Ellipitical Convexing

I've been so busy the last few days. It's hard for me to gather my thoughts.

Here is the alternate universe to my alternate universe. Have you folks heard of String Theory?

I saw an episode of NOVA on PBS and learned a bit about it. It is most fascinating. Anyhow - respected scientists believe that there are alternate realities congruent to ours. So I figure - there are alternate universes to Eskimo Bob Lives. However, in both of the alternates I'm not able to post daily - or at least my conscious self is unable to.

Here's some more information about it:

What is String Theory?

http://www.superstringtheory.com/basics/anims/stropen.gif

Think of a guitar string that has been tuned by stretching the string under tension across the guitar. Depending on how the string is plucked and how much tension is in the string, different musical notes will be created by the string. These musical notes could be said to be excitation modes of that guitar string under tension.
In a similar manner, in string theory, the elementary particles we observe in particle accelerators could be thought of as the "musical notes" or excitation modes of elementary strings.
In string theory, as in guitar playing, the string must be stretched under tension in order to become excited. However, the strings in string theory are floating in spacetime, they aren't tied down to a guitar. Nonetheless, they have tension. The string tension in string theory is denoted by the quantity 1/(2 p a'), where a' is pronounced "alpha prime"and is equal to the square of the string length scale.
If string theory is to be a theory of quantum gravity, then the average size of a string should be somewhere near the length scale of quantum gravity, called the Planck length, which is about 10^-33 centimeters, or about a millionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a centimeter. Unfortunately, this means that strings are way too small to see by current or expected particle physics technology (or financing!!) and so string theorists must devise more clever methods to test the theory than just looking for little strings in particle experiments.
String theories are classified according to whether or not the strings are required to be closed loops, and whether or not the particle spectrum includes fermions. In order to include fermions in string theory, there must be a special kind of symmetry called supersymmetry, which means for every boson (particle that transmits a force) there is a corresponding fermion (particle that makes up matter). So supersymmetry relates the particles that transmit forces to the particles that make up matter.
Supersymmetric partners to to currently known particles have not been observed in particle experiments, but theorists believe this is because supersymmetric particles are too massive to be detected at current accelerators. Particle accelerators could be on the verge of finding evidence for high energy supersymmetry in the next decade. Evidence for supersymmetry at high energy would be compelling evidence that string theory was a good mathematical model for Nature at the smallest distance scales.

Welcome - Welcome

If you made it here - then you are truly devoted. Look behind you - they are coming.

Written Transcript of Road Grime

It is Eskimo Bob Lives and this was the week that was. Today we're slowing things down a bit. . . enjoying the moment as it were. Too often we get wrapped up in the hectic everyday. I'm hoping that this Monday post will speak to you. That you will be able to take a collective breath and smile that Spring has sprung. It is a time of change . . . as we transition of the dark and cold of winter into the vitality of Spring. Life beginning anew. In the Good Book it says: To Everything There is A Season - and so it is here in the Big AK. Sunlight begins to linger and expand it's visits on a daily basis. The snow and ice begin to melt away, cleansing the earth and providing rivers and streams on the roadways and parking lots. Driving down the Parks Highway from Wasilla to Anchorage and back again - it isn't the majesty of the Chugach range, or the expanse of the Matanuska Valley, or even the serenity of the Knik Arm that brings wonderment and awe. It is the continual road spray that covers your windshield. This road spray is not a liquid nor is it a solid - but rather a grime that encrusts you; and heaven help if you do not have a full reservoir of windshield washer fluid. As mentioned earlier - this viscous element of road spray can easily be wiped by your wipers. However, it has a defense mechanism, almost a will to survive - for it will leave a film that starts out transparent - but becomes opaque as cataracts begin to cloud the iris. Subtly your vision is obscured and if you do not use wiper fluid - you will be completely covered and blinded - unable to see. I'd like to think that the road spray does not intend to do harm - but if it can not obscure your vision - then surely it will go after your tires. As it lay on the road - waiting to be splattered across your windshield and headlights, it takes upon itself a nice icy glaze. So that hopefully you will be able to end up either in the meridian, or off the side of the road in the trees. The road spray season is from Spring to late April. It is then that most of winters snow has left or the slight April showers that resurrect the grime of the winter road treatment. Then the commuters may enjoy the beauty of the area that is - unless their minds are focused on fishing, or using the windshield wiper fluid to remove the splatter of encrusted mosquitoes on the windshield. So wherever you are - enjoy the day and we'll see you again on Eskimo Bob Lives.