Stringamathing

I’ve got a grant proposal to review, and a progress report to write for one of my own grants, so you’re getting short, link-y physics blogging: – The Strings 2006 conference has ended, with the participants apparently deciding to keep up with this “string theory” thing (maybe you’ve heard of it?) for a little while… Continue reading Stringamathing

Stringy Links

For those interested in keeping abreast of the latest stuff on string theory and its discontents, some links: Jonathan Shock is based in Beijing, and blogging about the Strings 2006 meeting. He’s got a first-day recap including descriptions of several of the talks, and incident events. Victor Rivelles is also blogging from Beijing, and has… Continue reading Stringy Links

The String Theory Diet

Are you unhappy with the way you look? Feel like you’re carrying around some large extra dimensions? Want to compactify your manifold before the summer conference season gets here? If you answered “Yes!” to any of those questions, then you’re ready for the String Theory Diet! Each rich, satisfying meals of eleven-dimensional noodles, and watch… Continue reading The String Theory Diet

Visualize It In N Dimensions, And Let N Go to Four

Mark Chu-Carroll has a very nice discussion of what “extra dimensions” actually mean in theories like string theory. It’s not the same thing that hack SF authors mean when they talk about “dimensions” in which the Nazis won WWII (that’s “multiverse theory” or possibly “landscapeology” or possibly “late-night stoner bullshit”): A better way to explain,… Continue reading Visualize It In N Dimensions, And Let N Go to Four

Catfight Continued

Over at Jacques Distler’s blog, someone has posted what strikes me as an eminently sensible system for solving the Trackback problem with the ArXiv. I attempted to post a comment to that effect over there, and got the following message: Your comment submission failed for the following reasons: You are not allowed to post comments.… Continue reading Catfight Continued

Physics Catfight!

There’s a kerfuffle in the physics blogosphere these days over the somewhat arcane issue of TrackBacks to posts on the ArXiV, the commual preprint server where researchers can post drafts of the papers that they have submitted to research journals (or, if they’re working in high energy physics, post a paper and then call it… Continue reading Physics Catfight!