String Theory 'blog

various ^ | before, during, and after 2006 | various

[SunkenCiv]

Here's the other two footers, which are actually used for ping lists (very small ones), and on which the String Theory message is based. :')

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· Catastrophism ping list · join · view topics · view or post blog messages · bookmark ·

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· X-Planets ping list · join · view topics · view or post blog messages · bookmark ·

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[SunkenCiv]

Whoops, forgot to change the TARGET tags to S instead of X:

<center><hr noshade><font color="#777799" size=-2><b>&middot; String Theory ping list &middot; <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/mail-compose?reply=0;subj=Re%3A%20String%20Theory%20ping%20list;to=skinkinthegrass" target="s" title="Join">join</a> &middot; <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=stringtheory" target="s" title="Keyword">view topics</a> &middot; <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1686282/posts" target="s" title="Blog">view</a> or <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1686282/reply?c=1" target="s" title="Post">post</a> blog messages &middot; <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/add-link?url=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=stringtheory;title=Blogs%3A%20String%20Theory" target="s" title="add String Theory to your Links page">bookmark</a> &middot;</b></font><hr noshade></center>

[My2Cents]

Is she homeschooled? :)

[metmom]

She was. All through school and she graduated high school is three years, went to public school for her *senior* year, (mainly to prevent boredom, there's not much to do in our LITTLE town) and is off to college this week.

[spinestein]

bookmark

[skinkinthegrass]

Whoa! ....my head is a spinnin' ....thanks, for the threads. :^)

[Son Of The Godfather]

I am well versed in String Theory and know that it has validity... My cat plays with string.

All that science stuff someone posted about the physics of String Theory is enough to make my pea-brain explode.

Do YOU want to be responsible for cleaning the remnants of an exploded brain off of my monitor and keyboard?

I thought not.

Think I'll go play with the cat... In three dimensions. :)

[SunkenCiv]

I have a feline that's a great idea. [rimshot!]

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=stringtheory

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/1686282/reply?c=1

http://news.google.com/news?svnum=10&as_scoring=d&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&tab=wn&q=string+theory

[Constitution Day]

Just FYI:
The NY Times Book Review covered two books about string theory in yesterday's edition.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks. I'll check that out when I get a chance. That may be a reprint...

[Constitution Day]

It was dated yesterday.

Link:

A Great Unraveling
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/books/review/Siegfried.t.html?_r=1&ref=review&oref=slogin

Books in question are...

NOT EVEN WRONG:
The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law
by Peter Woit

THE TROUBLE WITH PHYSICS:
The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
by Lee Smolin

[SunkenCiv]

I guess I was thinking of this:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1686282/posts?page=10#10

Thanks again!

[MHGinTN]

Wow, have I got a lot of reading to do! Thanks for starting this list.

[SunkenCiv]

You're welcome.

[SunkenCiv]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks again. I'm not too sure this reviewer knows what he's doing; I wasn't favorably impressed by the review. Here's a couple of snips, which I've jammed together.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/books/review/Siegfried.t.html?_r=2&ref=review&pagewanted=print

"After years of neglect by most physicists, superstring theory (string theory for short) emerged in 1984 as a leading candidate to solve the especially acute problem of reconciling general relativity -- Einstein's theory of gravity -- with quantum mechanics, the math describing the micro-realm of atoms. It posits the conceptually innocent but mathematically sophisticated idea that basic units of matter and force are more like tiny vibrating rubber bands than like the point-size tiny marbles envisioned by traditional particle physics. Math describing these vibrating "strings" incorporates gravity naturally, offering hope that string theory could realize Einstein's ambition. But string theory has its own problems: it cannot yet claim success in explaining any of nature's specific features, and does not even exist as a complete theory... Smolin's book is worth taking seriously as a plea for more support for minority viewpoints. But neither he nor Woit really confront the reason ideas in physics become majority viewpoints. When John Schwarz of Caltech and his few collaborators worked alone on string theory throughout the 1970's, they wrote no books complaining about lack of resources. They worked until they found a striking result that mainstream physicists found worth pursuing. Physicists vote with their feet, which suggests that there is, after all, a way to prove string theory wrong -- by finding a different theory and proving it right."

[MHGinTN]

I watched all three hours ... at a rental property away from home and don't have TV here, not that I'd watch much anyway. Thanks for the excellent link. There are several interesting programs linked there.

[Izzy Dunne]

There are several interesting programs linked there.

Indeed. My seven-year-old has watched the string-theory show many times, as well as other NOVA shows.

NOVA is a bright spot in the dismal PBS landscape.

[MHGinTN]

I was going to iterate that same dusgust with PBS, but the science folks around here are so touchy, I didn't relish having my neck jumped. Finishing Lisa Randall's book, BTW. GOOD READ.