Surfer dude stuns physicists with theory of everything — notes that
An impoverished surfer has drawn up a new theory of the universe, seen by some as the Holy Grail of physics, which has received rave reviews from scientists. ... The new theory reported today in New Scientist has been laid out in an online paper entitled “An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything“ by Lisi, who completed his doctorate in theoretical physics in 1999 at the University of California, San Diego. He has high hopes that his new theory could provide what he says is a ‘radical new explanation’ for the three decade old Standard Model, which weaves together three of the four fundamental forces of nature: the electromagnetic force; the strong force, which binds quarks together in atomic nuclei; and the weak force, which controls radioactive decay.
Note that Lisi can’t get any patents on his idea, because it’s too abstract. But waitasec... how can this be? The supporters of IP say that there can be no innovation without the patent system to “incentivize” people... this guy has some nerve, just thinking up stuff like this, without even being offered a government monopoly to do it, and publishing his paper on the Internet, for everyone to read, .... free! And, without even having the decency to have his paper peer reviewed, or published in paper! What an insult to the brave men and women of the patent corps and peer reviewers everywhere.
