User:Dennis Estenson II
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This is my user page. I should probably say something more about myself than I do.
Sometimes I come off as a know-it-all type, and I do try to know it all (or at least as much as is interesting to me), but please don't think that I think that I know everything. I have a few theories about physics and reality which would tend to put me outside of the mainstream, but if at any point, I say something that is factually incorrect, please point out my error so that I may revise my own point of view. So many "theorists" have one idea and never change despite new facts, but I am not one of them. I do not want to believe or try to promote an idea which is incorrect.
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[edit] Education
I have been a life-long learner, constantly challenging myself to learn new things outside of any requirement for school.
In early 1995, I started attending college full-time at Southwest State University, more than a year before I was to graduate high school. Unfortunately, that fall I moved on-campus and, after partying constantly, ended up dropping out that same quarter. I didn't return to school until late 2001, when I took some classes at Garden City Community College in Kansas. I returned to GCCC again in 2003, and 2005-2006. In August, 2006, I'll be transferring as a sophomore to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) to pursue my first degree in physics.
In April, 2005, I took the ACT test for the first time, receiving an overall score of 30 (of 36). My highest score was 32 (of 36), on the science portion of the test. My lowest score was 5 (of 12) on the writing portion, a 30-minute essay.
[edit] Interests
I have been interested in learning about science and technology ever since learning to read at the age of three.
[edit] Physics
[edit] Technology
[edit] Science
[edit] Computers
- Programming
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- self-organizing maps (SOM)
- neural networks (ANN)
- genetic algorithms (GA)
- Operating systems
[edit] Ancient history
[edit] Anomalous phenomenon
[edit] The Theory of Everything
A study of the processes of life shows that while biological systems and virii use the laws of chemistry and physics to perform their functions, the fact that they have functions at all makes them unique from non-engineered systems. For these and other reasons, there is no doubt in my mind that the universe was created to support life, and each are products of engineering.
From this perspective, there should be a "theory of everything" which is able to mathematically describe every possible event in the universe. Albert Einstein believed that "God doesn't play dice" with the universe. I tend to agree with his points of view, and this is no exception.
A few years ago, I began to try to find this "theory of everything" as Einstein himself attempted to do. At that time, I did not know calculus, or even very much high-school level physics. Since then, I have studied diligently many advanced topics, in the process teaching myself many aspects of calculus, Maxwell's equations, special relativity, general relativity, and quantum mechanics, among others.
In 2004, many years after first pondering the idea, I came to realize that many equations in physics seem to be naturally explained using a certain six-dimensional spacetime theory. Today, I have some conviction that my idea is correct, or at least, that it agrees in principle with almost all physics that I know of. But I also know now that I will not be ready to publish anything relevant for several more years.
[edit] On Philosophy
From wikipedia: "Kant states that thus from the perception of the attracted iron filings we know of the existence of a magnetic matter pervading all bodies, although the constitution of our organs cuts us off from all immediate perception of this medium (Kant, A226)." (Damn, the quote seems to be gone from Kant's page. Now I wonder where I got it from.)
We know of the "existence of a magnetic matter pervading all bodies"? Really? Since when? Of course Kant died 100 years before special relativity, so he couldn't know magnetism is a purely virtual effect of charges in different inertial reference frames. But, then how can be be so certain of the "existence of a magnetic matter pervading all bodies"? He must have used his philosophy to arrive at such a conclusion, but since the conclusion is false, what does that say about the absolute truth of his philosophy?
I have many criticisms of Immanuel Kant, and virtually every other philosopher. Usually my objections stem from a critical misconception, false assumption or faulty definition adopted by the philosopher upon which they build their philosophy.
Because of the ubiquity of such critical errors, I get frustrated very quickly with the entire subject. It's mindnumbingly boring to read a lengthy argument of some abstract or esoteric metaphysical subject whose foundation is built upon the interpretation of an ill-defined concept, or upon the non-standard interpretation of a well-defined concept, or upon an otherwise faulty premise. Then it is especially frustrating to try to argue such to someone who has been indoctrinated into the philosophy. They often can't abandon the conclusions of the philosophy even though the premise upon which it was built is untrue. It is as if I pull the bottom card from a house of cards, but they refuse to believe the house has fallen, because they still remember how it looked before.
[edit] My recipe for an OBE
I have experienced a few near-OBE's in my life. I have enough practice to know how an OBE is induced, despite not having been able to completely "go out" of my body.
Here is the procedure:
- Alot yourself several hours to have the experience. In other words, don't try to have an OBE 10 minutes before work, or before bed when you have to get up in the morning. It may be possible to induce an OBE in a few minutes, but don't expect to be able to do so right away. Patience is a virtue in this regard.
- Begin by laying down comfortably on your back on a bed or couch, closing your eyes. (Being on your back isn't strictly necessary but may make the experience easier to induce.) Then relax completely, clearing your mind of all thoughts. Meditation may be helpful during this step.
- Methodically begin moving every muscle in your body one at a time, starting with your toes, feet and ankles, moving on to your calves, knees and thighs, then buttocks, hips, and stomach, then chest, neck and upper arms, lower arms, hands and fingers, and finally the facial and head muscles. You want to move each muscle back and forth a few times very slightly (like a twitch), so that overall your body doesn't move. It should take longer than a minute to do this step.
- At this point, your face will begin to tingle, and you may begin hearing a static-like sound. If this doesn't occur, you may have to start over from the beginning. You may also be moving your muscles too much, too quickly, or too rapidly over your body.
- Throughout the process, it is important to keep vocal thinking to a minimum. For this reason, I find it helpful to visualize one or two simple geometric shapes such as triangles and squares projected on the inside of closed eyelids. Once the shape becomes more visually obvious, begin to imagine it rotating or otherwise moving. The combination of visualization and suppressed internal chatter, after methodical twitching of the body's muscles, seems to trigger the out-of-body experience. (I speculate that his occurs concurrent with a diversion of blood and neurotransmitters by the amygdala to the frontal lobe of the brain.)
- At this point you should hear an increasingly loud static, or waterfall-like sound and the tingling in the face should spread to all parts of your skin.
This is where the majority of my attempted OBE's end. My internal chatter and anxiety about what may come next prevents the experience from continuing to completion. Also, any further muscle movement will prevent the experience from continuing. The one time I came closest to a complete OBE, I had alot of trouble acclimating myself to moving without muscles. I ended the experience only acheiving a half-OBE, with the sensation of having the top half of my "astral" body trying to sit up, while the bottom half was still within my physical body. My recipe ends here since I have never had a complete OBE.
I make no claims as to the reality of some aspect of one's perception physically leaving the body, but it sure seems like it does. On the other hand, it is quite possible that the procedure outlined above is a technique for the induction of hallucinations (without the ingestion of psychotropic substances).
