Tuesday, October 08, 2024
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics Did Not Go To Physics -- This physicist is very surprised
A quick comment on the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics which was awarded for the basis of neural networks and artificial intelligence. Well deserved, but is it physics?
Monday, October 07, 2024
Superconducting Cables are Coming. I’m Not Joking
Superconductivity is a nice idea but totally unpractical, right? Well, there is a company which thinks otherwise. They are building superconducting wires with a much improved design. I have dug up the patents and here is what I've found.
Sunday, October 06, 2024
“People Don’t Realize This” about Climate Change, Elon Musk Says
Plenty of people have sounded the carbon emissions alarm over the years. In his recent-ish election season talk with Donald Trump, Elon Musk unexpectedly joined their ranks. Unexpected not because he supports action on climate change -- we've known this for a long time -- but because he claimed that rising carbon dioxide levels will make it uncomfortable to breathe, and give us headaches and nausea. Really?
Saturday, October 05, 2024
This is why physics is dying
In which I get very depressed because I've heard the same nonsense for 20 years and nothing has changed.
Friday, October 04, 2024
These physicists think they know what's inside a black hole
Physicists are obsessed with black holes, but we still don’t know what’s going on inside of them. One idea is that black holes do not truly exist, but instead they are big quantum objects that have been called fuzzballs or frozen stars. This idea has a big problem. Let’s take a look.
Thursday, October 03, 2024
Negative Time is Real, Physicists Confirm. Kind Of.
A new paper claims to have confirmed the existence of “negative time.” I had never heard of this, but I had a look at the paper. And I think I have figured it out.
Wednesday, October 02, 2024
New Theory of Consciousness Explains Why Zombies Don’t Exist
A collaboration of a neurologist, a computer scientist, and a philosopher has just put forward a new theory of consciousness. It is based on the idea of causal models. The authors claim boldly that their idea solves the hard problem of consciousness and explains why zombies don't exist in nature. Really? I've had a look.
Tuesday, October 01, 2024
Who Will Win This Year’s Nobel Prize in Physics? My Speculations
The Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced on October 8th. In this video, I share my speculation for likely candidates.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Lasers But They’re Made Of Sound
Lasers are cool. They can be used for so many applications, from LIDARS and spectroscopy to laser scanning to laser cooling. Now, lasers made from sound – which could in theory create more precise images than their light-based counterparts – might be on the horizon. Let’s take a look.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Trying to “Free” AI
Artificial Intelligence is dangerous, which is why the existing Large Language Models have guardrails that are supposed to prevent the model from producing content that is dangerous, illegal, or NSFW. But people who call themselves AI whisperers want to ‘jailbreak’ AI from those regulations. Let’s take a look at how and why they want to do that.
This Lawsuit Could Change Science
Science is crazy, but the craziest part is getting your work published. Scientists write it for free, review it for free, and then commercial publishers sell their work to universities for a big profit. Now, a psychologist in the US is suing the biggest scientific publishers. I had a look at the lawsuit.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Please... No more Loop Quantum Gravity
I was recently alerted to a video by my friend and colleague Brian Keating that claims Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG), string theory’s biggest competitor, has been disproven. I was somewhat surprised by this because I was pretty convinced it is for all practical purposes untestable -- much like string theory. I had a look at what he is talking about.
This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:
You can now also create your own quizzes on my page: Just set up an account and a creator profile. It's free!
This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:
You can now also create your own quizzes on my page: Just set up an account and a creator profile. It's free!
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Is everyone just talking nonsense about AI now?
Some ‘experts’ are predicting that AI will soon take over the world's bureaucracy -- governments, banks, universities etc, and that we will have no idea what is really going on. I don't think that's a plausible development.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
This Could Test the Quantum Twin Paradox
Physicists have come up with a new experiment to test the quantum twin paradox using a pair of atoms in a superposition. It's an interesting idea because it could tell us more about how Einstein's equivalence principle works in the quantum realm, ultimately helping us develop a theory of quantum gravity.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Chances for CERN’s Mega-Collider are Sinking
CERN is turning 70 this month. A good occasion to look at their plans for building a particle collider even bigger than the Large Hadron Colider, the "Future Circular Collider" (FCC). It's not going all that well, but at least we now have a budget estimate for the first phase.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Near-Collision With Other Star Jumbled Up Our Solar System, Physicists Says
In a normal solar system, planets orbit the central star in the same direction on the same plane. Our solar system, though, is a bit different: while most of our planets follow similar orbits along one plane, some of the celestial bodies circle the sun at different angles – or in the entirely wrong direction. In a new paper, a group of researchers say they figured out why. Let’s take a look.
This video comes with a quiz which you can take here:
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
No, Einstein Didn’t Solve the Biggest Problem in Physics
A lot of people have asked me to talk about the video “Did Einstein Crack the Biggest Problem in Physics…and didn’t know it?” It’s a discussion about scientists who supposedly used a quantum computer to open a wormhole. But what does this have to do with Einstein?
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
AI Feels the Data Crunch
Artificial intelligence just seems to keep growing and growing and growing, fueled by largely unregulated access to massive amounts of free, publicly available data. But unfortunately for our future robot overlords, that data has begun drying up as websites and organizations have begun restricting access to their information. What does this mean for the AI industry? Let’s take a look.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
An Electromagnetic Vortex Cannon, Finally!
Researchers say they’ve found a way to create a freely propagating vortex ring, like a smoke ring, but with electromagnetic waves. Why does this even matter? What might this discovery be used for? Let’s take a look.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
German Company Reinvents the Wheel: Wundertech or Hype?
A German company says it’s developed a new wheel hub motor that can be used in electric cars. They also claim that the wheel hub motors could increase efficiency by up to 20%. Is that the full story? Of course not! Let’s take a look.
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