Posted on 11/04/2007 10:07:35 PM PST by SunkenCiv
Someday spacecraft will be powerful enough perhaps to journey at extraordinary speeds, spanning the vast interstellar voids. Our technology might develop until we become a vast, powerful intergalactic society, capable of resolving the deepest quandaries ever known. Only then could we definitely answer what is perhaps the ultimate question: "Is the universe shaped like a doughnut?" This last question pertains to an idea attributed to Homer and mentioned by guest star Stephen Hawking in an episode of The Simpsons. In the episode, Lisa Simpson joins Springfield's chapter of the brainy organisation Mensa, which assumes mayoral duties and vows to remake Springfield into a perfect society. The prospect of experiencing a blossoming utopia attracts the attention of the British cosmologist Hawking, who - in his first animated appearance on the show - decides to visit and see it for himself.
(Excerpt) Read more at cosmosmagazine.com ...
A: I'm a torus.
To whom it may concern:
Oliver, you (buttermilk) Twist-ed little rag-a-Muffin, it would have been nice if you had pinged me to your posted toasties.
I hope they don’t think the Universe is a Taurus, because that would raise the concern it is a lot of Bull. However, they might find a ‘FORD’ label on it. That is enough to cow the doubters. I cannot seem to find a horse anywhere, so there is a good chance the persentation will be ‘horseless’ in carriage.
You might want to dunk this theory in your expresso-ion. ;)
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Food for thought here. Thanks for the Ping.
If you’ve missed the first six minutes, you’ve missed a lot. ;’)
“The universe may be the same, except in three dimensions (or more) instead of two.”
Exactly the same, except that the 3 dimensional surface is an outie with the Earth, and an innie with Einie’s version of the universe.
I didn’t know we could a-Ford to have the universe thread hijacked but since you have opened up a constellation of new oppuntunities, I’m Mercurial with anticipation and sitting on the edge of my orbit.
In other news, I adore Venus, but she wants to keep things Plutonic.
Universe to God:
“bite me”.
This pun thread has become pretty wide ranging. I suggest we all meet at Star Bucks to discuss it further. Or, you guys can mocha another suggestion.
I told my wife we were discussing the universe-donut theory, and she said we were all a bunch of cream puffs.
On another thread the three basic elements were identified as space, time, causality. Time is mentioned separately because it is different. Physics has taken to treating time as another spatial dimension, and that works in the equations but has nothing to do with time. Space, time, and causality are mentioned by Kant as being concepts we have within our power of reason rather than being anything actually 'out there.' We cannot know what things are in themselves 'out there,' which is exactly the point of the many various explanations offered in these threads. Most of the explanations begin with some metaphysics, which is the ground of the main distinction between explanations.
I always shape my stew and spagetti like a torroid when using microwave. It heats faster and more evenly.
So much for my pie in the sky dreams.
Not to despair, my friend. Remember,
As you ramble on through life, brother
Whatever be your goal
Keep your eye upon the donut And not upon the waitress.
Right now it's space x matter x time = X and was having a problem with time. Space has three directions, matter has three dimensions, and time has three aspects, (future, present, and past). Now if I can come up with the three aspects of causality I can continue.
The past and the future don't exist. Only the present.
But what is contiguous to the effect in the same way that the present is contiguous to the past? Looking for the third aspect of causality. Any suggestions?
Causality is natural determination and is invalid due to the presence of life. Life has as its goal to increase indeterminism, that is, to reduce causality to nothing if at all possible. However, causality is in the mind, as is nature, and fortunately does not operate in reality. It is a total illusion.
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