I once attempted to explain an aspect of quantum theory by showing that higher dimensions we can't see can hide interactions that we only see the results of. It sounded plausible to me, but mathematician friends laughed at me. I brought up flatland and they patiently explained that it's a teaching tool, not a "real" representation, and you can only truly see it numerically. If you try to apply physics using your imagined flatland, you get some serious issues. Something to keep in mind, and yet another reason to get serious about math!

Rodney was cool... then came pool and vert skating, which was pretty rad,... then street skating took to the air... handrails and tricks over gaps... combining technical skating with huge-balls, giving us the glory that was Jamie Thomas in 'Welcome to Hell'...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JJ5fAx_F8qc

Not that its fair to compare guys from different times, and its also kind of like comparing breakdancing to parkour, very different things. If Mullen's invented it on the flatland, Jamie did it while flying at 20mph down a set of 15 stairs... I know which one I think is cooler.

They must've contemplated on flatland just before the show
http://www.videosift.com/video/Carl-Sagans-Cosmos-Tesseract

So did he just rip off the book 'Flatland'? He gave credit, I guess, but all the mind blowing ideas are from the book, not him.

There is no dead end really. They say the Universe is curved in the 4th spacial dimension and that if we traveled in a straight line long enough we'd end up back on Earth. Like a 2 spacial dimension flatlander on a piece of paper made into a sphere.

Least that's my weekend warrior understanding.

This vid is taken almost directly from Edwin Abbott's flatland.

Gotta love these quantum vids - the double slit experiment one is a great illustration.

Second plug for Abbott's Flatland - amazing read, especially when you consider that it was written in the 1880s!

The analogy at the beginning is from one of my favorite books, James A. Abbott's "Flatland." The whole book is spectacular (very short and highly recommended) and gives perspective to the concept of higher-numbered dimensions.

Perhaps comparing him to Rodney Mullen - a technically brilliant flatland skater - would be more fitting.

Judge for yourself:
Rodney Mullen - I Love Skateboarding: http://www.videosift.com/story.php?id=145

I learn something new everyday. Didn't know about flatland before. I was just saying there were parts that could've been painful but hey - that's a risk you take when you do stuff like this.

to john, guys do these stunts, its done on bmx? you know flatland? jeez, she aint the onyl one to do this