catdynamics | July 19, 2009is it similar to the ones from yesteryear?
Could Jupiter have just been hit by a sizable comet?
Again?
Anthony Wesley at 15:54 UT from Australia.
Notes new dark spot near Jupiter's south pole.
Morphologically similar, in visible, to chain of spots seen after the Shoemaker-Levy/9 impacts
from www.acquerra.com.au - A. Wesley - click to embiggen
The dark spot, near the top of the image, is similar to the spots seen on Jupiter in 1994 after it was hit by comet Shoemaker-Levy/9.
So, the conjecture is, that this spot may also be due to an impact, by a comet or asteroid which snuck up on…
catdynamics | July 14, 2009Congratulations to SpaceX
Falcon 1 from SpaceX launched successfully on July 13th.
Launch placed Razaksat (Malaysian reconsat in near equatorial orbit) in orbit.
If the Falcon 9 maiden flight is successful later this year, or soon thereafter, well then we are really talking.
catdynamics | July 14, 2009Frabjous day.
Marchons, marchons!
A major financial institution announces, at last, it has become profitable again
This is rather good since Goldman Sachs allegedly had their proprietary high frequency trading code stolen.
This was very serious, since, according to the prosecutor, the code could enable unscrupulous people to unfairly manipulate the markets.
So we better make sure only Goldman Sachs has a copy of the code, since they wouldn't use their privileged positions as a Supplementary Liquidity Provider to do anything unfair in the markets.
This will also hopefully preclude any more…
catdynamics | July 10, 2009"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us..."
Well, Penn State has a budget.
Or, actually it has two budgets, with the possibility of creating a linearly interpolated hybrid budget between the two budgets.
It depends, you see, on whether the Governor Rendell's budget proposal passes, or that of…
catdynamics | July 7, 2009``The King with half the East at heel is marched from land of morning;
Their fighters drink the rivers up, their shafts benight the air,
And he that stands will die for nought, and home there's no returning.
The Spartans on the sea-wet rock sat down and combed their hair.''
Full text of letter with signatures and footnotes (PDF)
July 6, 2009
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
The three hundred signers of this letter write to you as members of the US National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, and as professors at the University…
catdynamics | June 29, 2009This is going to hurt...
Not a lot of people know it, but the Pennsylvania State University is not the State University of Pennsylvania - along with Pitt, Temple and Lincoln, we have long existed in a mixed state, oscillating gently between the private and state eigenstates, maximizing uncertainty.
Now we get bitten - not only is PA's governor proposing a 13% cut in our state contributed budget (which is less than 1% of our actual budget, but cuts hurt on the margin), but the gov is claiming the stimulus funding does not apply to these four, only the State University.
I somehow don't think…
catdynamics | June 26, 2009Did I mention I am catching up on some stuff?
I came across some interesting bits in Science recently:
Icelandic sheep really are special - we always knew this, nice to see it confirmed by modern science... (free abs)
Nice article on horse colour selection in same issue
Decent discussion on NASA cost overruns
Science robots - NYT article on this and this - er, chaps, are we sure this is really such a good idea?
Fe/N/C catalyst for a PEM fuel cell - that is almost as good as Pt/C, but cheaper. Now to make it stable, and little bit better...
Persistent North Atlantic Oscillations driving…
catdynamics | June 26, 2009I'm kinda behind on this blogging thing, but here's some stuff other people have done to amuse y'all
Abtruse Goose - like xkcd good
Lord of the Finances - a First Draft - like this good
More simplified finanical truths - it is ok, really, it is not like Goldman Sachs would destroy the US economy just so their senior partners could get higher bonuses for one more year...
Bear Music - polyphonic rendition of the time series of market prices for the four great bear markets of this century - a real downer
Someone is stepping up the pace on Alpha Cen
- Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists…
catdynamics | June 25, 2009Icelander responds to housing and car loan crisis in classical style
for a berserker
from IceNews
and he did it on independence day.
I keep telling you, Iceland is just way ahead of everyone else!
RUV news item
Article in visir.is
ok, here it is in english from icenews
with video
60 something, lost house and car to the bank, had the demolition professionally videotaped, when he faced eviction.
He had also apparently defrauded a family of 10 million ISK on a deal for a pre-fab house.
clearing away the debris,
estimated value was about 50 million ISK.
h/t Iceland Weather Report
catdynamics | June 25, 2009does this thing still work?
some mood music
foreshadowing....
tomorrow will be fun
catdynamics | June 21, 2009Prof. Steinn, now that you have spent six months as a member of KITP, what will you do next?
Me?
I'm going to Disneyland!!!
Aaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!!
catdynamics | June 19, 2009NASA has announced the selection of the Small Explorer Missions for the current round of competition.
And the winners are...
The Small Explorer class missions are small (under $105 million including MODA but excluding launcher) fast science missions, there was a competition for two slots, with six concepts selected for further study last year. Final selection was just announced
IRIS: Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph
Solar physics mission - spectroscopy of the chromosphere
PI Alan Title from LockMart ATC in Palo Altoo
and
GEM: Gravity and Extreme Magnetism
the x-ray polarimetry mission…
catdynamics | June 17, 2009As I was strolling through town a few weeks ago, I saw a flyer advertising a talk on campus by Prof. Barbara Oakley, talking about her book "Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend"
I couldn't go to the talk, due to a conflicting engagement, but the book was in my review pile, so I popped it up to the top and plowed through it.
The book is quite a fun read.
It starts off as a personal story, with the death of the author's sister, and her reflection on the life of her sister, and why she was as she was: was it genetic, environmental, due…
catdynamics | June 15, 2009The Order Of The Science Scouts Of Exemplary Repute And Above Average Physique has new mo' better badges
since I am a long standing member of ootssoeraaap, I need to update:
I get it all right... ok, some might argue, but you gotta call it as you see it
I need to get to LEVEL III here
define "requires"...
probably...
the fact that I didn't want to admit to this one clinched it
yes, I am LEVEL III and II, but not I
"astrobiology" natch
hm, I wonder if they iron on this time
catdynamics | June 12, 2009if research universities moved to a 4 day week, and cut salaries 20%,
would this be acceptable?
IF, faculty were permitted to get an extra 2 months "summer salary" from research grants in compensation?
This would have to be for real: no classes or committee meetings or other service duties on mondays, or fridays, whichever.
Would it be acceptable to faculty?
Would it be acceptable to funding agencies?
It would probably not be acceptable to staff, I wonder if it would be acceptable to administrators?
Students would love it.
BTW: the "trimming" in response to cuts at universities are about to…
catdynamics | June 12, 2009Japan to secretly join CERN?
Two travelers with $134 billion in US Treasury and Federal Reserve bonds hidden in a suitcase, seized at the Italian-Swiss border.
Seriously
This is just fascinating:
who tipped the Italians off, and why?
will the Italians really take their 40% fine for failing to declare if the bonds turn out to be real?
How to tell if US Treasuries are real
NB: UST bearer securities were discontinued in 1982.
sample fake UST $100 million bond.
Here is the NY Federal Reserve page on scams, with images of past sample scams
They note in particular claims of $500 million…
catdynamics | June 12, 2009Solving UC's problems: move to 4 day work week...
hey, the student's would like it!
$120 million per 5% furlough
total shortfall right now is about $480 million per year - just under $billion over two years
Hey, they could all go to a 4 day work week!
Brilliant.
catdynamics | June 9, 2009there is a strange thing on the arXiv today
Julianne ponder the metaness of the papers which must not be mentioned
You should read this
and this
It is a most interesting result.
But I may not comment, yet.
You can though.