springtime thermodynamics

This collage arises from my recent focus on reducing the quantity of paper (piles & books) in my house, and bringing order to what remains. I'm calling it the BERP, for Big Entropy Reduction Project. It's kind of like spring cleaning, except it's spring organizing.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics, stated very simply, says that in a closed system, entropy (disorder, randomness) keeps increasing 'til the system is at equilibrium. So even if you start with an elephant thinking about spring and offering flowers to Marilyn Monroe (upper left), eventually things run down into detritus. The telephone pole (middle left) stands for information, which can make the system more orderly, or not. I don't really know.

Fortunately for the state of my house, though, let alone for all other human endeavors, we don't live in a closed system. Other stuff is happening in the Universe, like the birth of new stars. And there are spiritual forces, too, perhaps (Buddha in upper right).