The Secrets of Quantum Physics part 1 Einsteins Nightmare

A few days ago I watched a brilliant BBC science documentary posted on youtube called '

The Secrets of Quantum Physics 1of2 Einsteins Nightmare'.  It was about quantum physics and presented by the Scottish physicist Jim Al-khalili.

It gave a very good primer on the historical background of quantum physics, especially the photostatic effect, the ultra-violet catastrophe and the wave particle duality of light.  This programme is the Beeb at its best. For a difficult subject, Al-khalili's presentation was very clear and easy to follow.  It even looked into the debate and doubt that Einstein had about quantum physics called the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen(EPR) paradox and how it was eventually resolved in the 1960's and 1970's by experiments carried out to test Bell's theorem.

George Galloway and Brexit

Now that Cameron has given us the date of EU referendum of June 23rd, both sides are already working hard in achieving victory.  The PM's recent renegotiation to me is an irrelevance, it is now understood that the deal he negotiated is not even legally binding.  Especially the rules surrounding the take up of benefits by EU migrants.

However the most surprising thing for me so far has been the entry of George Galloway on the Brexit side, sharing a platform with Nigel Farage on the Grassroots Out meeting. This must be the only thing that Farage and Galloway agree on.  Even though I loathe his views on Israel, Galloway is correct here. The EU is not only a businessmen's club but an attack on our democracy and freedoms.  For me it means that GG is at least a man of socialist ideals unlike Jeremy Corbyn and Labour party who have thrown their weight behind the remain campaign.  Corbyn's main argument is that the EU has brought in many workers' rights, however I think these are just delusions. Corbyn and Labour want the EU because it brings in more migrants, who are more likely to vote Labour.  So Corbyn has sold out his principles for votes as he was once fiercely anti-Europe like Tony Benn. My view is that Galloway might sway some of the UK's muslim vote towards Brexit.  Time will only tell.

My other salute is that Michael Gove and Boris Johnson have both backed the leave campaign.  Again this must be the first time I have agreed with either man.

In Search of the Trojan War

I have just watched first episode of the BBC documentary 'In Search of the Trojan War', presented by the then youthful Michael Wood. This episode 'Age of Heroes' features the attempt by German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann to find the lost city of Troy and evidence of the other characters - Agremennon, Achiles, Nestor etc.  Despite the age this is the BBC at its best.

Unfortunately Schliemann did not uncover all the secrets before his death but provided enough of a foundation for others to follow.  I fully recommend this for all history buffs and anyone interested in Homer's Illiad.

Daxter, the story so far

I am at the end of level 2 of Daxter, it is a thoroughly enjoyable game and according to the statistics I have completed 18% of the game so far.  I have spent the last few nights trying to get past the level 2 boss, the queen of the hive, and she is proving to be very tricky.

I can understand why so many PSP gamers have this game in their personal all time top 10, there is a huge attention to detail and the challenges require alot of thought as well as reflexes.  It also uses all of the control buttons of the PSP.

Quantum mechanics: the theoretical minimum, first impressions

So far I have read past the first chapter of this book by Leonard Susskind, it is written for theoretical physics undergraduates in mind. Unlike other books I have read on this subject, it contains the mathematical explanations with mathematical formulas and also at the end of the chapter there are exercises for those who want a challenge.

After doing some background research on the author, it appears the book is based on his lectures. I will post more on this later.

Planking

In the last 2 to 2 1/2 years I have been doing a daily exercise - planking.  This is where you rest on your forearms and tips of your toes only.  It is very good for toning the abdominal and to a lesser extent the lower back muscles.

I was introduced to this exercise by my tae kwon do instructor back in the early 2000s but I did not take it up.  However, since starting boxing in 2013, my instructor re-introduced it to me.  I then started practicing it daily, starting from 1 minute and building up to my current limit of 5 minutes.  It has helped my waistline and as a result removed my mid section middle age spread or spare tyre after doing it for just 6 months.

New Year MongKok riots

Happy Chinese new year everyone! In the early hours of last Tuesday (9 Feb) the MongKok area of Hong was rocked by riotting.  Reports suggest that 90 police officiers were injured and 54 suspects were arrested.    The riot was supposedly against the crackdown on street food vendors who normally ply their products in that area.  However, most of the riotters appear to be young people rather than the vendors.  Personally I am not a great fan of street food myself, and I find the media's explanation very puzzling.  Also live news footage showed a van deliver bricks, bottles and face masks for the rioters which does make me think that this was all pre-meditated rather than spontaneous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAOT41ClkxE

Quantum mechanics: the theoretical minimum

I started my next Amazon kindle book and its back to quantum mechanics with "Quantum mechanics: the theoretical minimum". I am on the first chapter and he is already talking about "qubits", should be very interesting.

Finished Bang! The complete history of the universe

In the past few days I have finished reading 'Bang! The complete history of the universe' by Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott.

This book is a very good introduction to the history of the universe from the moment of the big bang, past the present and onto the future of the solar system and indeed of the universe.  It introduces the sub-atomic particle particle physics side in a very easy to read and informative manner.

I thoroughly recommend this for anyone who wants to grasp the basics of the big bang and how the universe will progress in billions of years time.

How to teach quantum physics to your dog 3

I finished this very interesting book today and it has been an enjoyable read on the journey to and from work.  A thoroughly recommended beginners guide to the subject.