Unification and distance. One of the most important things to remember about physics is that Nature looks different depending on the distance or energy scale being looked at. Physical constants like the speed of light and Planck's constant have values that tell us the size or energy where the the observable physics begins to change substantially, and a different way of describing the physics mathematically is called for. Relativity The first example is the speed of light In a physical system where all the velocities that matter are much much less than the speed of light, the system can usually be described very well by ordinary Newtonian physics. When some important velocity in the system begins to approach the speed of light, the Newtonian description doesn't fit so well any more, and the system has to be described in fully relativistic terms using the mathematics of Einstein's theory of special relativity.
Quantum physics The most important physical constant uncovered in the 20th century is Planck's constant. T.J. Miller-Denver.
STS9 - When the Dust Settles. ERMAHGERD TRANSLATOR. Future Shock: Techno-Paranoia Narrated by Orson Welles. By Maria Popova What the dawn of computing has to do with Herbie Hancock and humanoid robotics. In 1970, sociologist and futurist Alvin Toffler, the Ray Kurzweil of his day, wrote a book entitled Future Shock, which proposed a certain distressing psychological state , induced by change so rapid the human mind can’t digest it, and introduced the notion of “information overload” for the first time. In 1972, the book, already a bestseller, was adapted into a little-known documentary of the same name, narrated by Orson Welles. Exploring the shift from industrial society to what Toffler calls “super-industrial society,” the film tackles notions of consumerism and information overload — think BBC’s The Century of the Self meets Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows.
The film is now available on YouTube in five parts, offering a fascinating glimpse of a conflicted society on the brink of a new information era, the very cultural landscape we now inhabit. Our children. Share on Tumblr. Boing Boing. 'Japanese motifs' by Alexander Sviridoff - Fine Arts from Russia. What 24 hours of creative awesomeness look like.