The Grid we live in

Darlene — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:36:51 GMT

It actually seems sensible in the big picture kind of way

The Grid we live in

fadda eart — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:58:20 GMT

The single biggest mistake ever made by Humanity was beginning to envison reality as gridlike, predictable, measureable, functioning within the constraints of time.
I wanna talk to this guy before he goes overboard popularizing 'the grid' concept.
Humanity still hasn't recovered from Jeremy Rifkin's vision of Entropy.

(def)...
"the capacity of a system to undergo change"

Redefined by East Coast Chattering Types feeling all bright and witty...spouting 'Rifkinisms'.
Entropy's meaning changed to 'we're shrinking...we're shrinking'...in the 'I'm melting' voice from Wizard of Oz.
That notion caught on...and lingers...and lingers...
Caution...

The Grid we live in

Josh Levin, Marlton, NJ — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:01:37 GMT

I have a concept for a hyperdimensional theory to expand upon Special and General Relativity, and explain Quantum. I guess I lack the resources to finish it, but, maybe a bit of online collaboration can bring this idea to life.

In Einstein's Special Theory of relativity, the speed of light is an absolute speed limit. Now, suppose you have those little invisible curled-up compactified (small) dimensions, in addition to the macroscopic (big) spatial dimensions we perceive.

Now, suppose also that any particle or wave always moves through all the spatial dimensions, big and small, with a combined pythagorean sum of the speed of light. A stationary particle has all its motion in the small dimensions, while a photon would have all its motion in the big dimensions. A particle moving at less than the speed of light would have some of its motion in the big dimensions, and some of the motion in the small dimensions.

Some grand cosmological theories suppose an oscillating universe, where the universe (that is, the big dimensions of the universe) repeatedly shrinks to a choke point, then has a Big Bang, expands to its maximum size, and then shrinks again to a singularity, and repeats the cycle. What if the small dimensions are also oscillating, but at a much faster pace, and they don't oscillate down a choke point? Suppose further that these dimensions are grouped in threes, with all three dimensions in a group being approximately equal. The vibrations of the three grouped dimensions may be offset by 120 degrees from each other, so that the volume of these three dimensions vibrates, but at three times the frequencies of the fundamental vibrations. Notice that, as the vibrations become stronger, the average volume tends to decrease slightly. Bear in mind that the vibrations of the small dimensions can vary from point to point as you move around in the big dimensions.

Let us use the word "hyperspace" to describe the combined large and small spatial dimensions.

Let's make another supposition -- that, within any closed segment of hyperspace, the hypervolume is constant. Therefore, a spot which has a lot of vibrations in its small dimensions will have a slight contraction of the average volume of the small dimensions, which should be accompanied by an expansions of the big dimensions. I guess you can see where this is leading -- the vibrations in the small dimensions are mass-energy, and the expansion in the big dimensions are what causes gravity in Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

The vibrations in different small dimensions can resonate, producing what appear to us to be discrete particles -- a whole zoo of them, in fact!

This approach can unify Special and General Relativity with Quantum. It also identifies some of the compactified dimensions as the luminiferous ether that physicists were searching for, in vain, over a century ago. The three big dimensions are the gravitational ether, but we live in these dimensions, so there are no gravitons that we could possibly detect.

Thus, the universe itself is smooth. The discreteness of particles is an illusion caused by the resonances between smooth waves in different dimensions.

This is a start -- all words, no elegant mathematics. Now, can anyone out there in cyberspace help me fill in the details?

-- Josh-Levin@ieee.org

The Grid we live in

Thomas Ashby, Calgary — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:08:13 GMT

The idea of empty space being anything but empty and teaming with "something" is not new. There is certainly some connection between mass, energy and space (and time I guess). Maybe he will have a unique approach to the mystery.

The Grid we live in

P.P., Pensacola, Fl. — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:09:27 GMT

I love it! This just blows me away. I love the analogy of us being "intelligent fish" and just now realizing we are living in a medium--water. I'm just a 2 year college educated middle age woman, but reading this article gives me a feeling of being validated. It puts into words some of the beliefs I've always had about our reality, but were too vague or too out there to verbalize.

"the Grid is premeated with a not-yet-understood property that "slows down" some of the interactions in the field....In the medium known as the Grid, we perceive that slowed down quality as mass." Yes!

I can't wait to learn more about what the Grid holds and how it effects our percepts. Please hurry and get the LHC back on line!

The Grid we live in

Duke — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:12:59 GMT

Great article. I will buy this book.

The Grid we live in

James Tankersley Jr, Middleton WI — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:38:51 GMT

I have two simple questions for Dr. Wilczek.

Sir, science does not know what the LHC will produce.[1][2][3]

Do you believe non-physicists should be trusted with determining what level of experimental risk is acceptable?

If you knew that the words you used might make the difference between the LHC going forward or being delayed possibly indefinitely, would that affect the words you used to represent your personal belief of the possibility of danger involved?

[1] www.cambridgeblog.org/tag/shahn-majid/ Particle Accelerators, CERN, and Doomsday. Prof Shahn Majid (2008)

[2] www.reason.com/news/show/128492.html A 1-in-1,000 Chance of Götterdämmerung, Will European physicists destroy the world? Ronald Bailey | September 2, 2008

[3] www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/09/10/do1005.xml, We must be wary of scientific research, Gerald Warner Telegraph.co.uk, (10 Sep 2008)

The Grid we live in

Grey, Cleveland, OH — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:59:57 GMT

Ahhhhhhhh the musings of a rational, scientific mind.

So refreshing after the recent LHC madness.

I <3 Wilczek!

The Grid we live in

Steve Scheele — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:20:22 GMT

Far-out

The Grid we live in

Ann Sumpter, Fall Branch,TN — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:33:09 GMT

Very Interesting. really makes You wonder.

The Grid we live in

Chuck Crowder, Tucson, Arizona — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:11:57 GMT

Another attempt, weak because of language limitations, to explain the medium of existence. I personally believe there is no medium, only remnants, ashes, of the collapse of the medium. The anti-spin particles have been incorporated into the recognizable units of matter and anti-charge particles have been anhiliated or captured by the weak force. The medium it all came from is, and has been, raised to a higher energy level, starting at a quantum point, and spreading from that point as fast as energy can be radiated and absorbed into the rest of the medium. The medium has created "Real" particles that have collapsed into the structures of the universe, but the medium itself has retreated from the initial ignition point, and continues to retreat even now.

The Grid we live in

D Smith, Atlanta GA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:07:06 GMT

Does that point to the idea that mass is energy in storage? Like a battery perhaps?

The Grid we live in

Claude, Chicago, IL — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 05:47:40 GMT

"The reaction I hope for – and I get it sometimes – is that people are dazzled at first, and then think and let it enrich their concept of what the world is all about....So it’s an exciting time to be a physicist. And you don’t have to be a physicist in the technical sense, in command of all the equations and so forth, to start to realize what the stakes are."
***
Ahh, sweet vanity. (There's nothing primitive about that, is there?)

The Grid we live in

Donald P. Hutchins, Los Alamitos, CA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 07:24:05 GMT

I have been saying, since Jan 2000, after reading a paper that contained th following:

{called “Process Physics” that is based upon the reanalysis of the data from MICHELSON-MORLEY experiment from the 1887 experiment and with the reanalysis, there has been a new concept developed, namely “the quantum foam that is space.” They have determined, after reanalysis, that matter moves relative to space as well relative to other matter or energy, thus, the earth has an absolute motion relative to space...}

The stuff that they reanalyzed for was the AEther. The same stuff Einstein mentioned that was needed as a requirement for the transmission of light, the same stuff that Gravity Probe B was also to measure, the stuff that causes drag, in a vacuum, the same stuff that limits light to 186,282 miles per second, and anything else to even less, I call it jello, because when it is disturbed, there is a 'trail' of change left in the wake of whatever disturbed it in the first place, of course this is a trail in our 4 dimensions of perpendicular linear extension. Time would be the 'fifth' linear dimension, and Mass, which really is a dynamic vector, as a sixth linear dimension. So the liquid analogy doesn't hold water, because water won't hold its shape like jello does, and then we wouldn't have what it is that we get to see space, that is photographed be the Hubble Telescope.

So here you have Mass at ever Point in the universe. Why is that? I'll tell you. There is The One Equation, and by the geometry it describes, one can generate 7 different geometric functions, just by changing the scalar values of the two Hypervectors, that go to form the surfaces and shapes of the Hyper functions. The geometries are as follows: Hypermass Point function, circumference / Hyperplane / Scaling function, Sphere / Free Moving Neutral Matter-Antimatter function, Outside half of Torus / Spacetime-Hypermass Vacuum / Gravity function, Inside half of Torus / Wormhole function, Hourglass Shape with no passable middle / Blackhole / Whitehole function, and one that looks like wrapped candy, Tight funnel tips similar to the blackhole / whitehole function at the poles of a sphere like neutral matter function that I like to think of as geometry that describes charged particles.

The Grid we live in

David Beane, Pigeon Forge, TN — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:22:14 GMT

This "grid" reminds me a great deal of the "ether" of the earlier physicists! I feel they had it right, they just named it something different! The "grid" equates more closely to Einstein's elastic sheet used to illustrate acceleration towards a mass - gravity.

The Grid we live in

Gordon Bridge, Long Beach Island, NJ — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:15:10 GMT

I found this article very interesting. I wonder if Dr. Wilczek was asked questioned about the implications of his findings to the parallel universe notion and to being able to travel near/at the speed of light.

The Grid we live in

Nicholas, St. John's, Newfoundland — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:41:10 GMT

I only just started reading about particle physics, and I'm definitely no physicist. Although I don't fully understand the equations, and the more in depth information, I understand the overall picture. This new way of thinking has opened my eyes, and made me a better human being. It has made the world a more exciting place to live in, I am now more positive (most of the time), and in turn happier. I am very excited to see what happens at the LHC, and I stay tuned to any information that I hear about it, or particle physics.

Release positive energy into the universe, and recieve positive energy back. (Like walking into a room with a smile... you'll get smiles back... walk into a room with an angry look, and the atmosphere will change...)

Thanks

The Grid we live in

James Tankersley Jr, Middleton WI — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:59:58 GMT

One other question Dr. Wilczek, do you find plausible that "the grid" might contain such dense energy that it might generate significant gravitational forces (warp space time as other large masses are believed to do) and might be responsible for resistance to change in velocity (for those not familiar with general relativity, gravity and acceleration are believed to be the same force) as conjectured at open source project mass.bigcrash.org?

The Grid we live in

diane taylor, detroit, michigan — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:19:09 GMT

This article was great because it fit my speculative world view closely. Many people i have spoken to believe that the matrix movie showed us a basis of reality we can't usually see, and that most of the reality we walk in is illusion, but what substance is behind the illusion? The comparison of fish in water gave me the image I needed to fit it all together. The real substance, in my opinion, is the energy of the universal God. Also, every new step science takes brings us closer to this ultimate truth.

The Grid we live in

David Stawarz — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:44:34 GMT

Some thinking people are concerned about the possible collapse of the financial system and/or ecological disaster. When physicists start to discovery the greeditron, luston, and powerdrive particle (or wave) then the money will be well spent. The true mysteries and challanges are human motivations and their often catastrophic results.

The Higgins Boson a.k.a. the God particle implies the ability to contain and manipulate such as an electron. It is God that contains and manipulates us. An understanding of the relationship between creator and created,an inward experiment, would seem to be the need of the moment.

The Grid we live in

Jay Belford, Austin, Texas — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:00:50 GMT

Not the normal sort of stuff that crosses my mind on a regular basis (e.g., price of gasoline, cost of food, insurance payments, time to go to work, etc.), but he sure seems to have a point. Our brains developed to detect and respond to matters that affect our survival - not to think about who we are, where we are, or how we got to be here. Yet it is our (relatively new-found) ability to distinguish between facts vs illusions, truths vs lies, and reality vs fantasies that has spurred us, faster and faster, from the days of serfs and knights to mass sanitation systems, effective solutions to medical threats, cell phones, iPods, and GPS (the nearest Starbucks is . . .). Today we can live in ways that the most powerful poohbahs just 400 year ago could not even dream about with global jet travel, corner gelato stands, and Happy Meal toys from China. The times, Bob Dylan said, are a-changin'. So while we cannot ignore our daily to-do list, it's neat to know that some folks have the time and ability to delve into matters that can produce more and better answers to questions that we seem to think really matter. And it's a genuine pleasure to run into some of those people who can explain their arcane interests to those of us who don't even know the languages they speak to converse about . . . reality. We're making progress, faster and faster, in learning what actually matters and what is only dreck. Hats off to Frank Wilczek, Timothy Ferris, Isaac Asimov, Leonard Susskind, et. al. And thanks for being willing to share what you know and are learning with the rest of us mortals who usually stop thinking when anything rises to the level of complexity of an IRS 1040 form.

What a treat !!

Jay in Austin

The Grid we live in

Steve, Rockland, MA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:34:02 GMT

Wow

The Grid we live in

John Warsop, Howell, Michigan — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:45:17 GMT

Is the Grid another name for the "ether" which was discarded in the mid-19th century? Different properties, but same idea to me. Is there really nothing new under the sun (or in and around it)?

The Grid we live in

James, Atlanta, GA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:20:24 GMT

Dr. Wilczek's description of the Grid reminds me strongly of the pre-WWII concept of 'ether' as a basic fabric or medium. Manipulation of the ether was central to several of E. E. 'Doc' Smith's science fiction novels, which were fairly good science for the day. Granted, his notion of cancelling inertia to produce instantaneous acceleration was a bit off, but otherwise it's still a pretty good read.

The Grid we live in

Chad W — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:24:25 GMT

This guy rocks! One of the better science interviews I've read and Wilczek is great at offering impactful analogies and simple answers to complex questions that help bring this kind of science down to a laymans level, let's just hope people can actually listen and learn and put down their ignorance for one day.

The Grid we live in

Carlton, Kamuela, Hawaii — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:29:39 GMT

QUESTION (for Wilczek)

We experience a physical universe that has HUGE (compared to galactic sizes and distances) extent; yet Special Relativity, with its Lorentz contraction, tells us that photons experience a physical universe of zero extent and we would experience infinitesimal extent in the direction of our motion as our motion gets ever closer to the maximum speed of light. We experience it taking about 8 minutes for photons to get to us from our sun; yet, said photon experiences no time elapsing becase it experiences zero distance from Earth to Sun or to the most distant galaxy for that matter. Special Relativity puts photons everywhere in our physical universe at once. Photons have extended fields for us; so, it seems to fit Wilczek's idea that space is not empty for us, but there is zero space in photo experience. If these Special Relativity points about photons are correct, which they are, how is it that we can cause photons to intefere constructively and destructively by,for us, spatially separated slits, for example? Another example, We also use a square array, for us, of mirrors to produce photon interference. The photons experience zero distance between the legs of our square array; so, why do they follow our interference predictions that the last half-silvered mirror (at upper right corner of our array) can cause the photons to go upward rather than straight ahead? The answer seems to be that right and left or up and down (or whatever) are meaningless to photons in their world; so, they are not "bothered" by our experience of right and left etc..
Finally, will Wilczek, PLEASE, confirm that saying moving clocks run slowly is an ERROR made by many physicists and physics textbooks? Moving, inertial, clocks will be experienced ticking slowly ONLY if they are in separating motion and will be exerienced as ticking fast when in approaching motion. The reason we will arrive at, say, the Andromeda Galaxy (about 2.5 million light years distant), on travelling there at close to the maximum speed of light, and find the Andromedians having about 2.5 million years of time elapsed with close to zero time for us, is BECAUSE we saw their clocks ticking FAST, compared to ours, for the entire (Lorentz contracted) trip and the Andromedians agree with the difference, but for a different reason, BECAUSE they experienced our clocks about 2.5 mllion years
BEHIND theirs at the moment our trip began and the FAST running of our clocks, for only PART of the not-Lorentz-contracted trip (ran at the regular rate during the other part) was not for long enough to catch up to theirs. We, of course experienced them at about 2.5 million years BEHIND us at our departure, but their FAST running took care of that and more. A racer who starts BEHIND the starting line, even though running as fast and faster for the entire race, may still lose the race to one who starts at the starting line. This situation is NOT the same as both startng at the starting line and one losing because of running SLOWER throughout the race (analogous claim of many physicists and many physics textbooks for moving clocks).

The Grid we live in

Alan Boyle — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:56:01 GMT

I should have mentioned that Wilczek really does acknowledge that connection to the concept of the ether. In fact, the subtitle of his book is "Mass, Ether and the Unification of Forces." And the more I think about it, the more intriguing that connection may be: Wilczek says that the Grid is structured so that you don't measure the effects of "moving through" it. That's where scientists went wrong more than a century ago when they thought they could measure the effect of the luminiferous ether, before Einstein came onto the scene. But ... if scientists expect to see some particular effects of the Grid at the LHC, and it turns out that they don't, will that require a rethinking of the whole shebang? That's what happened when tests such as the Michelson-Morley experiment failed to detect the effect of the luminiferous ether. The angst over the ether eventually led to relativity and all that.

Here's some additional discussion of the ether concept and Wilczek's take on it:

http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=82514

The Grid we live in

Mike Camden, Jefferson City, Missouri — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:13:48 GMT

Alan,

I have to say I can see why you interviewed this man. His way explaining things makes his excitement for the field contagious. His simple straight talk and inclusion of regular people in these exciting ideas is such a refreshing departure from the elitist types that you normally find talking about the ideas in physics. I didn't see one term that made my eyes gloss over or that made me feel like he was waving his expertise (aka: 8 years of seclusion to master some arcane concept) under my nose because I chose something different for my life.

Really these types of guys are what make regular people belive that this type of science is worth pursuing. Good on both of you!

On a side note: Is this really the place for people(commenters) to debate the intricate mechanics of physics? I can't tell you how many times I stop even looking at comments after someone has to show off their wannabe scientist status by questioning the findings of expert in their own field. I guess they forgot that they could email the experts if they really want to contribute...

The Grid we live in

Traci, Milwaukee WI — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:44:29 GMT

Just to question a basic assumption...
We're assuming there IS a Higgs boson or "god particle" based on the belief that gravity is a property of mass. What if mass is a property of gravity - gravity itself being the underlying structure of the grid. Perhaps the "flexing" of the grid causes matter to exist, rather than matter causing the grid to flex. If this is the case, then objects are drawn to one another because the irregularities in the grid structure merge together like ripples in a pond. All of existence could be nothing more than interference patterns in the grid.

The Grid we live in

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:39:16 GMT

We all exist in a grid,ether or whatever you want to call it...what it is really is a energy field or dark matter force that binds everything together...we cannot see it or touch it or measure it because we and everything else are part of it...Think difference of potential to understand this concept.

The Grid we live in

Bill Reefer — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:43:32 GMT

I am going to smoke a joint and ponder all this.

The Grid we live in

Tom Hutcheson, Greenfield, Massachusetts — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:04:49 GMT

Great topic article and article, and fun to read the speculation in the comments.

Until we can observe at the Planck levels (of time, space, and energy/mass), we may not be able to perform the truly fundamental experiments needed to verify the deepest theories. So I won't hold my breath for that ;) .

But I like the various dimensional analyses--I think the "science of force" (f=ma, e=mcsquared, etc.) needs to be squarely reconciled with the "science of form" (probability, chaos, the various space-time phenomena, etc.) to create a truly unified science.

The Grid we live in

Ivan — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:40:12 GMT

The ideas presented by Wilczek are not new at all, but really parallel the current discussions (which originated in the early 1900's) regarding the "electrical" nature of the universe - ie. the "electric universe" model. In essence, gravity is a force manifestation due to the aligning of dipoles of sub-atomic particles in an electric medium (aether to EU proponents..."the grid" to Welczek). A good explanation of the subject can be found at http://www.holoscience.com/news.php?article=89xdcmfs

The Grid we live in

TheFallibleFiend, LORTON, VA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:15:22 GMT

I'll pass on Frank Wilczek for the moment.

Congratulations to Alan for a well-deserved 2008 Communications Award from the National Academies!

The Grid we live in

Carl, Orange CA — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:03:26 GMT

The frequency or wavelength which resonates throughout the fish tank omniverse is a cycle which completes itself in about seven earth days. This "soundwave" is a carrier wave which causes matter to condense and form patterns such as spiral galaxies. It is mentioned in Ezekiel as the vision and voice which gave us the recipe which forms a perfect protein for the human body. Abrahamic religion was never force fed to me so I will veiw it any way I please. In the beginning was the word and the word is a sound (taken from Cymatics). The newly discovered dark flow should be studied since it may be a point at which all forces in our universe collect just before they escape to the great unknowable beyond. That's my theory and I'm stickin' to it!

The Grid we live in

ss — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:15:05 GMT

Reading this made me want to gather all my kids, sit around on the ground in a circle and send out all the positive energy we could muster, toward each other and out toward all the universe.

The Grid we live in

Ryan, Rochester, NY — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:53:04 GMT

Great article and interview. Sounds like a book I can really enjoy. He did touch on one aspect of reality that I have always thought true. Which is, humans have not evolved the sensory perceptions to experience all that is reality (assuming reality is more than what we know now). Who's to say that we are that special to be able to experience it all. Maybe ether is the stuff that fills up space. There needs to be more to discover. Science demands it. That should be the human mission. "Discover all that is unknown."

The Grid we live in

Gino, Boring, OR. — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:06:01 GMT

So, could it be said that time elongates matter? Time
removed by velocity=foreshortening! And does the Quark
long for the Gluon? Or does their separation unroll a
closed dimension, which needs to immediately snap shut
to conserve energy and its integrity? Are we corrupting tiny worlds with our LHC?
A bit like Alice-in-Reality-Land!
Keep up the good work, science Guys!

The Grid we live in

R.Pockyarath, Kochi, India — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:54:49 GMT

Could it be that "mass" is just the remaining dimensions out there bunched together, that we have not evolved to perceive separately?

The Grid we live in

lotsawhatifs — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:36:48 GMT

Interesting thought.

What if one of the interactions of the Higgs is with the 'material' of the universe? What if the 'material' of the universe is simply the quantum fluctuations of the vacuum? The interaction of 'real' particles with the 'material' could explain inertia.

The Grid we live in

Josh Levin, Marlton, NJ — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:04:28 GMT

For "R.Pockyarath, Kochi, India":

Yes, in a way. See the third Blog entry on this page.

The Grid we live in

I-am-not-a-physicist — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:27:23 GMT

Aether, ether, smaether, smether. The question is what causes inertia? Why is there conservation of energy? And Why is there conservation of momentum? It is all the same question anyway. According to the astrophysicists (I think I spelled that correctly) the universe does not have a preferred direction (no ether flow). If one admits that Zero Point Energy exists (and experimentally it has been shown) then the ether would simply be the energy field of the universe and no other entity would be required. I haven't read the article but I remember reading an article by Dr. Smolin (then of Penn State I believe) about the universe 'fabric' consisting of interlocked loops or bubbles on the Planke scale or smaller. Is this the same thing that Dr. Wilcek is discussing?

Another thing is the dark energy/matter. If we live in a universe that 'leaks' gravity into other dimensions could the dark energy and matter simply be reflections of 'leaked' gravity/energy from other universes? Dark energy may be from 'failed' universes in which matter does not exist and dark matter may be from those universes in which matter exists. If all possible outcomes from the big bang exist in one universe or another then more universes would be expected to not have matter than do, which fits with the dark energy being significantly greater than dark matter or for that matter (he he) 'normal' matter.

The Grid we live in

Ionel DINU, M.Sc. — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:25:11 GMT

We have the theory Wilczek talks about, gentlemen! It is so simple, it will make you dream eyes-wide-opened for hours.
Yes, we live in an ocean of fluid called "aether". Inertia arises when we want to accelerate through this fluid. Gravitation, because the fluid has an increasing pressure around a planet, like the buoyancy force in water. It even explains weightlessness experienced in free-fall. Good to see others start to believe.

The Grid we live in

Bob Courious, Portsmouth, Ohio — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:28:42 GMT

Once the universe figures its self out I wonder what it will do with the knowledge? I wonder if it will be able to manipulate itself on the grandest of scales?

The Grid we live in

Torbjorn Halsjen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:28:29 GMT

It's wuite apparent from many of these posts what happens when you get high,read about physics, then post.

The Grid we live in

zlopez, Georgia — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:51:53 GMT

This medium or mediums of which you speak about are
conscious beings that can will themselves into a persons consciousness telepathically enabling the person to see them or to see their manifestation. Since everything is connected to everything this medium or mediums know exactly what we are thinking. If a thought catches its attention it will manifest itself to that person who gave out that thought. It can communicate with that person telepathically within seconds. The person will feel that he or she is no longer standing on the planet because all senses leaves and only the medium is visible in its manifestation. It is something that one never forgets. But, it gives a feeling of oneness with everything.

The Grid we live in

Jonathan Greenlee, Venice, Italy — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:19:50 GMT

Golly! The scientists have almost caught up with what the Buddhists have been saying for about 3000 years - Madyamika Presanghika!

or for the greekophiles:

"All things that are, are lights." Omnia quia sunt, lumina sunt