Calabi-Yau Space . 2 | Starscape

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This article is being written as your read. Patience please.

So, as we mentioned, string theory, a possible heavy-weight contender for a theory of everything (TOE) in the universe, requires 6 or 7 (depending on the flavor of the theory) extra dimensions to work. But where are they? And are those where our lost socks are languishing?

The answer offered by string theorists is that the hidden dimensions are everywhere but very, very small. Small on the order of the Planck length perhaps - 1.6 x 10 ^-35 meters - the smallest possible distance in the universe, as derived from various known natural constants such as the speed of light and strength of gravity. This is more orders of magnitude (powers of 10) smaller than an atomic nucleus is to a human body (by roughly 15 times, depending on your height). Small way beyond our powers of personal detection or most powerful machines.

These different dimensions in which strings vibrate are thought to be curled up at every point in space in complex geometric spaces called Calabi-Yau Manifolds.

Continued from ... Calabi-Yau Space . 1.

Image ... A Calabi-Yau Space.

July 31, 2010

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Quote of the Day
Fate loves the fearless.
James Russell Lowell

Now me, I would have said fate favors the fearless. And put it on a t-shirt. Which I may yet do. But then, who am I to argue with one of the Fireside Poets from the PRC? Whose house still stands.

Image ... Vietnamese Flower Shop, Dorchster.

Sarah and Eva | TwitPick

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We featured Sarah H. about a week ago with an unusual self-portrait. Here she is again with another really interesting image. The caption is simply ... ♥. I guess that says it all. Such a touching picture.

TwitPick is our pick of images selected from Twitpic, the online service hosting pictures in connection with Twitter. Twitpic finally has a new interface. It took them long enough to figure out that the old one was hideous and didn't work. There's even a search function now. I mean, helloe, have you ever seen a commercial website without one?

Image ... Sarah and Eva.

The Baseball Card Show | Quiet Desperation . 18

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This is the stupidest / funniest show ever committed to ... well OK, just plain committed. It takes place around the rock music scene in Allston (an inner burb of Boston), where a myriad of bad bands (but none worse than Robby Roadsteamer's) dream their dreams. It's sick, profane, silly and profound (in a shallow way) all at the same time.

July 30, 2010

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Check out this New Yorker article about WikiLeaks' Julian Assange.

He had come to understand the defining human struggle not as left versus right, or faith versus reason, but as individual versus institution. As a student of Kafka, Koestler, and Solzhenitsyn, he believed that truth, creativity, love, and compassion are corrupted by institutional hierarchies, and by “patronage networks”—one of his favorite expressions—that contort the human spirit. He sketched out a manifesto of sorts, titled “Conspiracy as Governance,” which sought to apply graph theory to politics. Assange wrote that illegitimate governance was by definition conspiratorial—the product of functionaries in “collaborative secrecy, working to the detriment of a population.” He argued that, when a regime’s lines of internal communication are disrupted, the information flow among conspirators must dwindle, and that, as the flow approaches zero, the conspiracy dissolves. Leaks were an instrument of information warfare.

Doesn't this remind you of Vietnam? Poor Obama. He inherited this whole mess - the wars, the economy (both linked) - from the utterly inept Shrub. But why didn't he turn and run 180° in the opposite direction? And why doesn't he do so now? How much failure does it take to admit failure? Let's just declare victory and walk away.

More messages from China, translated by Google, then WorldLingo ...

G: Are there items in the law of stupid laws: "an organization of fools, Hengda is equal to two-thirds in.
W: Has the item of fool law is it possible that in the law: “In an organization's fool, is bigger than permanently is equal to 2/3.

These "comments" occur all the time now. They never have anything to do with the journal entry or image and also never make any sense, even allowing for a large 'lost in translation' factor. Suntori! Am I getting hacked or merely harassed? A Chinese translation appears below (if Google got it right).

这些“意见”中发生的所有现在的时间。他们从来没有任何关系，也从来没有在进入任何意义，即使是大'迷失东京允许'因素。三得利！我只是骚扰或遭到黑客攻击？

Quote of the Day
The truth is more important than the facts.
Frank Lloyd Wright

Image ... Vietnamese Flower Shop, Dorchester.

Dot Virgins . 1

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Yes, there are virgins in Dorchester, or Dot as we call it. They're everywhere for the taking, conveniently hanging out on peoples' front lawns. Most often, as here, they are ensconced in a bathtub-like enclosue; or perhaps an improvised grotto, even in glass cases.

Image ... Virgin.

July 29, 2010

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Quote of the Day
It takes a great man to be a good listener.
Calvin Coolidge

The quote of the day is perfect for this image. Keep cool with Coolidge.

Image ... Mural at Bob the Chef's. South End, Boston.