Geeky, philosophical and scientific things...

 

First, on the theory-of-mind front, we have Zombies!: The Movie. Best cameo appearance of Daniel Dennett, ever.

(If you're not familiar with the Philosophical Zombie problem, read this. I tend to agree with the authors of the above parody, in that I feel it's a profound-sounding but ultimately empty line of reasoning. If I said "your mileage may vary", I wouldn't be saying the half of it.)

Second, from theoretical astrophysics--or maybe I should say "worldbuilding as science as art"--comes a lovely paper that makes me smile. The authors have created a model of the universe sans anything like the weak nuclear force--that nevertheless provides for the various complex and interesting phenomena we associate with our own universe. I want to emphasize how cool this is--while it may be an interesting exercise in theoretical physics, it has neither been proposed as a serious model of our own universe, nor is it intended to ever be. It's simply a vast, complicated thought experiment. I'd love to see someone simulate this alternate reality, but modern computing equipment probably isn't even remotely up to the task.

I'm uncertain what to call this, other than "worldbuilding, taken to a new level." It may not directly contribute to our knowledge of the universe, apart from possibly illustrating that anthropic principles need some reconsideration (hardly news...even weak anthropic is more a blunt statement of the obvious than anything), but it turns physics into art, in the process creating one of the most joyfully geeky things I've ever seen.

In the environmental sphere, Wired's list of Global Climate Change Heresies is of interest. I tend to agree with the broad outlook of the article--climate change is inevitable and irreversible, and adaptation is basically a necessity. This is not a terribly popular perspective. I think the state of the modern environmentalist movement is...well, badly in need of such critical analysis, if it is to get anything done. However, with news like this, I sometimes wonder if it isn't all bread and circuses by now anyway.