Tuesday, November 21, 2006

representation is NOT the represented

eyes see object A, ears hear note A,olfactory things feel smell/taste signature A :
processes in the mind form a representation of A(rep-A)
eyes see something like object A, ears hear something like note A,olfactory things feel something like smell/taste signature A:
processes in the mind lookup rep-A
we conclude something like object A, something like note A,something like smell/taste signature A was actually stored in the mind
what is stored has nothing do with A
and what is stored is the same as what is used to store some other "thing"

Hmmmmmmmm

Thursday, November 16, 2006

antiphysics in moonraker

Saw moonraker on TV last night.

It has some interesting antiphysics at the end of the movie.

  • In space you see the laser beams from the side. Normally one can see (especially laser) beams because of scatterring by dust particles etc. What sactters this stuff in space. Unless, of course, this beam was of electorns or some such fermions which refuse to occupy the same state as some other fermion, and due to errors of collimation scatter against each other and reach the camera (or eye as the case may be) to produce a "burn" image.
  • When the space-soldiers fight they seem to be able to abruptly move up and stop without any momentum cancelling jet bursts
  • The space station spinning to produce gravity can suddenly stop(how?) when james bond flicks that button
  • the space station goes up in flames! where was enough oxygen for such burning? And also, the smoke shown the usual rolling effect which is possible only due to immiscible flow of smoke (matter) against air. In space even smoke would fly in a straight line.