I'm beginning to understand the importance of establishing intent when
describing a system as being "closed" or "isolated" or otherwise. However,
that would seem to lead to the fact that no system is ever truly isolated.
In light of quantum theory which incorporates the observer in the system.
Thus it would seem that at any level most of the conservation laws would
fail. Theoretically, say with a standard "photon/double slit experiment" the
simple fact that observing the results will establish an outcome means that
at some level the "system" is "losing" energy to the observer.
The universe is not closed! Oh! Well then it's time to reexamine "infinite
but bounded". I seem to have known inherently all along that the universe is
infinite, or as infinite as anything can be, but doesn't the loss of
conservation (loss of energy, momentum, etc.) seem to imply a limit to the
universe. As in any system that has a tendancy to lose energy eventually
will burn out, so to speak. Like the law of entropy. Which is another good
question in and of itself. How does an open system, which clearly changes
our understanding of "conservation", effect entropy of a system, entropy
seeming to be a good definition of time.