So today I was going to write up a new blog for you all about my recent trip out of the country, do a bunch of life maintenance (like laundry) and edit a bunch of photos.
Instead, it's been raining for 20+ hours and my camera's in the car...that thing's become one of my main hobbies and I loathe the idea of getting it wet. It would be like taking my Les Paul out there in the rain...even with a blanket, I still wouldn't risk it!
Also for some reason, in the last year, I've become really sensitive to the cold where as before I'd be the guy in shorts and t-shirt in a blizzard. If it got cold, I'd just throw on another t-shirt, lol.
Anyways, so instead, here's a science-y blog...first time in a long time. Hopefully some of my friends here who liked my previous ones will catch this one...
Julian Barbour
If you've never heard that name before, then remember it.
Before I get into explaining the man above, I need to explain his predecessor first...
When Einstein and friends provided proof for his theory of relativity, they were able to show that light can bend in space when "influenced" by gravity when an object of sufficient mass exists. (As Newton and all scientists up to Einstein already believed, there is such a force in nature as gravity and that gravitational force is exerted by/from large objects in space...like the size of moons and up. ) So they did their famous experiments observing solar eclipses (where the moon gets in between the Earth and the Sun, blocking solar light from reaching our planet) and saw that even though the moon was blocking the sun, somehow light still appeared from behind and then around the moon instead of just being blocked completely. The gravity of the moon bent the light pointing to the back of the moon and warped some of it around itself and then the light continued on to the Earth where the observers could see and photograph it.
Thus, in a nutshell, Einstein proved that space is malleable by forces like gravity and even things that are supposed to travel in straight lines in space will curve around the "dent" in space. It's like putting a bowling ball on to your bed. Your blankets are the space, the ball is a star/object of large mass, and the dent in the blankets will cause any other smaller objects to roll toward the much heavier bowling ball, thus acting a lot like gravity.
So every serious scientist the last forty years, especially those in the physical sciences, knows this stuff already like how every reverend in Christianity knows Genesis.
The idea at the time was and still is so revolutionary, so...mind-altering, that scientists eventually just took it on like cannon. Considering how scientific theory is to first hypothesize and then attempt to disprove it every way possible. If you can't disprove despite many valid tests it, that theory must be true...for the moment, until we have something better. For scientists to believe some theory, even Einstein, to be scientific fact is the epitome of being unscientific. Scientists have been prone to this weakness since the beginning of published science. At best, they've ridiculed those who have posed radical new hypotheses; at worst they've even had their fellow scientists killed as "heretics." From people who believed the universe rotated around the Earth, to flat-Earthers, to people who ridiculed the idea of germs (microscopic organisms) that cause illness...the story, the history repeats itself over and over.
Dark Energy and Dark Matter
So everyone became a believe of Einstein. But all Einstein did was reveal the beginnings of humanity's new perception of the universe. He lifted the cover off the rabbit hole and told us that it goes down. But by no means did his "down here" directions explain everything "down there. " Einstein kept it as simple as possible, explaining along with our three dimensional world, there was also time as a fourth dimension...basically he explained it in the limited terms to the limited minds he introduced his theories to. But Einstein's theories were unfinished and he basically quit trying to fix/improve/finish them as he was already famous and in his own words "it was too hard. "
So scientists up to the present have problems using his system of fixed coordinates (three dimensions, the X, Y and Z axises) and then measuring them over time (the fourth dimension). In small systems like our solar system, it's no problem because we have one huge mass from the one star in the system and a bunch of significantly smaller masses in planets (not counting plutoids, the smaller, not quite big enough to be planets that Pluto got downgraded to, or asteroids, which aren't big enough to exert significant gravity of their own). There's one big guy and a bunch of little ones. Then each planet is it's own little system with a stable orbit and potentially having their own objects orbiting in moons. Earth has one moon, some other planets have multiple. And each of these systems are simple and easy as well. No problem, Einstein's theory and simple rules work in these simple systems.
Where things begin to break down is when you get multiple stars and on a much huger scale, entire galaxies moving. These objects with many massive objects, maybe even multiple hugely massive objects like black holes, well...these objects aren't measurable using the normal four dimensions because as one object affects the other, the other also affects the one. Imagine trying to drop a thousand super balls (the little rubber balls that bounce like 5 feet high when just dropped, made of high-impact rubber) in a room. Except due to gravity, they're also magnetic. And as they bounce and run into each other, they may give off energy (heat) and thus altering physics even more. The effect the objects have on each other makes things really complicated to track even one ball's trajectories. It may get too close to another ball and stick...it may bounce higher than normal because the area it's in is warmer...it may run into two balls stuck together...who knows. There are too many variables that influence each other... Basically we're talking about quantum mechanics.
So in the movement of huge masses, the measurements don't come out right using Einstein's methods. The theory of relativity is still true, it's just using his methods, they don't measure huge and complex systems, the predicted measurements are always off compared to the actual measurements. And thus modern day scientists have "made up" a couple of phony things to explain away the shortcomings...dark matter and dark energy. Roughly, dark matter is matter in space that exerts extra gravity force enough to make up for difference between Einstein measurements and actual measurements. That extra force is the dark energy. Why is it "dark?" Because you can't see it...and after Julian Barbour's theories, he explains that you can't see it because it doesn't actually exist!
Simply put. Einstein says, in the universe A+B=X, and if A and B are 1, then X=2...1+1=2. And in simple systems, we always get 2 or damn close. But in complex systems like measuring the movement of galaxies, we get all sorts of different numbers greater than 2. Modern scientists say that dark matter and dark energy are an unseen "C" so that A+B+C=X. Except no one has ever observed this "C." Barbour says the C is not there and the actual equation is something more like n(A+B)=C. In simple systems, n is 1, thus not affecting the equation's answer in any visible way. But in complex equations, n can be anything. So we also have to account for n, the variables introduced by other significantly massive objects.
(Now these equations I just put up there are total BS...quantum mechanics is much more complex by several orders of magnitude...but the idea of other variables affecting the equation in complex systems that aren't present in simple systems is the point. )
The New Universe
And now, Barbour has theorized that we always need to account for these variables and we can also measure objects not against a fixed four dimensional plane (3D plus time) but we can also measure the objects against each other instead. Incredibly simple. And thus we can get rid of the phony dark energy and dark matter that never existed in the first place and just measure the objects using the new philosophy.
Why this is so important is manifold...first, it's impossible to scientifically measure small, atomic systems as any measuring instrument introduced to the system will alter the system and thus render any measurement as scientifically moot. So we can't just look and fix our theories that way. Thus having the correct theory/method for measurement in the first place is all we have to rely on. And, scientists have recently "proven" that two sub-atomic particles that are together, even if they are split up across miles, if you do something to affect one particle's behavior, the other particle's behavior also changes like-wise. In other words, it's possible to manipulate something from far away by manipulating the "partner." We really need to have a correct theory and measurement method to tackle this sort of thing. Plus bottom line, dark matter and energy aren't real, the less human resources we waste on those phony things, the better. (All of these things have already been worked on by other scientists before Barbour, FYI. )
On a separate note, some say that the particle behaviors that mimic each other across any seeming distance opens the doorway fully to a possible theory of intelligent design...creationism if you will.
Here's a pic of the man.
Basically the point of this whole essay is this. Barbour will become the next man that future generations will
look at as the epitome of science...the name who will take over from Newton, from Einstein.
************************************************************************************************************************
So on another note, the only thing I'm looking forward to right now is American Reunion, the movie. Those of you reading my blog over the years, you guys know that I'm sort of a movie connoisseur, I'm in to the indie and foreign type of films. If the movie is highly rated but has almost no money behind it from a large studio, I just assume it must be a great movie. However, I have my guilty pleasures too. Two, in fact.
Any time a Fast and Furious movie comes out, especially if the "bromance" guys Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are in it, I automatically go see it in the theater. Twice at least! Well, the American Pie franchise is the other...but there hasn't been a new movie in a long time...just those awful spinoffs. Well this month, the fourth one is finally coming out. Can't wait. Actually I'll have to wait. I couldn't go this weekend and next weekend I'm on call. So, it'll be next month. Can't wait. There have been so many times in the 90s and early 00's when I was down and depressed but then an American Pie movie came out and cheered me up bigtime.
- R
.><.
Instead, it's been raining for 20+ hours and my camera's in the car...that thing's become one of my main hobbies and I loathe the idea of getting it wet. It would be like taking my Les Paul out there in the rain...even with a blanket, I still wouldn't risk it!
Also for some reason, in the last year, I've become really sensitive to the cold where as before I'd be the guy in shorts and t-shirt in a blizzard. If it got cold, I'd just throw on another t-shirt, lol.
Anyways, so instead, here's a science-y blog...first time in a long time. Hopefully some of my friends here who liked my previous ones will catch this one...
Julian Barbour
If you've never heard that name before, then remember it.
Before I get into explaining the man above, I need to explain his predecessor first...
When Einstein and friends provided proof for his theory of relativity, they were able to show that light can bend in space when "influenced" by gravity when an object of sufficient mass exists. (As Newton and all scientists up to Einstein already believed, there is such a force in nature as gravity and that gravitational force is exerted by/from large objects in space...like the size of moons and up. ) So they did their famous experiments observing solar eclipses (where the moon gets in between the Earth and the Sun, blocking solar light from reaching our planet) and saw that even though the moon was blocking the sun, somehow light still appeared from behind and then around the moon instead of just being blocked completely. The gravity of the moon bent the light pointing to the back of the moon and warped some of it around itself and then the light continued on to the Earth where the observers could see and photograph it.
Thus, in a nutshell, Einstein proved that space is malleable by forces like gravity and even things that are supposed to travel in straight lines in space will curve around the "dent" in space. It's like putting a bowling ball on to your bed. Your blankets are the space, the ball is a star/object of large mass, and the dent in the blankets will cause any other smaller objects to roll toward the much heavier bowling ball, thus acting a lot like gravity.
So every serious scientist the last forty years, especially those in the physical sciences, knows this stuff already like how every reverend in Christianity knows Genesis.
The idea at the time was and still is so revolutionary, so...mind-altering, that scientists eventually just took it on like cannon. Considering how scientific theory is to first hypothesize and then attempt to disprove it every way possible. If you can't disprove despite many valid tests it, that theory must be true...for the moment, until we have something better. For scientists to believe some theory, even Einstein, to be scientific fact is the epitome of being unscientific. Scientists have been prone to this weakness since the beginning of published science. At best, they've ridiculed those who have posed radical new hypotheses; at worst they've even had their fellow scientists killed as "heretics." From people who believed the universe rotated around the Earth, to flat-Earthers, to people who ridiculed the idea of germs (microscopic organisms) that cause illness...the story, the history repeats itself over and over.
Dark Energy and Dark Matter
So everyone became a believe of Einstein. But all Einstein did was reveal the beginnings of humanity's new perception of the universe. He lifted the cover off the rabbit hole and told us that it goes down. But by no means did his "down here" directions explain everything "down there. " Einstein kept it as simple as possible, explaining along with our three dimensional world, there was also time as a fourth dimension...basically he explained it in the limited terms to the limited minds he introduced his theories to. But Einstein's theories were unfinished and he basically quit trying to fix/improve/finish them as he was already famous and in his own words "it was too hard. "
So scientists up to the present have problems using his system of fixed coordinates (three dimensions, the X, Y and Z axises) and then measuring them over time (the fourth dimension). In small systems like our solar system, it's no problem because we have one huge mass from the one star in the system and a bunch of significantly smaller masses in planets (not counting plutoids, the smaller, not quite big enough to be planets that Pluto got downgraded to, or asteroids, which aren't big enough to exert significant gravity of their own). There's one big guy and a bunch of little ones. Then each planet is it's own little system with a stable orbit and potentially having their own objects orbiting in moons. Earth has one moon, some other planets have multiple. And each of these systems are simple and easy as well. No problem, Einstein's theory and simple rules work in these simple systems.
Where things begin to break down is when you get multiple stars and on a much huger scale, entire galaxies moving. These objects with many massive objects, maybe even multiple hugely massive objects like black holes, well...these objects aren't measurable using the normal four dimensions because as one object affects the other, the other also affects the one. Imagine trying to drop a thousand super balls (the little rubber balls that bounce like 5 feet high when just dropped, made of high-impact rubber) in a room. Except due to gravity, they're also magnetic. And as they bounce and run into each other, they may give off energy (heat) and thus altering physics even more. The effect the objects have on each other makes things really complicated to track even one ball's trajectories. It may get too close to another ball and stick...it may bounce higher than normal because the area it's in is warmer...it may run into two balls stuck together...who knows. There are too many variables that influence each other... Basically we're talking about quantum mechanics.
So in the movement of huge masses, the measurements don't come out right using Einstein's methods. The theory of relativity is still true, it's just using his methods, they don't measure huge and complex systems, the predicted measurements are always off compared to the actual measurements. And thus modern day scientists have "made up" a couple of phony things to explain away the shortcomings...dark matter and dark energy. Roughly, dark matter is matter in space that exerts extra gravity force enough to make up for difference between Einstein measurements and actual measurements. That extra force is the dark energy. Why is it "dark?" Because you can't see it...and after Julian Barbour's theories, he explains that you can't see it because it doesn't actually exist!
Simply put. Einstein says, in the universe A+B=X, and if A and B are 1, then X=2...1+1=2. And in simple systems, we always get 2 or damn close. But in complex systems like measuring the movement of galaxies, we get all sorts of different numbers greater than 2. Modern scientists say that dark matter and dark energy are an unseen "C" so that A+B+C=X. Except no one has ever observed this "C." Barbour says the C is not there and the actual equation is something more like n(A+B)=C. In simple systems, n is 1, thus not affecting the equation's answer in any visible way. But in complex equations, n can be anything. So we also have to account for n, the variables introduced by other significantly massive objects.
(Now these equations I just put up there are total BS...quantum mechanics is much more complex by several orders of magnitude...but the idea of other variables affecting the equation in complex systems that aren't present in simple systems is the point. )
The New Universe
And now, Barbour has theorized that we always need to account for these variables and we can also measure objects not against a fixed four dimensional plane (3D plus time) but we can also measure the objects against each other instead. Incredibly simple. And thus we can get rid of the phony dark energy and dark matter that never existed in the first place and just measure the objects using the new philosophy.
Why this is so important is manifold...first, it's impossible to scientifically measure small, atomic systems as any measuring instrument introduced to the system will alter the system and thus render any measurement as scientifically moot. So we can't just look and fix our theories that way. Thus having the correct theory/method for measurement in the first place is all we have to rely on. And, scientists have recently "proven" that two sub-atomic particles that are together, even if they are split up across miles, if you do something to affect one particle's behavior, the other particle's behavior also changes like-wise. In other words, it's possible to manipulate something from far away by manipulating the "partner." We really need to have a correct theory and measurement method to tackle this sort of thing. Plus bottom line, dark matter and energy aren't real, the less human resources we waste on those phony things, the better. (All of these things have already been worked on by other scientists before Barbour, FYI. )
On a separate note, some say that the particle behaviors that mimic each other across any seeming distance opens the doorway fully to a possible theory of intelligent design...creationism if you will.
Here's a pic of the man.
Basically the point of this whole essay is this. Barbour will become the next man that future generations will
look at as the epitome of science...the name who will take over from Newton, from Einstein.
************************************************************************************************************************
So on another note, the only thing I'm looking forward to right now is American Reunion, the movie. Those of you reading my blog over the years, you guys know that I'm sort of a movie connoisseur, I'm in to the indie and foreign type of films. If the movie is highly rated but has almost no money behind it from a large studio, I just assume it must be a great movie. However, I have my guilty pleasures too. Two, in fact.
Any time a Fast and Furious movie comes out, especially if the "bromance" guys Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are in it, I automatically go see it in the theater. Twice at least! Well, the American Pie franchise is the other...but there hasn't been a new movie in a long time...just those awful spinoffs. Well this month, the fourth one is finally coming out. Can't wait. Actually I'll have to wait. I couldn't go this weekend and next weekend I'm on call. So, it'll be next month. Can't wait.
There have been so many times in the 90s and early 00's when I was down and depressed but then an American Pie movie came out and cheered me up bigtime.
- R
.><.
VIEW 13 of 13 COMMENTS
Guilty pleasures are a good thing.
also the 70's and the 50's