[RightWhale]

leaving "an observable signature in the cosmic microwave background radiation".

A reference to Guth's inflation idea.

Greene mentions that we can see, with the Hubble, only 10^-30 of the whole universe. I don't know why somebody else can't even mention this now and then. The universe is not 14 billion light years in radius. That is only the minuscule part that we can see. It ought to be important in our mental image of the universe that we can see only such a small piece of it and the rest is forever out of sight due to the limitation of the speed of light.

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed, we cannot "see" the entire universe and can only measure to about 300,000 years after the Big Bang, when "the universe had cooled enough so that photons could "decouple" from electrons, protons, and neutrons; then atoms formed and light went on its way." (Harmonics in the Early Universe)

Concerning light, dimensions and time - we should spend more time discussing null paths.

By all indications though, the calculation of the age of the universe is accurate.

[snarks_when_bored]

Greene mentions that we can see, with the Hubble, only 10^-30 of the whole universe. I don't know why somebody else can't even mention this now and then. The universe is not 14 billion light years in radius. That is only the minuscule part that we can see. It ought to be important in our mental image of the universe that we can see only such a small piece of it and the rest is forever out of sight due to the limitation of the speed of light.

Ahem...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1366057/posts?page=1#1