NAP's random Science & Technology thread

**Emil El Zapato** · 14th May 2023, 19:40

If you don't believe in God watch this one: Incidentally, recursive virtuality doesn't appeal to me.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_hi48l-cj8

If you do believe in God watch this one:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCSSgxV9qNw

**Emil El Zapato** · 27th May 2023, 19:51

You might find this interesting, Aragorn...Sabine Hossenfelder has verified my impression of her...She's a condescending bitch.

Michio Kaku and she have some 'real' friction going on...Kaku is as cool as he seems, though I've heard the contrary.

Roger Penrose the Wise One just sits in the middle, seemingly suppressing a smile.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W39kfrxOSHg

**Emil El Zapato** · 28th May 2023, 12:27

Originally posted by Chuckie

You might find this interesting, Aragorn...Sabine Hossenfelder has verified my impression of her...She's a condescending bitch.

Michio Kaku and she have some 'real' friction going on...Kaku is as cool as he seems, though I've heard the contrary.

Roger Penrose the Wise One just sits in the middle, seemingly suppressing a smile.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W39kfrxOSHg

In the end, they both came down on Kaku, made of fool of him really. It was pretty nasty. Penrose feigned a complete lack of understanding of what Kaku was saying and made him look like a clueless fool. Hossenfelder did the same but in a mostly nastier fashion. They both played/fit the stereotype of the conventional scientist that scoffs at any outside-the-mainstream non-dogmatic approach. Granted Kaku merges science and philosophy but it isn't fair to blow that to the wind. It was disappointing on several levels.

**Aragorn** · 28th May 2023, 17:33

Originally posted by Chuckie

In the end, they both came down on Kaku, made of fool of him really. It was pretty nasty. Penrose feigned a complete lack of understanding of what Kaku was saying and made him look like a clueless fool. Hossenfelder did the same but in a mostly nastier fashion. They both played/fit the stereotype of the conventional scientist that scoffs at any outside-the-mainstream non-dogmatic approach. Granted Kaku merges science and philosophy but it isn't fair to blow that to the wind. It was disappointing on several levels.

Actually, I found Roger Penrose the one who was probably the most condescending toward Michio Kaku, although I will add that I do not believe he meant it that way. It's just how his brain works, and the moderator of the debate was basically setting Roger up for certain replies that evoked laughter from the audience.

Sabine was being very down-to-earth about it all, in my opinion. But she and Roger have a right to disagree with Michio. As Roger pointed out, there are issues with quantum mechanics and the Copenhagen interpretation of the collapse of the wave function — that was Schrödinger's whole point with the famous thought experiment of the cat in the box — and they do have a point that string theory has so far not really provided any substantial evidence, given that it's a purely theoretical science.

I think it may probably still be a long time before anyone comes up with a genuine (and verifiable) Theory Of Everything™, even if only because we are limited as humans in what we can test. And that was Sabine's point.

**Emil El Zapato** · 28th May 2023, 19:00

Originally posted by Aragorn

Actually, I found Roger Penrose the one who was probably the most condescending toward Michio Kaku, although I will add that I do not believe he meant it that way. It's just how his brain works, and the moderator of the debate was basically setting Roger up for certain replies that evoked laughter from the audience.

Sabine was being very down-to-earth about it all, in my opinion. But she and Roger have a right to disagree with Michio. As Roger pointed out, there are issues with quantum mechanics and the Copenhagen interpretation of the collapse of the wave function — that was Schrödinger's whole point with the famous thought experiment of the cat in the box — and they do have a point that string theory has so far not really provided any substantial evidence, given that it's a purely theoretical science.

I think it may probably still be a long time before anyone comes up with a genuine (and verifiable) Theory Of Everything™, even if only because we are limited as humans in what we can test. And that was Sabine's point.

I knew you would feel that way...I just 'felt' they were a little hard on poor semi-scientist Michio. I agree with what you say about Penrose but he 'refused' to even give Michio a scientific nod. I've always admired Penrose but perhaps he is as limited, meaning focused, as he portrayed himself then he is a good honest man. The audience, nor I was willing to believe that. It reminded me of a game theory computer science professor that I had who, in my and another student's opinion feigned a lack of knowledge in Calculus. The school's zeitgeist was to 'teach students to think'. Well, ok.

**Emil El Zapato** · 28th May 2023, 19:24

I will give Hossenfelder credit for recognizing she was being too blunt and dismissive later on in the discussion but she uses logic like a sword which is impressive but I have never bought the notion that logic explains everything, really in most cases things that logic finalizes are superficial.

**Emil El Zapato** · 30th May 2023, 12:17

Intuition tells me that complete symmetry as he describes it would lead to 'nothing'

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d15b7udf_ac

**Aragorn** · 30th May 2023, 12:53

Originally posted by Chuckie

Intuition tells me that complete symmetry as he describes it would lead to 'nothing'

The fact that all matter in the universe is of the conventional type while antimatter is rare proves that the universe is not symmetrical. If the universe had not decided on the polarities of matter in one direction or the other, then everything would have annihilated, and then we'd perpetually be inside of a "Big Bang".

**Emil El Zapato** · 30th May 2023, 15:57

Originally posted by Aragorn

The fact that all matter in the universe is of the conventional type while antimatter is rare proves that the universe is not symmetrical. If the universe had not decided on the polarities of matter in one direction or the other, then everything would have annihilated, and then we'd perpetually be inside of a "Big Bang".

Exactly, my thoughts, I may have misunderstood what he is saying...or he was having an off day.

**Emil El Zapato** · 14th July 2023, 11:41

You can hear the sadness in his voice. He recently lost an infant child to SIDS. He now is supporting "Save the Children" particularly in Ukraine...He is of Russian nationality.