Time and space combined in phase transition?

This is pretty interesting if you are into this sort of thing.  For decades, there have been irreconcilable differences between quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of gravity.  A new theory from physicist Peter YoHava divorces time from space at high energies, proposing that the stitching of time to space happens as a phase transition at lower energies.  Now, you might ask, what's the big deal with that?  Well, before trying things this way, any time physicists tried to merge gravity into quantum mechanics, their equations returned meaningless answers (like "infinity" for the product of two variables).  Trimming time from the equations banishes the infinities.

This would have seemed strange to Einstein, who's own theorizing arose from visualizing how things worked.  But he would have had no way to visualize how things worked before a phase transition combined time and space.  So there you have it.  Does it really work?  Physicists don't seem to be certain about it at this point, but early results are positive and they are very excited.

HoYava’s theory has been generating excitement since he proposed it in January, and physicists met to discuss it at a meeting in November at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario. In particular, physicists have been checking if the model correctly describes the universe we see today. General relativity scored a knockout blow when Einstein predicted the motion of Mercury with greater accuracy than Newton’s theory of gravity could.

Can HoYYava gravity claim the same success? The first tentative answers coming in say “yes.” Francisco Lobo, now at the University of Lisbon, and his colleagues have found a good match with the movement of planets.

Something to keep your eyes on if this sort of thing excites you too.  Such a change in our understanding of the world would likely produce surprising real world consequences.

HoYava gravity may also create the “illusion of dark matter,” says cosmologist Shinji Mukohyama of Tokyo University. In the September Physical Review D, he explains that in certain circumstances HoYava’s graviton fluctuates as it interacts with normal matter, making gravity pull a bit more strongly than expected in general relativity. The effect could make galaxies appear to contain more matter than can be seen. If that’s not enough, cosmologist Mu-In Park of Chonbuk National University in South Korea believes that HoYava gravity may also be behind the accelerated expansion of the universe, currently attributed to a mysterious dark energy. One of the leading explanations for its origin is that empty space contains some intrinsic energy that pushes the universe outward. This intrinsic energy cannot be accounted for by general relativity but pops naturally out of the equations of HoYava gravity, according to Park.

They've still got work to do, but it's exciting times in physics right now.

Alien Contactee Sammy Hagar

This comes to me rather late since the original report comes from 2002, but it does not seem to be information that is in the book I referenced earlier, Alien Rock.  It is a quote from Sammy Hagar's, referencing his belief that he is an alien contactee.  I don't know where this article appeared originally, though Guitar World Magazine is a good bet because it is mentioned in the article.  Here is a reprint I found on the web:

SAMMY HAGAR: I Have Been Contacted By Aliens! - Nov. 4, 2002

Former VAN HALEN frontman Sammy Hagar is a true believer of extraterrestrial life outside this planet and solar system as well as intelligent life observing humans in their everyday lives.

"It's been a long, long time, but back in about '68, in Fontana, California, I had this unbelievable experience that would take this whole interview to even go into," Hagar told Guitar World magazine recently. "But I'm a firm believer — have seen, have felt, have been contacted three or four different times. I have received information that has been valuable in my life from those people, and they have used me. I'm gonna sound like a complete nut here, but they have used me in an experimental fashion. The easiest way to put it is that they downloaded my brain information. When I was about 19 or 20, they downloaded everything that was in my head. And I caught 'em doin' it! I woke up in the middle of the night, thinkin', 'What's goin' on?' They were like, 'Oh, my god, he's waking up!' But this was all telepathy — there were no words being spoken. And as soon as I woke up — it was probably three o'clock in the morning — my whole room was so bright that I could hardly keep my eyes open. I was wide-awake, I could not move, eyes open, white room, they were still disconnecting — and when they did, it just went bang! Everything went back to normal, back to black. I was shaking, I almost passed out, I was sick to my stomach and almost had to throw up, it was so scary…

"It sent me on a course of curiosity. I bought a telescope, and I started reading UFO books, and I just got into the whole thing. And since then, there have been three or four other contacts with the same group of people. I don't know who the fuck they are, but I've narrowed them down to a people called the Nine, who are called that because they're from the Ninth Dimension. I've named my publishing company the Nine Music after them. It's a crazy thing, man. But to me, anyone who thinks we're the only ones here, despite the vastness of the entire universe, is fucking crazy. Those people gotta be put away — not the guys having these contacts!" [laughs]

 I like to find these little independent confirmations.  Alien Rock might sound crazy, but it's not the author making it all up.