Lisi will get $77,222 to work on his theory, which involves using a recently mapped 248-dimension mathematical structure called E8 to unify all the fundamental particles and forces, including gravity. In the last round of awards in 2006, FQXi gave Lisi $77,280 over two years.
We’ve occasionally followed the story of surfing physicist Garrett Lisi and the unification theory he calls The Theory of Everything. Some say it is genius, others claim that it is purely junk science from a surfer who is good at math. We have no idea. . . but it looks pretty cool. Doesn’t it?
It is extraordinarily difficult, even in academia, to find a job that will let you do whatever you want with your time. If you are determined to spend your time following your own interests, you pretty much have to do it on your own. After my Ph.D., there just weren’t any positions open to support the research I wanted to do. And, of course, the surfing and windsurfing in Maui is amazingly good. I did the best I could to make my daydreams happen — and that didn’t put me in an office.
For the rest of the interview (which is mostly about string theory and physics) click the link.
A week ago surfer/physicist Garret Lisi’s “Theory of Everything” had the physics world rocking. Hollywood was knocking down his door and things were looking great. However, that has now changed apparently.
Garrett Lisi, an unemployed physicist with no university affiliation who spent his time surfing in Hawaii, had come up with the Holy Grail of science: a theory unifying quantum physics and Einstein’s theory of relativity. . . The media went wild. However, in the last few weeks several physics blogs have uncovered a problem with Lisi’s idea: it doesn’t work.
Just read the story. There is no way we can explain this anyway.
There’s a question we asked ourselves, while watching The Ultimate Surfer — Is this the pinnacle of surf entertainment? Was merging a group of washed and ok surfers with Survivor the best idea ever conceived by a man formerly employed by Oprah? Then we asked a followup: if we can seriously consider the first question, then what business do we have choosing stories for a long list of important action sporting news? The answer to the second question was is easy. We have no business. None whatsoever. Enjoy!
Hi. Hope you had stellar Et tu, Brute and St. Paddy’s Days. Been missing out on the news? Here it is. Follow the jump for a list of stories that have something to do with snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, fashion, and/or business.
Garret Lisi, that frighteningly smart, unemployed surfer/snowboarder physicist who got so much play in January 2008 for maybe having solved the ultimate physics problem with his “Theory of Everything” was profiled in this week’s issue of The New Yorker.
Click the link to read the abstract, or buy the magazine for the whole story. It’s the one with cartoon of Barack Obama on the cover dressed as a Muslim.
