Old Fools Weekend aka OFW 🫡

"Panta rhei" is the fundamental link between the underlying world of quantum mechanics and everyday reality—get used to it.

@ProfBrianCox Perhaps high cost of foundational/high-energy physics producing diminishing returns? GR and QM emerged from relatively cheap theory + small experiments when young. Now trillions $ for an industry that "no major progress since the Standard Model was completed in the mid-1970s."

I agree with everything in this article. The cuts to particle, nuclear and astro physics research in the UK will be devastating, not only to the fields themselves but also to universities more widely and, in the longer term, to industry and therefore the economy as a whole. They were not thought through, there was little or no consultation, and I do not believe they have the support of parliament. The SI&T select committee has been ignored, indeed pretty much everyone who knows anything about the successful but delicate research ecosystem in the UK has been ignored.

@WabKinew Ridiculous! You mean taking from peter to pay paul. Who the hell is going to pay for this? Oh, yeah, of course, I forgot, the grandchildren will. Yeah sure. Stop-gap politics plain and simple. 👎

No tax on groceries. That’s right, we’re taking all provincial taxes off food from the grocery store. Breaking Budget Day news you can use... That quick stop on the way home picking up the rotisserie chicken,  salad and drinks for the family - right now, you’re paying PST on that. Once our budget passes … you won’t pay PST anymore. Real savings for real life. Right where it matters most. Making life more affordable for Manitobans. A lot done. A lot more to do. 🦬

@LinusEkenstam As long as they are UL approved, go for it.

China makes these "boneless" sofas, packs them in boxes and ship to the US. It might be alarming for IKEA. Logistics costs are plummeting, costs decreasing.

@SwipeWright Cast iron appreciation 🍻

I appear to have entered into an "everything must be cooked in/on cast iron" phase of life. This was unexpected.

@GadSaad @JohnCleese Sarcasm, although meant to be witty and humorous is usually taken as an insult when felt to be condescending, especially when the context is not understood or is regards emotionly sensitive topics; be careful on how you administer it.

Please send a prayer for @johncleese. He has not felt well since his full lobotomy, which has removed the module in his brain that detects sarcasm, that a one-day old pigeon would otherwise understand.

@ExploreCosmos_ I don't think that space itself is expanding, its all there. I'm convinced that its contraction, everything falls; expansion is a point of view. Its just another paradox to contend with.

When people first hear that the universe is expanding, the immediate question feels almost unavoidable: what is it expanding into? It’s an incredibly relatable way to think, because in everyday life, expansion always happens within something. A balloon expands into the air around it. An explosion spreads into the space surrounding it. So it feels natural to imagine the universe doing the same. But this intuition turns out to be misleading. In modern cosmology, the expansion of the universe does not mean that galaxies are flying outward into an empty, pre-existing space. Instead, it means that space itself is expanding. The distances between galaxies increase over time not because they are moving through space in the usual sense, but because the fabric of space between them is stretching. It’s a small distinction, but it changes everything. There is no external arena into which the universe expands. The expansion is not happening “inside” something larger. It is a property of spacetime itself. One way to get closer to this idea is through analogy, though all analogies have limits. Imagine the surface of a balloon being inflated. If you were a two-dimensional creature living on that surface, you would see every other point moving away from you as the balloon expands. There would be no center of expansion on the surface itself, and no edge you could point to. The expansion would be happening everywhere at once. The key point is not the balloon as an object in three-dimensional space, but the surface itself. From the perspective of the surface, there is no “outside” that belongs to its universe. In much the same way, our three-dimensional universe does not require an external space to expand into. This leads to another surprising consequence: the universe does not have a center in the usual sense. Every observer, no matter where they are, sees distant galaxies moving away from them. This is not because we occupy a special position, but because the expansion is uniform across space. At this point, a natural question comes up: if space is expanding, why aren’t galaxies, solar systems, or even your own body, expanding too? The answer lies in scale. On smaller scales, gravity and other forces, like electromagnetic forces that hold atoms and matter together, are strong enough to resist the expansion. These local systems are effectively “bound,” so they don’t stretch along with the universe. The expansion only becomes noticeable over vast, intergalactic distances where gravity is too weak to hold everything tightly together. So while space itself is expanding, not everything inside it is being pulled apart. It also helps explain why asking what is “outside” the universe may not be a meaningful question in the way we usually intend. In general relativity, space and time are not embedded in a higher-dimensional background that we can step outside of. They are part of the physical system we are describing. Asking what lies beyond the universe can be a bit like asking what is north of the North Pole, it assumes a framework that no longer applies. That said, there are more speculative ideas. Some models of the multiverse suggest that our universe could be one region within a larger structure. In those scenarios, the idea of an “outside” might have meaning, but it would not resemble ordinary space, and we currently have no direct observational evidence for it. It’s also important to distinguish between the observable universe and the universe as a whole. The observable universe is limited by how far light has had time to travel since the Big Bang. There are regions beyond what we can see, but they are not “outside” the universe, they are simply too far away for their light to have reached us yet. So what is the universe expanding into? According to our best current understanding, it isn’t expanding into anything. The expansion is an intrinsic property of spacetime itself. Space is not a container; it is something dynamic, capable of stretching and evolving. That idea can feel counterintuitive at first, because we are used to thinking of space as a fixed stage where everything happens. Modern physics suggests something very different. The stage itself is part of the story. And once you see it that way, the original question doesn’t really disappear, but it changes into something deeper.

@maddenifico Is propaganda a bad or good word?

Iran is now releasing cartoons that Trump can understand. 😂🤣👇

@HannahIamthest1 👍🍻

When checking my saws I found all of them were depressed by being replaced by electric versions. In fact this was the only one that appeared to be coping. 🤣🤣

@BenGrahamUK The difference between climate epochs past and present is how difficult it will be for humanity to adapt to [toxic] climate change, that's the crisis —we are stepping too hard on the gas pedal.

We’re told a 1°C temperature rise is proof of man made climate catastrophe. Yet over billions of years, earth has seen far greater swings, ice ages, warming periods, all without fossil fuels. At what point do we question the narrative instead of blindly funding it?

@MadelaineLucyH True 🥂

There’s actually a lot of reasons why a man would be just friends with a woman and “keep her around” without sexual intent. - she’s got a good insight on his personality/interests - she has valuable contributions to make on his hobbies/experiences - he respects her acumen and analysis on things - she is supportive and kind when he’s struggling - she helps him understand a female perspective on things If you don’t have female friends, you won’t understand this

@jainshilpa_ @SharylAttkisson Chronic periodontal disease means that bacterial plaque continually invades the body. I'm sure that there is a direct link between oral health and organ health. Dental hygiene is as important as exercise, mental stimulus, diet, and strong social connections in regards to aging.

@SharylAttkisson Anecdotes of more dementia in dental chairs likely reflect demographics, better detection of mild cases, and longer patient relationships rather than a new epidemic. Maintaining excellent oral health remains one of the few modifiable factors that could support brain health.

A friend who’s a dental hygenist told me she’s noticed a flood of dementia in patients she hadn’t seen in the 45+ yrs of work. She compares notes with a medical professional friend who agreed. What about you?

@TexasTamieK I hear you. Climate changes naturally, albeit we do accelerate the change, but the real crisis is our poisoned biosphere: insecticides, herbicides, toxic emissions, forever chemicals killing ecosystems & health. Time to slash overconsumption & detox the planet.

It was common practice in the 1970’s, 80’s and even the early 90’s to wash your windshield when you stopped for gas every week. Bugs galore covered the windshield and front grill on your vehicle. That’s not the case anymore. It’s like the bugs have simply disappeared. No bees, no gnats, no flys or moths. Our skies are being poisoned and killing off the insects. When was the last time you saw snail trails going across the concrete walkway after a heavy rain? When was the last time you saw earthworms wiggling across your driveway after a nice rainstorm? Our skies are being poisoned and contaminating the earths soil and killing them. Eczema and psoriasis are also becoming the norm.

@FoodProfessor I don't have a problem with Canadian propaganda as long as it's bipartisan. If not, then kick someone's butt at the @CBC. P.S. @PierrePoilievre shot and scored for Canada on @joerogan 👏

I occasionally receive emails like this ⬇️from former media professionals—now retired and finally able to speak freely. I’ve withheld the name for obvious reasons. This one comes from a very well-known figure. Thought I’d share this one with my followers tonight.

To: @ProfBrianCox @michiokaku @bgreene @guthstruth @CumrunV Cc: @skdh @martinmbauer @cosmicfibretion @WKCosmo Sub: Time for a Copenhagen-style conference to establish a modern physics baseline so we can get on with the 21st century. Physics has gotten confusing. Just sayin’

@FoundationDads A very good read. I'll definitely keep the concept of a "crowd" in mind.

You can choose to be outside the crowd. Disconnect. Avoid the headlines. Read old books. Don't chase after new, shiny things. Live not by lies. If you found this interesting, you'll love the Foundation Father newsletter. Practical tips every week on fatherhood, masculinity, homeschooling, and going against the grain of the modern world. Plus you get a free gift. foundationfather.com/about

In 1895, a French social psychologist named Gustave Le Bon published a book so dangerous that it became the private playbook of dictators for the next century. Hitler quoted it. Mussolini kept it by his bedside. Edward Bernays used it to build modern propaganda. The book's name? "The Crowd." Its core claim: The moment people form a group, they become stupid. Not slightly dumber. Fundamentally, structurally incapable of rational thought. And the tactics he described for controlling them still work on you right now. 🧵 (thread)

@skdh Yes, the "stop behaving as waves" angle seems a very recent monkey wrench thrown to the overall confusion and misinformation around QM. I confess to being a relatively new student to physics and the lack of consensus of even the fundemetals by physicists appears a major set back.

The double slit experiment is the probably most misunderstood experiment ever. I have no idea who created the myth that if you 'look' at one of the slits, then the particles (photons/electrons) stop behaving as waves. It's wrong! They of course STILL behave as waves! Because particles are also waves, always. Photons and electrons make a self-interference EVEN ON A SINGLE slit. Don't believe it? Below an actual measurement from a laser diffracting on a single/double slit from Wikipedia. What happens if you measure which slit the particle goes through is that you get no interference between BOTH slits. And no, you don't need a conscious observer for this. Believe it or not, there have actually been experiments where they had people literally look at a double slit to see if that makes any difference and the answer is no, it does not. The entire mystery of the double slit is in the path of the particle TO the double slit. Because it seems that the particle must "know" whether it WILL be measured at one of the slits before it even gets there. It must "know" whether to go through both or just pick one. Seems like the future influences the past? Not really, it just means you have a consistency condition on the time evolution.

@elonmusk @grok Except in the extreme i would imagine, how can you tell which is bad and which is good, and to what ethical standards?

With @Grok, we keep the honest versions and kill the bad transformers (I believe they are called “Decepticons”)

@cosmicfibretion Autism Spectrum Disorder, maybe? Check it out, a major symtom is persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction. He fits the bill perfectly.

why does he have to be so funny man

@newstart_2024 Nice post, makes sense. Karmic 👍

Jordan Peterson drops a chilling clinical observation after decades as a psychologist: “I have never seen anyone ever get away with anything at all, even once.” He explains: You twist the fabric of reality with a lie, a betrayal, a hidden act — and it doesn’t snap back immediately. You think you escaped. Then 2 years later something unravels, you get walloped, and you cry “that’s so unfair!” But when you trace it back: This → this → this → oh… that’s where it went wrong. Reality always collects the debt — it just has longer payment terms than you expect. 59-second gut-punch — Peterson on why “getting away with it” is an illusion. When was the last time you saw (or felt) the universe quietly balance the books on someone who thought they’d slipped the hook? Your thoughts — drop them below. No judgment here.

@cosmicfibretion @JovialPooper Perhaps not the building of powerful instruments but the building of powerful bureaucracy around them, which inevitably leads to inefficiency that negates the benefits... my opinion

@JovialPooper my brother in Christ, building powerful instruments are how discoveries are made, not by generating tokens…

Building the most sophisticated and sensitive instruments to measure nature slows progress down now? We’ve entered the Twilight Zone.