Rashid's Blog: A Place for Inquisitive Souls

Via:Popsci

Astrophysicist Adam Frank’s new book mixes cosmology with humanity. How does our understanding of the universe and cosmic time inform our daily lives? Especially if time is an illusion?

The “rebels” who fight the Big Bang theory are mostly attempting to grapple with the concept of time. They are philosophers as much as cosmologists, unsatisfied with the Big Bang, unimpressed with string theory and unconvinced of the multiverse. Julian Barbour, British physicist, author, and major proponent of the idea of timeless physics, is one of those rebels–so thoroughly a rebel that he has spurned the world of academics.

Julian Barbour’s solution to the problem of time in physics and cosmology is as simply stated as it is radical: there is no such thing as time.

“If you try to get your hands on time, it’s always slipping through your fingers,” says Barbour. “People are sure time is there…

Namaste, and greetings. I do not want another night to pass by without my posting something. It is very difficult to operate my body at this time, a few minutes walk-about being as much as I can achieve each day. This necessary exercise often leaves me exhausted. Then other tasks, like mailing and posting, can become as mountains too steep to climb.  So, with thanks to all who drop by, here, as promised, are a few pics from diverse corners of our garden. These were taken throughout what was supposed to be Summer here in Britland, 2012. Please click on the pics and enjoy.

Before.

After.

Before.

After.

During.

A half-eaten breakfast.

This little fellow was struggling to right himself.

So I gave him a hand.

And he turned to say thanks before flitting off to freedom.

And just in time too, as these hungry eyes had been watching him with…

The Guardian today posted a gallery of old map images, to tie in with a book newly out looking at maps charting the development of cities. There’s also a related podcast, where map experts Simon Garfield and Jerry Brotton talk about Maps from Ptolemy to Google.

I used maps a lot in my taught postgraduate MPhil degree which was studying Cultural and Urban Histories 1650-1850. Maps are a wonderful tool for viewing changing urban layouts, and understanding how towns worked in the past, figuring out the relationship between different areas and different functions, and also the relationship between a town and its surrounding hinterlands. Of course we relied on maps being created in the first place and still surviving today. I remember once finding a reference in the town council minutes to a map created of Montrose in Angus in the 1740s, but the map couldn’t be found now…