String Theory- XKCD

Dude all mocking up the lack of experimental predictions made by string theory, and supposing it relates more to some first philosophy than to physics. No you didn't!

Physics resources
Berkeley's video lectures of Physics for Future Presidents.
Modern Theoretical Physics: Quantum Entanglement, course of video lectures by Leonard Susskin- one of the fathers of String Theory. Search for "Quantum Physics" on Stanford Itunes

The Elegant Universe documentary on PBS.
Anything except "What the Bleep do we Know?" Pseudoscience is the superstition of the modern age.

An Interlocking Rubaiyat in Celebration of Platform Staff in General and London Victoria in Particular in the Spirit of a Monist Metaphysic

Sitting on a train, with the Ethics on my mind.
Spent hours scoping out Spinoza, and trying hard to find
How consciousness and matter can so manifest
In such a single Substance, all things of one kind.

Stepping from my day dream, fleeting passed the rest.
My station has approached, so I reason that it's best
To alight unto the platform, where shortly it's laid bare
"My bag and laptop left me", to the Monos I confessed.

I rush to Platform Staff, and to these best of Men I share,
"My most necessary possessions to Victoria will fare".
Alarmed they race to radio a colleague down the line
No hopes they give, nor promises, yet act in utmost care.

The minutes pass and hope falls flat, but curse no luck of mine
Knowing full determinism, to fate I must resign.
At last a call, a railway man- my laptop he did find.
From"Deus sive Natura"through these such Men doth shine.

______________________________________________________________


Commentary on "An Interlocking Rubaiyat in Celebration of Platform Staff in General and London Victoria in Particular in the Spirit of a Monist Metaphysic".

1- In case it wasn't clear, thank you thank you thank you for returning my laptop, thus saving me from having to fall into a fetal position and give up all efforts concerning written language.
2- I guarantee this is the only Spinoza-themed customer feedback form that South West Trains has ever received.
3- One of my favourite pieces in The Onion, "I Could Write A Better Rubaiyat Than That Khayyam Dips:^t". Ahh, rubai humour.
4- Watch out for me in bars; "Anyone here written a freaking rubaiyat? I wrote one once... Mighty fine set of quatrains that was..."

Crisis of American Superpower

Jon Stewart interviews Zbigniew Brzezinski- foreign policy Professor, author and National Security Advisor to President Carter.

"I think there is a potential, a residual potential for recovery after 2008, because this is still... a very decent country, but also sad to say, a very ignorant country about the world. We have to survive the next 20 months without the war in Iraq expanding, drawing us into conflict nearby, specifically in Iran. Because if we do that, quite seriously now, if we do that, I think we’ll be bogged down for the next 20 years in a war that spans Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and probably Pakistan and that will be the end of American global supremacy.”

-Zbigniew Brzezinski

TED Talks

TED is a four day annual conference held Monterey, California at which a "group of remarkable people gather to exchange ideas of incalculable value". A huge array of world class speakers speaking/performing for 20 minutes each- not only on TED (Technology, Education, Design) but business, development, science, society and pretty much anything. What really makes the value really incalcuable is that all the presentations are available online, for free. All on Google Video, or released each week on the TEDtalks site.

Example speakers include;

Richard Dawkins, - evolution beats even intelligence // life is beyond imagination
Al Gore, -what we can do to avert a global climate crisis
Robert Wright,- that human history has an arrow — toward greater complexity and intelligence
Nicholas Negroponte, - challenges for the $100 laptop (One Laptop Per Child)
Daniel Dennett, - the imperative of educating the world religions // revealing dogmas
Jimmy Wales, - the management system of Wikipedia
Tony Robbins, -how to unlock your true potential
Dan Gilbert, -the misguided pursuit of happiness
Sir Ken Robbinson, - creativity is as important as literacy // creativity is educated out of children
Malcolm Gladwell, -on learning from spaghetti sauce

The 2007 conference begins this month, so an ever increasing plethora of awesome intellectual stimulation awaits!

(thanks Mazzy!)