Links for 2006-01-07

For once, that New Scientist cover story isn’t behind a paywall, so here’s a link: Take A Leap Into Cyberspace.
It’s quite enthusiastic, and it does look like there may be some promise, but here’s some of the more worrying quotes for those of you hoping to breakfast on Mars:

Following Heim theory is hard work even without Dr√∂scher’s extension, says Markus P√∂ssel, a theoretical physicist at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam, Germany. Several years ago, while an undergraduate at the University of Hamburg, he took a careful look at Heim theory. He says he finds it “largely incomprehensible”, and difficult to tie in with today’s physics. “What is needed is a step-by-step introduction, beginning at modern physical concepts,” he says.

The general consensus seems to be that Dr√∂scher and H√§user’s theory is incomplete at best, and certainly extremely difficult to follow. And it has not passed any normal form of peer review, a fact that surprised the AIAA prize reviewers when they made their decision.