HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: aq817@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Steve Crocker)
Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,alt.conspiracy,sci.skeptic,alt.paranormal,alt.alien.visitors
Subject: Re: POP! FIZZZ.... PSI WARS!
Date: 9 Jan 1993 09:58:24 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In an earlier post here I referred to retired CIA official "Ray Clines"
as an associate of Theodore Shackley. It has been pointed out to me via
email that I am confusing two different people. Ray CLINE is the former
Deputy Director/Intelligence who co-authored the book on applied mind
technology with Janet Morris. Thomas CLINES is an associate of Theodore
Shackley, who himself was former Deputy Director /Operations for the CIA.
(And that's perhaps the LEAST sinister entry on his resume).

Sorry for the confusion and any implied insult to Mr. Cline.

-Steve
(You get the feeling I seriously disaprove of Mr. Shackley? Can't
imagine why. :)
Newsgroups: sci.physics,news.groups
From: jhh@waldzell.physics.yale.edu (Jim Horne)
Subject: Re: sci.physics.research: proposed panel of moderators
Followup-To: news.groups
Organization: Yale University, Department of Computer Science, New Haven, CT
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 22:18:04 GMT

In article <MATT.93Jan6101442@physics2.berkeley.edu> matt@physics2.berkeley.edu  
(Matt Austern) writes:
> 
> In a day or two, I'll be posting a set of guidelines for articles
> submitted to sci.physics.research, but first, here's the proposed
> panel of moderators.
>        John Baez    (jbaez@math.mit.edu)
>        Dale Bass    (crb7q@virginia.edu)
>        Bill Johnson (mwj@beta.lanl.gov)
>        Lee Sawyer   (sawyer@utahep.uta.edu)
> If one moderator has to quit, the others will choose a replacement.
> 
> The intent is that this panel be reasonably diverse in terms of
> research interests; each of these people wrote up a "microCV" that
> tells a bit about their background and what they do.
>  

Mostly a good cast of characters, but like a few other people, I'm not sure  
whether Dale Bass would be a good moderator. He shares the honor of being in my  
kill file with Abian, Sarfatti, Beckmann, van Flandern, and Hannu Poropudas.  
Dale is not a raving lunatic like the other five, but certainly was one of the  
major contributors to the noise problem in sci.physics. Besides, he's supposed  
to be finishing up his Ph.D. Will he really be able to devote even the small  
amount of time necessary for the moderation? I know I was much too busy to do  
anything else while I was finishing my Ph.D.

[note the followup to news.groups, where this discussion should take place]
--
Jim Horne                 jhh@waldzell.physics.yale.edu

        "We Americans, we're a simple people... but piss us off,
	 and we'll bomb your cities."  -- Robin Williams
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: doerfler@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (ronald.w.doerfler)
Subject: Re: Sarfatti Forteana
Organization: AT&T
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 23:03:42 GMT

In article <103669@netnews.upenn.edu> weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener) writes:
>In article <1992Dec30.223943.3346@trl.oz.au>, jbm@hal (Jacques Guy) writes:
>>If that is indeed the true etymology of "Tsarfat", it would be the only
>>case I know of (and I'm into comparative linguistics) where a word has
>>been borrowed backwards.
>
>Oh come on.  Within physics (ha! hahaha! physics in sci.physics!) there
>is a very famous example.  Ohm (German) became mho (English and ??), the
>pre-SI unit of conductance.
>-- 
>-Matthew P Wiener (weemba@sagi.wistar.upenn.edu)

In computer science, of course, the  programming language ADA was named
after Lord Byron's sister's name , spelled backwards.     

Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,sci.skeptic,alt.conspiracy,alt.alien.visitors,alt.paranormal,new.age
From: dona@bilver.uucp (Don Allen)
Subject: Re: Weird message - does any one know meaning?
Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 05:37:50 GMT

In article <C0Knnx.1sr@well.sf.ca.us> sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti) writes:
>
>I would greatly appreciate an explanation of following message if any
>one knows what it means? Please e-mail me with your response. Thank you.
>
>Subject: Is enclosed a threat?
>From uucp@mv.MV.COM Fri Jan  8 20:58:37 1993
>Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 23:57:39 -0500
>From: uucp@mv.MV.COM (0000-uucp(0000))
>Subject: Warning From uucp
>Apparently-To: sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us
>
>Subject: Warning From uucp
>
>        virgin!mail unhtel!virgin!nhstrat!rlyeh!cthulhu   (Date 01/07)
>The job will be deleted in several days if the problem is not corrected.
>If you care to kill the job, execute the following command:
>
>        uustat -kvirginN3725
>
>        Sincerely,
>        mv!uucp
>                            .

Nothing at all wierd here..It's just uucp telling you that it can't
deliver mail that you've sent to someone@somewhere and will keep trying
to get through for a few more days until it kills the task in it's
job queue. Kill task=delete mail.

Don


-- 
<*> Don Allen <*>             1:363/81.1 - Fidonet #1 - Homebody BBS
dona@bilver.uucp - Internet   1:363/29.8 - Fidonet #2 - Gourmet Delight
88:4205/1.1  - MUFON Network  1:3607/20.2  -- Odyssey - Alabama UFO Net
NSA grep food: Aviary, Ed Dames, Los Alamos - Majestic - Jason - RIIA - UN
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: matmcinn@nuscc.nus.sg (brett mcinnes)
Subject: Re: sci.physics.research: research-level only?
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 02:53:45 GMT

baez@guitar.ucr.edu (john baez) writes:
: 5.  GR also generates a lot of questions.  I'll give one example, from
:     maybe a year ago: does it make any sense to ask whether the universe as
:     a whole is rotating (Mach's principle, Newton's buckets)?
: 
: --
: This is a hoary old chestnut -- precisely the sort of thing that tends to lead
: to endless pseudophilosophical divagation -- so the basic question should be
: in the FAQ, and fairly stringent requirements should be placed on further
: discussion of it.                                                       
 Can you be more specific? :)   My observations suggest that a great deal
of murky philosophising goes on inside the heads of research level
[indeed, celebrated] physicists and that the new group is an appropriate
place for such people seeking therapy. For example, who has not heard that
the problem with string theory is that we don't know the analogue of the
principle of equivalence? Here we have a case where murky philosophising
could affect the course of entire research programmes. The mere fact that
a topic has been debated ad nauseam does not imply that professionals
understand it. Even the grandfather of them all, the Twins, is not an
exception: most people still think it has something to do with
acceleration. Having said that, I must say that I welcome the new
group,partly because this one is a bit of a joke [though it is still far
superior to sci.math], partly because the volume is so great that a lot of
discussions get swept away while I am thinking about my reply, etcetc
From: tabitha@vms.huji.ac.il
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: infinite universe
Date: 4 Jan 93 18:41:14 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Another question from a non-physicist.

I frequently read that cosmologists debate whether the
universe has infinite size.  If the Big Bang started
at a definite time in the past, and has since expanded
at a finite speed, how can it be infinite?  What am
I missing?

-dennis turner
tabitha@vms.huji.ac.il
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 14:55:51 EST
From: <MRG3@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: sci.physics.research: proposed panel of moderators
 <MERRITT.93Jan6142225@macro.bu.edu>

In article <MERRITT.93Jan6142225@macro.bu.edu>, merritt@macro.bu.edu (Sean
Merritt) says:
>...
>
>$  Dale Bass    (crb7q@virginia.edu)
>
>I reject DB as a moderator I suggest another should be chosen.
>My reason is that based on Mr. Bass' contribution to this group
>I find that his posts are more noise than signal.
>   ----------------------------------------
>
>I find Mr. Bass' credentials unreproachable and I don't object
>to his moderation on that basis. My objection is that in as much as
>a moderator's function is to improve the S/N I fundementally disagree
>with his views (based on his past post) as to what is signal and
>what is noise.
>
Well, I accept Dale Base as a moderator.  I think he has reponded
appropriately to posts with and without content, as well as to
personal attacks.  He has demonstrated a broad base of
knowledge.  (I was actually surprised to learn that he was not
a tenured faculty member :>).  I also value his posts
for their entertainment value (perhaps because I have not been
a target).

Surely there will be a (limited) appeal process for rejected articles
in the new newsgroup.  That should satisfy any concerns about a
particular moderator's predispositions.
-mike gallis
Xref: sparky sci.physics:22268 news.groups:25152 sci.misc:1958
From: pierson@empror.enet.dec.com (dave pierson)
Subject: Re: Electric Pinwheel Problem
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date:  6 JAN 93 08:35:12    

In article <15339.2b4a1056@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu>,
edharris@ohstpy.mps.ohio-state.edu writes...

>The posting on Ben Franklin and the possible determination of +/- charges 
>reminds me an interesting phenomenon (at least I think so).
> 
>I had made an electric pinwheel ( just an S-shaped piece of wire free to 
>spin about its center):
> 
>direction of spin    <-	___ *corona here
>		       /
>		      /  
>		     /|   <-- pivot point
>		    / |
>	corona	*---  |______ to +/- High Voltage
> 
>You hook it up to a high voltage DC supply (approx 5kV or higher) of either 
>+ or - polarity and the thing begins to spin in  the direction shown 
>regardless of the polarity. (In case my drawing is unclear: the electric 
>pinwheel spins in the same direction as a water pinwheel with water being 
>ejected from the tips of the S-shape. In fact, the corona of the electric 
>pinwheel makes it look like "fire" is shooting out the tips of the "S".)

>I belive the reason for this is as follows: If the pinwheel is at High 
>voltage the electric field at the tips of the "S" will be high enough to 
>ionize the surrounding air (thus the visible glow from corona). Now if the 
>"S" is at +HV then light electrons will be attracted to the tips and the 
>heavy ions will be repelled. Since electrons are light and have a 
>relatively high mobility in a plasma, they will be quickly swept out of the 
>tip region due to the electric field- thus leaving the plasma near the tips 
>with a small net + charge. Therefore the tips are constantly repelled from 
>the plasma near the tips...


....
>Anyway I discovered ( or rediscovered) a neat variation to this expt.

>If, instead of applying High Voltage DC, you apply high voltage, high 
>frequency AC... then you can get the pinwheel to spin BACKWARDS!
> 
>I used a solid-state Tesla coil (homebrew):
>frequency 10-20KHz
>Voltage 10-50 kV
> 
>Usually the pinwheel spins around in the "Usual" way, but for some voltage/
>frequency combinations it spins backwards. 

	Hmmmm.  I tried that, once, with a Tesla coil, of the spark gap variety,
	so little control of voltage/frequency.  The spin was in the
	"expected" direction.

	One thought would be to try it in the dark & check for corona off the
	rotor in unanticipated places & see if the corona changes postion as
	the voltage/frequency is changed.  (if the rotor, ferinstance had
	sharp bends verus one with a "flowing" 'S' shape, the bends might make
	a substantial corona point.  If much charge leaks there, little might
	be left to escape at the "design" point.  Also, compare similar
	voltages (peak?  rms?) for both the "ac" and "dc" case.

thanks
dave pierson			|the facts, as accurately as i can manage,
Digital Equipment Corporation	|the opinions, my own.
40 Old Bolton Rd		|I am the NRA.
Stow, Mass, USA	
01775				pierson@msd26.enet.dec.com
"He has read everything, and, to his credit, written nothing."  A J Raffles
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: phfrom@nyx.uni-konstanz.de (Hartmut Frommert)
Subject: Re: Speed of neutrinos
Organization: Dept. of Physics, University of Constance
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 13:16:05 GMT

gbshaw@rigel.cs.pdx.edu (Bert Shaw) writes:

>Q: Is it really well-established that the propagation velocity of the neutrino
>is the speed of light?

I presume that we talk about massless neutrinos :)

As for light, the propagation speed must be derived from the underlying
theory. Thus, also as for light, it is in no way trivial that massless
quantum particles with all their charges and couplings to other particles
move on the same trajectories (null geodesics) as classical mass- and 
structureless particles. It seems to be most probable that there couplings
to virtual particles (self interactions) causes extra forces, thereby 
deviations from the geodesic path, even in the classical limit.

On the other hand, it can be shown that the deviation from null geodesics
is of "higher order". 

For the experimental situation I can only refer to the 1987a supernova
neutrinos mentioned by Matt in a previous posting.
-
 Hartmut Frommert                 <phfrom@nyx.uni-konstanz.de>
 Dept of Physics, Univ of Constance, P.O.Box 55 60, D-W-7750 Konstanz, Germany
                                           -- Eat whale killers, not whales --
From: columbus@strident.think.com (Michael Weiss)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: FAQ-fodder
Date: 5 Jan 93 09:50:23
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
	<1993Jan5.043302.8774@nuscc.nus.sg>
NNTP-Posting-Host: strident.think.com
In-reply-to: matmcinn@nuscc.nus.sg's message of Tue, 5 Jan 1993 04:33:02 GMT


[Discussion by Mcinnes, MAWENZI [?] lieutenant of Kibo, of the "flat" case
of an expanding universe omitted].

Epstein's book "Relativity Visualized" has a nice treatment of this
and related questions, using Epstein diagrams.  If this does turn into a
FAQ, I recommend including this among the refs.
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 10:55:43 CST
From: <U16072@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Advise needed
 <1993Jan11.213454.12534@galois.mit.edu>

In article <1993Jan11.213454.12534@galois.mit.edu>, jbaez@riesz.mit.edu (John C.
Baez) says:
>Penrose and Rinder's Spinors and Spacetime (2 volumes).  As for
>2-dimensional physics, you might try Kaku's two books on string theory.
>(Especially for the latter, you will need to consult the references to
>get a handle on the vast literature.)  There are also lots of

Kaku's books will be helpfull for the references, but you will be much
better off reading the original references. A better review is
Ginsparg's "Applied Conformal Theory" appearing in Les Houches 1988
Fields,Strings and Critical Phenomena.
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: king@physics.su.OZ.AU (Peter King)
Subject: Intra-cavity Losses in Lasers
Organization: University of Sydney
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 21:33:06 GMT

        Does anyone know how to "calibrate" out intra-cavity losses when doing 
a fit to Rigrod's expression for the output power of a laser?  ie suppose the 
output power is P; small signal gain is g; saturation intensity is Is and the
intra-cavity losses are L (g and Is being determined from a least-squares fit to
Rigrod's expression), what would the power be if L was reduced?  I know that the
power would be increased but I can't see how changing L wouldn't simultaneously
affect g and Is.

        Any suggestions or references?  Thanks in advance.


                                                                Peter 


-- 
********************************************************************************
Peter King                               *         The home of TORTUS.
Plasma Physics Department                *   T
University of Sydney, NSW 2006           *   O
AUSTRALIA                                *   Roid of
    voice: 61 2 692 3371                 *   The 
      FAX: 61 2 660 2903                 *   University of
    email: king@physics.su.OZ.AU         *   Sydney
********************************************************************************
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: jaydee@seanews.akita.com (Jay Dee Pritchard)
Subject: Time-travel.
Organization: SEANEWS - Seattle Public Access News + Mail
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 07:08:32 GMT

Check out the machinations in the movie "The Philidelphia Experiment"
Although the story-line was written as a movie-script, there is a 
possibility that a conduit passable by things, like people, could be
constructed.  But, one "transciever" would have to be built, then a
second, at a future date, and then attempts to "connect" be made.


--
[] SEANEWS [] Seattle Public Access Usenet News + Mail [] +1 206 747 NEWS []
jaydee@seanews.akita.com
From: paul@mtnmath.UUCP (Paul Budnik)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: temporally undecided states (was: hidden variables)
Date: 4 Jan 93 17:31:36 GMT
Organization: Mountain Math Software, P. O. Box 2124, Saratoga. CA 95070

In article <1993Jan4.043326.8858@asl.dl.nec.com>, terry@aslss01.asl.dl.nec.com (Terry Bollinger) writes:
] In article <465@mtnmath.UUCP> paul@mtnmath.UUCP (Paul Budnik) writes:
] 
] > I do not understand your comment...  you seem to be missing my main point...
] > I would not be so certain that such simplifications are valid... My point
] > about rationalization is that the physics community on the whole does not
] > take a sufficiently skeptical viewpoint towards these issues...  If my proof
] > that quantum mechanics is incomplete is correct, and I'm reasonably certain
] > it is, it is simple result that many people could have come up with had they
] > just been a bit more skeptical.
] 
] Ah.  Yes.  Quite right.  (Proof??)

I have posted the proof before. It is not complicated.

] (Sorry, I have neither the time nor inclination to join you in your dance.)

That's OK. If my proof is correct I will have plenty of dancing partners
in the near future.

Paul Budnik
From: vignat@lnp01.jinr.dubna.su
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: RE:TIME HAS INERTIA (What to do with evil Abian)
Date: Tue, 05 Jan 93 19:30:50 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: unknown
Reply-To: vignat@lnp01.jinr.dubna.su


>   kim@Lise.Unit.NO (Kim Gunnar St|vring \yhus)
>   Subject: [NEWS] The EVIL Abian.
>   Message-ID: <1992Dec17.184725.26583@ugle.unit.no>

>   What are to be done with the EVIL Abian?
>
>   Gunnar
>

1)To take a comfortably warm shower.
2)To relax.
3)To send a bottle of wine to Dr. Abian on ocasion of Nobel
Prize celebration.
4)To ask him to continue his lectures.
--
Sincerely yours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vladimir Ignatovich, Laboratory     |  Tel. (09621)6-33-17 or (09621)4-70-65
of Neutron Physics, Joint           |  Fax 7(095)-975-23-81 or 7(09621)-65-085
Institute for Nuclear Research,     |  E-mail vignat@lnp01.jinr.dubna.su
141980 Dubna Moscow region, Russia. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


-- 
Since TIME HAS INERTIA (Abian) the PARTICLES, to resist provocation 
and maintain their status quo, must HAVE CONSCIOUSNESS (Nachmanson).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------




Newsgroups: sci.physics,news.groups,sci.misc,alt.sci.physics.new-theories
From: jbaez@riesz.mit.edu (John C. Baez)
Subject: Re: How about sci.physics.speculation as well?
Organization: MIT Department of Mathematics, Cambridge, MA
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 93 20:39:28 GMT

Jon Noring writes:

>Maybe the newsgroup proposers should consider setting
>up a posting guideline which outlines what things done (e.g., all caps) and
>said (e.g., "I'm being persecuted..."), etc., would cause the post to be
>automatically rejected regardless of its content.  Of course, if it met
>the base criteria but in the moderator's opinions did not meet more
>"subjective" requirements, it could also be rejected.  These objective
>posting guidelines can be easy to establish - just go through lots of
>prior posts and search out the obnoxious things, such as excessive use of
>CAPS, etc., that anybody, even my 9 year-old son, could use as a first
>filter.

I think the moderators should be free to use subjective criteria, but
the crackpot index is easily adapted to provide a basic list of
objective no-nos:

                        THE CRACKPOT INDEX
A simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to
physics.

1) A -5 point starting credit.
2) 1 point for every statement that is widely agreed on to be false.
3) 2 points for every statement that is logically inconsistent.
4) 5 points for each such statement that is adhered to despite careful
correction.
5) 5 points for using a thought experiment that contradicts the results
of a widely accepted real experiment.
6) 5 points for each word in all capital letters (except for those
with defective keyboards).
7) 10 points for each claim that quantum mechanics is fundamentally
misguided (without good evidence).
8) 10 points for each favorable comparison of oneself to Einstein, or
claim that special or general relativity are fundamentally misguided
(without good evidence).
9) 10 points for pointing out that one has gone to school, as if this
was evidence of sanity.
10) 20 points for suggesting that you deserve a Nobel prize.
11) 20 points for each favorable comparison of oneself to Newton or
claim that classical mechanics is fundamentally misguided (without
evidence).
12) 20 points for every use of science fiction works or myths as if they
were fact.
13) 20 points for defending yourself by bringing up (real or imagined)
ridicule accorded to ones past theories.
14) 30 points for each favorable comparison of oneself to Galileo,
claims that the Inquisition is hard at work on ones case, etc..
15) 30 points for claiming that the "scientific establishment" is engaged
in a "conspiracy" to prevent ones work from gaining its well-deserved
fame, or suchlike.
16) 40 points for each posting that claims a revolutionary theory but
gives no concrete testable predictions.

Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: pratt@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Vaughan R. Pratt)
Subject: Re: Recommend high school physics text?
Organization: Computer Science Department,  Stanford University.
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 16:44:42 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.194526.20114@tc.cornell.edu> rfeldman@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Bob Feldman) writes:
>My son is frustrated because his high school physics textbook doesn't
>explain how mathematical formulas have been derived.  Can anyone recommend
>a textbook that will give clear, concise, mathematical derivations
>of formulas used in high school physics?

Apart from being overly encyclopedic, Matt McIrvin's reply to this was
right on the ball.  The one-sentence summary is, which formulas is he
complaining about so one can tell whether the book is short on
derivations or your son is impatient with basic axioms.
-- 
Vaughan Pratt				There's safety in certain numbers.
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: muttiah@thistle.ecn.purdue.edu (Ranjan S Muttiah)
Subject: tensor cataract
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 00:38:38 GMT


I'm stuck in a local minima. How does one contract the Bianchi identity
to get:

        __ a
	\/   G      = 0 ?
              ab 

The Bianchi id is:

        __     e
	\/   R       .   With R the Riemann tensor; One uses the g^ab to raise the
	  [a  bc]d       index along the way to the above expression.
   
The [.] part is the antisymmetric tensor such as: T     = 1/2(T  -  T  )
						   [ab]        ab    ba

I'm sure it is easy but my brain is, as I said, stuck in a local minima.