http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azTMPl0Qb6o I have to admit to wondering the same thing Nick talks about here. Do any of these subatomic particles actually exist? At least in the way we conventionally define "exist"? We're talking about entities that are sometimes a wave, sometimes a point particle and, as far as we can observe, behave randomly within certain … Continue reading Does the Higgs boson actually exist?
Category: Zeitgeist
Voyager spacecraft might not have reached interstellar space
I have to say that I had no idea this was still being debated: Voyager spacecraft might not have reached interstellar space. In 2012, the Voyager mission team announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft had passed into interstellar space, traveling further from Earth than any other manmade object. But, in the nearly two years since that … Continue reading Voyager spacecraft might not have reached interstellar space
Traveling
Hi fellow patterns. I'm going to be traveling for the next week or so, with unpredictable access to wifi, so blogging may be limited or nonexistent. I do expect to be able to at least periodically check the comment threads from my phone, so feel free to comment on any of the recent posts. In the meantime, also … Continue reading Traveling
How to divide up the wealth
Click through to see the full sized version, and a popup bubble comment from the author. via Buried Treasure - Existential Comics. If you don't know much about these guys, Marx wants to divide up in the communist manner, Rawls wants you to evaluate societal rules as if you don't know what your role in society … Continue reading How to divide up the wealth
The natural, the supernatural, and the nature of science
I think Braterman makes an important point here. Acting like naturalism is a principle of science, instead of just a result of it, is both wrong and dangerous since it gives science the appearance of being just as dogmatic as any ideology.
The Lowest Difficulty Setting in Action
Are you alone? (In the universe)
This a cool video on what we are and where we came from. We are, each of us, a temporary intersection of matter and energy that is part of the overall whole of the universe, patterns of elementary particles that have, at least for a while, achieved self awareness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKMQzkIiB0Y via Are You Alone? In The … Continue reading Are you alone? (In the universe)
Nick Lucid on mass and energy
I'm a bit busy today, but thought I'd leave you with this Science Asylum video on the difference between mass and energy. (Hint: there isn't any.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jKHM92wbl4
Does the mind affect quantum mechanics?
Tom Hartsfield at Real Clear Science has a nice short piece that explains why your mind isn't involved (at least not directly) in what happens in quantum mechanics: Does the Mind Affect Quantum Mechanics? | RealClearScience. Every measurement that you can name boils down to an interaction. You poke the quantum system with something (light, a … Continue reading Does the mind affect quantum mechanics?
IBM spending $3 billion to rethink decades-old computer design
A reminder that quantum computing isn't necessarily the only way forward in processor technology: IBM spending $3 billion to rethink decades-old computer design - Computerworld. IBM will pour US$3 billion into computing and chip materials research over the next five years, as it rethinks computer design and looks to a future that may not involve silicon … Continue reading IBM spending $3 billion to rethink decades-old computer design
SelfAwarePatterns 