tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post7226482298312565972..comments2023-09-27T07:44:19.769-04:00Comments on Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: Experimental Search for Quantum Gravity 2010Sabine Hossenfelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-16220347451213195302009-12-25T06:09:42.247-05:002009-12-25T06:09:42.247-05:00Bee, have you read Gravitational Waves: Volume 1: ...Bee, have you read Gravitational Waves: Volume 1: Theory and Experiments by Michelle Maggiore. I call attention to Part II regarding Experimentation. She already has a well-regarded textbook regarding QFT, yes?<br /><br />Also, as one trying to learn this stuff, what about Introduction to Quantum Effects in Gravity by Viatcheslav Mukhanov and Sergei Winitzki, not for experimentation so much as Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-53939516956158914212009-12-04T08:14:11.249-05:002009-12-04T08:14:11.249-05:00I'm not surprised there is much mis-leading in...I'm not surprised there is much mis-leading in any of this. The only thing we can be sure of is that the LHC will produce unexpected results, because every leap in energy in the latest and greatest collider always has, it will be wonderful, and that whatever it is will be interpreted by Susskind as a validation of Superstrings.<br /><br />Speaking of whom .... any chance Technicolor or Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-84980774259755543102009-12-04T06:58:07.563-05:002009-12-04T06:58:07.563-05:00Hi Steve,
Gosh, this is extremely misleading inde...Hi Steve,<br /><br />Gosh, this is extremely misleading indeed. The LHC won't test string theory, it might test SUSY and maybe extra dimensions. MAGIC doesn't test string theory. The holographic principle isn't equal to string theory. Proton decay tests GUTs, not strings, and so on. The easiest way to figure this out is to ask whether any such observation could indeed falsify string Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-69760427648663779872009-12-04T06:49:58.137-05:002009-12-04T06:49:58.137-05:00Fortunately or unfortunately I also understand you...Fortunately or unfortunately I also understand your confusion, so maybe it’s just us. :-) In a word, the expressions “idiot” and “dummy” are simply: slang. In America, they are quite common. I’m sure in England and the UK they have the same meaning but differ in intensity, as for example in America the work “crackpot” is hardly ever used, but holds little meaning in terms of intensity when it is Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-22548449656199972702009-12-03T21:34:00.849-05:002009-12-03T21:34:00.849-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-54084961700113894362009-12-03T11:59:12.396-05:002009-12-03T11:59:12.396-05:00I always wondered precisely what the title meant. ...I always wondered precisely what the title meant. Does it mean "<b>Complete</b> idiot's guide" (i.e., a comprehensive guide for idiots), or instead does it mean "a guide for complete idiots" which is not nearly so nice. I like to think we should use the former interpretation, in which case the book is for standard-intelligence idiots, and not <b>complete</b> idiots.<br />Andrew Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03852211910001840777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-87138131826941910712009-12-03T09:56:03.910-05:002009-12-03T09:56:03.910-05:00Yes, Phil I will, thanks, but some preliminaries.
...Yes, Phil I will, thanks, but some preliminaries.<br /><br />I am currently employed full time in a Christmas rush type of job that will end Dec 24th. That's good for me because I am actually making money atm, but bad for me as I can can devote little time to this great subject. More after Xmas.<br /><br />Preliminarily though, I find the discussion of testing ST in the book to be far weaker Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-81191439198386889532009-12-01T06:27:35.840-05:002009-12-01T06:27:35.840-05:00Hi Steven,
When you finally do finish String Theo...Hi Steven,<br /><br />When you finally do finish String Theory for Dummies it would be nice if you posted a critic on your blog, for I’m certain there are many (myself included) who would be interested to know whether if you feel its a worthwhile read or not. In mentioning that, I've always hoped Bee after a time might write a book inspired by her efforts with this blog, which she could Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-76119617213252391642009-11-30T09:12:40.548-05:002009-11-30T09:12:40.548-05:00Who knows, Phil? I'm reading String Theory for...Who knows, Phil? I'm reading String Theory for Dummies atm by Jones, with special attention to his thoughts on testing that most written about QG theory, and will have more to say when I finish reading. Preliminarily though, Jones maintains that ST can test nothing until predictions are made, and ST is far far too underdeveloped at the moment to make even a single prediction. The best they Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-2099876141067699712009-11-30T07:03:32.700-05:002009-11-30T07:03:32.700-05:00Hi Steve,
Thanks for raising the radar on the Hoř...Hi Steve,<br /><br />Thanks for raising the radar on the Hořava-Lifshitz model, since I’ve never heard of it before. Having taken a quick scan of what it’s about with separating space and time as being equivalent, this is certainly a radical approach for such equivalency lays at the very heart of GR. <br /><br />Then again from the Lagrangian perspective time has always appeared to be the most Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-77436912449212075592009-11-30T06:59:57.189-05:002009-11-30T06:59:57.189-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-2646119445867169212009-11-30T06:06:45.294-05:002009-11-30T06:06:45.294-05:00Steven: As I already said earlier, we don't ye...Steven: As I already said earlier, we don't yet have titles and abstracts, thus I don't know what people will be talking about. Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-55055377067860710532009-11-30T06:05:26.819-05:002009-11-30T06:05:26.819-05:00I have a question about the conference, Bee. Is Ho...I have a question about the conference, Bee. Is Hořava-Lifshitz gravity going to be on the table at Nordita?<br /><br />Apparently that's the hottest thing in QG circles, at least this year. I understand it has flaws (well, it's new) but a ton of papers are being written about it and therefore it may be difficult to ignore. <br /><br />Lubos is strongly against it in spite of his former Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-63077051536210515142009-11-29T07:23:36.689-05:002009-11-29T07:23:36.689-05:00Oh, I'm sure there's quite a bit of Market...Oh, I'm sure there's quite a bit of Marketing involved. The US Treasury may be the largest treasure horde on the planet (just ask the Bush family ... they've been raiding it since great-grandpa Sam Bush was appointed to handle the money for reparations to France and Germany by President Wilson after World War One), but it's not infinitely so, therefore the never-ending competitionSteven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-5559461006814878442009-11-29T06:30:34.767-05:002009-11-29T06:30:34.767-05:00Hi Steve,
Yes, sounds interesting. Last time I he...Hi Steve,<br /><br />Yes, sounds interesting. Last time I heard a talk about fusion technology and plasma control the speaker basically said they have made significant progress in controlling the turbulences in the plasma, and understand the dynamics pretty well now. Problem is I hear such talks that rarely it's hard for me to tell how much of the optimism is marketing. Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-20901941675033445002009-11-29T06:25:23.196-05:002009-11-29T06:25:23.196-05:00Hi Bee,
OK, that's fine. I understand your sp...Hi Bee,<br /><br />OK, that's fine. I understand your specialty precludes you from covering all the bases, so if it's OK with you I'll try to help in at least the Plasma Physics direction. I live about 30 miles NNE of Princeton, and after the holidays (for I'll have no time until then) I'll take a trip one day down to the big Plasma lab there and putter around the premises or Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-86741554808872386592009-11-29T03:02:17.370-05:002009-11-29T03:02:17.370-05:00Hi Steve,
sorry, but I have no clue what's ne...Hi Steve,<br /><br />sorry, but I have no clue what's new in plasma physics. Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-39747051742260538872009-11-28T20:44:27.331-05:002009-11-28T20:44:27.331-05:00lol, yeah, well, I guess I was being a bit cheeky,...lol, yeah, well, I guess I was being a bit cheeky, but why not? Both Lee and Carl are internationally famous, so I imagine they've heard of each other, not least of all because Sweden takes the Nobel Prizes "a bit" seriously, yes? Norway too for the Nobel Peace Prize, but let's leave them (and that prize) out of the discussion for now. I'm afraid I lost a lot of respect for Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-16755882401752561472009-11-20T08:42:06.174-05:002009-11-20T08:42:06.174-05:00*lol* Well, since Lee is a co-organizer (see websi...*lol* Well, since Lee is a co-organizer (see website, sorry for not mentioning it here), I guess I can check the first point. Not sure about his relations to Carl Gustaf though.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-24880098095675161632009-11-20T08:37:42.611-05:002009-11-20T08:37:42.611-05:00"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.&qu..."Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Douglas Adams<br /><br />Timescale, Bee? Ack! I'm so naive to your wonderful world of grant applications. I am but a newbie from the world of business, where corporate survival means decisions have to be made quickly, correctly and thoroughly if the corporate entity is to survive, e.g., for profits to be made such that the retirees Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-70907902297510226892009-11-19T07:05:17.764-05:002009-11-19T07:05:17.764-05:00Steven: Not sure what timescale you think grant pr...Steven: Not sure what timescale you think grant proposals to science funding agencies are typically processed in, but I don't expect to hear from them before February or March.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-54806153029240273502009-11-19T07:00:24.224-05:002009-11-19T07:00:24.224-05:00Einstein was the best Phil I see no reason to cont...Einstein was the best Phil I see no reason to continue to argue or discuss his Socratic/Platonic behavior. He was plenty of both throughout his life. Another reason is you are far ahead of me in the Philosophy realm .. the only Philosophy course I ever took was Introduction to Logic as an undergrad, so your statement re Godel, logic and mathematics vexes me. Semantically logic and mathematics areSteven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-50190135015809053082009-11-16T07:38:21.276-05:002009-11-16T07:38:21.276-05:00Hi Steven,
I’m not sure if I would quite agree wi...Hi Steven,<br /><br />I’m not sure if I would quite agree with your assessment of the stages that Einstein went through, as I would say he went more from Socrates perspective to the Platoian one. That is early on he was inspired by Mach, who was more of what you see is what you get fellow, to in the end hanging out with Godel, who had proven logic transcends the mathematical. <br /><br />If Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-75609932123765050932009-11-15T20:54:27.856-05:002009-11-15T20:54:27.856-05:00Hi Phil,
I won't bet with you because I'd...Hi Phil,<br /><br />I won't bet with you because I'd bet your way. Specifically: Platonism skews toward the the young and youthful-thinking, Socratic skews to the middle-aged (like us, with YOU being an exception) and old, for example ...<br /><br />Einstein. Old Albert was VERY Platonic when he was young, we wouldn't have the five things he espoused, each of which he deserved a NobelSteven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74948277327686157532009-11-15T18:30:02.494-05:002009-11-15T18:30:02.494-05:00Hi Steven,
Well yes the question of science is mo...Hi Steven,<br /><br />Well yes the question of science is mostly centred around how and not why. However, I have often found that with good science or philosophy we are able to answer both, that is at least in part. My own blog, What is Einstein’s Moon, acts for me as both my written exploration and collection of what I’ve come to discover. <br /><br />As you notice I’m a bit of a betting manPhil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.com