Macavity

ISTI MIRANT STELLA! 😎 "I'd watch it Harold, Mate - Public Opinion, and all"? 😅 I did see something that apparently "defied the Laws of Physics." Took off at great speed at "right angles" etc. Unfortunately, I went indoors to get my Camera! I still don't believe it was E.T. tho. 😛 But, I would be absolutely fascinated...

I think consistency is a great thing. My THESIS showed stuff that was consistent with... But, back then, such phrases were trotted without notable (philosopical?) reflection! 😅 "It never do me no harm"! lol. But: Is it something to do with this? [See Penrose etc.]

I think there are too many (personal / financial!) interest on both sides? One might welcome "Popular Scientists" chipping in... But are they saying anything much? Appeals to authority... Sagan... or even (the splendid!) Feynman quote. lol. But this merely reinforces ideas of SCIENCE as "Evil Mainstream"? 😈 (Do I imagine that "US Intelligence" is too bovvered?) To me, many "prominents" of e.g. "String Wars", are being disingenuous too. It seems to be more to do with (USA) "tenures" and funding of preferred theories? I even side with a PHILOSOPHER - Who pointed out frequent misquoting/misuse of "his" ideas. He does indentify the need to deal with the "Post Truth" (media) problem... But I sense "Hollering at Astrologers" - Or even ridding the world of (useful) Particle Physicists in unlikely to address this. 😛 The ultimate irony is, as some scientists have discovered(?), it is also possible to mine the rich vein of conspiracy theorists too - Those who believe THEIR "special" scientist is the sole purveyor of TRUTH? An idea few make any huge attempts to dispel... 😏

My limited interactions suggest this is often the case! I once worked on a "detector design" project. I was given a hand-written note with a THEORY of such things. The detector prototype, we built, worked well. I wrote it up as an "internal report". I was TOLD to include this theory (not my work!) 😏 Of course, such things get cited, referenced. But I was still surprised to get a letter from the "Pioneer of Detector Design" - Read with trepidation. lol. Apparently, he "Really enjoyed my work", was "Glad his ideas were useful"! He was even happy to see his MATHS transcribed... He noted a few "minor, but unimportant", errors in this, and a slight (bigger!) conceptual error in my added Appendix - He was sure, I had "spotted it by now" - I hadn't! 😅 RIP. He worked from a: "Modest office... Submerged in computer output". When it rained, he place a large BUCKET on his desk with a notice: "Leak Testing in progress". A reference to those various Gas Filled Detectors! 🤣

I recently came across an obituary for Prof. M.J. Seaton 1923 - 2007 https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/aug/31/guardianobituaries.obituaries These folk have such interesting (Academic & Personal) Histories?!? 😎 I "worked" briefly/remotely with Mike - Setting up his venerable Fortran Code on a new/faster computer. A few changes, here and there, to get it to run under new hardware/compilers. But he was ever Polite, Kind, and Appreciative! I did *not* remark on him STILL using Win 95 on his PC? 😅 Who knew I'd "contributed" to Astrophysics? lol. TO: "Ships that Pass"! 🥂 P.S. Sometimes I think the General Public imagine "Scientists" are forever "hollering at one another", or checking out (Academic) "Who's Who"? lol In a vast majority of cases: NOT TRUE! He/we were/are, just... "Mike" etc. But, rather a lot (even my own "Ken"), seem to figure in "obits" now... 😐

Some wag on Twitter (Sorry -"X") noted an Alien preference to contact Farmers? I suppose "The Archers" has just about reached E.T. by now! Never a listener but: "Fine Words don't butter no Parsnips"?!? (Joe Grundy - After 15th cent saying!) 😁

But it is a little frustrating? And probably fuels conspiracy vs anti-conspiracy? 😛 Whistleblower testifies on government’s alleged covert alien program (Youtube) And then, "someone" asks the usual (scientist) suspects for their opinion too? 😉

A quick look: Astrobiscuit seems a "Good Lad"! I do rather like his "roof on top of a roof" obsy! One up from any "Aero Biscuit"? 🤣 (I once chose a moniker which caused *ignorant* merriment! lol) I am developing a bit of a Soft Spot for those who "teach stuff" on Youtube (And forums? lol). We learn in different ways. I sat though ALL levels of education, without learning much in the actual class? I seem to prefer "Books"? I like the PAUSE button on Youtube? 😎 I can deliver a "mean" (good) Lecture! But others prefer a personal, hands-on experience? Covid killed off our MAIN Astronomy meetings and the latter, Beginners' Evenings? 😐

Well, the "Pathologies" discussed were: Fuhrerism, Too much heirarchy, Too little overlapping, "Happy Sleep", Commanders versus Creators, Brilliant Individualists, Academism, Cliques, Empire Builders (and our friends, the Mystagogues!) - Physics is always HONEST (guv)! 😉 The problem with (experimental) "Big Science" is scalabilty? Being "One in n-thousand"? Just reading the "laments" of a young scientist - His experience was good training re. a host of transferable skills, but he never got to personally push back the "Frontiers of Science"? A Musician, lamenting his own mediocrity? I really do wonder if this is part of the (internet era) expectations, being "famous for..."? Lets hope feelings of "pointlessness" don't spread to the Field of Amateur Astronomy? 😅

I have to be careful... but at this point a "smart cookie" jumps up and says: "Science is not a Democracy"! Especially if they think Voting is a tad passe? 😛 (As one scientist said: "Science doesn't need to Vote re. Water being Wet"!) Maybe it highlights difference between Scientific & Public (even science fan!) understanding of scientific concencesus - reasonable Faith, in Peer review? 😉 I cherish my copy of Kowarski's Book. If you are (very) interested in the early history of "Big Science" - You may still find one? He has a whole section on "Pathologies of Science". (ALL these were known - Even back in the 50s/60s!) Maybe, we should all go and see "Oppenheimer" or something. 😛

Thanks, @vlaiv et al. Or, if you prefer a VIDEO on this: https://youtu.be/u23vZsJbrjE (ITMA: Dr. Lincoln, FermiLab) Always good to re-visit things, whatever I think/thought? 😁 The size of the entire universe depends on its geometry? 😉 MIcrowave background spot-size, suggests, "space is flat". But curvature uncertainty, allows closed, open hyperbolic... Flat or Open, are consistent with space being of *infinite* size... But a closed universe can be no smaller than 250x the visible universe? Probably it's the *limit*, one should quote? Ideally, you should check, whether it's Diam or Radius? 😛

😛 Sometimes ya don't know whether to laugh or cry? Playing a computer game, while you address your audience? Is this some kind of... Dada-esque experience? Recent years have left some of us removed from the NORMAL world? But I'm not entirely guileless! 🤣 Sometimes entertainers (even Pop Scientists) "push" things? How far can I disrespect my audience, while still retaining undying loyalty... "I'm in with the in-crowd"? (Brian Ferry) 😛 Lew Kowarski (First CERN director) wrote: "A genuine scientist is eager to establish his reputation amongst those who know his subject; A mystagogue builds his among those who do not". Apparently a ref. to G.K.Chesterton: "But the mystagogue hides a thing in darkness and when you find it, it's a platitude". (The incredulity of Father Brown). Nothing like a good "Quote" - Appear intellectual... Disarm critics? 😁

Hey, I like a good RANT, by some people - Perhaps not everyone? lol I now sense, whatever one says, Science Fans will "run with the ball"? 😛

I must admit, I never actually knew the location of "Room 2.62"! 😲 - Even though I was familiar with Manchester Uni. I presume it is now: "The Rutherford Building" - Probably never went down there! Amazed all the above only came to light so LONG after my time... Alas poor Ettore Majorana? Still hope he did a "Reggie Perrin"? 😉

A presenter I like: Fermilab's Don Lincoln - Endorsed by CERN! 😁 There are things You/I may not have thought too clearly about? The W Boson has mass, typically around 80Gev - But a much wider range - with low probability! "What's needed for radioactive decay is a W-Boson with a mass of 0.001GeV" - Thus this process is rare, rather than being due to an intrinsically WEAK force! Neat, Eh? 😎 See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_decay

Recently been reading through "Bios" of some of the world of "Greats" in (Particle) Physics. So many are dying off, these days... 😐 https://cerncourier.com/c/people/ 😎 Stepen Wolfram: https://cerncourier.com/a/memories-from-caltech/ Diverse personalities: Richard Feynman - Never shy of publicity? 😉 Murray Gell-Mann, hard-to-like Genius? 🙃 Ettore Majorana who might have been MORE famous, rarely published (A frustrated Fermi, ghost wrote a paper for him?) Then he just Mysteriously Disappeared? 😲 Science/Scientists - Never Boring? lol

Stars are (Astronomy is) ever remarkable: https://phys.org/news/2023-07-two-faced-star-exposed-unusual-white.html One side shows structure, the other doesn't etc. 😎

Some great (FUN!!!) posts above! Before the InterWebs (sic) was "invented" - Ironically to facilitate communications between Scientists, it was difficult to imagine how troublesome it would become! 😜 Perhaps, it is also difficult for "old school" scientists, to get up to SPEED re. today's devious world? In the past, an anomalous *experimental* result would be "sat on", while EXPERTS perfomed checks - sometimes for months, re. the hardware, the software etc. If the results *still* appeared significant, Top Level scientists might even approach a Rival Group to see if they had seen anything similar!?! 😎 THEN (and only then) would a (public) "Press Release" be issued! One of the true "Joys of Science" was the way in which large collaborations respected the "sanctity" (and secrecy!) of the process. It is not (evil!) Elite Scientists depriving a (virtuous) Public of "Freedom of Information and Speech". 🤔 Recently, I have been reading some "learned papers" about the connection between "Freedom Absolutism" (No comment re. good or bad!) and Scientific Misinformation. But then, we have: https://futurism.com/elon-musks-universe-twice-as-old-dark-matter I need to perfect Zen-Like use of single words like "Sketch"! Surely you must mean "Sketch-y", Mr. Musk? 😅

Or, better still, the Actual Article (with prototype pictures)! 😅

Suddenly put in mind of Dad's generation - Using the term: "Idiot's Lantern" (for TV)! How do they find TIME for work, between... Joe Rogan interviews & Tweets / Youtube / Podcasts / Film Premiers? 😛

I hadn't made the connection between Frenel lenses and Diffraction Patterns? 😏 It seems it is the "Lens" is etched into a thin substrate? Maybe I should watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWrQmsa3Kkg (Not sure of its relevance, But if a commentator is correct, it might explain "Near and Far" Field stuff?!?) 😛

When I wuz a lad, there was a *science shop* (in Manchester), that sold all kinds of exciting "experimental" stuff! Among my purchases was a plastic FRESNEL lens. Even at a tender age, I was really impressed! 😅 Sadly, I left it on a *sunny* window ledge, and it "warped a bit". lol! But, I often wondered about the possibilites? These days, folks are looking for a JWST successor... Fresnel lenses that deliver "quality" images are being developed? An Array(?) looks rather interesting! 😎 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_imager (+More specific links) (Give it a rest, you Refractor Guys? lol) 🤣

It always amazes me that anyone who WORKS (a real job) has sufficient energy for Hobbies - Amateur Astronomy, particularly! I had my own (cardiac) warning, took early retirement etc. I have my own theories: The (unpaid!) random / extended working hours of a "Scientist" did me rather little harm? A change of job to a (often unnecessarily!) Toxic & Stressful workplace was my undoing? An unhealthy lifestyle,"loads the bullets, but STRESS fires the Gun"? 🤔 Early retirement is a bit of a mixed blessing. You now have to worry about your budget! lol My change of circumstances (I am single!) did not effect others. But again, "swings and..."? I can now chose my own schedule? I did miss the "good bits" of having a meaningful job! Aside: I could never be a "Lazy Girl" ... A Lazy BOY is a couch anyway? 😅 An observatory MAY help in many ways! Or, "Welcome to your NEW 9-5 (plus!) Job"? 🤣 I would agree with the idea of doing SOLAR Astronomy. I derived a lot of enjoyment...

And, thanks to a FEW* folks chosing, wisely or unwisely, to do "String Theory"... the WORLD "hates" Physicists? An idea proposed by a Youtube Astrophysicist! 😛 * Apparently, more than a few did, but absolutely nothing to do with me! lol

I wouldn't worry!?!? lol. The (Her!) NAME was familar to me. But, I guess, when I was taught "Symmetry" - As it applied to 70's Physics (Strong / Electromagnetic / Weak interactions?) she was relegated to a footnoted (sic). I may have wondered, for a instant, "Whence SU(2), SU(3)..."? But someone: "Knew what they were doing"?!? 😅 If you can understand/prove ALL the stuff, in e.g. this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_matrices 😎 If you can "get" the Notation & Terminology, [IMO] You don't need an encyclopaedic knowledge of "Maths", to be a Physicist - Merely an overview - An intuition that something is LIKELY true! Things are called Noether's Theorem, Dirac's Equation, Einstein or Feynman (slash!) Notation, for a reason? It took a very clever person? 😉 A bit of a "cop out"? But today's student is far better served re. Textbooks. Less well served, re. "Opinions"? 😅