If you look at the rest of the physics world, the theories were developed after data came in and partially upset the previous theory, and they were developed in accordance with the new data.
Doesn't the incompatibility of QM and GR constitute such an upset?
...but the principle of not being allowed to point out that something is wrong unless you know what the right answer is always annoys me.
The critics he's complaining about aren't pointing out anything that is wrong. They are complaining that the string theorists haven't made any predictions that they can test. That doesn't seem like a good reason to try to tell the theorists to stop looking for testable predictions.
And atheist scientists continue to try to use science to suggest the nonexistence of an omnipotent being.
No. Scientists continue to use science to describe and understand the universe. The omnipotent being theory is just one of theories that they have examined and discarded as implausible.
An omnipotent being, by definition, could render itself immune to all forms of detection, including detection by scientific/rational deduction.
And, therefor, there is no point in attempting to prove its existence. Yet believers continue to do so.
In the end, therefore, it's faith one way or the other: faith that there is no God, or faith that there is.
Wrong. Lack of faith in the existence of God does not imply faith in the nonexistence of God: it does not imply the presence of any faith at all.
Then a few things (like entropy and the idea of the 'heat death of the universe', and the observed expansion [and rate of that expansion[ of the universe) forced scientists to come to the conclusion that the universe could not always exists in the form we see it today - hence ideas like the big-bang theory.
The big bang theory does not entirely exclude the possibilty that the bang repeats.
If there is no matter, there can be no gravity, right?
Wrong. As I understand it (which is imperfectly) there are solutions in which the universe contains only gravity waves.
Those Apple logos are no more advertising than are the "Jesus loves you" bumper stickers on the car of a born-again Christian. If you own an Apple product how could you possibly not want to tell the world about it? Think of the souls you might save!
We've already spent billions getting it up there, why not recycle it? Create a recycling station in orbit.
Every bit of trash is in a different orbit. It takes expensive fuel to change orbits. Collecting it all in one place would cost more than simply launching the same amount of stuff from the surface.
Blowing the debris up, in various ways, just makes the problem worse by making more pieces instead of fewer.
Depends. Blowing up large objects that are in low orbit breaks them into many tiny pieces that re-enter quickly instead of remaining in orbit for decades.
Dropping them to the Earth means a chance of dropping them on someone/thing. They should design in a safe burn-up plan instead of letting it fall wherever.
Most of the stuff is already such that it would not survive re-entry.
Slashdot Mirror
Doesn't the incompatibility of QM and GR constitute such an upset?
The critics he's complaining about aren't pointing out anything that is wrong. They are complaining that the string theorists haven't made any predictions that they can test. That doesn't seem like a good reason to try to tell the theorists to stop looking for testable predictions.
Yes. They spend two hours reviewing their work and so find all the silly errors that those who barely finish in time miss.
No. Scientists continue to use science to describe and understand the universe. The omnipotent being theory is just one of theories that they have examined and discarded as implausible.
And, therefor, there is no point in attempting to prove its existence. Yet believers continue to do so.
Wrong. Lack of faith in the existence of God does not imply faith in the nonexistence of God: it does not imply the presence of any faith at all.
Therefor there is no point in discussing it with those who do have faith.
The big bang theory does not entirely exclude the possibilty that the bang repeats.
Wrong. As I understand it (which is imperfectly) there are solutions in which the universe contains only gravity waves.
Please state that axiom.
> It's been theorized that the Sahara used to be a lush verdant area.
And also that it had a lot more rainfall.
Those Apple logos are no more advertising than are the "Jesus loves you" bumper stickers on the car of a born-again Christian. If you own an Apple product how could you possibly not want to tell the world about it? Think of the souls you might save!
> And, quite frankly, in the end *something* must be eternal ...
prove it.
> Something else in another dimension unrelated to ours.
A dimension is not a place.
An unsupported assertion. Why can time not have a beginning? Or be closed?
Assholes. I have no intention of reading the article or ever again attempting to visit the site.
...you get three nights in LA and a meeting with Snoop himself!
...is a very, very bad idea.
That is empirical testing. The herbalists would have done better to stick to it. Unfortunately, they developed bogus theories.
Well, no. Some of it is toxic.
Only if you do it standing up.
Every bit of trash is in a different orbit. It takes expensive fuel to change orbits. Collecting it all in one place would cost more than simply launching the same amount of stuff from the surface.
Depends. Blowing up large objects that are in low orbit breaks them into many tiny pieces that re-enter quickly instead of remaining in orbit for decades.
Most of the stuff is already such that it would not survive re-entry.
> ...typical debris cloud...
There are no debris clouds. Each individual bit of scrap is in its own orbit.
But the scary news stories will omit that little detail.
> ...a wonderful proof-of-concept demonstrator...
What concept do you think it would prove? "Hitting stuff with a laser" is not very hard and has been demonstrated many times, even in space.
Sure. You do the tossing.
...though not "in space". See laser broom .
They are just ways to keep the mess from getting worse very fast. They do nothing about the existing junk or the results of many probable accidents.