Monthly Archives: July 2013

Latest from the Stacks Project

Posted on July 30, 2013 by woit

My colleague Johan de Jong for the last few years has been working on an amazing mathematical endeavor he calls the “Stacks Project”. As boring 20th century technology, this is a work-in-progress document (now nearly 4000 pages), available here. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Bankrupting Physics

Posted on July 28, 2013 by woit

I just spent a depressing and tedious few hours reading through Bankrupting Physics, an English translation of Alexander Unzicker’s 2010 Von Urknall zum Durchknall written in German. When I started reading the thing I wasn’t expecting much, but figured it … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | 34 Comments

Where are we heading?

Posted on July 23, 2013 by woit

Every summer the IAS in Princeton runs a program for graduate students and postdocs called “Prospects in Theoretical Physics”. It’s going on now, with this year’s topic LHC Physics. Much of the program is devoted to the important but complex … Continue reading →

Posted in Multiverse Mania | 52 Comments

News From All Over

Posted on July 20, 2013 by woit

I confess to mostly finding “philosophy of physics” arguments not very helpful for understanding anything, but for those who feel differently, some new things to look at are a Scientific American article Physicists Debate Whether the World is Made of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 21 Comments

No Joking Matter

Posted on July 8, 2013 by woit

Back now from vacation, and while I was away several people sent me links to point out that string theory promoters definitely aren’t taking a vacation. Links here with a few quick comments, followed by something about the issue of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 46 Comments