Noooooooooooooooooo!
My life is over.
The PhDComics guy, George Chan, is coming to Australia in September. And I’m planning to be away, travelling around the Northern Territory doing science shows. I mean, the latter is good, but I’ve been wanting to see him for YEARS! *sigh*
Apparently he’s going to be at UQ on the 20th of September. If you’re a Brisbane person, definitely worth checking out. If you’re in the USA, just invite him!!!
Annette Dartiere Says:
Physics is a reductionist science. The string is hypothesized to be the smallest particle of which everything is made. The goal of reductionist physics is to find a few simple principles that underlie complex phenomena. The string theorists invent astonishing physical and mathematical complexity as the end point of reductionism. Well, quite obviously, the end point of reductionism is a theory as Einstein stated that we can teach to the kids and quite obviously not a theory that nobody can understand. When the end point of reductionism is the greatest complexity imaginable it is just plain absurd.
In 2000 an independent scientist working alone sent a copy of his book, The N-particle Model, to all the physics graduate students at Berkeley. Now he’s back and on the Reference Frame. He claims the universe is made of a single elementary particle that he now names the Ö particle and that particle is neither created nor destroyed. He claims its energy is 2.68138×10^-54 J. He claims the small size of the Ö particle is the reason electric, magnetic, photon and gravity fields appear continuous.
There is the question about lemmings when they get to the edge of the cliff. Do they choose to jump off or are they responding only to herd instinct or maybe aerodynamically drafted. It looks to me like the theorists are right on the edge.
Joel Says:
Ok, this comment is just so strange that I have no choice but to leave it here. It’s presumably just pasted from somewhere else as it has no connection to my post. That said:
* I doubt Einstein said that he could teach special relativity, or any other really advanced physics, to kids. He did say something along the lines of a theory should be “as simple as possible, but no simpler”. If indeed (and I’m certainly not claiming it to be so) string theory is right, it unifies all the other theories and thus makes our world “simpler”, even if the maths is horrendous. A lot of maths, and a preschooler’s inability to understand it, does not make a theory incorrect.
* Seriously. Weird.
* Lemmings do not in fact jump of cliffs - this was a myth perpetuated by Disney, who actually herded Lemmings off the cliff to make for good footage!
I know! I’m so bummed! I don’t get back to Oz until the 21st! Stupid jetsetting lifestyle.