I am reminded of a session I once had online, of calculating the Scwartzschild radiant of the entire universe (with 30 billion light years as diameter of an imaginary sphere) in comparison with the estimated amount of particles with a mass of >= 1 proton (10^80). We concluded that we are living inside of a black hole of that size. Is "dark matter" a mathematical safeway out of this dilemma?

In another hundred years we may or may not have better answers.

I am very willing to wait.

Making grand assumptions and such vast mathematical calculations is not truly placing humanity as a whole anywhere further along the technological evolutionary ladder.

Let's take it down a notch and look at what we are actually seeing, testing what we are actually seeing, and then seeing if the math can consistently produce the same things we are seeing.

What truly is most important is something on a smaller yet still important scale. Such as, “Can we get this machine across the solar system in this given amount of time and take samples and photos and not short out or crash into a planet?” That is on a higher priority than trying to make hypothetical assumptions on the mass of the universe or if String Theory can be described beautifully in math.

I would not say doing such theoretical work is wrong, but spending millions of dollars and man hours to something that does not match reality or produce useful results is a waste.

People complain about the west not producing as many scientists and engineers as Asian countries and yet western nations still occupy a good number of scientific research with grand schemes.

I am personally concerned with my life here and now. going back in time would regress my situation. Memento Mori. Not to mention in a parallel universe I would find the other me and cut out his healthy heart and kidney and return to have them implanted into myself.

I agree in principle, that much of this research is is a point blank waste of time and resources. However, this is the soil which plants like the theory of relativity is growing out of. The TOR changed the face of physics, and has paved the road for a big leap in engineering because of this.

For my personal amusement, I like to bout with "large ideas" and metaphysical speculation, because it keeps my brain in a more trimmed condition than if I were to, say, be by and large only occupied with thinking about practical matters of life. This doesn't mean that I don't know what is important on a "to do" level.

While I think relativity has its place, and the fact that it is a recordable effect with velocity tests and with time trials. However, I don't place full faith into it as a direct means of how space truly operates.

I think there is a more pragmatic way of explaining cosmic effects.

I would agree with your logic, but one thing about relativity is it can produce results, even if I don't agree with all the assumed details of the theory of special relativity. String Theory, on the other hand, has not produced any and will not considering the structure of the concept hence why it is experimentally safe.

I like to think of "large ideas" too. However, I like to cross reference them with what reality dictates is true.

Life in 2020



It may be only a short while away, but the world in 2020 will be very different. Cosmos asked some of the world's leading scientists to forecast the future.

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1668

You, as well as some others, might find Michio Kaku's book Visions of great interest. The book deals directly with this topic.

It's funny, but most of the predictions they make now for 2020 are exactly the same predictions I heard for 2000 back in the eigties.

I love how future predictions of fashion are always straight out of science fiction.

It is always assumed that the world is going to be a completely different place with barely any similarities to how it is now. Just look at how much the world has changed in the past 13 years. Its only a fraction compared to what these scientists are predicting. The biggest change we experienced was how, when and where we enjoy our entertainment and communication.

Unless we have another world war, technology isn't going to evolve all that much.

I loved the one about cancer not ever having a direct cure. It is already being developed and perfected.

Here are my predictions (just a few):

1. Aging reversal for humans and the resulting physical immortality.
2. Discovery of ET intelligent artifacts on the Moon and Mars.
3. Amplified intelligence through human brain-computer interface.
4. Successful production of molecular nanotech replicators and nanofog.
4. a. Affordable space travel for individuals.
4. b. Extension of human habitat undersea and in space.
4. c. Successful download and storage of human personality.
4. d. Much more.

The problem with all of these plodding predictions is a failure of understanding.

There is an acceleration of change that is coming upon us all.

The last 500 years accomplished more than the previous 10,000 years.

Yet the first 450 of those years were eclipsed by technological change in the last 50.

The first 40 of those years were eclipsed by the changes in the last 10.

You do not need anything more than a clear-eyed perspective to see what is happening.

You will be lucky to still understand what is happening weekly by 2020!

Did you read it on the internet then?

I don’t know if someone has said this already but the reply count is daunting.

I remember reading a magazine (I think popular science) that happened to be a special edition for the millennium. The most interesting article was on how people in the past thought life in the year 2000 was going to be.

An interesting idea was a machine for schools that had a box that would shred a book, tubes were connected to this object, and on the other end of the tubes were children’s heads. I assume it read the book for them, or just inserted the information into their brains. However something the author of the portrait didn’t foresee was a little thing called “electricity”, the machine was crank operated by the teacher’s pet. At least it was more realistic than the one about sub-aquatic boy scouts roasting wieners at the bottom of the sea in wet-suits.

I’d imagine these ideas would have seemed saner at the time than people looking at a fluorescent box for entertainment, or people walking on the moon.

On a magazine made of paper.

The media has changed, but the "predictions" are more or less the same.

I just been reading a little about that book, and it looks exciting, so I will get it next week

Thanks for the advice.