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New York, 8:39 PM
Thu Dec 17
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  • posts about #theoreticalphysics more →

    Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of outsdr outsdr
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    Almost 20 years ago I read "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot, and it blew my mind.
     Reply
    outsdr was starred outsdr was unstarred
    Image of 92BuickLeSabre 92BuickLeSabre
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    But...um...I feel pretty three dimensional to me.
     Reply
    92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred
    Image of w1n570n the pretty good w1n570n the pretty good
    01/15/09

    @92BuickLeSabre: Yeah, but you act pretty two dimensional.

    ...

    Nah, I kid, I kid.
     Reply
    w1n570n the pretty good was starred w1n570n the pretty good was unstarred
    Image of 92BuickLeSabre 92BuickLeSabre
    01/15/09

    @Qwertyfreak is jumping on the bandwagon: Well that's a step up.


    For years everyone's told me I'm one dimensional.

     Reply
    92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred
    Image of Gann Gann
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    From the article:


    "No one - including Hogan - is yet claiming that GEO600 has found evidence that we live in a holographic universe. It is far too soon to say. "There could still be a mundane source of the noise," Hogan admits."


    It's good to know he at least suspects that he is full of shit.

     Reply
    Gann was starred Gann was unstarred
    Image of sumocat sumocat
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    The universe is mostly empty space anyway. 3D, 2D, doesn't matter since everything is 99.99% nothing. Even we are made up primarily of the space between our atoms.
     Reply
    sumocat was starred sumocat was unstarred
    Image of 92BuickLeSabre 92BuickLeSabre
    01/15/09

    @sumocat: Well that certainly kicked my depressive reaction to this story into another gear.
     Reply
    92BuickLeSabre was starred 92BuickLeSabre was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @sumocat: Does that mean we know the total volume of the universe? I need a physics friend.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of gaiking gaiking
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    What a load of crap....these people have way too much time on their hands thinking up this tripe. Give a guy a white coat and a Degree and his word becomes law...ugh.
     Reply
    gaiking was starred gaiking was unstarred
    Image of ZLevee ZLevee
    01/15/09

    @gaiking: This idea isn't one guy's musings. This theory has been mulled over by many prominent physicists who have come to consider it a compelling idea over the last 15 years.
     Reply
    ZLevee was starred ZLevee was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    01/15/09

    @gaiking: "..whatever...theories are just that ....theories..they may think what they will but they are still simply men that can be, and are more often than not, wrong."


    You are correct, but that's just part of scientific progress. For every breakthrough, there are always many more failures and wild goose chases. Statistically, scientists need to pursue many theories in the hope that one of them will be legitimate. If we were not willing to spend time and resources on things like this, science would never move forward.

     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of vladdybear vladdybear
    01/15/09

    @gaiking:

    And what do you study?
     Reply
    vladdybear was starred vladdybear was unstarred
    Image of gaiking gaiking
    01/15/09

    @vladdybear: ...(sigh)... Nothing... I don't study anything ok?.... I have no opinion ... I'll simply agree with everyone here and admit I was mistaken... You know I just took a really close look at the article and now I believe the physicists are absolutely correct and I never should have doubted a word they said... Again I apologize for the unenlightened tone I originally had... I have learned the error of my ways. Is that good enough? Good grief.
     Reply
    gaiking was starred gaiking was unstarred
    Image of gaiking gaiking
    01/15/09

    @gaiking: @DeusExMach: yes... I have learned not to question. I shall now chang my name to Montag, conform and go burn some books. If everyone thinks the same then no one can be offended.
     Reply
    gaiking was starred gaiking was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @gaiking: Actually, I don't mind your disbelief. Sometimes, people need to hear that. Although your argument would have been more effective if you could at least provide clues to why you think this theory is flawed.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of Curves Curves
    01/15/09

    @gaiking: Dont take it personally, pretty much everyone tears the comments apart here, regadless of who posts them. A sharp, but brutal group sometimes. Dare to be different (but have back up cause these folks will pick you to pieces if you dont.)
     Reply
    Curves was starred Curves was unstarred
    Image of pevans34 pevans34
    01/15/09

    @ripfire: see he actually doesnt need to back up with his opinions with facts based on observations because that would be the scientific method, which is the very thing he is rebelling against!!


    but seriously. you gotta have the difference of opinion otherwise we would all be bored.

     Reply
    pevans34 was starred pevans34 was unstarred
    Image of Gann Gann
    01/15/09

    @pevans34: He's not rebelling against the scientific method, just an unproven theory that is based on miles and miles of conjecture.
     Reply
    Gann was starred Gann was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @pevans34: "see he actually doesnt need to back up with his opinions with facts based on observations because that would be the scientific method, which is the very thing he is rebelling against!!"


    Ha! Touché!

     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of adhir adhir
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    so the world is flat after all...? i'm thinking those dudes need to stop smoking weed.
     Reply
    adhir was starred adhir was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @adhir: Oh the world is round.. It's the universe that's 2d.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of suckerpin suckerpin
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    there is no spoon.
     Reply
    suckerpin was starred suckerpin was unstarred
    Image of Null.Aleph Null.Aleph
    01/15/09

    @Phenostar: Wrong. There is no soup.
     Reply
    Null.Aleph was starred Null.Aleph was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @Null.Aleph: More soup?!!
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of ZLevee ZLevee
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    I'm pretty sure this is touched on in Stephen Hawking's The universe in A Nutshell.


    Also in a good physics course at better engineering schools.

     Reply
    ZLevee was starred ZLevee was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    It is not saying that the universe is a computer. It just means that the reality that we observe is a projection of a 2-dimensional universe.
     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of Anarian Anarian
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    If we actually do discover the true makeup of our universe, will it just make us more depressed? Would you feel depressed if you discovered you are nothing more than a grainy pixel in a gigantic hologram?
     Reply
    Anarian was starred Anarian was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    01/15/09

    @gaiking: "..whatever...theories are just that ....theories..they may think what they will but they are still simply men that can be, and are more often than not, wrong."


    You are correct, but that's just part of scientific progress. For every breakthrough, there are always many more failures and wild goose chases. Statistically, scientists need to pursue many theories in the hope that one of them will be legitimate. If we were not willing to spend time and resources on things like this, science would never move forward.

     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of Hello Mister Walrus Hello Mister Walrus
    01/15/09

    @Hello Mister Walrus: Ah crap, how did this comment get here. IGNORE!!
     Reply
    Hello Mister Walrus was starred Hello Mister Walrus was unstarred
    Image of cardboredbox cardboredbox
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    so the matrix is real?
     Reply
    cardboredbox was starred cardboredbox was unstarred
    Image of IN THE FACE! IN THE FACE!
    01/15/09

    @cardboredbox: And more importantly, if I believe what the guy in the quote is saying... Does that make me a Hukamaniac?
     Reply
    IN THE FACE! was starred IN THE FACE! was unstarred
    Image of IN THE FACE! IN THE FACE!
    01/15/09

    @bpapa9013: ahem, excuse me...

    Hulkamaniac rather...
     Reply
    IN THE FACE! was starred IN THE FACE! was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @cardboredbox: I get dibs to be Neo!
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of DeepFriar DeepFriar
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    Alright, I'll say it - the hell are you talking about?
    It's 9:30 in the morning
     Reply
    DeepFriar was starred DeepFriar was unstarred
    Image of Curves Curves
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    I saw a short play on TV once that was based on earth and all we know as reality being just someones science experiment. (It had Terri Garr and Martin someone in it.) When I start thinking about how big and important we humans and our earth is, I remember the lessons "Horton Hears a Who" taught me. It helps keep it all in perspective.
     Reply
    Curves was starred Curves was unstarred
    Image of Jrsy Devil's Advocate® Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
    01/15/09

    @Curves: And of course it makes you wonder if the beings who are observing us as a science experiment are themselves being observed as someone else's experiment...


    I try not to wrap my brain too hard around this stuff since it gives me a headache.

     Reply
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was starred Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was unstarred
    Image of Curves Curves
    01/15/09

    @Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another du...: I dont begin to claim to have the IQ to understand all this existential stuff, but what little my mind grasps seems to suggest the more answers we get the more questions we get. Its fascinating and challenges my imagination, even on the very basic level of understanding I have, which is pretty low.
     Reply
    Curves was starred Curves was unstarred
    Image of Jrsy Devil's Advocate® Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
    01/15/09

    @Curves: Well I'm no big brain either. I get most of what goes on in the Universe, laws of physics and such. I just have a hard time grasping where it actually is and what's beyond it.
     Reply
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was starred Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another du...: There's nothing beyond it. It just repeats like those old cartoons with the background repeating as the characters runs across the screen.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of Jrsy Devil's Advocate® Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
    01/15/09

    @ripfire: If it was like the old cartoons then it would eventually loop back into itself...
     Reply
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was starred Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was unstarred
    Image of pevans34 pevans34
    01/15/09

    @Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another du...: mind. blown.
     Reply
    pevans34 was starred pevans34 was unstarred
    Image of Jrsy Devil's Advocate® Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
    01/15/09

    @pevans34: Exactly! This stuff requires too much deep thinking..
     Reply
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was starred Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    01/15/09

    @Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another du...: Oh and in case you're wondering no... That doesn't count for Loop Quantum Gravity theory. :P
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of qwijybo qwijybo
    01/15/09

    In reply to Physicists Believe Our Universe Is One Big Hologram, And They May Have Spotted the Pixels
    Well then, I believe the line is "Computer, Exit"
     Reply
    qwijybo was starred qwijybo was unstarred
    Image of GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE
    01/15/09

    @qwijybo: Or, "Computer, Arch"
     Reply
    GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE was starred GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE was unstarred
    Image of GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE
    01/15/09

    @KHAN!!!_GitEmSteveDave: or "Computer, End Program". Hit submit by accident.
     Reply
    GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE was starred GitEmSteveDave_My Brute Dojo CDIAFIFE was unstarred
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