Isn't that what the ID proponents are doing?

Yes. It's speculation not science just like parallel universes.

Isn't that what the ID proponents say?

No. ID can never be falsified.

Theory can be pretty ambiguous. The Theory of Evolution has overwhelming evidence while String Theory has nothing but some interesting math.

Lee, I didn't really notice that; thanks for bringing it up. I just thought it was weird that they would box themselves in like that. At least we know that Lily and Marshall do get married this time. I was hoping that when Lily stood up she would be pregnant.

Isn't that what the ID proponents say?

Yes, but they're lying about it. ID makes no predictions, and there's simply no experiment or observation that can be done to confirm or disprove "...or maybe the Flying Spaghetti Monster did it."

(Unlike quantum physics, where we mostly just have to keep building bigger particle accelerators, and hope that the guys trying to make wormholes don't accidentally destroy the fabric of space-time.)

I heard that NPR story on the other universes last night (vaguely, through cooking and dishes and shrieking children and so forth) and I was just thinking, "Isn't it a BAD idea to try to create a black hole in a lab in Switzerland, no matter how tiny?" Success would be - problematic.

"Isn't it a BAD idea to try to create a black hole in a lab in Switzerland, no matter how tiny?" Success would be - problematic.

I know, right? Did none of these people read Earth?

I'd be going outside my domain to decide if string theory is really a string hypothesis, Cindy. Call it faith (and if you call accepting unproven theories as axioms faith, there certainly is faith in science--but it is faith that's kinda waiting to be verified or falsified, which separates it from religious faith) if you will.

Often, the unspoken thought underlying experiments is "I wonder what would happen if I do this...." It's fun!

OK, speaking of which, I can now see the picture my brother sent me. My nephew, in a lab coat at a lab bench, holding what look like pill or specimen bottles in each tiny fist, complete with a mad scientist "AH HAHAHAH" expression on his face. AWESOME.

I have achieved cat #2, and am eating lunch. Next up, laundry.

The temperature here is very much like what I left. Except everything is gray. It's depressing!

I should be ashamed of how pleased I am that "Hungry Like the Wolf" just popped up on my iPod.

Isn't that what the ID proponents are doing?

I don't think anybody is trying to a) teach string theory (or the like) in physics 101; b) declaring that it invalidates more conventional and established understandings of physics in 101; or c) trying to prevent the teaching of physics 101 in the name of string theory.

I should be ashamed of how pleased I am that "Hungry Like the Wolf" just popped up on my iPod.

Is it a lunchtime thing or a Duran Duran thing?

Oh, btw, the new episode of that thing has popped up. And I never asked if you got to see the other ep before Thanksgiving.