The thought crosses my mind that if you change your perspective, then
VSL makes sense.
Consider the classic "Relativistic speed space ship" / "time
dilation"...but view it as time has to remain constant.
That makes distance traveled per unit time change....which is "speed"

On Sun, Aug 5, 2018 at 9:24 PM, Richard Aiken <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 5, 2018 at 6:42 AM, Tim <xxxxxx@little-possums.net> wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, Aug 05, 2018 at 04:56:42AM -0400, Richard Aiken wrote:
>> > Of course, not that many real world scientists support VSL, but it
>> > appears
>> > to solve a lot of basic problems.
>>
>> Such theories solve some minor concerns with models of the almost
>> unobservable early universe, while throwing out practically everything
>> else we already model in the current universe.
>
>
> The video didn't seem to be dealing with minor issues. It repeatedly used
> the image of a pencil balanced on it's point and a thrown ball never coming
> down to illustrate how the current state of the universe requires an
> *extremely* precise balance of forces, something hard to credit happening by
> random chance. But if the speed of light is variable over time, then this
> extreme precision becomes unremarkable. In such a case, vacuum produces or
> destroys mass and energy as needed, in order to maintain balance. It seems
> to me that it's much easier to credit the latter continuing process rather
> than the former incredible accident.
>
>>
>> > [As I understand it, while the speed of light varies over time, the
>> > scale
>> > of time involved is so massive relative to the change in velocity that -
>> > for all practical purposes for us living people - the speed of light is
>> > effectively constant.]
>>
>> All the theories I've seen so far have to explain why even small
>> variations aren't observed in modern times, since we do have rather
>> precise measurements with a wide variety of methodologies.  That
>> usually means radically redefining what is meant by "distance".
>
>
> In searching for another video on this topic, I came across mention of the
> controversy of the removal of a TEDx talk which touched peripherally upon
> it. In reading about that controversy, I came across mention of the fact
> that many of these studies do show such variations. Apparently, these
> variations are simply written off as observational error. Yet when it was
> merely suggested that a specific study be conducted to *confirm* that this
> was in fact the case, said suggestion was roundly ignored.
>
>>
>> In short, they're the sort of theories that cause more problems than
>> they solve.
>
>
> Not sure what problems they cause, other than that they perturb the current
> orthodoxy.
>
>>
>>   They aren't necessarily wrong, but they're mostly
>> complicated, ad-hoc matched to sketchy data, and there's no real
>> reason to believe them.
>
>
> Sure there is! They let things like contragravity seem possible! :)
>
>>
>>   What's more in all of the theories of this
>> type proposed seriously by physicists, the constraints and symmetries
>> of relativity still hold for all practical purposes.
>
>
> Of course they do! Just as they do in the OTU, except for the specific
> exceptions of jump drive, gravity manipulation and psionics!
>
> --
> Richard Aiken
>
> "Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein
> "I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the
> conviction there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as
> Muhammed." Alexis de Tocqueville
> "We know a little about a lot of things; just enough to make us dangerous."
> Dean Winchester (fictional monster hunter portrayed by Jensen Ackles)
> "It has been my experience that a gun doesn't care who pulls its trigger."
> Newton Knight (as portrayed by Matthew McConaughey), to a scoffing
> Confederate tax collector facing the weapons held by Knight's young children
> and wife.
>
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