February 14, 2008
My Terps lost to the hated Dukies 77-65 last night, in a game I barely watched. Vitale and Patrick had the call, and were their usual intolerable selves, and I needed to do some cooking for today's physics department luncheon, so I was in the kitchen more than in front of the tv. A few observations…
February 13, 2008
Highly Allochthonous : Battleships in space!
The importance of "Pre-Atomic" steel.
(tags: physics nuclear history science space)
Particle physicists plumb the depths for Roman lead - 13 July 1991 - New Scientist
"Pre-Atomic" steel is for wimps-- real experiments use ancient lead...
(tags:…
February 13, 2008
I'm not hugely enthusiastic about the ResearchBlogging.org project, but it's a little ridiculous that they've been active for weeks now, and there still isn't a single post in the "Physics" category. If they're going to offer the category link, something ought to come up when you click it, so let's…
February 13, 2008
I didn't see the game last night, as I got distracted by some other tasks, but North Carolina narrowly beat Virginia last night, on a late jump hook by Tyler Hansbrough. This might seem surprising, given that UVA was .500 on the season, and 1-8 in the league, and indeed, the AP describes it that…
February 12, 2008
Jacks of Science â Bring Love to the Lab with a Science Valentine
Love notes for the deeply dorky
(tags: silly pictures science)
telophase: AWESOMETASTIC MANGA OF AWESOMENESS
A comic book about people who REALLY love trains and the boxed lunches you can buy in Japanese train stations. Don't…
February 12, 2008
Over at Musical Perceptions, Scott has something that seems like a "meme": go to the Metropolitan Opera archives and see what they were playing on the day you were born (keyword search with your birth date written out).
For me, the answer was "Concert Cavalleria Rusticana {471}."
You know, this…
February 12, 2008
Chris and Sheril have been working tirelessly to make a Presidential Science Debate happen, and there's been real progress:
ScienceDebate2008 is now co-sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academies, and the Council on Competitiveness. We were looking…
February 12, 2008
I don't get this Internet thing. I was sure that yesterday's dog dialogue about evolution would generate some traffic, if only from biologists whining that I didn't explain evolution correctly. But-- nothing. I guess I failed to include the magic attention-generating phrase-- "Darwin Day" or "…
February 11, 2008
heathervescent: Powerpoint Karaoke - The g33k way
A new party game for geeks and academics.
(tags: academia games silly meetings)
Unasked-For Advice to New Writers About Money
"[W]hen it comes to money -- and specifically their own money -- writers have as much sense as chimps on crack."
(tags…
February 11, 2008
I'm sitting at the computer, reading blogs, when the dog comes up to me. "Hey, can I ask a question?" she says.
"Sure, go ahead."
"What's the deal with evolution?"
"Evolution, huh? Well, I'm not a biologist, you understand, but the basic idea is that every creature we see today originated from…
February 11, 2008
Via Inside Higher Ed, the Boston Globe reports that the Pentagon opposes increasing GI Bill funding. Why? Because if they gave them full tuition, eligible soldiers might not re-enlist:
Now, five years into the Iraq conflict, a movement is gathering steam in Washington to boost the payout of the GI…
February 10, 2008
Clothes Make Working for the Man Easier
A better take on academic dress.
(tags: academia society)
Gotta do this « Confused at a higher level
I want those flip books...
(tags: physics education academia science)
Deltoid: Bed Nets and artemisinin dramatically decrease malaria
Good news from…
February 10, 2008
Kate and I will be attending Boskone agains next week, and the preliminary program has been posted. Kate's posted her thoughts on what looks interesting, and mine are below the fold:
Friday 7pm Otis: The Rise of Modern Science
What happened in the Middle Ages which led to the rise of modern…
February 9, 2008
Book Vs. Film Special Mega Bonus Edition: I Am Legend | The A.V. Club
An exhaustive discussion of four movie adaptations of Richard Matheson's novella.
(tags: books movies SF)
5 Retro Commercials Companies Would Like You to Forget | Cracked.com
"Come with us on a magical adventure of sexism,…
February 9, 2008
In the middle of reviewing the top ten songs from Feb 7, 1987, which includes the Georgia Satellites at #7, Jason Hare offers us a list:
Artists I'd Like To Hear Cover "Keep Your Hands to Yourself":
Andrea Bocelli
Barbra Streisand
Anita Baker
Smokey Robinson
Tom Waits
Beverly Sills
Glass Tiger…
February 8, 2008
Pure Pedantry : Friday Rants: People
Bill Hicks: "We're a virus with shoes."
(tags: blogs society stupid silly)
YouTube - Gnarls Barkley Crazy Theremin Jam
A cover of "Crazy" with the vocals replaced by a theremin.
(tags: music video youtube)
A Call for Professional Attire :: Inside Higher Ed…
February 8, 2008
Henry Farrell is doing some substantive political science blogging over at the Monkey Cage, looking at a paper by his co-blogger Eszter Hargittai and her colleagues. They did a really imprssive amount of work to look at the linking habits of liberal and conservative bloggers, and Henry zeroes in on…
February 8, 2008
I'm currently serving as one of the faculty members involved with a new-ish residential life initiative aimed at raising the intellectual tone around campus. A big part of this is trying to get faculty members to do things in the campus housing spaces. This has all the logistical hassles you would…
February 7, 2008
birds are gross - rosemary mosco
The awesome turkey vulture.
(tags: comics biology science silly)
nanoscale views: Combined single-molecule electronics and optics
"The two-sentence summary: we can do simultaneous electronic and optical measurements on single molecules (!) by using our…
February 7, 2008
"Hey, whatcha doin'?"
"Making breakfast."
"I don't know if you know this, but I like toast."
"Really? You don't say."
"Was that sarcasm? I'm not so good with sarcasm."
"No, I just never would've guessed from the way you gaze longingly at the counter every morning..."
"OK, that's definitely sarcasm…
February 6, 2008
John Cleese | The A.V. Club
"The A.V. Club recently had a loose, freewheeling conversation with the comedy icon about the flaws in Monty Python films, roles accepted and rejected, James Bond, the shortcomings of organized religion and studio executives, and why he doesn't much care
(tags: movies…
February 6, 2008
The good news: the first UNC-Duke game of the year is tonight. It's a little less interesting than it might be, as Carolina guard Ty Lawson has a sprained ankle and the Tar Heels are nowhere near as good without him, but it's still likely to be a good game, and the atmosphere is always great.
The…
February 5, 2008
WD5 most likely missed Mars, but we may never know - The Planetary Society Blog | The Planetary Society
The asteroid is now officially lost.
(tags: astronomy planets space science)
Saint Gasoline » Blog Archive » The Allegory of the Trolley Problem Paradox
Or, Why You Shouldn't Major in…
February 5, 2008
I'm going to be giving a bunch of presentations in the coming year, mostly using PowerPoint on my Tablet PC. One of the awkward things about using it in class is that I have to keep walking back across the room to change slides (I prefer physically pointing at the screen to waving a laser pointer…
February 5, 2008
I'm registered as an independent, so I can't vote in either of the primaries today (and I like it that way). If you are an American registered with one party or the other, though, and in a state holding a primary today, go vote.
End of civic duty nag.
February 5, 2008
The Paper of Record reports on a science debate, of sorts:
On one side of a vaunted cultural divide were Doug Liman, director of the coming movie "Jumper," about a young man who discovers he can transport himself anywhere he wants just by thinking about it, and Hayden Christensen, the film's star.…
February 5, 2008
It's Hugo nomination season again, which means that I need to come up with a list of works to suggest for SF's premier fan-voted award. It also means that there are lots of publications out there putting out lists of recommended works to help potential Hugo voters narrow their ballots.
Last year,…
February 4, 2008
Acephalous: At the Single Happiest Moment of My Professional Career ...
"Please snap the most unflattering photograph of me possible. "
(tags: football silly pictures)
The knights who say "nerd": 20 pop-cultural obsessions even geekier than Monty Python | The A.V. Club
"20. Fanfic: Because…
February 4, 2008
I'll be on programming at Boskone again this year, and got my preliminary schedule over the weekend:
Satur 10am Tunguska at 100
Guy Consolmagno, Jeff Hecht, Chad Orzel
On June 30, 1908, an exploding asteroid leveled 2000 square kilometers of Siberian forest, producing a fireball from the…
February 4, 2008
Pro:
1) THE GIANTS WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!!!! w00t!
2) Michael Strahan and Amani Toomer get championship rings, which is particularly sweet, because they suffered through some really awful teams.
3) Eli Manning drinks for free in the tri-state area. This'll buy him at least six months of peace and…
