Richard Feynman and His Bongos.

Never let it be said that Nobel prize-winning physicists haven’t got rhythm!

Richard Feynman. I’m a fan, as many of you will already know. He was an exceptionally talented man in so many respects.

This clip makes me want to have a go myself but, well… I’m not a physicist

(I was going to post the orange juice clip, but I thought it might scare any young children who just happened to be passing through!)

© 2008 Gary William Murning

Tenth of September 2008 — The End of the World?

Finally it’s here. Well, just about.

On the tenth of September next month, the Large Hadron Collider will finally (possibly!) get kickstarted, booted up — or whatever the hell it is they have to do to get a collider doing what it’s supposed to do.

“This major milestone in the LHC project will be covered live by international broadcasters. UK media organisations will be at CERN and at a simultaneous media event in London.

“CERN will webcast the startup (the link is on the CERN “first beam” page).” — for more see here.

Now that has to be worth watching. Why? Well, if some people are to be believed, the work of the Large Hadron Collider could in effect cause the end of the world/universe. Mini black holes may be created (fact) and they will grow and grow and grow, just like Alice, until we are all gobbled up (not fact.)

What LHC will largely be doing, in fact, is smashing together tiny particles called protons. When these particles collide, new particles are created. The scientists working at LHC are hoping to find a new particle called the Higgs. In short, the LHC will be asking some of the big questions about the universe, such as:

“How did our universe come to be the way it is?

“The Universe started with a Big Bang – but we don’t fully understand how or why it developed the way it did. The LHC will let us see how matter behaved a tiny fraction of a second after the Big Bang. Researchers have some ideas of what to expect – but also expect the unexpected!

“What kind of Universe do we live in?

“Many physicists think the Universe has more dimensions than the four (space and time) we are aware of. Will the LHC bring us evidence of new dimensions?

“Gravity does not fit comfortably into the current descriptions of forces used by physicists. It is also very much weaker than the other forces. One explanation for this may be that our Universe is part of a larger multi dimensional reality and that gravity can leak into other dimensions, making it appear weaker. The LHC may allow us to see evidence of these extra dimensions – for example, the production of mini-black holes which blink into and out of existence in a tiny fraction of a second.” – for more see here.

So make a date to be here at 8: 30 a.m. UK time on the 10th of September 2008. It should make for interesting viewing. I can’t wait to see the black hole gobbling up downtown Geneva!

(EDIT: Get Your End of the World T-Shirts Here!)

(EDIT: Important update here. READ THIS, PLEASE!!!)

(EDIT: Possibly of further interest.)

(EDIT: Another important update here. READ THIS, PLEASE!!!)

Read your free sample of Children of the Resolution, please click here.

To buy from the UK, click here – and American customers can buy here. (Also available on Kindle. UK. US.)

The Name of a Bird.

A favouite quote from a remarkable man…

“You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you’re finished, you’ll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird… So let’s look at the bird and see what it’s doing — that’s what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.“

Richard Feynman
US educator & physicist 1918 – 1988

A Quote for Sunday Morning.

“The mind of God is music resonating through ten dimensional hyperspace.”

Michio Kaku.

I bet no one’s teaching that in Sunday School today

Saturday — At Rest.

I always make it a rule not to work on my current project, whatever it may be, at the weekend. With my particular attitude to work (i.e. occasionally a little towards the obsessive end of the scale), it’s always a good idea to set some time aside for not working. So Saturdays and Sundays are for other things and, as you might expect, it’s a rule I rarely stick to.

Today, however, I did — spending most of the afternoon wallowing (yes, that feels about right) in Don’t You Have Time to Think, the collected letters of Richard P. Feynman. Touching (especially in the letter he wrote to his first wife, a while after she died), funny and insightful, it’s classic Feynman and I’d recommend it to fans and Feynman newbies alike.

Returning to the subject of Children of the Resolution (yes, I know, on a Saturday, too), I’ve been flip-flopping somewhat on the question of whether or not to post the opening on this ‘ere blog o’ mine. I’m not quite ready for detailed crits, at this stage. I prefer that once the first draft is done; too much “incoming” can seriously damage my idea of what I want the novel to be. That said, a general opinion of whether the novel works on the whole (for a rough first draft) can be useful.

Now that I have 14,000 words behind me, I’m feeling more “settled” — and so, before I change my mind, again…

Prologue.

Chapter One.

Chapter Two.

Any detailed comments you feel like making, please hold back until I ask for them. The question I’m largely concerned with having answered at this stage is: Bearing in mind it’s a first draft, am I largely on the right track?

Right… I have emails to write, but they may have to wait. My eyes are about done in. (If I owe you an email — Jean, Jane, Steven, Louise, Becky…. etc.! — I haven’t forgotten. ‘Onest )