NOTES 307
must also be greater than or equal to Planck's constant divided by 2 JI. If we
let Planck's constant go to zero, then this reduces to ordinary Newtonian theory, in which all uncertainties are zero.
The fact that you cannot know the position, momentum, energy, or time
of an electron prompted Tryggvi Emilsson to wisecrack, "Historians have
concluded that Heisenberg must have been contemplating his love life when
he discovered the Uncertainty Principle:-When he had the time, he didn't
have the energy and,-when the moment was right, he couldn't figure out the
position.") Barrow, Between Inner Space and Outer Space, p. 187.
Page 58: "For my part, at least, I am convinced that He doesn't throw
dice."Raku, Einstein's Cosmos, p. 127.
Page 60: Bemoaning the undeniable experimental successes of the quantum theory, Einstein wrote,... Asimov and Schulman, p. 211.
Page 62: Everything changed in 1993, when scientists at IBM... Assume
for the moment that macroscopic objects, including people, can be teleported. This raises subtle philosophical and theological questions about the
existence of a "soul" if a person's body is teleported. If you are teleported to
a new location, does your soul also move with you?
Some of these ethical questions were explored in James Patrick Relley's
novel Think Like a Dinosaur. In this tale a woman is teleported to another
planet, but there is a problem with the transmission. Instead of the original
body being destroyed, the original remains untouched, with all her emotions
intact. Suddenly, there are two copies of her. Naturally, when the copy is told
to enter the teleportation machine to be disintegrated she refuses. This creates a crisis, because the cold-blooded aliens, who provided the technology
in the first place, view this as a purely practical matter to "balance the equation," while emotion-prone humans are more sympathetic to her cause.
In most stories teleportation is viewed as a godsend. But in Stephen
Ring's "The Jaunt" the author explores the implications of what happens if
there are dangerous side effects to teleportation. In the future, teleportation
is commonplace and fondly called "The Jaunt." Just before teleporting to
Mars, a father explains to his children the curious history behind the Jaunt,
that it was first discovered by a scientist who used it to teleport mice, but the
only mice that survived teleportation were ones that had been anesthetized.
Mice that were awake while being teleported died horribly. So humans are
routinely put to sleep before they are teleported. The only man who was ever
teleported while awake was a convicted criminal who was promised a full
pardon if he submitted to this experiment. But after being teleported, he suffered a massive heart attack, uttering the last words, "It's eternity in there."
Unfortunately, the son, hearing this fascinating tale, decides to hold his
breath so that he won't be anesthetized. The results are tragic. After being
teleported he suddenly goes insane. His hair turns white, his eyes are yellowed with age, and he tries to claw out his eyes. The secret is now revealed.
Physical matter is teleported instantly, but to the mind the trip takes an eternity, time appears endless, and the person is driven totally insane.
must also be greater than or equal to Planck's constant divided by 2 JI. If we
let Planck's constant go to zero, then this reduces to ordinary Newtonian theory, in which all uncertainties are zero.
The fact that you cannot know the position, momentum, energy, or time
of an electron prompted Tryggvi Emilsson to wisecrack, "Historians have
concluded that Heisenberg must have been contemplating his love life when
he discovered the Uncertainty Principle:-When he had the time, he didn't
have the energy and,-when the moment was right, he couldn't figure out the
position.") Barrow, Between Inner Space and Outer Space, p. 187.
Page 58: "For my part, at least, I am convinced that He doesn't throw
dice."Raku, Einstein's Cosmos, p. 127.
Page 60: Bemoaning the undeniable experimental successes of the quantum theory, Einstein wrote,... Asimov and Schulman, p. 211.
Page 62: Everything changed in 1993, when scientists at IBM... Assume
for the moment that macroscopic objects, including people, can be teleported. This raises subtle philosophical and theological questions about the
existence of a "soul" if a person's body is teleported. If you are teleported to
a new location, does your soul also move with you?
Some of these ethical questions were explored in James Patrick Relley's
novel Think Like a Dinosaur. In this tale a woman is teleported to another
planet, but there is a problem with the transmission. Instead of the original
body being destroyed, the original remains untouched, with all her emotions
intact. Suddenly, there are two copies of her. Naturally, when the copy is told
to enter the teleportation machine to be disintegrated she refuses. This creates a crisis, because the cold-blooded aliens, who provided the technology
in the first place, view this as a purely practical matter to "balance the equation," while emotion-prone humans are more sympathetic to her cause.
In most stories teleportation is viewed as a godsend. But in Stephen
Ring's "The Jaunt" the author explores the implications of what happens if
there are dangerous side effects to teleportation. In the future, teleportation
is commonplace and fondly called "The Jaunt." Just before teleporting to
Mars, a father explains to his children the curious history behind the Jaunt,
that it was first discovered by a scientist who used it to teleport mice, but the
only mice that survived teleportation were ones that had been anesthetized.
Mice that were awake while being teleported died horribly. So humans are
routinely put to sleep before they are teleported. The only man who was ever
teleported while awake was a convicted criminal who was promised a full
pardon if he submitted to this experiment. But after being teleported, he suffered a massive heart attack, uttering the last words, "It's eternity in there."
Unfortunately, the son, hearing this fascinating tale, decides to hold his
breath so that he won't be anesthetized. The results are tragic. After being
teleported he suddenly goes insane. His hair turns white, his eyes are yellowed with age, and he tries to claw out his eyes. The secret is now revealed.
Physical matter is teleported instantly, but to the mind the trip takes an eternity, time appears endless, and the person is driven totally insane.