The hunt for Dark Matter unleashed its questions around the same time as everyone was getting interested in Higgs. This coincidental synergy has created a spin of ideas and ideologies in many different fields, among a social maelstrom of discontent and distrust in traditional systems and a palpable impatience for a new order of thought.

Out there in the wide world beyond our windows, facts and fabrications blend together to offer science and humanity a new relationship. Art and physics are forging links, as here at Symmetry Magazine which single-handedly blazed a trail for wider coalitions, with competitions to reach an audience beyond the standard model community. Questions are asked of quantum sentience and capability - from computing to cosmology, new issues erupt and the flow therefrom touches more and more people as this wave of wonderment gathers pace. 

We're on the move, make no mistake. The coming of Comet Ison may herald a year ahead to rival the year of Hale Bopp - 1997 was a torrent of change for everyone, myself included. What lies ahead is naturally uncertain, but uncertainty itself is part of the panorama and we can afford to get excited. 

While we temper our enthusiasm for the undetermined with a cynicism we've come to expect from ourselves, it's worth considering the fact pointed out to me the other day, that films about our future paint it rather black. Technology outstrips humanity and we're all doomed to inhabit a cluster of what's left in the aftermath of techno-wars. Bad guys cook up obscene plots to subjugate society (so what's new?) and we have to battle out of traps using our wits and wads of C4.  

What if we were to think a little differently, given the new toolkit at our disposal? What if we were to take on board the prospect of a bright future where we've evolved our thinking past the power of False God Finance and learned to use the resources we have left with wisdom and respect? Yeah, sure, there'll be battles. 

But our furtherance isn't all about faster moves and cognitive telepathy. Realistically, It's probably got a lot to do with electrons, neutrinos, gravity, dark energy, and our relationship with the plethora of forces and materials which the Universe has given us the keys to understand.

Interestingly, the Higgs Boson discovery and the smashing of Tempel 1 by NASA's Deep Impact probe both happened on July 4th - Independence Day.

We all have access to Universal intel; it's not the exclusive privilege of a few. Scientists talk in formulas and strange forms of language designed to keep their territory obscure and untouched by Muggles. 
In our DNA there are codes which make sense, if we can only find a way to make sense of them.

Months ago I wrote to Brian Cox berating him for decrying other people's faith in the Uncertainty Principle. His book The Quantum Universe (with Jeff Forshaw) reads on page 54:
"Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle is one of the most misunderstood parts of quantum theory, a doorway through which all sorts of charlatans and purveyors of tripe can force their philosophical musings." A statement I find remarkably offensive, as he has no rights of exclusivity to universal law.
Today, possibly thanks to the tweets I have been sending him lately, I received a reply. One side of the card carried this picture, while on the other a typeset of the generic kind said politely:

"Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, because I get asked a lot of questions, I can't answer them all individually, but I appreciate your interest in science." 

I immediately wondered if he'd have had an answer to offer me, had he considered my letter in the first place.

What you see above is a Cone of Uncertainty, which looks (to any scientist versed in basic physics) very much like a light cone. There is currently, thanks to the Dark Matter hunt, a lot of uncertainty as to what light can actually do, and one of the most intriguing theories is that photons (light particles) can oscillate (morph) into dark matter particles, making light and dark two sides of the same coin. 
Rocket science? No, clearly not.

My letter to Prof Cox was not so much a question as an accusation. Nobody, I argued, has exclusive rights to the Uncertainty Principle. This is probably the most powerful tool held by the Universe, underpinning all options available to be reality and ensuring that no reality is replicated, thereby preserving uniqueness. We are all evidence of uniqueness at work - our lifetimes, experiences and viewpoints - all unique, all subject to uncertainty. (I signed this letter, several months ago, "I look forward to the uncertainty of your reply." Since none had arrived when I was final-editing the book, the non-arrival of a reply is mentioned in print.)

Tonight, before opening the envelope in which his postcard arrived, I'd watched Men In Black lll with my daughters (MiaandtheMoon), Shaun and Sam. The film's cute character Griffin explains everything about my version of uncertainty.


To my mind, the mind is the most important tool we have in our quest to connect with who we are and what we are capable of, and to the Universe which allows us an infinite array of opportunites. My job is to follow the track which I continue to be convinced is correct. Every time I deliver another successful programme, I know my track is the right one for me, and I am extremely glad of the people who join me in sharing the exploration.

One day, Brian, our paths may cross. I'd love to argue with you in front of people who are free to make up their own minds about constants, constraints and uncertainties. I will happily wager my ability to stand firm in public support of the quantum world's allegiance to who we are, and what we are capable of. Our allegiance, too, matters greatly to our collective future. No amount of uncertainty about the future is going to dent my enthusiasm for baptisms of fire. I have Apophis on my side, and allegiances don't come any darker than that.