Reality Checkpoint
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Reality Checkpoint is the name given to a large lamp-post in the middle of Parker's Piece, Cambridge, England where the diagonal paths cross in the middle of the common. The name comes from an unofficial inscription which has been painted on the lamp-post since the early 1970s.
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[edit] Interpretation
There are three main theories as to the meaning of the name:
- It may mark the boundary between the central university area of Cambridge (referred to as the 'reality bubble') and the 'real world' of non-academic locals living beyond. One is warned to check one's notions of reality before passing.[1]
- It may be because the lamp post forms a useful landmark for people crossing the park at night — perhaps drunk or in the fog — since it is the only light for hundreds of yards.
- It may be because the lamp is situated in the middle of two walking paths that intersect. For anyone walking not tuned in to "reality" will likely collide with the lamp, hence "reality checkpoint".
[edit] Inscription
One report claims that the name was first painted on the lamp post by students from CCAT (now Anglia Ruskin University) under the guidance of one of their teachers.
It has been repeatedly re-painted since then in response to removal by the council or obliteration by graffiti. For the first half of 1998 the lamp-post carried an unofficial plaque bearing its name.
[edit] References
- ^ Real World. The Jargon File. Eric S. Raymond (2003-10-29). Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
