The Tau Manifesto
Michael Hartl
http://tauday.com


Vi Hart — Blog
http://vihart.com/

I am a recreational mathemusician currently living on Long Island, NY.

I like most creative activities that involve making a lot of noise, mess, or both. Aside from composing, I love improvising on various instruments, drawing, sculpting, and other methods of making things. My main hobby is mathematics, with special interests in symmetry, polyhedra, and surreal complexity. This usually manifests as collaborative research in computational geometry and other areas of theoretical computer science, or as mathematical art. I think the human brain is incredible and strange, so I have developed a great interest in dreaming and consciousness. As a result, I am a trained hypnotist and a lucid dreamer. The human body is pretty neat as well, so I enjoy dancing and judo. I always love to learn new things—variety is the food of creativity!
You can email me at vi (at) vihart.com.
If you'd like to leave me voicemail or send me an SMS, call or text (+1) 530‑7VI‑HART [530‑784‑4278].

(A small addition that has a lot to do with the last part of the original Blog Post.)

The one I posted directly above has some small changes for easier reading. I still need to do a little idea storming at the end as I'm VERY unsure whether the forces at play would still hold the Universe together.

It's more likely that the "big rip" will win out, even over the weak and strong nuclear forces (which is a lot of energy considering that it just did it to the UNIVERSE! heh...

I also need to see, particularly under what conditions the Universe might start to be "swayed" by quantum fluctuations, the same you see at the beginning of the big bang, that had a lot to do with how matter and other non-baryonic (that 's the official way of saying, matter that isn't like the stuff we know: like Dark Matter) matter set up (when you look at the cosmic background radiation (CBR) map, the "hot vs. cold") topography wise; it's why the Universe isn't a smooth uniform (or symmetric) balanced energy place; which you would expect from a perfect explosion like the Big Bang, but the CBR shows that the explosion was far from being smooth and quite the opposite.

It's what gives us our galaxies and also where they're at. The question besides how gravity is related to the quantum mechanics realm; as we have NO theory (with a few hypotheses that almost all have to do with string theory: strings of energy in different "dimensional" configurations; like one dimension, two dimension (planer), etc..."; these little strings vibrate, kind of like a standing wave and intercede and connect into our dimension: think of a plane with limited dimensions on the x & y, then imagine a line intersecting in two spots--one coming "up" the other going "down", but the second connection BARELY hits the plane.

On our end we see a photon that appears to act like a particle and wave in whichever situation it's facing.Normally it may only act like a wave the first spot, but since the energy of this photon is a gamma ray (increased energy) it caused the string to vibrate more forcefully. Thus, connecting it to our "planer" observable space-time. But, when the energy decreases, the photon's string is pulled back and all of a sudden it only displays one of the two characteristics. Baryonic matter works the same way in String Theory, but requires VERY hard math to solve the discrepancies (one of the reasons some people hate it as it isn't a so called "elegant solution"; everything we've seen so far, while hard to grasp initially--tends to, "so far", work out to be very easy solutions).

However, string theory has described many things we have found out in the particle world very well. Another idea (which is more elegant and to me, the presence of "e" in it is very, intriguing) is E8 Symmetry. It's also a mathematical solution, so don't expect too much straight forward dialogue in it's definition. However, remember that Euler's number/The "Natural" number, "e", is related to a great many things already present in everyday life and the formation of almost everything from: you neural pathways, your circulatory system, clouds, trees/plants, sea shells, galaxies, fractals, and much much more...

What I need to know his how baryonic matter would react given a scenario were everything is ripped apart. Specifically, it's quantum mechanical reactions. Does it go into a "quantum critical state" (a fancy way of saying "pseudo"-superposition), as in this state it would still behave in a quantum mechanical way according to superposition. This leads to the last question. If it does enter superposition, is it possible that it may become "uncoupled, disassociated, or dis-entangled" from other matter, even non-baryonic matter like dark matter.

Anyway, just a bit more for what I wrote. More of me, thinking aloud, as I've read a lot about entanglement and superposition, but in this scenario I'd mot likely need an expert to think about it and give me an answer. Math will most likely be useless till we have some hard information on it; right now it's just pure observation. Then you may be able to commit yourself to some math that would show (or at least predict) what most likely would occur.

Another long ponderment! I'm keeping that word so screw you Merriam-Webster!

Gauge symmetry confuses me. Just can't grasp it for some reason.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Mathematics, symmetry, mind barf, proof' to 'Mathematics, symmetry, mind barf, proof, math, numbers, alphabet' - edited by MarineGunrock

>> ^xxovercastxx:

I wonder if you could paint the whole face, wire the mask up with soft circuits and then connect to an arduino or something similar to run a programmed animation loop. I suppose you could make the animation random but still symmetrical pretty easily, actually. It's just a matter of whether the soft circuits themselves generate enough heat or if something will need to be added.


Well that thermochromic ink is pretty nifty (with the fabric/acrylic ink base). It's been around awhile--like "Mood Rings", but like @blankfist says, "It's Awesome!", due to the application an idea this guy used (now I've got to see if "Rorschach" in the movie uses anything like this or just flat-out uninspired CGI). Imagine using a wider or more controlled version of the thermochromic ink with something like meta-materials; that will come out soon enough (the neater stuff is military only here in the US I would assume). It was found recently that the meta-material molecules set themselves up automatically into Möbius symmetrical setups or "M.C. Escher" topology. If you combine the paint (if possible) afterward, I'll bet you'll be able to get some literally eye-popping effects. Maybe just not the type the military would want. Especially, if you can adhere the "ink finish / lacquer" to the inner portion of the (typically, meta-materials are aiming for "see-through" optics--which is why the topology and structure is very interesting) meta-material.

Really off-topic after this:

Using what @xxovercastxx said, adhering it (maybe with multiple type of thermochromic inks--giving it a far wider chromatic range, at varying temperatures) internally and using the meta-material you might be able to go from invisible to Abrams Tank to Porsche. You'd have to insulate the inner layer somehow to give you very fine control over the temperature or perhaps you could just flat out use electricity to change the colors. I'd imagine changing a thermochromic ink from reacting to temperature to electricity (or hell, anything kinetic: sonic waves, magnetism, etc...) wouldn't be very hard as they are closely related in the first place. You could essentially use light if the inks are responsive enough and it doesn't require a "non-stop" wave of photons; if you could make it behave like a switch that would be perfect. Then throw in some nano-technology with atomic manipulation and you'd have something incredible.

Hell, I wouldn't put something like that one the battlefield; it'd be a damned work of art! Plus, it'd probably cost more than a full-wing of F-22s just to develop; but the stuff that would come out of a development project like that would benefit humanity for a long time.

<sarcasm>Nah, let's just keep building more military.</sarcasm> At least, I know a lot of scientists try to use our addiction to the "military-industrial-complex" as a way to GET some key technological advances made. NASA does the same thing, but they tend to be better at it per dollar spent.

Möbius Symmetry link goes here.

PS: I like to include M.C. Escher (painter--think Inception as well as August Möbius (mathematician; and famous for his Möbius Strip topology of a a finite(?) two dimensional plane twisted at one end (pick a corner ) then connect it to the opposite side (make sure "top" meets "bottom"). Adding electronics I'm sure will be, if not already, worked on heavily. Especially, as I said in military type technologies (cloaking armor, etc...) But, with these you could--with enough precision make an Abrams Tank look like an Edsel. Although shooting it will kill that effect fairly quick (although I'm sure mitigation of visual anomalies will greatly depend on angle-of-view and distance) --

"Hey! That Edsel has four and one-half wheels! Ford is outrageous; why would we by this lemon!?!" His cousin responds right after;

"Bob! I got no idea whatever your sayin!?!" "It clearly has four wheels on my side!!!". "I thought Edsels were black?"

Another off-topic bit about "Edsel(s)":
Not the doo-wop group (although, the group is related to the real "Edsel"; they changed their name after the Edsel came out to capitalize on the name recognition from: "The Essos") that my dictionary keeps telling me it is; "Edsels <--with the "s" is misspelled according to the THREE combined English dictionaries. WTF? Typically I try to only misspell when I'm doing something as above in the first sentence by "Bob", "sayin" is part of my colloquialisms for them. I know, I tried hard for that "50's" feel... Yes, this is also so far off topic that I should just blog it. Can one of the admins throw a gadget in for us to use in our posts--like this, to count the topic changes. Perhaps a grammar-Nazi™ one!. Done!

P.S.- I didn't check for continuity logic or reading comprehension (and at this length, it's always needed--as it can sound like buck-shot mentally). Take as is. That reminds me: I should make a "colloquialism" English dictionary add-on for Firefox with auto conversion and "by decade" setups. It'd be fun (there's probably one around already ).

Merry Christmas everybody.
Also, the mask rocks! I also added one-helluva-edit after thinking about it; it seemed worth the trouble to bring up.
So hopefully you read it and didn't feel like I was wasting your time. Long posts are like that.

>> ^GeeSussFreeK:

>> ^deathcow:
You mean like Anti-Water?

Basically, or if it has different properties because of (anti)quarks resulting in different chemical compounds.


Another thing that might be interesting to look at is decay rate. We already know how normal mass does it's thing, but anti-matter seems to be for the most part "gone" from the Universe. The non-symmetry aspect of anti-matter will be a big thing in physics, in general, to understand.

So I may have answered my own question as I'm sure decay rates would certainly be an obvious thing to look at. If any of the fundamental forces are different, for example, you could have anti-matter out in space hiding from view in blackholes, etc...

Right now they're looking at dark matter being a sort of "condensed state" matter that "can't" react with anything but itself and weakly at that. Gravity as well (it looks like). Outside of this state we might find it a lot, but we do not understand the mechanism that created it or is creating it. Anti-matter was brought up in this argument. At some point after the big bang the anti-matter would have joined with particle "x" and became this condensed matter that basically has most of it's fundamental forces bound to itself. Therefore, unless this stuff breaks apart due to some process, we may never find it as it is essentially swept under the rug and we can't lift the rug.

I actually liked the number symmetry at the start, I used to doodle things like that back in school..so it had me captive. I really hate this practice of Christianity, the bait and switch. This is a common Christan practice which I hate. Offer you something with strings attached. It is explicitly manipulative and dishonest.

To me, the lessons of Jesus, like MLK or Gandhi, don't need any help being awesome. They especially don't need acts of deception to introduce it. Grace, love, and forgiveness is an easier sell than a potato slicer...it doesn't need tricks. Understand, I don't post this to be anti-christian or pro-agnostic humanist, but rather, to tell the story that I find this duplicitous behavior a shame to Christendom. It is an unworthy association to grace and redemption, putting it in the same category as network news, Nigerian emails, and traveling salesmen.

>> ^Ornthoron:

Funny how he talks about the forefront of science in part 3, and mentions all the unsolved problems at the time of filming. All the problems he mentioned have since been solved, and it turns out reality is simpler than what he describes here, just like he predicted. For instance, we now know that there are 6 different quarks (plus the antiquarks) instead of 3, and that this simplifies the equations greatly.
The LHC is right now investigating the possibility of another property of physics called super symmetry, which if true would double the number of particles we know of. One or more of these new particles might turn out to be what the mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the material universe is composed of. These are exciting times indeed.


I like the part where they discuss (also at the end of part 3) that the very laws themselves are stated without history. That, perhaps, at different times, or even different places in the universe, the laws are mutable. That the rules that most fundamental rules of the universe might always be in flux to some degree. If that be the case, it makes the investigation into this very "monad" centric science difficult.

It would also mean that we could find these laws of the universe, but we would never understand the meta rules that govern them. It would place a logical end point on empirical investigation.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I really enjoyed that. I know I find a female ass shape very aesthetically pleasing. But I don't know how much of that feeling is objective beauty and how much is my hind-brain.

When I'm watching something like this, I try to pretend I'm an alien shaped like a big hairy spider. Would I still find this shape pleasing? Maybe. It has symmetry, rhythm and elegant curves. But why do I preference curves over hard angles? Again, the hind-brain creeping in.

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
I find the tension and conflict of this video interesting, but I don't think there is any justification for making the old guy a hero or internet celebrity. He clearly has issues and seemed to be just as interested in violence as his counterpart.
I think peggedbea is right, that interjecting race into the title and tags is creepy, and issykitty makes a good point as to how appealing this has become to the racists of youtube. It doesn't mean that everyone who voted for this is a raging, lynching klansman, but it may be indicative of the subtler prejudices that all of us harbor deep inside our subconscious. Either way, it's worthy of discussion.
If this hot, viral video were framed as two crazy idiots fighting on a bus, I wouldn't see much problem with it, but that's not how it's been framed. Instead, it's young black thug vs. elderly white marine. Or even worse Ignorant, illiterate black gangbanger vs bearded Nordic God.
In America, intercity blacks are feared. They are portrayed in the media as either criminal thugs or lazy bums who live off of government aid. The only positives you ever hear are about the occasional football or basketball player who gets a scholarship and escapes. Black neighborhoods are avoided by white people, who describe these places with words like 'scary' 'sketchy' or 'rough', but if you actually take the time to explore these areas, you find regular people. People who work. People who love their children. People who mow their lawns. As a white person, I've felt no overt prejudice against me in these places. I've felt no danger or threat upon my personal safety. It's just not the warzone it's made out to be in the media.
For some, this video will not only confirm false media stereotypes, but also goes the extra mile to punish that stereotype with violence. Don't get me wrong, the black guy in this video seems like a creep, and goes to great lengths to live up to the most negative of negative black stereotypes, right down to his inability to pronounce a very common word, but for many, this one single man's behavior will serve as a confirmation and justification for irrational, subconscious racial fears.
I'm not judging nomino, or anyone. I voted this thing up, myself, before bea and issy gave me some pause, so I'm not claiming to be better or wiser than anyone else here. Race is a really tough subject for Americans, complicated by history, tradition, media, politics and economics. I think it's OK to find this conflict on a bus compelling, and to also admit that there might be more going on in our subconscious minds than we'd like. dark fear
Since I'm in the confessional, I might as well mention that I wish I could take my vote back from another video, featuring a European man slapping a woman, causing her to cry. Lots of subconscious shit going on there too.


I agree both the guys would have been wiser to defuse the situation. It's an expensive risk to absorb that anyone you meet like that might be carrying a knife or a gun. The stakes in life are high, and all it takes is one bout of bad luck...

I can understand it sucks for the younger guy... he can't complain since he certainly carries some amount over 50% of the responsibility for what happened, but his brain made him think it was a good idea, and now he just feels more victimized by life than he did before he got the tables turned on him.


"He clearly has issues and seemed to be just as interested in violence as his counterpart."

I think it's certainly a good instinct to be understanding of both sides... it's a higher human impulse... but it seems like this can also go so far as creating a false symmetry. The younger guy (1) did force the older guy to the other side of the bus, (2) did then go after him and throw the first punch, and (3) did legally commit assault (touching someone who doesn't want to be touched, particularly while threatening violence). For all the old guy knew, the next punch could have had a knife with it.


describe these places with words like 'scary' 'sketchy' or 'rough', but if you actually take the time to explore these areas, you find regular people ... confirm false media stereotypes... this one single man's behavior will serve as a confirmation and justification for irrational, subconscious racial fears... there might be more going on in our subconscious minds than we'd like. dark fear."

Yeah, it's good to not excessively vilify high crime areas... but I feel like some of this goes so far as to imply that statistics are irrational. On another note, this video would be just as appealing to many people if it featured an Aussie thug (a small minority of Aussies) and an Indian-Australian.


That being said, I think you're right... it'd be better to not inject race into the title, and most people who live in statistically risky areas are good people, same as everywhere.

Enigma is/was the pwn in the 90's.

He should look up "quantum critical states" and the relationship to the natural number e (golden ratio/spiral, Fibonacci sequence); also, e8 symmetry. Physics may get very interesting in the next decade.

Funny how he talks about the forefront of science in part 3, and mentions all the unsolved problems at the time of filming. All the problems he mentioned have since been solved, and it turns out reality is simpler than what he describes here, just like he predicted. For instance, we now know that there are 6 different quarks (plus the antiquarks) instead of 3, and that this simplifies the equations greatly.

The LHC is right now investigating the possibility of another property of physics called super symmetry, which if true would double the number of particles we know of. One or more of these new particles might turn out to be what the mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the material universe is composed of. These are exciting times indeed.

That didn't seem counter-intuitive to me at all, assuming that the starting trajectory of the path is perfectly parallel to a perfectly flat surface beneath it.

Then again, the newtonian laws that one learns in High School or University starting physics classes tends to ignore lots of minor variables as mentioned above, like air resistance / friction. However, when you apply the simplified equations to real life experiments, it is usually quite amazing how accurate they are even having ignored those factors.

Your question about vertical friction changing depending on the horizontal speed of the bullet is an interesting one, jwray. It seems like there would be more exposure to molecules of air, so the friction would be slightly higher for a fast-moving bullet. On the other hand, being shot out of a gun would instantly overcome the stronger coefficient of resting friction versus the weaker coefficient of friction in motion. I agree that lift wouldn't be a factor due to symmetry. I guess I'm not surprised that any effect of friction is negligible in practical experimentation (ie Mythbusters), but I bet that you are correct that there is a slight difference between the two scenarios, but it is probably smaller than the effects of other, uncontrolled chaotic variables that differ between tests.

It's exactly true if you ignore air, the curvature of the earth, relativity, time spent traversing the barrel of the gun, and the inaccuracy of the gun. The vertical component of acceleration, due to gravity, would be completely unaffected by its horizontal velocity.

The vertical component of friction could be larger or smaller when the bullet is shot out of the gun. I don't know. It shouldn't have lift because of symmetry.

>> ^shuac:
Hey, I'm straight and I never really bonded very well with my father. Is there a program I can enroll in to make me gay?


I'm lesbian and I'm a man. What the fuck do I do?!?!

/also dumbstruck by people like this guy..."Hey it's just how you think!", what about these physical non-choice factors: penis, vagina, testicles, ovaries, symmetry cognition (beauty, telling faces apart - men/women), hormones, involved neurotransmitters, reproduction "instinct" (again as said above, this is everywhere). Instinct<---!!!!! //