Thanks. A causeless effect is really getting to me, though, and my brain is struggling.
Are there any popularizations out there? Not only was calc a problem for me back in college, now simple computation has become problematic (since a head injury 10 years ago). Thus even a moderately technical approach is probably out of reach. :-(
It's not necessarily easy to describe sans math. Think of it this way: a radioactive atom has a certain probability of decaying in a given interval of time. That probability does not depend in the beginning of the interval, only the length. It's like playing dice with Big Jule; the dice have no spots.
The above model allows us to predict how many atoms of a group will decay within a given interval, but not which ones. (With some statistical error.) It's similar to computing how many people will die in a given municipality, actuaries can give you the number but not the names and addresses.
Actually, mafia actuaries can give you the names and addresses. Quantum mechanics has no mafie actuaries.