Regarding Sanet’s letter, the speed of light having a constant value is at the heart of relativity and has been built into modern quantum theories of the fundamental forces. Nevertheless, there are some researchers who have been looking into the possibility that the speed of light could change on cosmological time­scales. This would have other implications for cosmological problems and has been used by some to try to explain why the universe looks so smooth on very large scales. But it is very difficult to create a theory in which the speed of light can vary. For now, there is a lot of evidence in support of conventional relativity, and so that is the favored theory.

Balancing Fact?
“Finding Balance,” by Brendan Borrell [News Scan], reports on evidence for the theory, posited by Thomas Stoffregen of the University of Minnesota, that motion sickness is caused by poor posture control. Borrell states that Stoffregen hopes to further test his theory by having subjects float in water, where “the human body becomes passively stable, and postural control is no longer an issue,” making motion sickness “impossible.” I am a frequent scuba diver and have been diving with many who get sick while floating on the surface in rough seas. Less common but still frequent are people who get seasick while underwater in mostly shallow depths of around 25 feet when there is “surge” (back-and-forth water movement).
Chris Albertson
Redondo Beach, Calif.

STOFFREGEN REPLIES: Motion sickness while floating on the water is not surprising, as people will try to hold their head above the water. When the head is held out of the water, it is not passively stable. More interesting is people having motion sickness while fully submerged in shallow water that is moving. Moving water could lead to unstable control of the body, especially if people are trying to maintain visual contact with something. In this case, water motion would tend to push the body around, destabilizing the attempted visual fixation.

My proposal for testing our theory is to place people (fully submerged) at neutral buoyancy in calm and stationary water and to show them visual motion stimuli representing things that are effective at making people sick on land. If people get sick underwater but exhibit instability before becoming sick, we would have a confirmation of the theory, together with the disappointing realization that water immersion cannot permit “hard” theory testing after all.

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Letters."

7 Comments

1. 1. basudeba 07:57 PM 7/24/09

   The expanding universe is a myth at the present level of evolution. It is apparent due to the rotation and revolution of the Galactic system. The present observation could be explained by these phenomenon just like in the evenning we find the Sun-light deeming creating a haze and the Sun grow in size. Further, the idea that we are not in a privilleged position is a myth. The so-called expansion is not uniform in all directions for all observers. Yet, in the beginning, there was an expansion.
   
   basudeba

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2. 2. mike hunt 12:37 PM 7/27/09

   silly rabit trix are kids

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3. 3. mike hunt 12:38 PM 7/27/09

   silly rabit trix are for kids, leggo my eggo

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4. 4. fbjbvjfkjvdfkvnjfkdn 12:47 PM 7/27/09

   u fagget dicks are for chicks

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5. 5. haroldkraus 03:43 PM 7/27/09

   STOP THE GALILEO TYPE OPPOSITION TO GAGUT!!!
   
   
   
   
   
   GAGUT:
   
   
   
   
   
   G ij,j = 0
   
   
   GOD ORDAINED PROF. G. OYIBO AS THE GREATEST GENIUS THROUGH THE GOD ALMIGHTYS GRAND UNIFIED
   
   THEOREM (GAGUT) OF EVERYTHING , REVEALED (1990) BY GOD TO PROF. G. OYIBO THAT PROVED THE
   
   FOLLOWING RADICAL TRUTHS:
   
   
   � GOD EXISTS AS THE ONE UNBOUNDED SPACE OF INTELLIGENCE CALLED THE UNIVERSE THAT CANNOT
   
   EXPAND.
   
   
   � AFRICROGEN (AFRICA THE ORIGIN), THE RIGHT NAME FOR HYDROGEN (HIDE THE ORIGIN) IS THE ONLY
   
   ELEMENT (NOT 118 ELEMENTS AS BELIEVED CURRENTLY).
   
   
   � G ij,j = 0 IS THE ONLY ONE CORRECT EQUATION (NOT INFINITE NUMBER OF EQUATIONS AS BELIEVED
   
   CURRENTLY) IN MATH AND ALL KNOWLEDGE.
   
   
   JOIN HARVARD UNIVERSITY BY DEMANDING THAT ALL EDUCATION BE REVISED TO ALLOW THE STUDYING
   
   OF GAGUT JUST AS EDUCATION WAS REVISED TO ALLOW THE STUDYING OF SUN (NOT EARTH) AS THE
   
   CENTER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM (RADICAL TRUTH) DISCOVERED BY COPERNICUS, AND PROPAGATED BY
   
   GALILEO AND OTHERS. CALL OFAPPIT INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR T-SHIRTS, BOOKS, AND COURSES
   
   AT (631)-242-3069 WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/IGALA1.
   
   
   
   LEARN AND TEACH THE ONLY REAL TRUTH CALLED GOD ALMIGHTYS GRAND UNIFIED THEOREM (GAGUT),
   
   G ij,j = 0, THE ONLY ONE CORRECT EQUATION FOR EVERYTHING, PAST,
   
   PRESENT AND FUTURE (NOT UNCOUNTABLE NUMBER OF EQUATIONS AS BELIEVED CURRENTLY).
   
   
   � NEWTON HAS PROVED THAT GRAVITY IS CONSERVED THROUGH
   
   TRANSFORMATION GIVEN BY:
   
   G m1m2 - Fr2 = 0
   
   
   � EINSTEIN HAS PROVED THAT MASS IS CONSERVED THROUGH
   
   TRANSFORMATION GIVEN BY:
   
   MC2 - E =0
   
   
   � OYIBO HAS PROVED THAT GOD AND EVERYTHING (NOT JUST GRAVITY
   
   AND MASS) IS CONSERVED THROUGH TRANSFORMATION GIVEN BY:
   
   G ij,j = 0
   
   � GAGUT HENCE IS THE ONE AND ONLY CORRECT UNIVERSAL EQUATION
   
   AND LAW THAT SHOULD BE STUDIED BY EVERY ONE.
   
   
   � GAGUT CONSTITUTES A RADICAL REVOLUTION OF EDUCATION AND
   
   KNOWLEDGE.
   
   � OPPOSITIONS AGAINST GAGUTS RADICAL REVOLUTION ARE CURRENTLY VERY STRONG AND SIMILAR TO
   
   THE OPPOSITIONS AGAINST DISCOVERY OF SUN (NOT EARTH) AS THE CENTER OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
   
   (RADICAL TRUTH) BY COPERNICUS AND PROPAGATED BY GALILEO.
   
   
   �JOIN HARVARD UNIVERSITY BY DEMANDING THAT ALL SCHOOLS LEARN GAGUT G ij,j = 0, THE ONLY
   
   CORRECT EQUATION AND KNOWLEDGE REVEALED BY GOD THROUGH PROF. G. OYIBO. CALL OFAPPIT
   
   INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR T-SHIRTS, BOOKS, AND COURSES AT (631)-242-3069
   
   WWW.GEOCITIES.COM/IGALA1.

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6. 6. dogrobber4 05:10 PM 8/10/09

   Concerning your article in last months issue on our universe expanding faster than it's suppose to. Could it be simply that as the galaxies become further apart from one another, their attraction to each other is halfed. As in a magnetic field? You double the distance and have one-quarter the pull. And what about the idea of momentum creating waves across space/time pushing things apart? I mean atoms spin, planets spin, solar systems spin, galaxies spin. So why can't the known universe be spinning? Or perhaps all the spinning of the atoms on up to galaxies is like a gigantic cosmic engine sending out "mometum waves" to warp space/time. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around "dark matter", do we have to go back to the "ether of space" idea?

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7. 7. Pedrowen 12:55 PM 11/10/09

   Still thinking about the haroldkraus comment!?

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