This^ The best girls I've been out with were hot and very nice people, and they had one thing in common. They were considered ugly when they were young and developing a personality. They therefore didn't get by on their looks and, more importantly (possibly consequently), they actually developed a decent personality!
"I've worked in science since University and I was warned by various scientist sci-fi fans that Vonnegut was one of the reasons there was a lot of misunderstood science in the public domain." Tell me this then CCC, as you're one of those scientist chappies, something that's always puzzled me re atomic weight. In Inner Space (or even The Fantastic Voyage) the people and their crafts where miniturised to the size of a spec that could be picked up by an eye-dropper thingy. Why wasn't it still the same weight?
Is Hitchhiker's really science fiction? I mean I like the stuff about Brownian motion and improbability, but Marvin is a classic comedic creation that'll stand the test of time, imo. The books (and radio and tv) are more situation comedy than sci-fi. Not exactly Asimov or even HG Wells, is it? To me, it's like saying The Life of Brian was sci-fi just because there was an alien spaceship in it. I think it was social/situation comedy/satire - and I'm sticking to that.
By the way CCC, can you explain Bell's theorum to me? As I understand it (which is VERY shaky) a particle observed/acted upon 'here' instantly effects a particle on the other side of the globe, or indeed the universe. Doesn't that mean a wave CAN move faster than light? I come from a humanities background myself, but all this stuff fascinates me. My late dad had a mathematics background, and I used to love walking with him when I was a kid looking at the stars. A lot of stuff inside the atom seems counter-intuitive to a thicko like me, but my dad always used to say that if we could understand the worlds inside a particle, we'd understand everything. Except the workings of an FA 'independent' panel, d'accord. Saw that 'Copenhagen' a few years back about a post-war meeting between Bohr and Heisenberg. fascinating, but I didn't have a clue where they were banging on about an electron not really being there unless it was being observed - then it was in another place. I think that's what they said. daniel Craig played Heisenberg - brilliant man, but thankfully he f00ked up the calculations about how much material was needed to make a Nazi atom bomb. Bohr knew all along but didn't let on.
One of my favourite sci-fi writes was Robert A Heinlein. A lot of his stuff did have a deeper socio-undertone but he was a damned fine author who came up with some amazing concepts, some of which are beginning to see burgeon into reality.
Welcome to the geek thread Anyone watch the programme about mapping the universe? Head ****...how can the universe be infinite and yet one fella was saying there may well be an infinite number of infinite universes??? Wtf Asimov for me btw
But it's not infinite. It stretches for about 14 billion light years in every direction - but it's still growing, and by all accounts the rate of expansion is accelerating.
Afternoon, chaps. Dongo: some interesting questions which we could take a long time exploring. My background is biology, not physics, and so I cannot really explain bell's theorum. As a guess, I'd say entanglement doesn't violate the universal speed limit as the the two atoms are 'linked' and so effects are instantaneous but there is no 'movement' per se. Just a guess, mind you. You might want to ask RHC, as I think this is well within his field. As for the universe, I've always found it interesting to think of it as bounded and yet infinite, in the same way a coastline will increase in length as the size of the ruler decreases. Mendelbrot sets and all that malarkey. Jonesey: it amazes me how many authors I have yet to read in sci-fi. Heinlein is one. I've had many of his books in my hand over the years in book shops but never actually bought one. I only read Iain Banks recently.
There are a few stand out offerings from Heinlein: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Farnham's Freehold Starship Troopers Time Enough For Love Stranger In A Strange Land The Number Of The Beast All great books and well worth repeated reading
Thanks Jonesey, I'll check them out. Good sci-fi books - well worth a read: 1)The stars my destination - Alfred Bester Sci-fi rehash of the count of monte cristo (Incidently also one of my favourite novels). 2)Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes Along with Bram Stoker's Dracula, one of the best 'diary' entry stories. Without this book there would be no Lawnmower man movie (crap film, though!).
Yeah I got all that bit...was very interersting using the supernovas as the universes "candles"...but the last geek/scientist was going on about how it was his theory that it's infinite and that his theory is that due to thje manner in which our universe was formed it's highly likely an infinite number of others have formed in the same way...cue lots of bubbles appearing and my brain exploding I will watch it again later see if I can get my head round it any better... ...Oh and just out of interest...what is the universe expanding in to??? Head **** time
Was that Lee Smolin and his universe by natural selection hypothesis? As far as what the universe is expanding into...that's like asking what was here before the big bang. Sensible question, but there is no real definitive answer. Where's RHC when you need a physics lesson? Splitter.
"...Oh and just out of interest...what is the universe expanding in to???" Been reading a book on 'nothing' for about two months, on and off. Called "Nothing" (surprise, surprise) by Frank Close, a particle physicist and philosopher. Most people's idea of nothing, including mine, is the absence of something (or Everton's trophy cabiney). Boy, it's not that simple. Nothing though, sweet oblivian, was what my consciousness was before I was conceived, and to what 'I' will return upon my death - probably. But to actually imagine and picture true 'nothingness' is quite scary, and wonderful, at the same time. Yeah, what a wonderful world.
Yeah it's not as though it's expanding into empty space - 'cos there is no space until it expands into it. Same as time, there is no time until you have space. So if you have time and space - STICK IT IN THE ****ING NET!!!
Like it So basically we should forget technical committees, training ground routines and shooting practice...all we need is a top class Physics teacher sorted.
