Suddenly, Stars

I'm in the middle of a great book entitled "The Trouble with Physics". Its one of the few books that points out what is wrong with our theories of nature and what solutions maybe look like. They are pretty deep problems, the kind that leave physicists up late at night. Stuff like, why are quantum theory and relativity completely irreconcilable? Is quantum theory "real" aka are properties of particles still there when not observed? (Einstein in particular hated quantum which is ironic because he practically invented it). What is up with all the dark matter and dark energy? (Dark matter is in all observed galaxies and was discovered when it was found the rate at which stars are going around the galactic center of mass is way too high to account for the observed visible matter in it).
It's a whirlwind tour through the physics of the past few hundred years. It is also a good introduction to string theory which I am getting the impression that he does not like. All of physics research for the past 25 years has been based on string theory. It is a nice theory but it is impossible to test its results. Convenient huh?
Coincidentally, the Large Hadron Collider is still scheduled to be fully operational this year in Europe. Its the biggest particle accelerator to date and should get some press. The present day model for particle physics is referred to as the standard model and is considered complete except for a few particles, one of which being the higg's boson. It is thought the LHC has enough energy to create it. If this is found then the theory will be confirmed, if not then alot of people will be scratching their heads. Oh and as usual with ever new accelerator there are protests to its construction. Some fringe physicists think it might do anything from create a small black hole to convert the earth's mass to a small star composed of so-called strange matter. Don't worry, in any scenario the destruction would take a fraction of a second. So the question is how sure are we about our physics? Does the public even understand physics anymore beyond classical mechanics?

I just finished Carl Sagan's "The Variety of Scientific Experience". It was great, and it was nice to find something from Carl Sagan I haven't read. I share his sense of awe and wonder of the natural world. I recommend everything he has ever written.

Before that I finished Dawkin's "The Blind Watchmaker". It is a great book on evolution. I really wish my public education had mentioned evolution. The subject is completely fascinating because its subject matter is so large and universal. I mean it encompasses ALL life on earth. Not just monkeys which is what some people think of when they hear evolution, not just germs or fish but every living creature. I find the theory of evolution completely awe inspiring. It is one of the most beautiful things science has to tell us. Who knew that every living thing is related to one another. We are brothers with everything from butterflies to redwoods. Just contemplating this is one of the most spiritual things I've felt. And the evidence for this is overwhelming with corroboration from genetics, geology and all of modern biology. Amazing.

I also got a pair of image stablized bincoulars for christmas! They are amazing and I've already spent hours looking at the night sky through them. The views are spectacular. One perk about visiting my family's texas lake house is that the skies are nice and dark, and the stars big and bright.