Comments for Science In Real Life

Comment on Altering the Past, part 1 by spatialrift47

spatialrift47 — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:22:08 +0000

Excellent! There might be a quiz later.

Comment on Altering the Past, part 1 by ducky

ducky — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:20:48 +0000

Oh, and I am working on my homework!!

Comment on Altering the Past, part 1 by ducky

ducky — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:19:54 +0000

*brain melts*

Fascinating discussion and info, nonetheless!

Comment on Physics Playlist by Rory

Rory — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:37:01 +0000

There’s also “First and Second Law” by Michael Flanders & Donald Swann (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders_and_Swann) in their album At the Drop of Another Hat. It has done a very good job of making me remember the first and second laws of thermodynamics. YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb2kBFqrZx8. The intro to the piece is at the end of the previous track, “Ill Wind”, which I couldn’t find on YouTube.

Comment on Neutrinos and the Human Body by spatialrift47

spatialrift47 — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:05:26 +0000

Well, I’ll put Moffat on the list of potential topics. I may just do it as a more general “The hell is this dark matter stuff anyway?” post.

I’m open to nonlocality, but there are other philosophical wrinkles that need to be ironed out if you want to preserve causality. Which I do.

Comment on Neutrinos and the Human Body by Raquel

Raquel — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:53:46 +0000

It is, indeed! Otherwise, all I really think about is A Song of Ice and Fire, and what I can cook for dinner tomorrow (I’ve been on a Food Network kick! Just discovered asiago cheese and homemade dips)!

Comment on Neutrinos and the Human Body by Tomcat

Tomcat — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:35:37 +0000

Raquel, his understanding of this stuff exceeds mine by at least as much as mine could exceed yours, but it’s cool to think about, isn’t it?

Comment on Neutrinos and the Human Body by Tomcat

Tomcat — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:32:42 +0000

Up to you if you think he’s worth your study. I read his book about modified gravity a couple of years ago, but can’t claim to be conversant with it. I have read only a few sentences about his nonlocal QM.

Like you, I’m open to nonlocality – as long as actual particles (with mass) aren’t exceeding c.

Unlike you, I’m deeply suspicious of, not dark matter per se, necessarily, but as the explanation of the galaxy rotational velocity curve. That all these individual galaxies of different radii and masses have just the right WIMP halo to share the same rotational curve seems a stretch to me.

Comment on Neutrinos and the Human Body by spatialrift47

spatialrift47 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:07:21 +0000

That’s what SiRL is here for. :)

Comment on Neutrinos and the Human Body by spatialrift47

spatialrift47 — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:06:44 +0000

I hadn’t heard of John Moffat until just now, so I can’t offer much in the way of reaction. The short version: It seems plausible, but needs to be thoroughly tested. About his modification of GR, I am (as are most astronomers and cosmologists) skeptical about eliminating dark matter, because it works so well in the current best cosmological model. That said, I know that the question is far from definitively settled. I can say even less about his QM modification – I know from my own studies that nonlocal quantum mechanics is not ruled out by our current understanding, but I don’t know the particulars of his theory and can’t without sifting through his published papers. If you want me to, I will do some reading and turn this into a separate post – I’m happy to provide information my readers want.