superposeur

11 ms·

91.
by superposeur 3y ago
I agree, if — that’s an enormous “if”.
92.
by superposeur 3y ago
If, in a volume of space, there are N exoplanets and 100 spontaneously created life, then I’d crudely estimate the probability of life at 100/N for a given exoplanet. Currently, we have only an upper limit on the probability and bare
93.
by superposeur 3y ago
This is intriguing and I’m very happy this exploration is being done. But, for decades, I’ve been reading reports of the discovery of evidence for the trappings of life elsewhere: water and organics and “habitable” exoplanets. These are
94.
by superposeur 3y ago
Almost all physicists have assumed that quantum effects will get rid of the singularity, as you say. The import of this paper is that there is no singularity even without accounting for quantum effects (at least for Kerr black holes and o
95.
by superposeur 3y ago
It turns out that you can only measure one component of the spin vector at a time. So you choose some direction in space, call that direction the “z” direction and orient your Stern-Gerlach apparatus in that direction. Important point: SG
96.
by superposeur 3y ago
At a certain threshold, though, it is clear who will win this power struggle. Thereafter, if you do not sign you will be implicitly against the winning team once the dust settles, which is a powerful incentive to sign yourself. Certainly
97.
by superposeur 3y ago
This is true — I take the upshot of this observation to be that only proper times are ever directly physically measurable. Coordinate times and concepts that rely on them (such as what you call one-way velocity of light) are always merely
98.
by superposeur 3y ago
Of course, if you already assume special relativity then this is baked in: taking the inverse of the Lorentz transformation matrix effectively sends v to -v. And velocity addition for sure already assumes you have the Lorentz transformation
99.
by superposeur 3y ago
On the subject of implicit assumptions (like linear trajectories transform to linear trajectories), it has always struck me that there is another assumption: if A sees B at speed v, then B sees A at the same speed v. It’s hard to imagine th
100.
by superposeur 3y ago
Thanks and great diagram — I’d imagined a tiny orbit around L2, not one the size of the entire earth!
101.
by superposeur 3y ago
Thanks — is there a short answer to what can wide angle get you?
102.
by superposeur 3y ago
Do you know what advantage Euclid offers over Webb? Also, the Lagrange point is where Webb and some other stuff is located — is it getting crowded up there?
103.
by superposeur 3y ago
Drinking diet sodas daily also linked to being Donald Trump: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/1...
104.
by superposeur 3y ago
“Elementary” is a relative term!
105.
by superposeur 3y ago
The Forward party is the latest manifestation of Americans’ misguided hope of “rising above” politics (to use the cliched phrase from the Obama era). Unfortunately there is no way out but through. Talking to your political opponents reasona
106.
by superposeur 3y ago
I think what drives much conspiracy-theorizing are two facts: 1) people have terrible intuition about physics outside a very narrow range of everyday conditions, 2) people are viscerally unaware of fact 1). For instance, I recall sitting ne
107.
by superposeur 3y ago
As a physicist, fluid mechanics was the most glaring gap in my undergraduate preparation, despite its centrality to most physics applications. Somehow it is always a “time permitting” topic at the end of an already-cramped curriculum. I fir
108.
by superposeur 3y ago
Actually, the terminology and ontology are astonishingly simple. Electromagnetic waves are ripples in the electromagnetic field, which is a collection of 4 real numbers attached to every point in space and time (the four components of the &
109.
by superposeur 3y ago
TC’s questions are far from random, but designed to be just adjacent to things the guest has commented on previously, or which he suspects they have may have given thought. If a guest gives a long discursive answer, he lets them go on or as
110.
Paul Graham on Conversations with Tyler(conversationswithtyler.com)
168 points by superposeur 3y ago|112 comments
111.
by superposeur 3y ago
Thanks.
112.
by superposeur 3y ago
Question for the cognoscenti: supposing that LK-99 superconducts with T_c = 110 K, how significant a discovery would this be? I.e., does it establish a brand new class of high-T superconductors, or is it merely one unremarkable member of a
113.
by superposeur 3y ago
Well-respected scientists taking a weird, cranky turn late career is a thing (for whatever reason). It makes me wonder: are there examples where the weird turn actually winds up being correct in the long term? I.e. where the mainstream co
114.
by superposeur 3y ago
Indeed time is relative. But, the observed distribution of matter in the universe turns out to single out one particular frame of reference (= large scale spacetime coordinate system). Namely the one in which the CMB radiation is isotropic
115.
Olbers Paradox: why is the night sky dark?(en.wikipedia.org)
3 points by superposeur 3y ago|0 comments
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Superforecasters and domain experts assess probability of AI catastrophe by 2100(archive.li)
2 points by superposeur 3y ago|1 comments
117.
by superposeur 3y ago
Indeed an “entertainer” who “challenges our relationship with the truth” would be a good description of Trump. This isn’t a glib comparison, as it gets to the heart of what is so wrong with letting public figures slide by with the excuse th
118.
by superposeur 3y ago
The message of the article seems to be that everyone should just chill out about whether Geller is really performing magical feats or not — he himself persists in saying that he is and lots of people persist in believing him. I strenuously
119.
by superposeur 3y ago
Do you know if there are any arguments in the literature to the effect that actually useful quantum supremacy may never be possible in principle (not merely in practice)? What I mean is: decoherence with environment must be held at bay long
120.
by superposeur 3y ago
This makes sense, but then again my question is motivated by the astronomical example, which still seems mysterious. Naively the various arguments and theorems about thermal equilibrium (at least macroscopic equilibrium as you point out) wo

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