Science in general and physics in particular are nothing if not spectacular. They are so full of visual possibilities and yet traditional universities work assiduously to make it drab and dense.
Studying physics and chemistry at the university level in the late 1970s along with my childhood friend Paresh Pandya we used to frequently talk about what it would be to make physics like a visual drama and how it would transform our understanding of it.
Our professors, albeit well-meaning, were staggering bores when it came to teaching physics and chemistry. More often than not their default expression could be described as “WTF” decades before the expression was coined; as in “WTF are you doing here?”
They could not care less that physics and chemistry—or for that matter most branches of the sciences—are fraught with dramatic visual representation. It is from this standpoint that I am thrilled to enroll in the well-known theoretical physicist Brian Greene’s highly promising World Science University. It is an entirely free online university that anyone with any or no understanding of science can join and hope to strengthen one’s understanding about the universe and what animates it.
World Science U is a terrific idea whose time has more than come. With an astonishing convergence of digital and communication technologies the world of online virtual education stands completely transformed. These are indeed magical times and only those with no imagination would fail to see that.
While a surly professor scratching the surface of the blackboard with a frequently breaking chalk had its purpose and time, that purpose and time are now long over. It is absolutely essential that broadband is made a basic human right around the world so that everyone everywhere can hope to be part of this spectacular revolution.
Even if you discount that I am a sucker for science and visuals, I think World Science U should be made a required viewing for humanity generally. One understands that as a percentage of the global population very few are inclined to pursue science as a career but it is important to be aware of the basic elements of a truly mysterious universe that we all are a part of. Of course, there is no punishment for living life utterly clueless. I am sure there is some peculiar fun there too but that is not the life I have chosen. Hence I have enrolled at World Science U.
As an aside let me share this true blue nerd funny joke that Paresh sent me.
Q: Why are quantum physicists so poor at sex?
A: Because when they find the position, they can't find the momentum, and when they have the momentum, they can't find the position.
I refuse to explain that.