is a bubble in an ocean of universes.

For brevity, I'll focus on the second option. One bit of possible evidence that the universe is coded would be mathematics. No matter where or when you are, math stays constant. Two plus two stays four. (And don't bring up modular arithmetic to argue with me, smartypants.)

Image source: Judy Schmidt

Suppose our universe is a computer generated 3D grid. According to the article, there may be ways to detect this via anomalies generated by the grid itself: 

If the universe is a vast grid, the motions and distributions of high-energy particles called cosmic rays may reveal similar anomalies—a glitch in the Matrix—and give us a peek at the grid’s structure.

Huh? I don't quite get that last part either. My brain needs reformatting. 

If this is true, would that be comforting or terrifying? Who wrote the code? How could one connect this to religion and The Almighty? Do you still feel real?