Day 116, stringless theory

Walking back from a late night drinking establishment at around 3am one morning there was a conversation regarding quantum mechanics.

The sterocilia in my ears were still recovering from the mighty bass bins and the dub remnants of Mad Professor, Scientist and Mikey Dread.  Probably.

I hadn't got a clue what this person was on about.  At that time quantum mechanics wasn't a phrase in particularly common currency.  I got the impression that the reprobate telling me about this theory had not picked it up from a reputable source of scientific information.

I was struggling to understand for quite some time, no doubt due to the lateness of the hour, and due to the continuing reverberations of the heavy dub.  Almost certainly the heavy dub, yes, that is almost certainly the answer to why reason had deserted me.

But then I did have my finger on the notion that all was not as it seemed.  It sounded like a right old load of tripe.  Could it be that this was just mumbo jumbo dressed up in scientific terminology to try and confuse the unwary or impress those with a less than rigorous approach to information quality control?  And who uses the words rigorous or rigour anyway?  It's always a sure fire sign that some unfounded piece of information is going to be used to leverage (did I just use the word 'leverage'?) a reduction in funding somewhere.  Rather like that other collection of words 'red tape', generally always used to make it sound as if some actual thing has been identified that is causing a delay, or hold up or just isn't needed when in actual fact no effort has been made at all and the thingyness of the red wotsit are not at all to be impugned.

Oh look, a pigeon.

Aren't these shoes heavy.

I'm also pretty sure that string theory was mentioned as well.

The upshot of it was that I heard of some things I'd not heard of before.  And successfully placed this description of the above things in the correct category of 'pseudo science', or mumbo jumbo, or complete and utter bollocks.  The dubious acquaintance had probably picked up this information from something like Ripley's Believe it or Not, or more likely the Fortean Times.

Anyway, I have no memory of what was said other than the sheer implausibility of it, the inappropriate approach to qualitative assessment, and the lack of adjacency to scientific credulity.

As for the string theory part, always remember to unravel a large ball of it when you leave the house so that it makes it easier to get home when you are off your face.  Either that or make sure you have taxi fare.