SUBHEAD: This is the usual guano that you get from cranks and charlatans and the out and out con merchants.
[IB Editor note: As most techno-optimist efforts turn out - they are "too good to be true". This project has had some detractors going back a few years. I'm still looking to find new and clear scientific opinions on the Nassim Haramein's work, but right now it looks as real as desktop cold-fusion did in 1989]
By VDewan on 1 February 2010 for Skeptic's Guide to the Universe -
(http://sguforums.com/index.php?topic=11897.0)
Image above: Nassim Haramein works his cosmological magic on Waimea Canyon, on Kauai, hawaii. This is a still from the Resonance Project Foundation video From (http://youtu.be/bn35qoCjLYA).
I found a physics website that basically does rip this guy (Nassim Haramein and the Resonance Project) to shreds. Here's what I emailed my friend about it a few weeks ago:
I've plucked out some key quotes. However, they go into much more detail about the math and the general concepts. [IB Editor's note: www.sciencefile.org is no longer linking to these quotes.]
More about Spin: Why spin? Well, in maths terms, because the Poincare group describes basic symmetries of physics (translations and rotations plus boosts). Given that, any particle theory we write down will be written down in terms of objects that correspond to representations of this group -- hence they will be objects with definite spin. You don't need anything to start them spinning, spin matters because direction DOESN'T.
Same goes for conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, conservation of angular momentum -- rather than being weird things that might not have been true, there are instead a result of the fundamental symmetries of physics within a spacetime.
And those symmetries are kind of the obvious things -- that physics doesn't depend on where or when you are, or which direction you are pointing. Start from those extremely simple statements, and the conservation laws and significance of spin for particles all follows.
And anyone who knows anything about the standard model (either cosmology, or the standard model of particle physics), knows those very basic facts as to why something like angular momentum/spin matters. And trying to witter on about it as if it is some great mystery is just the purest twaddle, born of almost total ignorance.
[Further, regarding Haramein's theory]: This is the usual guano that you get from cranks and charlatans (and the straight forward out and out con merchants!).
No point in worrying about the basics? Anyone with half a brain cell can see that to improve something, you have to understand what current theory is in detail, and why it does not work. Trying to improve upon it without understanding it is just folly. Sounds more like religion, frankly.
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Regarding four papers posted on The Renonance Project website:
[IB Editor's note: www.resonanceproject.org site no longer exists. It is now (http://resonance.is/)]
Further regarding the papers:
I started with the first one, and found it appallingly badly written.
Ditto the others. And a notable lack of proper peer-reviewed papers -- seems Raushcer has been more occupied producing papers with Targ claiming to explain ESP: "Although we do not presently understand the detailed mechanisms underlying psychical abilities, thousands of experiments have been carried out successfully in dozens of laboratories around the world establishing the existence of some form of ESP." Which suggests to me that her scientific credibility is not that high, if she can happily make such a claim.
Scaling law -- same numerology as in Schwarzschild proton paper. In fact, very little content, a lot recycled, and very little actually explained.
Why not? Because they don't need to! Rope in a few long in the tooth physicists, produce some papers with sexy sounding titles that your followers can neither understand nor want to, and then you just tell them what it all means:
See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: Quantum Gravity & Holographic Mass 5/21/13
.
[IB Editor note: As most techno-optimist efforts turn out - they are "too good to be true". This project has had some detractors going back a few years. I'm still looking to find new and clear scientific opinions on the Nassim Haramein's work, but right now it looks as real as desktop cold-fusion did in 1989]
By VDewan on 1 February 2010 for Skeptic's Guide to the Universe -
(http://sguforums.com/index.php?topic=11897.0)
Image above: Nassim Haramein works his cosmological magic on Waimea Canyon, on Kauai, hawaii. This is a still from the Resonance Project Foundation video From (http://youtu.be/bn35qoCjLYA).
I found a physics website that basically does rip this guy (Nassim Haramein and the Resonance Project) to shreds. Here's what I emailed my friend about it a few weeks ago:
I've plucked out some key quotes. However, they go into much more detail about the math and the general concepts. [IB Editor's note: www.sciencefile.org is no longer linking to these quotes.]
This is just utter, utter garbage, produced by someone that doesn't understand the basics of the relevant physics, who is too dumb to realize the profundity of their own misunderstanding -- or someone who is just plain lazy, and thinks that pretty pictures, wishful thinking, and misunderstood poor analogies is some sort of alternative to doing the hard physics and the hard maths.Regarding Haramein's claims about angular momentum and spin: As for spin, we have no reason to believe that angular momentum was ever not conserved, so the net angular momentum of the universe will be exactly the same now as it ever was, big bang or not. The spins of individual elements are of no cosmic importance. All friction or collision does, is to redistribute angular momentum between interacting bodies without altering the total.
(http://www.sciencefile.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1251881447/20)
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Bottom line: what testable predictions does this 'fractal model' of black holes make, which could demonstrate it to be a better theory than the standard Einsteinian one?
(http://www.sciencefile.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1251881447/40)
----
Responding to the above: Except we have the even-bottomer line -- does the model as stated make sense, before we worry about what predictions it makes!
(http://www.sciencefile.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1251881447/40)
----
More about Spin: Why spin? Well, in maths terms, because the Poincare group describes basic symmetries of physics (translations and rotations plus boosts). Given that, any particle theory we write down will be written down in terms of objects that correspond to representations of this group -- hence they will be objects with definite spin. You don't need anything to start them spinning, spin matters because direction DOESN'T.
Same goes for conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, conservation of angular momentum -- rather than being weird things that might not have been true, there are instead a result of the fundamental symmetries of physics within a spacetime.
And those symmetries are kind of the obvious things -- that physics doesn't depend on where or when you are, or which direction you are pointing. Start from those extremely simple statements, and the conservation laws and significance of spin for particles all follows.
And anyone who knows anything about the standard model (either cosmology, or the standard model of particle physics), knows those very basic facts as to why something like angular momentum/spin matters. And trying to witter on about it as if it is some great mystery is just the purest twaddle, born of almost total ignorance.
[Further, regarding Haramein's theory]: This is the usual guano that you get from cranks and charlatans (and the straight forward out and out con merchants!).
No point in worrying about the basics? Anyone with half a brain cell can see that to improve something, you have to understand what current theory is in detail, and why it does not work. Trying to improve upon it without understanding it is just folly. Sounds more like religion, frankly.
----
Regarding four papers posted on The Renonance Project website:
[IB Editor's note: www.resonanceproject.org site no longer exists. It is now (http://resonance.is/)]
http://www.theresonanceproject.org/pdf/torque_paper.pdfI have looked at this website and some of the articles for general public on there -- and they're crap. Not just bad, but wrong.
http://www.theresonanceproject.org/pdf/quaternions_spinors_twistors_paper.pdf
http://www.theresonanceproject.org/pdf/scalinglaw_paper.pdf
http://www.theresonanceproject.org/pdf/plasma_paper.pdf
Further regarding the papers:
I started with the first one, and found it appallingly badly written.
Ditto the others. And a notable lack of proper peer-reviewed papers -- seems Raushcer has been more occupied producing papers with Targ claiming to explain ESP: "Although we do not presently understand the detailed mechanisms underlying psychical abilities, thousands of experiments have been carried out successfully in dozens of laboratories around the world establishing the existence of some form of ESP." Which suggests to me that her scientific credibility is not that high, if she can happily make such a claim.
Scaling law -- same numerology as in Schwarzschild proton paper. In fact, very little content, a lot recycled, and very little actually explained.
Why not? Because they don't need to! Rope in a few long in the tooth physicists, produce some papers with sexy sounding titles that your followers can neither understand nor want to, and then you just tell them what it all means:
"This view allows us to recognize that we are embedded in a fractal feedback dynamic that intrinsically connects all things via the medium of a vacuum structure of infinite potential. This research has far reaching implications in a variety of fields including theoretical and applied physics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, biology, chemistry, sociology, psychology, archaeology, anthropology, etc."See? You add the word fractal and you gain a whole new load of potential devotees! They don't understand any of the supposed physics, but who cares as long as they keep singing your praises and keep buying your DVDs.
See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: Quantum Gravity & Holographic Mass 5/21/13
.
3 comments :
so, beyond exposing the reader to critiques of this work, what is the clear editorial position of "ID" -- what are you trying to say by this piece?
Aloha Anonymous,
That which is "too good to be true" is just that. Much of the credentials for the Resonance Project Foundation are self generated. The peer review of this effort is thin.
The new-agey, space-agey aspect of the envelope for this package is attractive and comforting to those elite lucky enough to live on Kauai. We can keep on consuming energy and resources without end.
Something for nothing.
This may not be a a motivating factor for those inside RPF, but there just seems too much effort on shiny sparking PR and video trailers. Where is the beef?
Mathematical predictions on the Schwarzschild radius is one thing. Running a luxury resort on Kauai on agland for the techno-spiritual elite as a non-profit 502c corporation is something else.
Juan
totally agree
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