Them old quantum gravity, topological quantum field thereah blues

[marcus]

J. Scott Carter from The University of Southern Alabama is a great new QG-TQFT blues performer
See and listen here:
http://scienceblogs.com/pontiff/2007/12/quantum_gravity_topological_qu.php
Thanks to Dave Bacon!
Here is the song text:

The Quantum Gravity Topological Quantum Field Theory Blues

I've been calculating
I said I've been calculating
calculating all night long
Got a quasi- triangular Hopf algebra
and I wrote down the coproduct wrong.

I've been integrating
integrating the whole day through
I said I've been integrating
integrating the whole day through
Got a Chern-Simons functional integral
and its convergent, too.

I've been writing down knot diagrams
converting them to braids
Using the Alexander isotopy
you know I'm not afraid
I've been
assigning modules
to each of these six strings
been doin' it for weeks now
and I still don't understand a thing.

chorus:
I've got them old Quantum Gravity
Topological Quantum Field Theory Blues
I've got them old Quantum Gravity
Topological Quantum Field Theory Blues
And without NSF funding I think that you would, too.

I've been [gen'rul]-izing
to the higher dimensional case
I've been [gen'rul]-izing
to the higher dimensional case.
I've got two-categorical indices
running up and down the place.

(repeat chorus)

John Baez has some good words about Scott Carter's work (which helped to guide his own approach to Quantum Gravity back when he was actively doing QG research). He gives a link to the Youtube video and most of the lyrics as well.
http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2007/12/the_qgtqft_blues.html

 

[marcus]

In the same blues mood, after he gives the Scott Carter lyrics, John Baez talks about his decision to change over from QG research to n-categories (where he has been making measurable progress over the past several years).
I don't know any details but I think he decided to take leave of QG research back around 2005 and continued on supporting the PhD students he had then, in their QG research, until they all finished their disertations and got their degrees.

So there's more to this blog-entry than just the Carter lyrics.
http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2007/12/the_qgtqft_blues.html

It turns out that EDGE editor John Brockman has decided that the annual Edge New Year's Question this year will be WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT, AND WHY? . And what Baez just posted is his response.

The responses of other insightful noteworthies will soon be posted at edge.org

http://www.edge.org/

all the website has now is a teaser "Coming soon the 2008 Edge Annual Question!" owtte