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Time Traveling Donuts

Friends,
General relativity has some weird implications. Concepts like length contraction (the faster you go the shorter you get) and a speed limit for the universe (how fast light moves in a vacuum) are among the counterintuitive implications of Einstein’s theory. Lately, I’ve been pondering time dilation. The notion that time can move slower for super-fast moving objects, or for objects that are subjected to immense gravity. Moving at the speed of light or standing at the event horizon of a black hole, time stands still. But what if the minimum speed limit for time isn’t zero? What if it were possible to make time move backwards? Suppose you start moving faster than light. Would your watch run counterclockwise? Might that explain dark matter… is it just regular matter moving backwards in time? Could the same be true for gravity? Once you reach infinite gravity, you cross a threshold where time moves backwards? Might that explain dark energy –the force that is tearing the universe apart? Through the black hole, negative gravity… These are, of course, fanciful ideas with a very loose foundation in theoretical physics (much like those TV shows “based on real events”). I am most likely delving into the world of pure fiction. Not unlike the gentleman who believes the earth is shaped like a donut. My sister said this bizarre article made her think of me – I can’t imagine why. Speaking of donuts, you should have one.
Happy Friday!

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