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31 Comments
- motionone, on 11/12/2009, -0/+32Why does it have to be "surfer dude"? Why can't it be scientist who happens to surf? I surf, and I work in finance. If I created a mutual fund, will it be "The Surfer-Dude Fund"?
- commenter01, on 11/12/2009, -0/+31This "surfer dude" is also a phd in physics... talk about misleading titles
- eigenweasel, on 11/12/2009, -0/+20So Lisi is a "Great role-model" for science because he conforms to the media-fabricated and media-enforced template of what constitutes desirable behaviour, essentially that he is in fact very different from most scientists!
That makes him a "Great role-model" for the media, not for science.
And the whole article effectively communicates why rigorous science and journalism are completely incompatible. - techobo, on 11/12/2009, -0/+12"Pitted, so pitted... like that."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5j4McFzies - evilregis, on 11/12/2009, -0/+11I'm intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
- HeavyWave, on 11/12/2009, -1/+12If you build a thousand bridges and ***** one goat - you're a goat *****. That's just how it works.
- tkltangent, on 11/12/2009, -0/+10Yea this is old and I had the same problem the first time around. It is even worse this time because now he's a "dude." He's a ***** physicist who happens to surf!
Jesus Christ - miquonranger031, on 11/12/2009, -0/+9How old is this exactly? 2, 3 years?
- kspanks04, on 11/12/2009, -0/+7The narrator did a terribly confusing job of explaining that.
- indubitably, on 11/12/2009, -0/+6the universe is powered by a kaleidoscope?
- KungFooJesus, on 11/12/2009, -0/+5I have a theory that this won't be the last time we see this same article more than once in a week on digg.
- kspanks04, on 11/12/2009, -0/+4then what's the point of making a two minute flash video?
- ryanfaith88, on 11/12/2009, -0/+4Agreed. He may have "wowed" their "physicists", but most scientists are not people in white lab coats that are spending the night with their chemistry sets.
Also, I find it quite bad that this is being hyped up by the media even before it had been peer reviewed or anything. Articles about this came out a year ago, and from what I read, the only people that liked his theory are the news outlets. See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/33 ...
and http://science.howstuffworks.com/theory-of-everyth ...
By the way "surfer dude", congrats if you're correct. You may be the next popular scientist since Feynman. I am still going to wait until it has been rigorously checked and tested. - erkokite, on 11/12/2009, -0/+3Lisi and Lee Smolin are working together on a new model that combines his E8 work with that of loop quantum gravity (they're discussing it here: http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=3324 ... ) . His original model suffered from the problem that fermions were added unconventionally and artificially, and many physicists, as a result, did not take him seriously. Maybe the new model will solve these troubles. However, GUT's are a dime a dozen.
Lisi's model is unique, but it's hardly the only GUT in town (there are a multitude of them). E8 has been a point of research on the string theory side for a long time already. I'd be more inclined to watch what Edward Witten is doing rather than Lisi and Smolin. The media may like Lisi because he seems "cool" and interesting and runs against the grain of your average physicist, and he is smart (much smarter than me, I'm sure), but these things don't make your model correct. Being a "surfer dude," doesn't make you a great physicist.
There is so much going on right now in theoretical physics that it would be a shame to focus purely on one person's model, is what I am saying- Lisi's model is probably not the most promising and interesting model out there, given that most physicists are working on things like supergravity, superstring, M theory, F theory, LQG, or CDT. - TomT127, on 11/12/2009, -0/+3All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine.
- aegis17, on 11/12/2009, -2/+5No kidding. I want my Theory of Everything to be explained to me in a way where I can grasp it in a 2 minute flash video too!
- slapded, on 11/12/2009, -0/+2Look at it! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, man! Let me go out there and let me get one wave, just one wave before you take me in. I mean, come on man, where I am I gonna go? Cliffs on both sides! I'm not gonna paddle my way to New Zealand! Come on, compadre. Come on!
- armbar, on 11/12/2009, -0/+2I thought it was a cool story regardless. It's just a shame that you have to have an image to get popular in the media. It's the same for music, acting, and politics, so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised.
- mackmarn, on 11/12/2009, -1/+3drop in...smack the lip...WHUPAAHH!
- Laminarcissus, on 11/12/2009, -0/+2He would be a great role model for science if he were right.
As it is he's just a great role model for surfers. - Mujokan, on 11/13/2009, -0/+1Oh, I see now.
- armbar, on 11/12/2009, -0/+1Has that been peer reviewed and rigorously checked yet?
- Mujokan, on 11/12/2009, -0/+1There were vicious arguments about this theory in the quantum mechanics blogosphere. Unfortunately I couldn't really follow the details, but boy does this guy rub some people the wrong way.
- Ramble, on 11/13/2009, -0/+1It's science - they're refuting his theory.
- latrosicarius, on 11/12/2009, -0/+1I get your point and agree, but to be fair, the lead Guitarist of Queen is a bit more known for his musical career than his astrophysics career. Not to diminish his accomplishments in any way -- after all, he did recently get his PhD.
- Quizboy, on 11/12/2009, -0/+1Because no one would be reading this if the title was 'some PhD grad comes up with new theory of everything'. They are obviously trying to milk this story for all it's worth; they even mention that they originally did this story back in 2007.
But I don't blame them, they have to get people's attention somehow. - mhummel, on 11/12/2009, -0/+0Indeed, he's just like Brian May, the famous astrophysicist who tools around with the guitar in his spare time.
- pln2bz, on 11/12/2009, -2/+2Re: "We need more independent spirits like him, and others outside the mainstream ... Lisi is also a great role model for science, in that he shatters the stereotype of a nerd."
There have been plenty of "independent spirits" within the astrophysical discipline ... Immanuel Velikovsky, Halton Arp, Hannes Alfven, Kristian Birkeland, Stephen J. Crothers, Wallace Thornhill and Gerrit Verschuur come to mind. The problem is that just as quickly as they disagree with conventional wisdom, they are ejected from their university, prohibited from publication, ignored (even as they receive their Nobel Physics prize) or kicked off of their telescope and oftentimes even ridiculed. One need only observe how against-the-mainstream theorists are treated on the Bad Astronomy and Universe Today forum in order to understand why there are fewer and fewer independent spirits today.
It is a very healthy thing for scientists to disagree. But, when there are very serious consequences for disagreeing with conventional theories, those who observe others being punished will learn to not make the mistake of being too independent in their thinking. The dearth of independent spirits is really nothing more than a reflection of the physics institutions' own problems: lack of humility, an eagerness to dismiss and debunk rather than read and investigate, an over-reliance upon authority, a distaste for uncertainty and a misunderstanding of the role which consensus should play within science today. The physics establishment is overly-concerned with teaching their PhD students *what* to think rather than *how* to think. And there is little interest in hearing out arguments which may cast the Standard Model in a poor light, even as there exists an awareness that it is inherently broken. - psiphre, on 11/12/2009, -0/+0sounds like a good, sellable idea, tbph. why don't you give it a try?
- dyslexicsUNTIED, on 11/12/2009, -3/+2old
- sHockz, on 11/12/2009, -4/+3dugg for surfing and science combined!
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