Wacky Fun Physics Ideas
32 points
3 days ago
| 5 comments
| scottlocklin.wordpress.com
| HN
UncleSlacky
1 hour ago
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The electron-as-trapped photon model goes back a ways, to at least Roger Jennison (one of my old profs):

"What is an electron?": http://gsjournal.net/Science-Journals/Journal%20Reprints-Qua...

More recently, Larry Reed has developed a theory very similar to that mentioned in the article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364333320_Quantum_W...

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390318893_Origin_of...

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stared
5 hours ago
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My favourite "wacky theory" is that Einstein general relativity can be derived from quantum computing, https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0501135.

In general, I love such novel concepts (rather than slight refinements of existing). They are like seeds - the vast majority of them won't sprout, but one in a thousand (or million) will change a field.

The same way as one erroneous paper on superluminal communication got refuted by the non-cloning theorem - which gave raise to quantum cryptography and quantum information in general. I recommend reading the backstory in "How the Hippies Saved Physics" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_the_Hippies_Saved_Physics).

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RangerScience
2 hours ago
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I don’t know how much of this paper I can understand but

I find it pretty interesting that, AFAICT, the dominant engineering paradigm of an era is also the dominant “this is what reality is” metaphor: cathedrals and architecture and the spheres; steam and clockwork and mechanical; now - computation and information!

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stared
1 hour ago
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Yes, we seek for analogies we can make.

Einstein was focused on synchronising clocks - as it was a thing in Switzerland at time. Vide https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20160901-the-clock-that-c....

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jnurmine
4 hours ago
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If one were to simply assume that yes, electrons are in fact photons in a toroidal configuration... are there special "hacks" enabled by this configuration which could be tested?
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aaronax
4 hours ago
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Scott Locklin is one of my favorite reads, in occasional doses though. Kind of unhinged-seeming but always some perspective that seems fresh.

He's like Casey Handmer turned up to 11, and throw in a use of the word "retarded" in pretty much every post which surely is some repellent just to make certain types of people go away.

Actually I'm not sure I really get anything out of reading either of them but they provide some enjoyment and glimpse of a possible future.

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cpp_frog
3 hours ago
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One of the most fascinating characters out there for sure, without fail his posts make me consider a new perspective.

He left HN unfortunately, he might be too brash for this site (or this place is too wimpy for him).

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IAmBroom
3 hours ago
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Or, you know, the community might just not like people who are deliberately a-holes to others.
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IAmBroom
3 hours ago
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Hit this quote from the author in the Comments section:

> This is the same psychology that causes experimental physicists to wear paper covid-cuck masks[...]

The Never Read The Comments Rule still applies. "Wacky" is one word for his ideas...

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rickyhatespeas
3 hours ago
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The base tone of the post is written for chronically online right-wingers, the dog whistles are really obvious.

"Purple hair", "retarded", "media bad", "post 1945 order".

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