Theories of Everything
with PBS Space Time
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PBS Space Time
produces investigations of astrophysics and quantum mechanics. We release a new video every week to a brilliant community of viewers who share our enthusiasm for asking fascinating questions.
Starting next week, host
Matt O'Dowd
and our own
Brian Keating
will moderate two conversations about Theories of Everything with some of the leading minds in physics — don't miss them!
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What is a Theory of Everything?
July 28 @ 4pm Eastern
In this 90 minute conversation we explore what Theories of Everything really are outside the hype, dig into the essential physics mysteries that compel us to search for one, and survey the major TOE contenders currently being explored by the physics community.
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Theory of Everything Controversies
August 4 @ 10:30am Eastern
Existing Theories of Everything have not yet produced experimental evidence that solves the fundamental challenges facing physics. That lack of progress has opened up a sea of controversy, from disagreements about the very necessity of TOEs, to questioning the cost/benefit of mega-billion dollar particle accelerators in search of them, to the emergence of competing TOEs from physicists outside of the academic community. In this 90 minute chat we dive into the existential questions around TOEs.
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Sign up here
to receive a reminder about the events, get a download link to the final videos and the PDF proceedings, and to win free stuff. Six winners will get a book by one of the esteemed guests and a free Space Time t-shirt!
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Other News from the Clarke Center:
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While the Clarion Workshop isn’t happening in person in San Diego this year, we wanted to bring the Clarion community together in a different way this summer. We hope you’ll join us for
Clarion Conversations
, a series of Zoom-based conversations about writing speculative fiction with a just tiny fraction of the amazingly talented Clarion alumni, instructor, and broader community.
Our final week of Clarion Conversations is THIS WEDNESDAY. We hope to see you there.
And there's still time to support the
Clarion Write-a-thon
, which funds vital scholarships for Clarion students.
Holly Black and Kelly Link in Conversation – July 29, 5pm PT / 8pm ET (
register here
)
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For our final week, we’re thrilled to have the incredible Holly Black and Kelly Link in conversation about craft, community, surviving as a writer, and what Clarion has meant to them.
Holly Black
is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.
Kelly Link
is the author of the collections Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, Pretty Monsters, and Get in Trouble. Her short stories have been published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Best American Short Stories, and Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. She has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She and Gavin J. Grant have co-edited a number of anthologies, including multiple volumes of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and, for young adults, Steampunk! and Monstrous Affections. She is the co-founder of Small Beer Press and co-edits the occasional zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Link was born in Miami, Florida. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Northampton, Massachusetts.
And in case you missed the previous amazing Clarion Conversations, enjoy the recording of them below!
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Into the Impossible:
A Conversation with
Noam Chomsky
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Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential and highly cited scholars of our time. He is a pioneer in the fields of linguistics and cognitive science. This episode of INTO THE IMPOSSIBLE covers those topics and delves into his thoughts on communicating with aliens, meditation, and free speech including his contribution to the “Harper’s Magazine letter”. Chomsky is a prolific author and known political activist. We avoided politics, as is the custom for my interviews. Our conversation also covers the Turing Test, neural nets, and artificial intelligence, including why he expects Elon Musk’s Neuralink project to fail.
- 00:11:00 Does Noam Chomsky believe in extraterrestrial life & could we communicate with E.T.?
- 00:26:30 Busting (or confirming) linguistic myths with the master.
- 00:41:00 “There is no scientific method, it’s just being intelligent.”
- 01:00:00 Artificial intelligence applications in cognitive science.
- 01:11:25 Chomsky University would encourage discovery.
- 01:23:44 Thoughts on the negative reaction to the Harper’s Magazine article.
- 01:31:50 What object or knowledge would Chomsky put in or on his monolith?
- 01:34:09 What did Chomsky think was impossible until he did it?
Noam Chomsky has been called "the father of modern linguistics." He has been a professor at MIT since 1955 (now emeritus) and continues to teach at the University of Arizona at the age of 91. Chomsky has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates, along with being a member of multiple professional societies. He has written over 100 books covering topics including linguistics, politics, and philosophy.
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