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Surfer dude finds the theory of everything. (we hope)
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C.A.T.S. CEO
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Nov 15, 2007, 08:22 PM
 
Surfer dude stuns physicists with theory of everything - Telegraph

Lisi's inspiration lies in the most elegant and intricate shape known to mathematics, called E8 - a complex, eight-dimensional mathematical pattern with 248 points first found in 1887, but only fully understood by mathematicians this year after workings, that, if written out in tiny print, would cover an area the size of Manhattan.

E8 encapsulates the symmetries of a geometric object that is 57-dimensional and is itself is 248-dimensional. Lisi says "I think our universe is this beautiful shape."

What makes E8 so exciting is that Nature also seems to have embedded it at the heart of many bits of physics. One interpretation of why we have such a quirky list of fundamental particles is because they all result from different facets of the strange symmetries of E8.

Lisi's breakthrough came when he noticed that some of the equations describing E8's structure matched his own. "My brain exploded with the implications and the beauty of the thing," he tells New Scientist. "I thought: 'Holy crap, that's it!'"
Finally!
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nonhuman
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Nov 15, 2007, 08:27 PM
 
Holy crap, that's it!
Way better than 'eureka'.
     
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Nov 16, 2007, 12:11 AM
 
I think he really said <keanu>woah.</keanu>, but just doesn't want to admit it.
     
lpkmckenna
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Nov 16, 2007, 12:25 AM
 
Dude, whoa!
     
- - e r i k - -
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Nov 16, 2007, 01:15 AM
 
So this is the shape of our universe, eh?



Looks very ...new ageish

[ fb ] [ flickr ] [] [scl] [ last ] [ plaxo ]
     
Shaddim
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Nov 16, 2007, 01:43 AM
 
It's a Wheel of Light, also called a "Wheel within a wheel". Kabbalists have studied these of centuries.

Oh well, I suppose whatever comes around, goes around.
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moonmonkey
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Nov 16, 2007, 03:55 AM
 
looks a bit 1980's.
     
badidea
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Nov 16, 2007, 04:01 AM
 
Voll Titte!
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Kerrigan
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Nov 16, 2007, 04:09 AM
 
TL; DR

Seriously, where's the gloss/transperency?
     
Doofy
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Nov 16, 2007, 05:24 AM
 
Somebody needs to put the bong down, dude.
Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
Shaddim
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Nov 16, 2007, 05:23 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
Somebody needs to put the bong down, dude.
C'mon Doofy, you know it's just another point of convergence.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
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mrtew
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Nov 18, 2007, 12:26 AM
 
Originally Posted by moonmonkey View Post
looks a bit 1980's.
Actually my mom used to make those in the 70s with string wrapped around nails in a board. She chose better colors though. Something tells me that if they DO ever discover a unified theory it will make sense to normal people and won't involve lots of dimensions etc.

Here's a picture that helps me understand what I'm looking at a little bit more.
( Last edited by mrtew; Nov 18, 2007 at 12:33 AM. )

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