Top Physics Stories for 2005

[Martin]

http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/757-1.html

 

the American Institute of Physics online "Physics News Update"

publishes an annual list of top physics stories, with links.

 

quite a few these links have further links to graphics/animations

like if you check out the "molecules that walk" story

http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/751-2.html

it gives a movie link at the bottom

http://www.chem.ucr.edu/groups/bartels/

 

this year PNU has about 20 top stories.

[JohnB]

Interesting list.

 

The work on lensing in the sub wavelength area could have major benefits in nanotech and medicine.

 

Number nine is Cold Fusion? Not energy producing, but interesting.

[Martin]

 

Number nine is Cold Fusion? Not energy producing' date=' but interesting.[/quote']

 

Yes! I hadn't noticed that. Thanks for pointing it out:

http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/729-1.html

 

It is *really* cold fusion isn't it ----they need icewater temperature or colder to make it work well. I would have called it something else though, like pyroelectric accelerator fusion----accelerator fusion being where you shoot deuterons at a deuterium or tritium-containing target.

 

Ironical, after all that fuss about unreplicatable or false cold fusion a few years back. Now someone comes along and actually does it

[Bettina]

http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/757-1.html

 

the American Institute of Physics online "Physics News Update"

publishes an annual list of top physics stories' date=' with links.

 

quite a few these links have further links to graphics/animations

like if you check out the "molecules that walk" story

http://www.aip.org/pnu/2005/split/751-2.html

it gives a movie link at the bottom

http://www.chem.ucr.edu/groups/bartels/

 

this year PNU has about 20 top stories.[/quote']

 

Thank you Martin for running my printer dry. I'll have to wait till tommorrow for another cartridge. Meanwhile thanks for the articles. I've just started reading about entanglement now anyway, though skeptical, I'm still reading it.

 

Btw...have you seen this? I can't wait.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10510773/site/newsweek/

 

Bettina

[JohnB]

Ironical, after all that fuss about unreplicatable or false cold fusion a few years back. Now someone comes along and actually does it

Yes, I wonder if it could ever have useful applications.

 

I remember the debate years ago mostly for the argument that to obtain fusion you had to have high temperature and pressure. It was often claimed that "The Laws of Physics said so." I wonder if this means that some of our "Laws" aren't laws at all and we need to review the book.

 

@ Bettina. 10 spacial dimensions? My brain hurts.

 

Should the super collider prove her theory, it will change much. If it can be shown that under certain conditions matter can enter our universe from another one, then "Conservation of Energy" (and everything that derives from it) will have to be reviewed. From the POV of "Our Universe" matter (energy) will be being created or destroyed. Hmmmmm.

[Martin]

Thank you Martin for running my printer dry. I'll have to wait till tommorrow for another cartridge. ...

Btw...have you seen this? I can't wait.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10510773/site/newsweek/

 

Bettina

 

sorry about using up so much ink

 

I read a lot right on the computer screen, and don't print it out, saves ink.

But some years ago I had a smaller, less clear monitor, and I still have stacks and shelves of papers I printed out.

 

Bettina you mentioned about LISA RANDALL at Harvard.

Check this out:

http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/activities/community/generalpublic/publiclectures.php

 

it has a photo of Lisa and a blurb about a public lecture she will give at Perimeter Institute on 1 March

these Perimeter public lectures are usually put ON LINE as video for free viewing

 

You might want to locate where the public lectures are kept, and see if you can view them with your connection and your system. Most people I have spoken with say they CAN. I can with my system and I watch Perimeter talks a lot----they show the blackboard or slides, and the person talking.

 

Here are where the Perimeter "streaming media" videos of talks are kept:

http://streamer.perimeterinstitute.ca:81/mediasite/viewer/

 

On the sidebar menu on the left you click on "Public Lectures" and after 1 March there will be Lisa talk there but there are already a whole lot of talks----by roger penrose, and steven weinberg, and james hartle and edward witten and other celebrities like that (whose talks I mostly don't watch actually) but also by young researchers that one doesnt hear about but who are trying out interesting new approaches to the problems that haunt physics. some of them are in the "Seminar Series" part of the menu, instead of the "Public Lectures" part.

 

If you are interested in watching Lisa Randall, then maybe it would be good idea to try watching one of these talks------the James Hartle one is not bad (he is not one of these charismatic figures, and he explains well)----as a sample to see if your system will do Perimeter talks. Then when Lisa is on line you will know what to expect.

 

there are other resources like this, at MIT, harvard, etc. You probably know of them and may have already watched a bunch. There may even be Lisa Randall talks at other sites, that i just don't know about. I would be interested to know what you come up with.

[Bettina]

sorry about using up so much ink

 

I read a lot right on the computer screen' date=' and don't print it out, saves ink.

But some years ago I had a smaller, less clear monitor, and I still have stacks and shelves of papers I printed out.

 

Bettina you mentioned about LISA RANDALL at Harvard.

Check this out:

http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/activities/community/generalpublic/publiclectures.php

 

it has a photo of Lisa and a blurb about a public lecture she will give at Perimeter Institute on 1 March

these Perimeter public lectures are usually put ON LINE as video for free viewing

 

You might want to locate where the public lectures are kept, and see if you can view them with your connection and your system. Most people I have spoken with say they CAN. I can with my system and I watch Perimeter talks a lot----they show the blackboard or slides, and the person talking.

 

Here are where the Perimeter "streaming media" videos of talks are kept:

http://streamer.perimeterinstitute.ca:81/mediasite/viewer/

 

On the sidebar menu on the left you click on "Public Lectures" and after 1 March there will be Lisa talk there but there are already a whole lot of talks----by roger penrose, and steven weinberg, and james hartle and edward witten and other celebrities like that (whose talks I mostly don't watch actually) but also by young researchers that one doesnt hear about but who are trying out interesting new approaches to the problems that haunt physics. some of them are in the "Seminar Series" part of the menu, instead of the "Public Lectures" part.

 

If you are interested in watching Lisa Randall, then maybe it would be good idea to try watching one of these talks------the James Hartle one is not bad (he is not one of these charismatic figures, and he explains well)----as a sample to see if your system will do Perimeter talks. Then when Lisa is on line you will know what to expect.

 

there are other resources like this, at MIT, harvard, etc. You probably know of them and may have already watched a bunch. There may even be Lisa Randall talks at other sites, that i just don't know about. I would be interested to know what you come up with.[/quote']

 

I can't believe I missed your post. I just saw it now. I will take anything that you have on Lisa Randall, and would love to hear her lectures but I can't get into that public lectures link. It says not found.

 

I have a 2.8 Ghz computer with high speed cable, and 1 gig of memory.

 

Bettina

[Martin]

I can't believe I missed your post. I just saw it now. I will take anything that you have on Lisa Randall' date=' and would love to hear her lectures but I can't get into that public lectures link. It says not found.

 

I have a 2.8 Ghz computer with high speed cable, and 1 gig of memory.

 

Bettina[/quote']

 

Hi Bettina,

the Perimeter Institute streamer site is down for regular maintenance until Monday.

 

Please check back sometime Monday or Tuesday, I will post as soon as I find that it works.

 

Bad luck you tried just when they were shut down for maintenance. but Lisa Randall's talk is not until 2 March. there is plenty of time to find out if you can tap into the online Perimeter talks (the proceedure is really easy, almost nothing to do---I am guessing there will be no problem)

 

be well,

 

Martin

[Martin]

I just remembered,

Christine Dantas, a Brazil astrophysicist, has posted a list of "suggested" system specs for ideal viewing of the Perimeter talks

 

she has a blog

http://christinedantas.blogspot.com/2006/02/hand-of-master-parts-1-and-2.html

 

and she has been watching talks about Quantum Gravity given in an introductory series of lectures by Lee Smolin, so she posted about this and she happened also to list the system recommendations

 

I dont know enough about computers to say for sure, but I think none of it much matters except they say you should have 256 KBPS connection or better.

Maybe someone more expert in these matters can correct me but I guess you have that fast a connection and even if you didnt it would just make the reception balky and jerky----not utterly impossible.

 

BTW christine is nice. She tells me she has a husband, a kid, and a dog, and she writes computer code that goes onboard Brazil government satellites----which sounds fun: writing computer programs that go up into orbit and help some inanimate thing handle data. It is not clear to me how she finds time to also be interested in quantum gravity and manage a blog.

[Bettina]

Thanks Martin

 

My dad said I should have no problem with my connection speed. I will be looking forward to seeing those lectures.

 

Thanks

 

Bettina