I dont' even PRETEND to understand how all this works...

[birdguy 3,946]

Nor do I think many others do...not even here.

https://www.livescience.com/universe-three-dimensional-donut.html

Noel

[Mike A 344]

Sometimes when I read things like that I think "Yeah.......OK", and wonder how in the world do they come up with these insights? Does LSD play a role? 😄  Not delusional, but the imagination required to solve the mysteries of the universe.

I wonder how they function in the world outside their specialties.  If they're the stereotypical "absent minded professors". I bring this up because I can speak from personal experience.  My brother-in-law, who is now retired, was an absolutely brilliant economics professor, top notch in his field.  Always going to conferences, meetings at the World Bank, testified before Congress (once before the Church Committe that investigated abuses by the CIA, as one of his specialties was Chile), etc.

But away from that, sometimes he could be like a fish out of water.  He & my sister lived back east.  Once my sister was here in San Francisco visiting, & he called her from their home.  He told her that the washing machine repairman was at the front door.  What should he do? My sister yelled "Open the door, let him in & show him where the washing machine is!!"

And later that week he came out to San Francisco. When he arrived, we went in the kitchen & he unpacked his carry on bag.  Out came a bunch of way over ripe spotted bananas & an egg carton half full of hard boiled eggs. I said "Why did you bring this?".  He replied "There was no one else home, so I couldn't let these things go to waste".  Economist.  I can only imagine what the TSA agents thought about it.

[birdguy 3,946]

I once worked with an electronics engineer like that.  I had designed a standard circuit that had a pulldown resistor in the collector.  There was 0.2volt drop across the transistor.  Negligible.  But he showed me how to use two more transistors to eliminate the 0.2 volt drop.  I asked him why use three transistors when one will do the job a 1/3rd the cost.  He said, "Because it can be done."

We humor these people.

But that's not to say all geniuses are like that.  Most function well in all aspects of society.

Noel 

Edited July 20, 2021 by birdguy

[Penzoil3 480]

Maybe... I had a friend who was working on her PHD. A brilliant woman. she couldn't be trusted to drive across town by her self though.

[JRMurray 214]

Well, I have three degrees, including a doctorate (just call me "Dr. Murray"), am a former prof and Associate Dean and currently a Director, and am still at the same university where I've been employed for the last 21 years ... and I'm just a regular kinda guy. And ... I can walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time. 🙂 

[W2DR 1,860]

I understand it all. But I'm not telling. The real question is whether, or not, the cat actually exists.

[Ron Attwood 3,474]

These people never explain what is outside of all these galaxies 'n' stuff.

 

 

There followed a long pause when I tried to envisage where space finished. I wish I hadn't done that!

[Mike A 344]

1 hour ago, JRMurray said:

and I'm just a regular kinda guy. And ... I can walk, talk, and chew gum at the same time. 🙂

I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to paint with a broad brush & promote a stereotype. But sometimes someone’s behavior/characteristics will fit them, like my brother-in-law. He’s also a good example of the saying “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity”.
https://influencedigest.com/psychology/there-is-an-association-between-insanity-genius/

Again, an actual incident @ 15 years ago when he & my sister were vacationing back in the “old country” (Crete) which also involved another member of his family & involved not just one but two actual real skeletons in a closet ☠️☠️😂😱🤣

 

[JRMurray 214]

1 hour ago, Mike A said:

I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to paint with a broad brush & promote a stereotype.

No need to apologize ... no offence taken. 🙂

[JRMurray 214]

3 hours ago, W2DR said:

The real question is whether, or not, the cat actually exists.

I see what you did there. 🙂

... and it both exists and doesn't exist.

[martin-w 3,252]

9 hours ago, Ron Attwood said:

These people never explain what is outside of all these galaxies 'n' stuff.

There followed a long pause when I tried to envisage where space finished. I wish I hadn't done that!

 

Current thinking is that what is outside all those galaxies and stuff is infinity. Our measurements tell us the universe is flat so infinite. Not definitive, the curve might by so minuscule that we cant detect it. 

There is no "finish" to space or edge. Because even if the universe is curved and thus finite, you can't be at the edge. There is no edge. Imagine you were at the edge of the universe, what would you be adjacent to? Nothing, right? Wrong! You cant be adjacent to nothing because there is nothing there to be adjacent to. Everywhere is the centre of the universe whether it's infinite or finite. 

 

 

[Ron Attwood 3,474]

5 hours ago, martin-w said:

 

Current thinking is that what is outside all those galaxies and stuff is infinity. Our measurements tell us the universe is flat so infinite. Not definitive, the curve might by so minuscule that we cant detect it. 

There is no "finish" to space or edge. Because even if the universe is curved and thus finite, you can't be at the edge. There is no edge. Imagine you were at the edge of the universe, what would you be adjacent to? Nothing, right? Wrong! You cant be adjacent to nothing because there is nothing there to be adjacent to. Everywhere is the centre of the universe whether it's infinite or finite. 

 

 

Aaah! Now I get it. Thanks for that. 🤪

[birdguy 3,946]

On 7/21/2021 at 9:34 AM, Ron Attwood said:

Aaah! Now I get it. Thanks for that. 

I still don't get it. But YY UR YY UB IC UR YY 4 ME

Noel

[Ron Attwood 3,474]

3 hours ago, birdguy said:

I still don't get it. But YY UR YY UB IC UR YY 4 ME

Noel

I think I got that...more or less. "Wise you are, wise you be, I see you are too wise for me." Close?

[birdguy 3,946]

Very very close Ron.  Too wise your are, too wise you be, I see you are too wise for me.  You got the last YY but not the first two.

Noel