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Uncertain Principles

Thoughts on physics, politics, and pop culture, by a physics professor at a small liberal arts college, plus occasional conversations with his dog.

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"Uncertain Principles" features the miscellaneous ramblings of a physicist at a small liberal arts college. Physics, politics, pop culture, and occasional conversations with his dog.

Chad Orzel "Prof. Orzel gives the impression of an everyday guy who just happens to have a vast but hidden knowledge of physics." (anonymous student evaluation comment)

Emmy, the Queen of Niskayuna Emmy is a German Shepherd mix, and the Queen of Niskayuna. She likes treats, walks, chasing bunnies, and quantum physics.

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« Strongly Correlated Physics in a Superposition State | Main | Thursday Terrified Parent Blogging 102711 »

Because 4% of the Energy Controls 100% of the Photons

Category: AstronomyPhysicsPicturesPop CultureScienceSilliness
Posted on: October 26, 2011 1:54 PM, by Chad Orzel

sm_occupy_dark_matter.jpg

"I work around the clock-- 1043 Planck times per second-- providing the gravitational attraction to hold this galaxy cluster together. And some baryonic cosmologist wants to explain me away as a modification of Newtonian gravity?

"I have been silent for 13.7 billion years, but no more.

"I AM THE 96%"

(Original Pandora Cluster image from NASA)

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Comments

1

One word:

brilliant!

Posted by: Jacob Stewart | October 26, 2011 2:25 PM

2

wow. totally f'ing awesome

Posted by: Steinn Sigurdsson | October 26, 2011 2:27 PM

3

Your Nobel Prize is in the mail.

Posted by: Kate Nepveu | October 26, 2011 2:57 PM

4

Very clever, Chad.
Well, pls. post something about the real OWS, too.

Posted by: Neil Bates | October 26, 2011 3:42 PM

5

You rock.

Posted by: onymous | October 26, 2011 5:25 PM

6

Very well done, Chad!

Posted by: Ethan Siegel | October 26, 2011 7:18 PM

7

This is another striking example of breaking the illusion of central position. Since WE are in the 4% it is obvious that it the 4% is the important part of things. If you take a truly objective stance that might turn out differently. This rolls back on the hierarchy. By weight, by volume, by regulating the biosphere, the single celled life on the planet is far more crucial than WE are. Some science guys view us as real estate for mitochondria, providing nutrients and mobility. Our concerns and designs matter little, and this may be a clue as to why we are so poor at managing things-that we were never meant to be this clever. OOPS.

Posted by: Christopher | October 26, 2011 8:56 PM

9

The Occupy movement is not something I like to joke about. It's too important to joke about. However! This is brilliant and I needed the laugh. Thank you for posting it.

Posted by: AV Flox | October 27, 2011 4:14 AM

10

Where would you like your internet sent to?

Posted by: homunq | October 27, 2011 8:29 AM

11

The microbes couldn't prevent us from becoming clever.

Some people seem to believe in a mystical power that grants a mandate to whatever has the greatest physical quantities. There's no such thing. In the end, rational thought always wins.

The only way to stop the money-hoarders is to outsmart them.

Posted by: Collin | October 27, 2011 4:02 PM

12

@christopher: then the mitrochondria have been doing a really bad job :P they have been losing pieces of DNA for the last couple of billion years. Only 9 proteins left to intergratie in our own DNA and the mitrochindria as a "specie" is extinct :P

but more seriously, indeed what is most important is a relative thing, depending on your point of view. But quite probably we are the only things on earth able to act en thing about it, so were like.. god. So now only to take our viewpoint, most life on earth?, most biodiversity? (why is life such a good thing anyway, why not say that the best thing is to have as many as possible rocks). or maybe: making it a world with the least suffering as possible taking the beings that are most capable of suffering in the highest regard ^^ (I the last one is my own :3)

Posted by: max | October 28, 2011 11:56 AM

13

worked up a graphic! -- http://i44.tinypic.com/fp4l8j.jpg

Posted by: brian | October 29, 2011 12:26 AM

14

Get a job, hippies! I'm tired of the hard-working (light-)producing parts of the universe being blamed for their success. If it weren't for us, you dark matter would drag us all back into a singularity!

Posted by: Doug | October 29, 2011 1:38 PM

15

"The Occupy movement is not something I like to joke about. It's too important to joke about."

Heh. Heh Heh. Bhwaaahahahahahahahahhahahahha.

Posted by: willis | October 29, 2011 5:44 PM

16

Willis, sign me up for seconds on the "Bhwaaahahahahahahahahhahahahha." When Occupy N belatedly grows a brain cell, they'll be nearly ready to play tic-tac-toe against a snake-handling fundamentalist.

But let's not threadjack; the original post was brilliant.

Posted by: R.C. | October 29, 2011 6:26 PM

17

"But let's not threadjack; the original post was brilliant."

Agreed and agreed.

Posted by: willis | October 29, 2011 6:55 PM

18

pppsssstttt....you've been instalanched!! This is awesome, thanks!

Posted by: Ricci Moore | October 30, 2011 3:16 AM

19


Magnifique!! Best 99% joke ever!

Posted by: Bill | October 30, 2011 11:29 PM

20

Ooh ooh another one:

"99% of the integral is dominated by 1% of the paths - Occupy Extremum"

This is fun.

Posted by: boson | November 1, 2011 10:15 AM

21

Note that all this "material" that we don't even understand being a majority part of the universe, just goes to show that we don't really understand the universe.

Posted by: Neil Bates | November 3, 2011 1:27 PM

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