101 rAnDoM Musings

#1 -- Randomness.

Randomness is a weird thing, simply because it is randomness. After shifting into 'Stealth Mode' (hehe) during Science lesson today to obtain a dictionary to find the definition of random, I found the results highly disappointing. I had to crawl on the ground to reach the box of dictionaries and crawl back to my seat, only to be disappointed by the fact that I had taken the wrong dictionary. The description of random was very brief and indeed unsatisfactory.

(i.e. random

/rændəm/

adj chosen by chance; a random number, selected by computer. / For the opinion poll, they interviewed random people in the street.

(IDIOM) at random not in any special order of for any special reason; He ran through the town shooting people at random. / The competitors were chosen at random from the audience.)

Not really what I was expecting. So I have come to a conclusion.

The meaning of random has changed somewhat.

A digression here: after shifting to stealth mode for a second time and fetching a different dictionary (this time a Cobuilds one), the results were much more satisfying. Upon even further inspection though, I found that albeit the Cobuilds dictionary had a mire detailed definition of random, the actual content was about the same; thus I conclude once again that the definition of random-the way we use it-has indeed changed, in a way.

Nowadays, the most common phrase containing the word random is 'so random', which is kind of overused. Think about which meaning the word random in that phrase means. It shouldn't, in my (humble) opinion, mean chosen by chance; neither does not in any special order seem fitting.

Another slight digression over here; for those that have never heard that phrase before, I find it necessary to establish a context to allow for them to understand it, since I don't know how to explain it. So just imagine a friend saying to another (of which the latter is fooling around and pulling faces at others), "You're so random."

I have no idea what I'm doing or saying right now, because all this is just going through a filter in my brain that changes normal words into more sophisticated vocabulary and sentence structure. The irony of this is that I could say that I'm not thinking about what I'm typing down right now, which is why I don't know what I'm saying; yet this is coming right from the brain, so I must be thinking.

But my point is that the word random has changed and is getting overused-like the acronym 'LOL'. If someone asks you to define the word random in real life, I'll be surprised if one of the first things you think isn't, "Just... random."

Or maybe it's just me, because that's what I'll think; but no doubt those cleverer than me (or those with clearer and quicker minds) would be able to think up a definition aside from those above-a definition that will fit the phrase so random. Maybe unpredictable? Strange? Queer?

I have no idea and this is going nowhere. Not that I have any problems with things going nowhere, since that's where almost all my thoughts go.

Almost all my thoughts go nowhere.

And that's an interesting phrase, because I don't think nowhere is counted as a place. Yet that's where a large number of my thoughts go.