What's new
Star Army

Star ArmyⓇ is a landmark of forum roleplaying. Opened in 2002, Star Army is like an internet clubhouse for people who love roleplaying, art, and worldbuilding. Anyone 18 or older may join for free. New members are welcome! Use the "Register" button below.

Note: This is a play-by-post RPG site. If you're looking for the tabletop miniatures wargame "5150: Star Army" instead, see Two Hour Wargames.

  • If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 October and November 2024 are YE 46.8 in the RP.

Community Meeting

In Discord Voice 1
In Discord Voice 1

ITT, we act like geeks.

OsakanOne

OsakanOne

Inactive Member
Retired Member
I know it's geeky (possibly a bit "sad"), but I'm fascinated by this sort of thing. If I'm reading this thing right, some components should apply to eventuality (and thus quantum mechanics within relevance), sociology, psychology and the integration of technology within society beyond the facility as a commodity but infact as a function of the individual.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycontexturality

I've only read under K1 and some of K2 but this stuff is fascinating.

Take Catastrophy theory: (assuming I've understood it) It's a mathamatical theorum (offshooting Bifurification theory which statesby changing small perameters within equilibrium, the entire system can behave differently [this applies to anything from atoms to the way we think]) which if my understanding is correct, follows the "degenerate potential functions" (changes from equlibrium or a sort of "optimal point" with the potential [space/time/variable] functions [mathamatical functions].

By being able to apply a function to the degenerate potential, one should be able to plot back and estimate the location of other potentials and estimate "where" other potentials should be.

If there's someone who knows more about this and has an accademically approved understanding of the concept and not just my two hour read/nobbldy understanding, can they point me to some recommended reading and explinations so I can try to gain a better understanding?


Failing this, now you drop your big fat slice of juicy geekery, if it can even be called such.
 
Catastrophe: Theory and Its Applications is an older book, but very good. It tends to explain things more simplified without overly complex technobabble used by specialists. One of the better books available for beginners in the field, in my opinion.

Yeah, it's a bit geeky. But if you're in university without a major (like me) you tend to dabble in unusual topics in all fields. The only reason I know about this stuff is because I tend to hang out with theoretical physicists (who by the way have a tendancy to be very hippie-like. Very cool people if you ever get to meet some).
 
Oh wow. Well, I am a university student and I'm supposed to be specializing in media & design but I find lots of other topics quite fascinating, especially those utterly unrelated to my work.

Weird.
 
I'd recommend Who's Afraid of Schrödinger's Cat? for a good layman's overview of quantum physics and related fields. It focuses more on broad overviews than details for most topics, but it manages to cover just about the entire field and actually make sense. If nothing else, it's nice to browse around for interesting topics to read into further elsewhere.
 
I've always said it's a good idea never to use 'quantum physics' and 'makes sense' in the same sentence. After all, superposition and basically every aspect of that field defies conventional logic. I think that's why theoretical physicists are so groovy and hippie-like. :D
 
I suggest renting it, if you're a cheapo like me. WHAT THE BLEEP describes quantum physics in the simplest possible way. Very good if you're a complete layman at quantum theory. If you're not, it'll seem like a horribly simplified 'Baby's First Book' type of video.
 
It's a movie about quantum mechanics, philosophy, and spirituality. Really weird stuff. Somewhat entertaining if you have the attention span for it, but not that great of a movie, in my opinion. Still, it's interesting to hear some of the stuff they discuss.
 
Varesis, can you tell me more about these theoretical phycisists?

I'm writing a short story and the idea of such a character somewhere intregues me.
 
I'm into quantum physics, but I'm really more of a math person than a science person. I can do calculations but I don't know the thoeries.
 
You know how some people think the navy is gay? It's sort of like that with theoretical physicists on my university campus. Except they're pretty hippie-like instead of gay.

I only personally know a handful, but they seem like a pretty fun bunch. Really into poetry, music, zen, that sort of stuff. Night owls, too. I always jokingly say that they don't sleep because they run solely on "a mixture of caffine, sugar, and imagination." Oh, and they can party like collage frat boys, but without all the barfing and the excessive drinking.
 
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top