Special Relativity Redux

The Subjective "Now" Interpretation of Special Relativity Back Story In the Andromeda paradox (aka. Rietdijk–Putnam argument), we are given to understand that there's a certain faction of hostile actors in the Andromeda galaxy who want to invade the Earth. They have presented their case to their local council and the matter has been put to a vote. An astronomer on Earth observes the verdict through a telescope and, after correcting for the propagation delay, works out the time at which our fate was sealed. A passerby sees the same image at the same time, but having a skewed perception of simultaneity, arrives at a completely different conclusion. So when exactly did the verdict make the transition from the uncertain future to the certain past? i.e. When is "now" over there? Conventional Wisdom Conventional wisdom says the question is invalid. What you see is what you get. All perceptions of "now" over there are real because, unlike regular spacetime ev

The Brass Tacks of the Twin Paradox Back Story Remember Einstein’s Twin Paradox? Someone goes walkabout at near light speed and winds up younger than their twin who stayed at home. It seems like a conundrum wrapped in an enigma because the the experts insist that moving  clocks tick more slowly than one another. It's patent nonsense of course because you can't be both older and younger than your twin when you're standing face-to-face at the family reunion. So what's up with that? Are they pulling our proverbial legs? Here's the geometry in question: Conventional Wisdom You can find several explanations in the literature and on YouTube (see links below for example.) The general consensus is that  the symmetry is broken by the traveller's antics at the waypoint. The about face at that location is supposed to be the give-away. That's how we know whose clock is running slow. But naysayers with an ounce of common sense are quick to point out that we're being