Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: blackhole on August 02, 2008, 11:00:58 pm

Title: Technobabble
Post by: blackhole on August 02, 2008, 11:00:58 pm
Quote from: Wikipedia - 'Davydov Soliton'
Davydov soliton is a quantum quasiparticle representing a propagating along the protein α-helix self-trapped amide I excitation that is a solution of the Davydov Hamiltonian. The Davydov model describes the interaction of the amide I vibrations with the hydrogen bonds that stabilize the α-helix of proteins. The elementary excitations within the α-helix are given by the phonons which correspond to the deformational oscillations of the lattice, and the excitons which describe the internal amide I excitations of the peptide groups.

Quote from: Wikipedia - 'Gluon'
In technical terms, they are vector gauge bosons that mediate strong color charge interactions of quarks in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Unlike the neutral photon of quantum electrodynamics (QED), gluons themselves participate in strong interactions.

Quote from: Wikipedia - 'Kaon'
It is clear from the quark model assignments that the kaons form two doublets of isospin; that is, they belong to the fundamental representation of SU(2) called the 2. One doublet of strangeness +1 contains the K+ and the K0. The antiparticles form the other doublet.

Quote from: Wikipedia - 'Multiplicative quantum number'
In principle, multiplicative quantum numbers can be defined for any Abelian group. An example would be to trade the electric charge, Q, (related to the Abelian group U(1) of electromagnetism), for the new quantum number exp(2iπ Q). Then this becomes a multiplicative quantum number by virtue of the charge being an additive quantum number. However, this route is usually followed only for discrete subgroups of U(1), of which Z2 finds the widest possible use.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Kosh on August 02, 2008, 11:09:20 pm
Wow, looks a lot like this came from an episode of star trek. :P
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Black Wolf on August 02, 2008, 11:45:00 pm
This is why quantum physicists get the kudos as probably the smartest people on the planet.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Bobboau on August 03, 2008, 01:58:16 am
or most full of BS
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: blowfish on August 03, 2008, 02:00:49 am
I never thought I would say this, but

Can I have that in English? :P
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Al Tarket on August 03, 2008, 03:07:35 am
welcome to the universe of star trek!! ;). what else have then got

http://www.jumpstation.ca/recroom/trek/techno.html (http://www.jumpstation.ca/recroom/trek/techno.html) Enjoy! :D
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: IceFire on August 03, 2008, 10:31:39 am
Thats impressive amounts of techno babble.  I suppose it actually means something to the people who wrote it and would be interested in this stuff.  Actually its not all that different then when a bunch of computer folks start talking computer tech terms to people who are not computer people at all.

As for doing it on TV....StarTrek always got a little too caught up in it.  I love how in StarGate SG-1 Carter might start going off on one of these and O'Neil is aways saying "Carter!  Just stop..."
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: MarkN on August 03, 2008, 10:35:28 am
The scary thing is that I understand those, although I couln't actually tell you what the davydov hamiltonian or an abelian group are.

Of course the real way to get confused is to ask what 'strangeness' is, or ask how to solve the davydov hamiltonian (I think this has no exact solution due to being a multi-body system).

As for alternatives in TV to star Trek, I like when Captain Sheriden in Babylon 5 is on the receiving end of some Minbari technobabble (about the Whitestars systems, I think), his response is 'As my grandfather would have said, cool'
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 03, 2008, 11:11:47 am
As i sometimes say. . If it's too complex for me to understand. . . I probably don't need to :lol:
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Al Tarket on August 03, 2008, 11:13:46 am
i have a similar saying 'if it can not be understood walk around it or ignore it'.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Stormkeeper on August 03, 2008, 11:19:13 am
My favorite saying:

High explosives are life's solution to every thing.

If its too complicated to understand, I'll toss into the incinerator.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Snail on August 03, 2008, 11:26:11 am
The problem with Technobabble is that in Doctor Who, it is significant to the plot. Every episode seems to end with "Yeah, we just use the circumventationary gamma ray ultraviolet spectrum-o-meter of the temporal rift transportation matter beam to superficially atomize the Dalek's delta waves, in turn forcing them into an enhanced state of sub-conscious dormant hibernation."
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: CP5670 on August 03, 2008, 11:26:15 am
I like what we mathematicians do instead, taking everyday words and giving them completely different meanings. :D

Quote
The scary thing is that I understand those, although I couln't actually tell you what the davydov hamiltonian or an abelian group are.

The latter is just a set with an addition operation that is commutative. No idea about the other one, but a Hamiltonian in general is a function that describes the total energy of a system in terms of its position and momentum.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Davros on August 03, 2008, 12:28:24 pm
A Hamiltonian is the relative probability of a black guy winning formula 1
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Solatar on August 03, 2008, 04:23:25 pm
Scientists just like to compress entire sentences into multi-syllable words.

Career Sesquipidalians. :D
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Topgun on August 03, 2008, 05:47:30 pm
I hate wow in star trek they make up some technobabble just so they can put it of as "ingenuity".
like: how are we going to circumvent the planets shields, captain?
captain- well, if we use the icnosecpanizer and the photon array, we can disable the shield.
-guy- that's a good idea captain! but there is a chance it might not work. what will we do then?
-captain- well, we just will have to try!

later we see that it wont work because they have a anti-emitter-cannon.
-some smart guy at the last moment-  Oh, know! they have a anti-emitter-cannon! wait! if we reverse the polarity of the icnosecpanizer we will save the day!

and they go on to save the day. the stupid writers can't even figure out something actually creative and ingenious  that the characters can do to save the day.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 03, 2008, 05:49:50 pm
Send in the redshirts. That's what i'd do.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 03, 2008, 08:00:33 pm
Send in the redshirts. That's what i'd do.

DEM reference, Colonel? ;)

A girl I know says she can do quite well in science. The problem was that she got sorted into a business course, which is mathematics-intensive. :nervous:
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Mars on August 03, 2008, 08:08:53 pm
Redshirts are expendable characters, not limited to DEM... it originates from star trek.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: CP5670 on August 03, 2008, 11:42:37 pm
A girl I know says she can do quite well in science. The problem was that she got sorted into a business course, which is mathematics-intensive. :nervous:

No business course is math intensive. :p
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Nuke on August 04, 2008, 02:55:38 am
i hate technobabble, thats why i started reading dune books :D
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 04, 2008, 05:15:24 am
I prefer history books or stuff that I've written for leisure. :p
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: NGTM-1R on August 04, 2008, 07:47:57 am
No business course is math intensive. :p

Insurance-related. (Stats classes everywhere!)

Or how 'bout that accounting career?
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: CP5670 on August 04, 2008, 09:58:31 am
No business course is math intensive. :p

Insurance-related. (Stats classes everywhere!)

Or how 'bout that accounting career?

That's not exactly math intensive though. :p What they typically do in business schools is applied statistics, some basic probability and linear optimization.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 04, 2008, 08:05:44 pm
Oh, wait, I also fancy reading the Top Gear magazine and Jeremy Clarkson's books as well.

...I STILL want Mein Kampf...
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Al Tarket on August 05, 2008, 02:06:39 am
i wouldn't want to hear too much technobabble otherwise i would be wanting to watch red vs blue for hours to forget it :D.
Title: Re: Technobabble
Post by: Snail on August 05, 2008, 02:37:53 am
...I STILL want Mein Kampf...
Yeah that sounds like a good read (would go with my "Dictator wannabee" reputation in RL too).