10/21/1991
Dear Rick:
Thanks for the great job you did of proofreading and printing Jojo Einstein. It seems to have been retyped; if you were the typist, I appreciate it.
[Any retyping was done by the computer and/or ChrisCole. Ed.]
You ask for comments on the renaming of the journal. I like Noesis. It's meaningful and euphonic, things which neither "The Mega Society Journal" nor "The Megarian" have going for them (the latter sounds like the name of an alumni newsletter or collegiate fratrag). Moreover, the Mega Society has up to now had no use for this group or anyone in it, and therefore should count itself fortunate to carry on its name at the expense of ours. This is supposedly justified by its greater age and notoriety. By similar reasoning, the combined journal should bear the name under which the most interesting material has been published. The sporadic contributions of Mega Society members notwithstanding, their need for "revitalization" implies that their journal probably compares to Noesis neither in that respect nor in terms of circulation. "The Mega Society" we may now be, but fair's fair.
Noesis 64 contains mention of something called "the classic two-envelope problem." Some time ago I resolved a related paradox on the nature of (physical-level, subNewcomb) mathematical expectation. Since the two-envelope problem is merely a special case of that paradox, either Jojo Einstein or I could dispatch it with minimal effort. I'll go ahead and do it up while awaiting your (politically-informed) response. If current high-quality work continues to appear in the journal, then only time can separate it from glory.
I hope you and the Mrs. enjoyed your trip. You'd certainly be enjoying it now; this is prime foliage season over most of the state, when ski lifts in the Catskills and Adirondacks droop under the weight of tourists, cameras, and six-packs.
Regards,
Chris L.