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Current Thoughts in String Theory
DrLudicrous writes "The NYTimes is running a nice little synopsis of the current ideas in string theory. Apparently, there is still quite a bit of disagreement about how to interpret the various theories, with some string theorists supporting a semi-deterministic worldview a la Einstein (God does not play dice), while others believe our universe is just one possibility among many, with respect to various physical parameters."
My housemate was recently developing a comprehensive theory of the oscillations of short bits of string, even comprising such philosophical points as whether they're inherent or caused by some bored unemployed minor god. Then I bought a laser pointer and now it's all refraction this and speckle that.
Cats are fickle.
Maybe god is like some kind of ubercoder, daring us to figure out his implementation.
And like most of them, he doesn't document.
~ Whence do you come, slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
"Frankly, I still view superstring theory as a fringe science, considering the fact that it holds merit (many of it's hypothesis are built upon solid scientific foundations), but none of it's claims can yet be tested and verified."
This is why I prefer sillystring theory. You can easily prove or disprove the effects of sillystring in a great many environments. For example:
1) If I shoot sillystring at the hot blonde across the room, will she sleep with me, or slap me?
2) How slow must I drive on the freeway to enable me to shoot sillystring, and still have it maintain cohesion enough to obscure another driver's windshield completely?
3) If I replace my roommate's shaving cream with sillystring, how many times will he cut his face before he realizes the switch?
You see? Definite, provable, questions. None of thos "alternate universe" or "quintuple bajillion watts of energy" problems.
God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
The most important part of String theory is the null terminator%#@%(&(*(FA(EWUA(UF#(A@JI#J^IHITHAIUG(#A @U(T#@(*(^@U#IHTIAWHIHJT#(@AU&%(#@