catdynamics | August 27, 2008the NAI CAN-5 selections were supposed to be announced last week, at the latest
I am out of sources - what is the word on selections, time of announcement or reasons for delay?
I gots to know
catdynamics | August 27, 2008Two new physics blogs have been assimilated by the ScienceBlog conglomerate...
Blake at Science after Sunclipse
and Matt at Built on Facts
Matt is currently contemplating the classic paradox of the free-falling electron...
Anyone care to wander over and explain Rindler Acceleration and the Unruh Effect to the assembled hordes - I think you'll need to bring beer
;-)
catdynamics | August 27, 2008In case you missed the announcement: NASA is contemplating concepts for the next generation optical/ultra-violet space telescope
At Last - ATLAS
Marc Postman and Ken Sembach are leading the concept study teams, looking at 16m telescope, for launch on the Ares heavy to L2.
Optimised for blue light spectroscopy.
STSCI press release
I infer they are contemplating a free-floating occulter if the plan is to have direct detection of terrestrials as part of the science case.
Interesting.
catdynamics | August 27, 2008GLAST has a sky map, first results, pretty pictures and movies, and a new name.
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
Gamma-ray sky (click for annotated hi-res version).
Lots of fun stuff at the NASA press release site, go browse.
h/t GLAST blog
catdynamics | August 26, 2008I don't know which is more impressive, that it scans, or that it is still substantially correct.
Anyway, welcome freshers.
catdynamics | August 26, 2008It is the season, and there is a hurricane heading for the gulf with another 1-3 in the pipeline from Africa
Master's Wunderblog is the place for news
but the models used for forecasting are on the web.
Here is the GFDL current 5 day forecast, showing Hurricane Gustav hitting Lousisiana as category 4 storm
Forecasts that far in advance are highly uncertain, but current models show Gustav shooting the straits between Cuba and Yucatan into the Gulf as a major hurricane.
Could turn any direction after that, though models are converging on impact more to the northwest side, on monday-ish.
Full…
catdynamics | August 26, 2008Hindustan Times is reporting a mystery epidemic in Kanpur, India.
160 dead in two weeks, "thousands sick" in 350 villages.
Times reports it was initially diagnosed as "viral fever" (duh), then malarial.
Now apparently malaria is ruled out but 'cause is not known. Waiting for blood tests from New Delhi labs.
Times implies "viral fever" is ruled out, which seems implausible - rather I suspect they mean that some of the obvious viral infections have been ruled out, but it necessarily must be the case that it could be an obscure or new virus.
Presumably bacterial infection would be responding to…
catdynamics | August 26, 2008You are at university.
Do you like stars, and stuff?
Another rehashed blast from the past
Should you do astronomy as an undergrad? (the following is in part shamelessly cribbed from a colleague's previous freshman seminar for our majors):
Do you like stars and stuff?
If not, you probably should look for an alternative to astronomy, on the general principle that at this stage of life you should at least try to do things you actually like.
If you do, good for you. Now, do you have the aptitude?
Professional astrophysics/astronomy is not about looking at stars per se (except at occasional star…
catdynamics | August 25, 2008in which I roar, and pounce... and float away.
The American Physical Society News Zero Gravity column is particularly good this month (member login maybe required), he says modestly.
I must be grateful though, at least they didn't cast me as Lockhart or Slughorn... Mad-Eye Moody'd have been kinda cool though: "If one of us dies, stay in formation!"
Thanks to APS editing staff
catdynamics | August 24, 2008Or so says Steen Landsy, director of the Kosmos Center.
You see, the Kosmos Center, which in the last 30 years has educated over 6,000 psychics is upset at the proliferation of "psychic educational institutions" in Denmark. There are now 25 such, up from just one a decade ago.
The problem, you see, is all these other so-called psychic educational institutions are just a bunch of hacks, and are not guaranteeing the quality of the education provided!
There are improperly certified psychics operating throughout Denmark, and the EU, one presumes, given the open borders.
What is needed, is…
catdynamics | August 23, 2008California about to lose its AmEx card...
California currently is not refunding its workers for any travel expenses they incur using their state credit cards (SacBee story)
"...AmEx is carrying $10.4 million in unpaid charges on its books that were incurred by state workers and agencies since the new fiscal year began"
The way it works, apparently, is AmEx issues approved employees cards to be used for State related business (generally travel) - employee is responsible personally for paying the charges, and filing for reimbursement - which presumably ought to happen inside a payment cycle,…
catdynamics | August 22, 2008Still friday? It is in some timezone.
Playing with our reduced travel set iPod, we ask the Mighty iPod one: how, oh how will the lads do sunday morning?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: In Love - The Datsuns
The Crossing: I had a little nut-tree
The Crown: The Army Goes Rolling Along - US Army Ceremonial Band
The Root: Having a Blast - Green Day
The Past: Towers of London - XTC
The Future: Landslide - Dixie Chicks
The Questioner: Færeyjarblúl;s - Bubbi
The House: Election Koutche - Alpha Blondy
The Inside: Dream River - Mavericks
The Outcome: Liar - Sinthetix
Hm…
catdynamics | August 22, 2008Iceland's handball team beats Spain 36-30 and makes the Olympic final.
More astonishingly, team handball makes it into US media!
Clearly, this is because of the elves, because they are magic, you know.
And the team captain is an existentialist. I think this is to be recommended for team sports in general.
catdynamics | August 21, 2008What do you think of when I say:
"Hey, we just found a Super-Earth"!
Seriously.
We gotsta know.
I am back in Colorado, I am happy to say, at the "Super-Earth workshop", which is jolly good fun, but we did spend an inordinate amount of time at one point pondering whether "Super-Earth" is in fact a misnomer.
And, sadly, no beer was involved.
Revel in misnomers, I say.
So... some interesting stuff going on, most of which I am not at liberty to discuss.
However, rumours are firming up that CoRoT has something interesting, and I have now heard numbers, which lead me to agree it might be…
catdynamics | August 21, 2008Andy Lawrence is blogging?
Andy Lawrence is blogging!
From California.
And his peeps are commenting.
catdynamics | August 20, 2008The prevalent US system of offering a year of high school physics, late in high school, with some schools offering a second year of "advanced" physics, is disastrous.
Some commenters in the "So, you want to be an astrophysicist? Part 0" thread felt I was too harsh in saying a year of High School Physics was NOT ENOUGH.
In particular, they only had a year, and are now tenured professors.
Sorry folks, but this is selection bias.
There are people who could do no high school physics and get up to speed on university level physics in less than three months, though most of those would still need…
catdynamics | August 20, 2008What should a high school student do to get on a track to become an astrophysicist?
Reworked from an oldie.
So, you're in high school wondering what to do with yourself, and you think: "hey, I could be an astrophysicist!"
So, what should YOU do, wanting to get into a good university and an astro/physics major?
1) Take all the math that is offered, and do well in it.
The limiting factor for most students wanting to do astronomy or astrophysics is poor math preparation in school. You need to get as far and as fast in calculus as you can and be proficient and comfortable with advanced…
catdynamics | August 19, 2008Why do people worry about being scooped, how do scoops happen, how can there be rumours of discoveries and why isn't the whole process made transparent?
Asked a commenter a few weeks ago during the speculation about Greg Laughlin's teasing anagram hint about a pending discovery or new result.
Why do academic scientists worry about being scooped?
Are there situations where it is not a concern? And if so, why the secrecy?
And why isn't there a way to publicly record precedent without the games and rumouring?
The essence of the scoop is someone working on a result, and a competing group…
catdynamics | August 18, 2008there we were, at breakfast, when the Littler Munchkin found it.
A rice krispie of an astounding configuration
It was shaped, just exactly, like a Thor's Hammer.
I kid you not. It was uncanny.
(No, silly, not the USS Thor's Hammer, rice krispies can't do that).
We deliberated for a while, and finally decided the only right thing to do was to sell it on eBay. The Greater Munchkin was just about to go get a camera when the Littler Munchkin got bored and ate it.
Fortunately, shortly afterwards the Greater Munchkin found another rice krispie, this one shaped just like a duckie.
We kept that…