Yeah everytime I start getting down on advances, I just think of the stuff in the 50s they thought we'd have and no one guessed anything like the internet.
Quite a number of fields have benefited from the sciences and, in general, a more scientific approach in the last 50-75 years as well.
Archeology, as a science, is at best about 100 years old. And prior to WWII there were probably less than a hundred archeologists working in the entire world. Between their work, all of the new dating techniques (and carbon dating is just the first and most famous among many) and the massive leaps in linguistics and the discovering and deciphering of ancient languaes there is so much more fact known about the past today than there ever has been before.
And all of this based on hard work and scientific process. Not secret archives in the Vatican or revealed truths or the machinations of ancient conspiracies.
Yeah everytime I start getting down on advances, I just think of the stuff in the 50s they thought we'd have and no one guessed anything like the internet.
Quite a number of fields have benefited from the sciences and, in general, a more scientific approach in the last 50-75 years as well.
Archeology, as a science, is at best about 100 years old. And prior to WWII there were probably less than a hundred archeologists working in the entire world. Between their work, all of the new dating techniques (and carbon dating is just the first and most famous among many) and the massive leaps in linguistics and the discovering and deciphering of ancient languaes there is so much more fact known about the past today than there ever has been before.
And all of this based on hard work and scientific process. Not secret archives in the Vatican or revealed truths or the machinations of ancient conspiracies.
You're right, well written, but that had nothing to do with what he said. He said that it's incredibly hard to predict the future. The internet was a huge advance and no-one predicted anything like it.
It's kinda depressing to think of that we're probably stuck here.
No we aren't.
In the sense that we'll never have a space empire the way every sci-fi movie and game has.
I get sad thinking about that. I want to believe!
Physics is at least half a century away from being sure of that.
Any FTL is still very farfetched though. It would be incredibly fuckawesome if they announced "hey guys! this shit might actually work!"
I would then devote my life to making sure someone said the words "Warp speed fuck yeah" as soon as possible.
Hence the "half a century".
The fact is physics today is in a much less settled state than it was 10 years ago. It wasn't long ago that even Stephen Hawking was saying we would likely have a unified theory wrapped up in another decade of work or so.
Then in 1998 (or was it 99? can't recall) the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe began a series of shakeups that are still going on. We live in a time very much comparable to the very late 1800s or late 1920s: right on the verge of a massive revolution in physics. We are currently at the stage of finding more and more freaking weird experimental data that has to be patched onto existing theory (eg: I think the discovery of dark energy will be our Michelson-Morley).
Sometime, maybe next year maybe in 10 years, there will be enough data to allow people to start piecing together a new (good) theory that really works with this.
In any given issue of New Scientist you will find half a dozen articles about people who think they already have. But the data is just not there yet. Anyone telling you right now they have such a theory is at best jumping the gun and is more likely a crackpot.
edit: By which I mean by our current theories FTL is farfetched, but we know our current theories are massively incomplete and won't be around much longer in their current form.
Are there any French people who frequent the PA forums?
Surely. But the closest we got is Richy.
I'm just curious why, in various forums that I venture off to, there's a smattering of German and Scandinavian and Dutch people, but never any French people.
I also am idly wondering why I have despised every French person I have met, and have generally thought every German person I've met was awesome.
Posts
Any FTL is still very farfetched though. It would be incredibly fuckawesome if they announced "hey guys! this shit might actually work!"
I would then devote my life to making sure someone said the words "Warp speed fuck yeah" as soon as possible.
Someone touch my tummy.
No way, Event Horizon FTL is where it's at.
I'd vastly prefer not taking the shortcut through hell.
It'll be fun!
Quite a number of fields have benefited from the sciences and, in general, a more scientific approach in the last 50-75 years as well.
Archeology, as a science, is at best about 100 years old. And prior to WWII there were probably less than a hundred archeologists working in the entire world. Between their work, all of the new dating techniques (and carbon dating is just the first and most famous among many) and the massive leaps in linguistics and the discovering and deciphering of ancient languaes there is so much more fact known about the past today than there ever has been before.
And all of this based on hard work and scientific process. Not secret archives in the Vatican or revealed truths or the machinations of ancient conspiracies.
*rub. . .rub. . .*
You're right, well written, but that had nothing to do with what he said. He said that it's incredibly hard to predict the future. The internet was a huge advance and no-one predicted anything like it.
*kabooooom*
And to think some cultures think it a lucky charm...
I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I think it's going to be fun
Hence the "half a century".
The fact is physics today is in a much less settled state than it was 10 years ago. It wasn't long ago that even Stephen Hawking was saying we would likely have a unified theory wrapped up in another decade of work or so.
Then in 1998 (or was it 99? can't recall) the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe began a series of shakeups that are still going on. We live in a time very much comparable to the very late 1800s or late 1920s: right on the verge of a massive revolution in physics. We are currently at the stage of finding more and more freaking weird experimental data that has to be patched onto existing theory (eg: I think the discovery of dark energy will be our Michelson-Morley).
Sometime, maybe next year maybe in 10 years, there will be enough data to allow people to start piecing together a new (good) theory that really works with this.
In any given issue of New Scientist you will find half a dozen articles about people who think they already have. But the data is just not there yet. Anyone telling you right now they have such a theory is at best jumping the gun and is more likely a crackpot.
edit: By which I mean by our current theories FTL is farfetched, but we know our current theories are massively incomplete and won't be around much longer in their current form.
Describing Däniken as anything else but fun wouldn't suit you.
I grabbed a Friday ticket. Sunday isn't really worth it. Saturday is a real loss though.
And your cat is thinking "duh, I am the cat."
--
French by blood or French by nationality?
Surely. But the closest we got is Richy.
I bought the 6 month package.
If I had a job I would have grabbed the life package.
I'm just curious why, in various forums that I venture off to, there's a smattering of German and Scandinavian and Dutch people, but never any French people.
I also am idly wondering why I have despised every French person I have met, and have generally thought every German person I've met was awesome.
EDIT: Loren, the idea that the French have their own secret Internet has been brought up a few times.