Semi-omnipotence?

[Psy-Kosh]

There can be something colder than sub zero since the term is used to describe anything below 0 degrees celsius... Assuming of course that the sub zero temperature in question is not Absolute Zero. [0 Kelvin]

But yeah if the term is used to describe a temperature down to Absolute Zero then there shouldnt be anything colder than it.

Actually, you _can_ have temperatures below absolute zero, but they're actually really hot temps.

Essentially, the way it works is this. Thermodynamically, temperature is defined as the reciprocal of the partial derivative of entropy with respect to energy with volume, number of particles, externally produced magnetic fields, etc etc etc held constant.

Basically, temperature is how much energy changes if you tweak the entropy.

Now, it is a nontrivial fact that a very large class of physical systems (pretty much any system you're likely to run into in Real Life(tm)) have temperatures proportional to the average energies of their particles. But this is not actually the definition of temperature. The "intuitive" definition is along the lines of to what extend does the object tend to spew out energy, and the technical definition is as I mentioned above.

There do exist systems though that one can contrive to put into a state of negative temperature.

Essentially, that would mean that a _decrease_ in its energy would cause an increase in its entropy. To anthropomorphize it, it really really really really really wants to dump energy.

One way to actually achieve this is the weakly interacting two state paramagnet. Essentially that's a system analogous to a series of coins, in which the energy of the particle depends on if the coin is heads or tails, and the particles can exchange energy randomly, but have little other influence over each other.

Now, if I'm remembering this right, if you set up that system, get it cold, then flip the external magnetic field fast enough, then you'll have more then half the "coins" in the high energy state. And that will, if you compute it, turn out to correspond to an actual negative temperature. Of course, it'll really quickly dump that energy and drop down into a positive temp again. (essentially, you can't get to negative temps by passing zero, but you can by taking the long way around, "passing" infinite temp.

[Stygian]

I can never tell. Sometimes whenever people mention Fa'Lina, the only thing I ever hear is Stygian going "rawr. I hates Fa'Lina. Grrr."

Hey! Now, I have a perfectly good reason to! What? Am I not permitted to loathe such despicable little power-crazy, manipulative, patronizing, disrespectful and tactless twits now...?

...no, really. It's just that I don't see any good sides to her. Not yet, that is. That can definitely change, of course, but right now all I've seen of her is a wise-ass bitch.

[Caswin]

In regards to the "semi" issue, given the (fairly) recent developments with Pyroduck, I'd say it's reasonable that "semi" roughly means "within SAIA".

You are all also forgetting the possibility Fa'Lina chose that particular phrase not for its accuracy, but because it was something that Dan could understand since he likely wouldn't be the type to fuddle over the definition.

...

*Thinks about that for a minute*

We're not supposed to know, are we?

[Amber Williams]

I will say that a few times I have been confronted by people who think what a character says/thinks is something I personally think as well.  Which is understandable given the medium.  Though I admit there have been times I have gotten railed over what was an intentional grammer mis-using and I eventually did change it back because people kept nagging over it.  Which is rough when I am wanting to do something particular but people insist that every character needs perfect grammar and diction.

That said. Fa'Lina? She's a tricky one, though for reasons not anyone would suspect I think.

[bill]

Reasons that, I assume, you're not going to tell us.   

[Amber Williams]

I'd tell you, but then it would spoil the magic of me complaining about having to draw the arc explaining it.  And no one wants that! 

[Caswin]

I'd tell you, but then it would spoil the magic of me complaining about having to draw the arc explaining it.  And no one wants that! 

I'm going to say... intentionally using her increasingly convoluted and annoying mystique to keep people away in a manner somewhat similar to Abel, serving as a partial basis for their strange, but undeniably close relationship.

Or maybe she has some degree of fourth-wall-pushing abilities and likes to annoy on as grand a scale as possible, which may or may not be for related reasons.

Just off the top of my head.

As to the original topic, going to say that we're not supposed to know yet, then.

[bill]

I think she's just kinda an asshole. 

[Caswin]

I think she's just kinda an asshole. 

Also a distinct possibility, which was my original take on her and one that doesn't look likely to be abandoned anytime soon.

[King Of Hearts]

Divide by Zero, O shi--

Another reason why the term shouldnt work.

The term uses "semi" in its definition as partial in this context, however.

Now wait just a minute there philosophical sports fans, "infinity" and "all of it" are two different things.

Say you want to know everything.

Catalog every position of every particle, to the subatomic, and every force acting on it, along with every position it ever will have.

Impossible, obviously, but you would then know everything.

Once that's done, anyone who sat down and read half your notes would be semi-omniscient.  Indeed we could get sloppy with the term and say anyone who'd read a significant fraction of your notes was also semi-omniscient as in "a jolly good fraction of" as opposed to "exactly half".

So she can be semi-omniscient, semi-omnipotent, and even nigh-invulnerable because these terms do not imply the infinite, merely the very very LARGE set of possibilities in the universe.

Which is still (assuming we're looking at things with our radiotelescopes) finite.

Assuming of course that all things such as time, space, knowledge, power or metaphysical concepts such as free will is finite.

[ShiningShadow]

I'd tell you, but then it would spoil the magic of me complaining about having to draw the arc explaining it.  And no one wants that! 

Well then you have this expertise of fleshing out your characters. I love them what you did with Abel and Dan I never nitpick on the diction i'm more like a actions kind of person. It's speaks for itself by the actions of the characters of DMFA, I will wait paitiently for the arc to presents itself and we will talk till no ends.

[Caswin]

Well then you have this expertise of fleshing out your characters. I love them what you did with Abel and Dan I never nitpick on the diction i'm more like a actions kind of person. It's speaks for itself by the actions of the characters of DMFA, I will wait paitiently for the arc to presents itself and we will talk till no ends.

I guess it's ironic that your grammar is so bad that I'm not sure what you just said.

[Stygian]

I will say that a few times I have been confronted by people who think what a character says/thinks is something I personally think as well.  Which is understandable given the medium.

Do you really feel that? I don't.

If you can't disconnect from your characters at that level, you're not good at creating credible characters.

Summa summarum: I don't think, and I think that no one else should think that, anything Fa'Lina says or does has anything to do with your personal thoughts or opinions, other than perhaps on a subliminal level, what with you being the author of the comic and General Mistress of Plot after all...