The News Thread

The paper, which was recently submitted to ArXiv, an online repository of physics papers that is not peer-reviewed

A detail to think about.

That doesn't mean the work can't be legitimate. Although she may not get as much exposure.

There's no reason why disproving black holes mathematically couldn't be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Black holes have been controversial objects for years whose general acceptance is predicated on Einstein's work and satellite observations of objects that may fit the description.

That said, they do introduce paradoxes into the field of astrophysics. I believe the article mentions this; but if black holes do exist, they create a paradox between their necessary existence in order to explain gravitational anomalies and the fact that they purportedly destroy any information that happens to fall into them.

There have been other recent theories that have attempted to displace black holes, or to explain them as alternative phenomena. Mersini-Houghton's math may be perfectly correct and present physicists with a new barrier to overcome; but if her math does prove that black holes can't exist mathematically, then that means something else must be responsible for the gravitational anomalies observed by satellites.

And he researches from UNC, I mean come on?

What the hell does this have to do with anything?
 
hmmmmm

https://briankoberlein.com/2014/09/25/yes-virginia-black-holes/

"in this new paper, the authors show that if the Hawking firewall idea is correct, then as a star starts collapsing at the end of its life, before it collapses into a black hole Hawking radiation starts kicking in, which pushes back against the collapsing star. So instead of collapsing into a solar-mass black hole, the star almost collapses into a black hole, Hawking radiation stops its collapse, and the stellar core then explodes. So the star dies in a supernova explosion, but no black hole is formed from its core.

This is interesting theoretical work, and it raises questions about the formation of stellar-mass black holes. But it doesn’t prove that stellar-mass black holes don’t exist, nor does it say anything about intermediate mass or supermassive black holes, which would form by processes other than stellar collapse. And of course the work depends upon Hawking’s take on firewalls to be correct, which hasn’t been proven. To say that this work proves black holes don’t exist is disingenuous at best.

So don’t buy into the hype. Black holes are real, this work is interesting, and the link-baiters should be ashamed of themselves."

https://briankoberlein.com/2014/09/25/yes-virginia-black-holes/
 
I would provide a mild corrective to that piece: something exists. For the time being, the evidence - mathematical, physical, and empirical - seems to suggest that anomalous bodies which we call "black holes" are responsible for the gravitational structure, shape, and motion of the universe.

However, the very mathematical, physical, and observational properties of these objects do lead us into paradox, which is why there has been so much effort lately to "solve" the black hole problem.

First, I believe that Mersini-Houghton's math is correct: the very conditions necessary to bring about a black hole also seem to preclude the possibility of a black hole.

Second, the quantum mechanic runs into the dilemma that black holes appear to destroy (perhaps "trap" is a better word to choose) information, which violates a basic law of quantum mechanics: the persistence of complete information regarding a physical system.

Third, black holes are literal instantiations of the observer's paradox (this is the empiricist's dilemma). We cannot observe black holes directly because the medium by which our vision works - light - cannot escape a black hole. Actual observation of a black hole would necessitate the death of the observer and would prevent him from sending any information back out of the black hole. Our only way to "observe" them is in the second degree; via satellite images of gravitational anomalies that can only be explained by massively dense objects that, for some reason, elude our vision.
 
qx4fc8e8de.jpg
 
The flying car that really could be coming to a road (and sky) near you
http://www.techodrom.com/etc/finally-flying-car-really-coming-road-sky-near/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow6ybXBF9AU#t=32

Dexta Robotics unveils Dexmo F2 VR controller
A start-up company claims to have developed an affordable exoskeleton for the human hand which provides both input and true digital force feedback to allow users to 'feel' a virtual object in the real world.
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2014/10/02/dexmo-f2/1
 
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'Foodini' machine lets you print edible burgers, pizza, chocolate
"In essence, this is a mini food manufacturing plant shrunk down to the size of an oven," Kucsma said, pointing out that at least in the initial stage the printer will be targeted mostly at professional kitchen users, with a consumer version to follow, at a projected retail price of around $1,000.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/06/tech/innovation/foodini-machine-print-food/
 
Depends on the particulars of the case (which I don't know offhand). I'm pre-disposed to be anticop, but from what I understand the dude was also involved in a documented, immoral incident. That he deserved death isn't certain, but you cannot be absolutely sure of the effect of a fired bullet either. Certainly not a pleasant case.
 
I think that they shouldn't have even given it to a grand jury. But even so, an indictment would've prevented all the rioting (probably), and the court case would've come to the same conclusion most likely