onegoodmove

Recently, time travel has received much attention in the media. Books and articles have been written on the subject purporting that time travel is possible and consistent with the laws of physics, and that Albert Einstein supposedly was in agreement with this assessment. [1] This essay examines the situation and reaches a definitive conclusion whether time travel is possible or impossible as far as physics is concerned.

Two statements of Einstein are often quoted, which presumably support the view that traveling into the past is possible. One quotation of Einstein comes from a condolence letter offering comfort to the son and sister of his longtime friend and engineer Michelangelo Besso: “In quitting this strange world he has once again preceded me by just a little. That doesn’t mean anything. For we convinced physicists the distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion, however persistent.” [2] Some scientists have speculated that this remarkable statement was also a comfort to its author, who died a month later in April, 1955. [3]

Einstein was alluding to the fact that nearly all laws and equations of physics, including his theory of relativity, quantum theory and Newtonian mechanics are time-reversible. They make no distinction between future and past.

Does this mean that physics is telling us we live in a reversible world and that the passage of time is merely an illusion? The Second Law of Thermodynamics—the Law of Increasing Entropy—holds the answer.

People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power.—Bill Clinton

Hillary was excellent. She played all the right notes, and played well, in the right order. She was right to spend a lot of time dwelling on her campaign, which so many people worked on and fought for. She knows very well that her supporters' emotional investment isn't something she can lightly hand over to someone else.

But she also hit McCain hard and gave the best pro-Obama argument of the convention. Yes, even better than Michelle's message.

People should compare this speech with the "dream will never die" speech by Kennedy at the 1980 convention, or the fight by Reagan people in the '76 GOP convention. HRC could have taken that route but she did just the opposite.— dende blogger