souixsie

Might light not be stationary and it is only the progress of time that gives it the impression of moving?

I thought Obama showed a ruthless streak when he swatted that fly. I'd have captured it in a glass and let it out the window. There was no need for him to kill it. It displayed thoughtlessness and a lack of respect for life and the wonderful process of evolution that has produced flies. I don't agree that it's 'just a fly' so doesn't matter. Everything matters, but to varying degrees based on ones own perspective. If it had been a mosquito biting his arm, it would have perhaps been justified, but a fly just buzzing around? Death was a little harsh I think. The point about being kind is that it's an attitude, not an action or combination of actions. It's all about precedence. If one can be unkind for no good reason to other things (whatever they may be - even inanimate objects) then one can use the same argument to be unkind to other people. It's a road to psychopathy!

Severian, I am just learning about QM. The bit you mention about measurement causing a non-local change in the physical system seems to be the wierd bit that has the disturbing implications. From what I have read , ultimately it means that 'nothing is real' and that stuff only becomes real when people start looking at it. Is that right? I think I kno where bombus got that quote from as I have been reading a book by John Gribbin called in search of schrodingers cat and it has that quote in it. Talking abou most physicists John Gribbin writes that 'They learn to think of the waves as real, and few of them get through a course in Quantum Theory without coming away with a picture of the atom in their imagination. People work with the probabilistic interpretation without really understanding it...' How would you explain the 'wierd thing' you just mentioned above?

Proton, you lost me there I'm afraid. Bombus, your explanation is the easiest to understand - but I find it hard to believe. What are electrons then?

I have seen it on wikipedia, but didn't understand it. I still don't!

Hi there. Can someone please explain this?

you're wasting your time. You'll never convince them.