saac

Clear here, air nice and still and just a few wispy clouds that are scattering. Not doing any imaging just visual - on and around Orion at the moment. Hope it clears for you later folks. Jim

Guilty as charged , we are human after all and what constitutes "the greatest contribution" is a human concern, so guilty as charged. I don't see anything wrong an anthropomorphic view in this respect, I'd go further and say it is built into the question. Jim

Georges Lemaitre - author of the Big Bang Theory Jim

How about a black hole for Hell; once in you aint getting out - I can't think of anything more hellish. And at its center a singularity - the devil Be afraid be very afraid. Jim

That is so cool, I like that Jim

PM sent Helen Jim

Thanks Helen, I'll post it up tomorrow at work and keep fingers crossed we get some interest;I'll pass any email details to you. Jim

Helen would you mind if I copy your post to the Scottish Physics Teacher network (SPUTNIK) - it's a very active IOP hosted forum that connects with almost every Physics teacher in Scotland. It may help to reach some interested parties. Jim

I recall a comedy sketch , can't remember where, may have been a "far side" cartoon perhaps. Some kids where mulling over the prospect of burring their dead hamster in the cockpit of an airfix model aircraft. The bubble over the kid's head contained an archaeologist in the future perplexed over the prospect of tiny four legged creatures flying small aircraft. It appealed to me Jim

I agree wholeheartedly with your first point Andrew. In fact the other day I watched an amusing video from the series Sixty Symbols where the presenter (Professor Phil Moriarty , University of Nottingham) was railing against some piece of "new age physics" carried by a tabloid attempted to link quantum effects to the macro world. Similar idea as discussed here that through the entanglement principle our conscious mind is linked to the physical world. It's the old adage , a little bit of knowledge and perhaps eagerness to write and sell another book. I'm sorry I just don't see it, too much mysticism for me. As for your second point I'm not ready to surrender free will. I agree it's is informed by biology and environment - so in that sense not entirely free I guess. But I have to believe we have choices and that we and we alone must own those choices and their consequences. I do like your last take on it though - "we should act as we do " . I haven't seen that sentiment expressed elsewhere - I do like it. Jim

I tend to agree. In fact could we not go further and say "now" is impossible to isolate ; it has the touch of Hisenberg all over it. Once you believe you have located it , it is gone. The real moving target. Perhaps that is it, perhaps the universe does not need time. Jim

The "now" is surely just a particular value on a continuum of flowing time; I don't believe it holds any particular significance to the universe. Of course it tortures the human mind, it is fleet footed and ever elusive but it is of no concern to the universe. Jim

Olly from what I recall there are only a few, what you call normal physics equations , in which the past, present and future are delineated, in other words in which the direction of time is described in the relationship. The second law of thermodynamics springs to mind ds = dQ/T . This is such a simple looking equation but it describes so much . I was first introduced to it 30 years ago studying engineering and I must admit it has taken as long to really appreciate its significance. Jim

Lars that is an enchanting photograph in itself. Jim