catdynamics | November 6, 2008NASA is putting together a memo giving guidance on conference funding and travel under the 2009 fiscal year budget.
University scientists may be allowed to travel on NASA funds, when all is clear.
This is from SARA:
"The good news is that that folks who have grants (i.e., those at universities) and post-doctoral fellows and other student fellowships will almost certainly be exempt. "
We can hope, since the intent of the law would seem to be such.
The letter of the law is unclear on this, to my non-lawyer reading, and could well be interpreted to cap conference travel on NASA funds by…
catdynamics | November 6, 2008I was forwarded some Obama policy documents on European relations and was also pointed to a key aspect of Obama's heritage I had overlooked, though I gather it was discussed some months ago
Obama and Biden: A Stronger Partnership With Europe for a Safer America
There it was, after "Effective Parntnership" and "Iran" and "Cyprus": "...Barack Obama, whose ancestors hail from Moneygall Co. Offaly, Ireland, is committed to lasting peace..."
Ah, he is Irish!
My first reaction was that this then means he must be about 1/4 Icelandic, going back a bit further, but Moneygall is kinda south-central,…
catdynamics | November 6, 2008of a non-viable business model
It has been known for a while that Landsbanki, Iceland's second biggest commercial bank, had commissioned an academic study of the vulnerabilities of the country's banking system; and that the study was confidential.
Now that the worst case scenario from the study has come true, the paper has been released as CEPR Policy Insight #26, and the blog VoxEU has a very nice post discussing the highlights
The problem is simple: if your country has a non-reserve currency, ie if the currency is not the dollar or euro, then if you have an international banking sector,…
catdynamics | November 5, 2008the fifth of november...
I spent a year living in Lewes, just down the hill from the castle and jousting field shown at the start of the video. In fact, my bedroom window looked out over the exact spot where Virginia Woolf committed suicide, or so we were told - the location does not exactly match what wikipedia claims.
One of the few times in my life where I have been frightened was when we went to bonfire night that year and got swept up in the crowd.
Gave me an uncomfortable hint of what a mob might become if roused.
Peoples' memories are long and sharp, though I expect a lot of them…
catdynamics | November 4, 2008apparently there is some sort of election taking place in the US today...
I woke up to see "1000 students in line to vote at Penn State", before 8 am.
It is now a little after 1 pm and the line is still there. Probably a bit shorter, but very long, doubled up on itself a couple of times. High level of activity and buzz in the student union.
Extraordinary turnout, talk of over 80% of registered voters voting, which is very high for the area.
Local republican congressional candidate had supporters just show up in force. They're going to have to be careful to not violate "no campaigning…
catdynamics | November 3, 2008Scalzi explains things.
Carefully and beautifully.
'cause linking is an intrinsic good.
catdynamics | November 3, 2008This is a public service announcement:
not sure what to get people for the holidays?
FSP has the answer
it is trendy, but obscure and geeky. The perfect gift or self-indulgence.
I want FSP Oven Gloves.
Because links are an intrinsic good.
catdynamics | November 2, 2008My cousin got a beer bottle smashed over his head last month.
He was traveling in Europe with a friend, and some british lads found out they were Icelandic and decided to take out some interest on them.
So, the Icelandic banking system imploded over a few days, recently.
The collateral damage from that is rippling through western Europe and was in small part a trigger for the ongoing banking crisis worldwide.
All (three) of Iceland's commercial banks were nationalized, the stock exchange was closed and fell about 3/4 when it re-opened, as a consequence of financial stocks reopening at zero.…
catdynamics | October 31, 2008Gorgeous autumnal friday, as we enjoy better living through chemistry...
So, Oh Mighty iPod One, modulo the unpredictable vagaries of human actions, can we expect any major surprises in these first 3 or 4 days of November? Anyone going to kick the table over?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Luktar-Gvendur - Björk
The Crossing: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra: Theme Percussion
The Crown: Recitar!... Vesti la giubba - Pavarotti
The Root: Panorama (Andantino) - Tchaikovsky
The Past: From a Vauxhall Velox - Billy Bragg
The Future: He Who Would Valium Take - Half Man…
catdynamics | October 31, 2008There is a Chandra mission blog
Nifty.
I think all NASA observatories should blog. Some could use a twitter or other microblog as well...
catdynamics | October 31, 2008Apparently while I was away Gov. Palin came to town, again, and held a ticket only rally on the Penn State campus.
This is all well and good, many of the candidates have come to campus and held rallies both during the primaries and the presidential campaign. The campus has suitable facilities, experience and available security arrangements, and providing a forum is a public service within the university's mission.
(In fact the lesser munchkin paused the other day, on a beautiful sunny afternoon walking across campus by the Old Main lawn, and said "Where's the Obama Show? This is where the…
catdynamics | October 30, 2008firegdoglake has an interesting story
"go right ahead boys"
"...What [he's] hearing from very trustworthy sources whom I've known for years is that the Syrians have completely withdrawn their forces from the border."
This could be problematic.
Damascus has cut off diplomatic relations with Baghdad.
Syria comment has report that Syria has reduced its border forces
Haaretz confirms withdrawal of Syrian border guards
catdynamics | October 30, 2008Science operations have resumed.
Servicing Mission 4 has been delayed even further.
WFPC2 lives!
Arp 147. Pretty!
but...
SM-4 is delayed beyond the current delay to feb '09
"NASA managers have announced that they will not meet a February 2009 launch date for the fifth and final shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The decision comes after engineers completed assessments of the work needed to get a second data handling unit for the telescope ready to fly. The unit will replace one that failed on Hubble in late September, causing the agency to postpone the servicing mission, which…
catdynamics | October 29, 2008Ouch, Chad calls me out on the use of science blogging
Last night, after giving a talk on science blogging, I posted a rather frustrated rhetorical question on whether science blogging has done any good.
Now, I specifically asked this excluding science policy and science communication, not because I think these are no good, but because of the context I was working with.
I had been talking specifically with working scientists about what was involved in blogging and why they might consider it. The public outreach possibilities are obvious although I am not sure that much outreach blogging…
catdynamics | October 29, 2008Cosmic Variance is doing a Donors Choose Bloggers Challenge
This is one of those very good things that I keep thinking I ought to do, but am not organised enough to set up and walk through the paces and by the time I check the e-mail giving the info it is too late.
The CV crowd has lined up a bunch of physics blogs sending things their way and they've raised a bunch.
But, co SciBling Chad at Uncertain Principles is out raising them, so go donate or something.
I actually don't care who you go through, it is a win-win.
catdynamics | October 29, 2008The editors endorse Barack Obama for President in the upcoming US Presidential elections.
Readall about it here