You sound like a nice guy who has been working hard (though I think it's unlikely that you've legitimately "solved five outstanding problems in physics") and I would like to help you. I will try:
You have a problem, which is that most of the people who make claims like yours are cranks, which I'll define as "people who are emotionally committed to valueless ideas and with whom it is essentially impossible to have a productive conversation, and who are unaware that they are a crank." And most of the people who "could expertly read your papers" have had their time wasted by crank after crank, and gotten tired of it, so they have developed defenses. It's like the spam filter you probably use on your inbox. Maybe you really were given a lot of money by a stranger in Nigeria. It's barely conceivable, and if it's true, it could be very valuable to you. But you filter out such claims because (1) they are so unlikely to be true that the expected value of reading them is still negative, (2) you really have no choice in any event, because you get so many that if you read them all you wouldn't get anything else done.
Compounding your problem is that ideas like yours take a long time and a lot of effort to evaluate. For example, it's hard to understand general relativity - one has to commit some serious energy to it. If your ideas are right, they probably also take a lot of effort to evaluate. Here's the problem: you are not entitled to demand that effort of other people. Food, shelter, freedom, and medical care might be part of your birthright as a human being (though some disagree even as to that) but the right to have experts study your theories is definitely not included in that birthright. You're asking them to take time off from their own pursuits (like their own research, or spending time with their kids) to work on your pursuit. They might do it for a friend, or they might do it because they're curious, or they might do it because they think it could be valuable to them. But you're not entitled to it -- you have to figure out how to get them interested. The ball's in your court on that one.
So, you need to stop whining and develop the social skills that are necessary for a successful career in science. I am not a professional scientist, but many of my college friends are, and I have watched them struggle over the last decade to develop their social skills and their connections so that they can get their ideas understood and taken seriously. For some of them that's harder than their actual research -- but there's not much choice. It's part and parcel of the work. A researcher has two jobs, coming up with valuable ideas, and then getting other people interested in those ideas.
I wish I had some specific advice for you but I don't really know how it works in physics. But I'm sure that if you're really smart enough to solve "five outstanding problems in physics" then you'll be able to figure it if you apply yourself. A good first step might be to go to some physics conferences, meet some people who practice in your field, and befriend them. Show a lot of interest in their research, let them talk about it, ask intelligent questions (it's flattering when people do that.) Don't mention your own research - be vague ("oh, I've been interested in this aspect of gravitation too, which is why I'm so curious about your ideas.") Try to find small ways to help out the people you meet. If you do this for a while, you will eventually make some friends, or at least professional contacts. Then you will at least be able to ask them to take a serious look at your ideas. ("Hey, I wonder if you could help me out with something. I've had some ideas about [unsolved problem] and I know that you're an expert in it - it's always your name that comes up when I ask around. I'd love to get your opinion. Is there a time that we could chat for 15 or 20 minutes?") At least, that's what I'd do if I didn't have any contacts in a field, and needed to make some.
I'm well aware of the issues noted in your first two big paragraphs. These are the typical reasons given in the informal research I mentioned. It boils down to this reasoning: A purported solution to a major outstanding problem in physics is not worth reading, simply because the odds of it being correct are too small.
It's rude to suggest that I'm whining. All I've done here is stated my opinion and reported my relevant experiences. The same as you have.
The quest for publication (or even one other person knowing the solutions to these major problems) was over for me some years ago. I'm only responding to the topic at hand here. I've long been satisfied with my ideas being lost to science. I only ever wanted publication to share the ideas, not to gain anything for myself. The physics community has made it clear that it's not interested in such solutions; I accept that. And that's not whining.
You're right, saying that you were whining was out of line and I apologize for it. It is what I would say to my real-life friends to challenge them, but it is not appropriate with someone I don't know well and in any event it is not appropriate on Hacker News.
However, I hope you understand why I had that reaction. It is because you complained about how hard it is to get ideas like yours heard (and certainly "complaint" is a fair word for what you have written) rather than taking it as your responsibility to find a solution. I do take some offense at that, because I have some close friends that have worked very hard to become academically established so that they can find collaborators and get their ideas disseminated. You don't seem to value this work, or you consider it not worth your time. Rather than do it you are content to leave your work to "internet archaeologists" of a "more scientific" era.
Actually I agree with you that it's difficult to get revolutionary ideas heard (let alone funded), and that members of the scientific establishment sometimes go out of their way to stifle ideas that could threaten the theories on which they have built their careers. And today I think many professional academics would agree with you also. It's always been this way. What I admire is people who take this difficult terrain as a given and find a way to get to their destination anyway. These are the people that have driven human understanding forward. Of course it's hard, but it's an acknowledged part of the job description.
> What I admire is people who take this difficult terrain as a given and find a way to get to their destination anyway.
Same here. Alas, I'm not one of them. I'm not both a scientist and politician. Like a lot of folk on HN I have a software development background. I'm used to working in a field where ideas flow freely. I was shocked (in my naivete) to discover it's largely the opposite in science. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have bothered to write down my thoughts. I don't see much point in pushing something on an unreceptive community.
> Of course it's hard, but it's an acknowledged part of the job description.
"Complaint" was accurate, but "lament" is more so. It didn't used to be this way, not as hard as it is today. Scientists of yesteryear were more like hobbyists, like HNers. Now it's a cutthroat industry, with grant money and careers fiercely protected. I see that the advance of science, or physics at least, is slowed to a crawl as a result, even moving backwards in some cases.
As far as sharing ideas goes, I've redirected my energies to web development. It's way more rewarding!
I've done that, FWIW, which isn't much. The solutions will likely be lost to science. Perhaps a future internet archaeologist will find and disseminate them to a more scientific audience.
I understand that frustration can be hard to deal with but this attitude really doesn't advance your cause. No one likes to talk to whiny emo people. (Except at goth clubs where it can be kind of fun.)
But I'm not frustrated, nor whining. I have no cause to advance; I no longer seek publication of my ideas.
Your comment demonstrates the following thinking I've seen in today's scientific community though: If you have anything to say against blanket rejection of ideas based on subject matter, you're an even bigger crackpot (or whiner) than we assumed you were.
Linking would be going too far off topic, which I won't do. It would indicate an ulterior motive I don't have.
You'd need at least a good laymen's background in relativity theory to understand my work. If you have that, you can give me a way to contact you and I'll do that after this discussion has scrolled off others' lists.
