The h Bar

2:26 AM

Hii @heather

@koolman, hello

Can we talk on that site or here

About that issue

i'm writing a private message back, one moment

that sort of thing is private; i wouldn't want others to know unless you are okay with it.

Bernard Meurer

@MetaEd You around?

2:45 AM

@heather yeah , I am waiting for that

@koolman, sent

sorry that took me a bit, my mom wanted me to do some stuff

Recieved

respond (if you wish) wherever you'd like. please do consider adding more work to your questions.

@heather done

mochacat

3:14 AM

heard is was @JamalS 's birthday, have a good one bro

also @KyleKanos i have progress quest on the other tab open right now thanks to you >.< an sad day for productivity

MetaEd

@BernardMeurer Can be, what's up?

Q: Economic reasons for keeping quantum gravity theory secret?

4

Suppose that some big company R&D discovers quantum gravity theory. Is there any economic reason they would keep the discovery secret? Maybe producing some new products or giving them competitive advantage into making better existing products. I'm asking is there anything commercially useful if...

Oh, Worldbuilding...

Obligatory nudge @HDE226868 - is that even a "worldbuilding" question? Is it science-based?

>a company discovering quantum gravity

They have a pretty optimistic view of industrial sciences

3:29 AM

@Slereah Well, if these companies existed, I know where you'd be working ;)

companies are more about condensed matter physics

Although "TimeHoppers Inc." might be more your thing

they all want tiny electronics

Well there's a few GR related "companies"

Like I think Harold White "works for" warp drive inc.

the only sort of jobs like that is once in a while when some company decides to do some theoretical work for blue sky applications

Usually on a very tiny budget

NASA had one about 20 years ago

It was 1.6 million dollars to evaluate like 50 different future technologies

Sounds...tiny, yeah

Well you're not gonna blow a lot of money for stuff that 1) most of which is probably unworkable 2) won't give any results for 50 years or so

3:35 AM

I know, I know

IIRC Krasnikov worked for a project like that

On time travel and FTL stuff

lucky man

Being paid to make up weird spacetimes is my dream job

HDE 226868

@ACuriousMind I hadn't seen that yet; thanks.

@HDE226868 It's hot.

::sigh::

HDE 226868

Okay, let me think.

I'm not sure I could even think of a reasonable application for quantum gravity even in a far future setting

QG regime is pretty bloody high

HDE 226868

3:46 AM

@ACuriousMind Okay, comments made, people influenced, question hopefully improved.

Yeah, I would say it's about worldbuilding. I can see an interesting story springing up around that.

Not one well-based in science, of course, but a story nonetheless, for those of us who know nothing of current progress towards a theory of quantum gravity.

Thank you for commenting, by the way. There are some cases where some pointers from "our friends over on Physics Stack Exchange", so to speak, are useful, and this was one.

@TheStackExchange doremon

user116211

4:06 AM

Ah! Many happy returns of the day @JamalS; may The Force be with you.

user116211

@JamalS yeh; there is a recent craze on Westworld; many questions have come on this in Movies&TV.

DanielSank

4:58 AM

@MAFIA36790 o/

user116211

@DanielSank \o

user246160

5:14 AM

@koolman Yeah :-D

user246160

@JamalS Happy Birthday!!!

user228700

@JohnRennie:

user228700

> "During the last 11 hours between 9:30 pm and 8:30 am, Chennai has received 57 mm of rain. Chennai rains are likely to increase during the landfall as the severe cyclonic storm gets closer. Schools in Chennai and other adjoining areas are closed today in view of the cyclonic storm. The residents have been advised to stay indoors and keep their phones charged."

user228700

Yeeaah, that laptop's not getting here today.

user246160

@Kaumudi.H I love such weather btw :-D

user228700

5:27 AM

(I tried to upload a video but it's taking too long. In a little bit, the trees near my home may actually fall. Windspeed: 120 Km/hr. It would be terrifying, but we had floods for about 2 weeks last year, so not so much. In any case, I don't think it's going to make it here today)

user246160

@Kaumudi.H Video of what ?

user246160

Storm ?

5:44 AM

@JamalS happy birthday

@Kaumudi.H :-((((((((((

user228700

Ikr? :'-(

user228700

@TheStackExchange Yeah.

@Kaumudi.H Cyclone Vardah!!!

user228700

Yep. They say that it will be worse in the afternoon (It's 11:20 AM now). Fingers crossed. In any case, don't u think they ought to update the page or contact either of us if this will indeed cause a delay?

user228700

5:51 AM

(Gosh, I hope nobody dies. There are a lot of "paper houses" here...)

user246160

@Kaumudi.H :( Is it that bad in Chennai ?

user246160

What are paper houses ?

user228700

Yeah, it's pretty bad. Well, by "paper houses", I mean houses that are made from thatched straw and thin sheets of tin.

user246160

pbs.twimg.com/media/CzceWBBUAAAaP2q.jpg:large

user228700

6:06 AM

user228700

^ That's correct, right?

user228700

@TheStackExchange Awesome (← Heavy Sarcasm)

user246160

@Kaumudi.H What does dBZ mean ?

user246160

Any idea ?

user246160

@Kaumudi.H Looks ok

user228700

6:08 AM

dBZ?

user246160

@Kaumudi.H See the image

user246160

pbs.twimg.com/media/CzceWBBUAAAaP2q.jpg:large

user246160

Thats seems like a graph of wind velocity

user228700

> "dBZ stands for decibel relative to Z."

user246160

What does B stand for ? :P

user246160

6:10 AM

And what is Z ?

user228700

> "It is a logarithmic dimensionless technical unit used in radar, mostly in weather radar, to compare the equivalent reflectivity factor (Z) of a radar signal reflected off a remote object (in mm6 per m3) to the return of a droplet of rain with a diameter of 1 mm (1 mm6 per m3)."

user228700

Dude. Use Google! -__-

user228700

@Doraemonドラえもん OK, thanks :-)

user246160

@Kaumudi.H I'm lazy..duh!

user246160

@Kaumudi.H Went over my head

user228700

6:11 AM

@Doraemonドラえもん K Doraemon bhai.

user246160

@Kaumudi.H NAND CAT. KK.

user246160

What the hell is "to compare the equivalent reflectivity factor (Z) of a radar signal"

@Doraemonドラえもん dragon ball Z

user246160

glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Equivalent_reflectivity_factor

user246160

Weather Scientists seem to be Hi-Tech Physicists! My gosh!

user246160

6:14 AM

@koolman naaaa

@Doraemonドラえもん why

user246160

We are talking about cyclones here

user246160

:-D

user228700

@Doraemonドラえもん Kyu yr mujhe pooch rahe ho? Do I come across as a person who has extensively studied meteorology?

user228700

@JohnRennie: ..?

user246160

6:18 AM

@Kaumudi.H No. Because dBZ is your real enemy today, because of which the order won't reach your house :P

user246160

Anyway....happy cyclonic day ! Alvida !

@Kaumudi.H What?

user228700

32 mins ago, by Kaumudi. H

Yep. They say that it will be worse in the afternoon (It's 11:20 AM now). Fingers crossed. In any case, don't u think they ought to update the page or contact either of us if this will indeed cause a delay?

user228700

@Doraemonドラえもん -___- You should consider changing ur username to "Sadist".

@Kaumudi.H Well, to be fair, it was a budget delivery. I'm actually quite impressed at the amount of tracking they have provided so far.

And it isn't a guaranteed delivery date. Today was only ever the expected delivery day not a guaranteed delivery day.

user246160

6:24 AM

@Kaumudi.H I am a very cute cat robo ... don't accuse me of sadism :P.

But you have my sympathies - it must be enormously frustrating to have the delivery held up by, of all things, a cyclone.

user228700

@JohnRennie That is true but the website also says "No later than 13th".

user246160

@Kaumudi.H * Terms and Conditions Apply (It must be written somewhere :P)

user228700

@JohnRennie Yeah. The cold and the wind only adds to the gloom.

Cold? Below 25 degrees is it? :-)

user228700

6:27 AM

:-) 22° and I'm wearing 4 layers.

user228700

Sigh. What's another day?

8.8°C here ...

user228700

:-P U're used to it!

user228700

@Doraemonドラえもん Sure sure -__-

Secret

13 hours ago, by Emilio Pisanty

> Bullshit asymmetry principle
> Publicly formulated the first time on January 2013 by Alberto Brandolini, an Italian programmer, the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle (also known as Brandolini's law) states that:
> > The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

For not so firm believers, this is not necessary true. You just need the correct debunking piece of evidence and the belief will shatter very quickly

the issue is the difficulty in finding one given an arbitrary belief system

For the hardcore believers, however the principle holds

user228700

7:37 AM

@JohnRennie:

user228700

> "Several flights arriving at Chennai and flying out of the city have been cancelled or delayed this morning amid heavy rain and strong winds along the state's coast. Both Tamil Nadu and neighbour Andhra Pradesh are on high alert and teams from the Navy and the National Disaster Response Force are on standby."

user228700

Also:

user228700

> "The storm, which was earlier expected to weaken, may not lose intensity after all, the Met office has said."

user228700

Indeed, it has gotten much, much worse.

That is seriously bad luck. I mean you expect delays due to customs and indeed bureaucracies in general. But a cyclone?

user228700

7:39 AM

Exactly! It was perfectly good weather yesterday and then BAM! A freaking cyclone.

At least the laptop is safely in Bangalore and unlikely to be carried away by the storm!

user228700

:-) Haha, yes!

user228700

Gosh, this is properly terrifying now. If those trees bend any lower, they'll crash into our neghbors' houses.