Surfer Dude Stuns Physicists W/ Theory of Everythn

[G-spotter]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/11/14/scisurf114.xml

[Ducknut]

weird, a drew one of those E-8 thingys about 30 years ago with my spirograph. Who knew you could become a dirt-bag surfer physicist with one?

[Serenity]

So this is supposedly a diagram of the universe?

[catbirdseat]

"Although he cultivates a bit of a surfer-guy image its clear he has put enormous effort and time into working the complexities of this structure out over several years," Prof Smolin tells The Telegraph.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

sounds pretty cool. it will be interesting to see how it holds up experimentally. i tried reading the real paper, but had a very hard time making it much further than the intro.

[olyclimber]

killer brah

[ZimZam]

A spirograph. I remember those. Probably don't make them anymore. Like Rockem' Sockem' Robots.

[olyclimber]

http://wordsmith.org/~anu/java/spirograph.html

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_t/104-9816364-6723938?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=spirograph&x=0&y=0

[ZimZam]

That's kinda neat. The interactive component. Not the x2the y2the powertothepeople geek speak.

[Dechristo]

[Dougiefresh]

Looks like something off a TOOL album cover.

[builder206]

Staring at that thing takes me back to the 80s. Well, what I can remember of the 80s.

[minx]

i love this whole thread. theoretical physics is cool. spirographs are super neato. this might be the best thread ever!

[tvashtarkatena]

Yes, but does it go to 11?

[foraker]

I wish that I'd seen this before today. I had an interview at the physics/astro department at UW on Wednesday and it would have been...interesting...to ask them about it. I'm curious as to what it is about this mathematical construct that makes it less ad hoc than, say, string theory.

[tvashtarkatena]

If I understand it right, it seems that the spirograph theory is a unique solution for the relationships between the fundamental constants of the standard model, with gravity included, whereas string theory suffers from a lack of uniqueness in solutions, as well as backround dependence.

 

Also, this one's prettier lookin'.

[archenemy]

TOE

[tvashtarkatena]

Comprehensive Analytical Model Explaining Loci for the Theory Of Everything

[archenemy]

makes me uncomfortable

[ClimbingPanther]

[tvashtarkatena]

Physics just isn't as highbrow as it used to be.

[lizard_brain]

Wut?

[archenemy]

he's saying it looks a little more browneye than highbrow.