Puppets On A String? Are We Being Strung Along?

String Theory: For going on four decades now, some theoretical physicists have abandoned the traditional standard model of particle physics, substituting String Theory or Superstring Theory or M-Theory in its place. All this says is that the fundamental particles are just tiny vibrating strings and not tiny billiard balls. Alas, they have talked-the-talk, and talked-the-talk, and talked-the-talk some more, all to no avail in terms of showing the world on an actual string. The only contribution has been to increase global warming (lots and lots of hot air) and fill up physics journals with multi-thousands of papers on the (apparently) rather non-existent subject. That’s good for the publishers, so that’s one positive outcome, but that’s about it.

Extra Dimensions: Theoretical string physicists have also had to talk-the-talk with respect to there having to exist extra dimensions, for without them, string theorists find themselves all tied up in knots. String Theory requires lots of additional spatial dimensions, roughly an extra six or so. Of course nobody has yet managed to walk-the-walk and exhibit an extra dimension or two or six, so dear reader, should you happen to stumble across an extra spatial dimension or two or six, walk-the-walk to your nearest theoretical physicist with the bona-fides and demand your share of their eventual Nobel Prize money.