Homeless Guy Smashes Other Homeless Guy Upside Head With Skateboard During Quantum Physics Argument
Bell's Theorem and the Death of Locality? Or the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Argument? We may never know what the beef was, but an argument between two homeless men about the splitting of atoms resulted in the splitting of lip:
Physics discussion ends in skateboard attack (SF Gate, image via Computer Science for Fun)A homeless man is on trial in San Mateo County on charges that he smacked a fellow transient in the face with a skateboard as the victim was engaged in a conversation about quantum physics, authorities said today.
Jason Everett Keller, 40, allegedly accosted another homeless man, Stephan Fava, on the 200 block of Grand Avenue in South San Francisco at about 1:45 p.m. March 30.
At the time, Fava was chatting with an acquaintance, who is also homeless, about "quantum physics and the splitting of atoms," according to prosecutors.
Keller joined in the conversation and, for reasons unknown, got upset, authorities said. He picked up his skateboard and hit Fava in the face with it, splitting his lip, prosecutors said.
Best follow-up line, from Wagner James Au in the BB comments here:
"Fava retaliated by tossing mangy alley cat nicknamed Schrödinger at his assailant."Update: BB commenter orangebag identified the perp as none other than "Cosmic Stan."
"Where's my cheese? Don't take my rowboat! Got no room!" the lunatic screamed from his regular spot near the Campus Drive bus stop. "I need space! Gimme space! Infinite dimensional separable Hilbert space!"
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"Fava retaliated by tossing mangy alley cat nicknamed Schrödinger at his assailant."
XKCD on the way
Well it surely didn't involve the idea behind Schrödinger's Cat, his face was truly hit.
Well it surely didn't involve the idea behind Schrödinger's Cat, his face was truly hit.
there is a lot of "WHAT???" in here...
I'm sure it was a hover board...
Well, in all fairness, there have been quite a few times I've had to listen to someone pontificate on their idea of quantum mechanics (or just enjoy throwing big words around), and the urge to hit them with something has been well-nigh irrepressible.
#3: Or not.
He was merely demonstrating a severe adherence to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle.
Sounds more like he was trying to demonstrate the Pauli Exclusion Principle.
It was probably the corollary to the argument that the Cuban submarines in the nearby river were using quantum techniques to communicate with the laser mind control rays in the fire hydrants that really brung the pain.
And cows discussed Calculus
Goes to show how bad the economy really is these days, even particle physicists are homeless.
was one of them Cosmic Stan?
obligatory.....:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30501
...however, authorities were unable to locate the cat.
yes - they wanted to do a cat scan of the area in question. but thought that some particles might get too excited
#7: Quite... one of the biggest benefits of my leaving high-energy theory research has been that I now no longer have to avoid telling anyone what I do. There are so many people who read a few books, which might be books written for laymen, or might be books written by crackpots or journalists who have no understanding of the subject, and then believe themselves experts capable of having erudite discussions of 'quantum physics' (use of that term is usually a clear sign that the person isn't a physicist). I can remember dreadful dinners where I would mention that I did particle physics research and would be subjected to all manner of talk about consciousness and people levitating...
In short, arguments about 'quantum physics' generally involve only crackpots and ersatz physicists.
Hi WA - at least it's 'quondam physics' for you now!!
reminds me of this drunken argument at Moe's Tavern:
Barney: And I say, England's greatest Prime Minister was Lord Palmerston!
Wade Boggs: Pitt the Elder!!
Barney: Lord Palmerston!!!
Wade Boggs: Pitt the Elder!!!! [pokes Barney]
Barney: Okay, you asked for it, bud! [punches him out]
Moe: Yeah, that's showing him, Barney! [scoffing] Pitt the Elder...
Barney: Lord Palmerston!!!! [punches Moe]
-- ``Homer at the Bat''
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/8F13.html
Buggrit. Millennium hand and shrimp.
you tole 'em! you tole the grawny man!
(though Mrs. Tachyon might be more appropriate)
though Wa, isn't it fair that the mad only wish to UNDERSTAND?
I read 'Everett Keller' as 'Everett-Wheeler' ...
"Ooooh! Funny! Homeless people with brainses talking about physics!"
"Cuter still! The geeky one got assaulted by a nutcase!"
What all y'all seem to not realise is that many- if not most- American Boingboing readers are a lost job or a single medical crisis from being homeless geeks getting assaulted for being homeless or geeks or just plain prey.
Meeeh bugrit, millennium hand and shrimp...
The last time i had a arguement in quantum physics was a long time ago... I think we actually beat each other up PHYSICALLY and verbally after the conversation ended... He had a pipe wrench and I had a bat... Good thing no one was hurt... :| badly
If you hang out in Cambridge (ma) you'll find that many homeless or borderline homeless folks have ivy league educations. There is no particular correlation between academic intelligence and ability to function in society.
and btw,
Mocking the "wacky antics" of homeless people, especially when it involves actual injury, guarantees you a place in hell.
Now if it was Paris Hilton getting beaten up in fight about physics THAT would be funny!
BUMFIGHTS III: A Concern about Causality
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Isn't this how Tycho Brahe lost his nose?
Don't you just hate that awkwardness when the conversation turns to the Copenhagen Interpretation?
#9 Well he was getting the other HG to observe the position and momentum of the skateboard.
#7 There's a whole irritaging genre (What the bleep do we know, the dancing wu li master etc) of crappy philosophy books that attempt to use the LANGUAGE with which the Copenhagen interpretation is described to justify all sorts of magical wu wu.
These kind of heated arguements are not that uncommon. I have seen people almost come to blows about subjects such as the differences between machine language and assemble, Whether scripts are programs or not (they are btw:)), if 1.999~ really equals 2, and the such. This is pretty normal behavior for thinking people.
Look at the flame wars that have sparked since the BBS days... Many of them over so called high brow discussions... Its the normal course of things.
What color is sand?
Excuse me good homeless sir but do you happen to understand the science that studies the mechanics of discrete packets of energy? No? Well do you understand Quantum Physics? YES!?!?! well thats just excellent I have several other subjects with popularized buzz words you might be an expert in too!
Hit a uranium atom with a neutron and the atom will wobble, and split.
Hit a homeless guy in the face with a skateboard and the homeless guy will wobble, and his lip will split.
Both events comply with the laws of physics.