catdynamics | January 2, 2008The US Presidential candidates ought to have a debate with a topic focus of Science and Technology
For me, the US Presidential primaries and elections are a spectator sport.
I live here, I am politically moderately aware and interested.
I pay taxes, lots and lots of taxes; for which I receive less than I like, and I do understand it is a trade-off, I would accept more services for higher taxes, if delivered with some efficiency and honesty. I don't get to vote (hey, that's not fair... ).
I am also a recipient of federal science funding (well, mostly as a conduit to well deserving graduate…
catdynamics | January 2, 2008"Go Michigan!"
I don't know which bothers me more, that my children sat there yelling "Go Michigan" at the television yesterday, or that I actually, for a moment, cared.
And all because I made some disparaging comment about Florida.
Ah well, at least we should have slightly fewer comments about the innate superiority of the SEC. Wisconsin made a good show, but Could Have Done Better.
Now I suppose I have to hope Ohio State also wins.
Going Native.
This is very worrying.
Then, after checking that Penn State had really won its game the other night, but that it had not been The Championship,…
catdynamics | January 2, 2008Hrmph.
My Terribly Useful Collection of Assorted and Divers Rubber Bands Of Various Sizes and Colours has completely disintegrated.
This is what happens when one tries to implement vague new year's resolution type thingies.
In all those years, I don't think I used a single one of those rubber bands. Who knew.
On the other hand, it turned out I had a backup stash of Assorted and Divers Paper Clips.
Handy that.
catdynamics | January 2, 2008"Four times they came for more money and four times we told them 'no,'"
Interesting NYT story on Science Missions Director taking a stern view of cost overruns
If they can stick to their guns, this will be good in the long run.
Might hurt a bit in strange places in the next year or three, though.
Wonder if Exploration could learn this approach...
catdynamics | December 28, 2007Congratulations!
Dr Mandell, Dr Micic and Dr Smith
Just remember, everybody now:
"It ain't what you do, it is the way that you do it..."
Fun Boy Three, indeed.
bloomin' Top o' the Pops.
er, this is a better version...
or we can go live!
While we're on the topic...
catdynamics | December 28, 2007Final friday of lucky ol' seven.
So, we approach the Mighty iPod and ask with intrepidation: what is in store for '08?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Long Time Gone - Dixie Chicks
The Crossing: The Miller's Dance - Julian Bream
The Crown: Love WIll Tear Us Apart - Albert Kuvezin & Yat-Kha
The Root: I Am A Lonesome Fugitive - Roy Buchanan
The Past: A Pilot Flies Her Plane Plane Plane
The Future: Nýir Siðir í Hálsaskógi - Thorbjorn Egner
The Questioner: Brain Stew - Green Day
The House: Pretty Girls Make Graves - Smiths
The Inside: Snowman - Spilverk Þjóðanna
The…
catdynamics | December 26, 2007Miracles Do Still Happen.
It all began with the Incident of the Broken Leg.
No, not mine, and No, it was not That Sort of Miracle.
The problem was that I was now the family taxi driver. Doc visits, school, doc visits, pre-school, doc visits, playdates doc visits, grocery shopping, doc visits...
I have not had a campus parking permit since my first semester here.
One of the best advice I got as a postdoc, about faculty positions in the US, was from Richard Ellis, who handed me a carefully hoarded copy of an old Times article explaining the hierarchy on US campuses.
On top, of course, are the…
catdynamics | December 24, 2007Kertasníkir - it is down to the wire, the last elf is in town, he'll try to swipe the candles from the kids hands (which might leave them vulnerable to the Christmas Cat!).
As he comes, his oldest brother, Stekkjastaur, gets ready to leave as the brothers celebrate the 12 days of christmas in town.
catdynamics | December 23, 2007Ketkrókur is another hungry wee lad. He'll hook the meat from the rafters and run off with your dinner.
Good thing he doesn't like skate!
catdynamics | December 22, 2007It turns out that parallel parking is surprisingly simple.
In theory.
I first encountered this as a homework problem in general relativity. Graduate level.
Since I believe it is still assigned as a homework problem, I will merely highlight the key points, and not provide the solution.
Consider the infinite real two dimensional plane (or a Mall parking lot, after closing).
You are in a vehicle, which can be idealised as a rectangle, width a, length b, with four wheels. For simplicity, assume only the front wheels turn, on a rigid axle, and the rear wheels provide traction displacing the…
catdynamics | December 22, 2007Happy Feast of Saint Thorlacius.
I hope everyone got some "cured" skate!
It is the reason for the season, the excuse for all Manly Men, and Women, to go somewhere suitable (like the garage, your uncle's house, or a restaurant desperate enough to put up with the smell and serve the stuff) and eat the food traditional to this Eve of of the Day of Advent Yule.
Þorlákur, the patron saint of Iceland, a truly novel game of Thor's to have one of his own be the patron Saint.
His feast has been celebrated on this day for 808 years, by law.
Party on.
Tindaskata - from fauna.is
Copyright Jón Baldur…
catdynamics | December 22, 2007Gáttaþefur has a masochistic streak, he just stand by the door and sniffs, and sniffs.
If you're not good, he might sniff up all the good smells from the christmas meal.
catdynamics | December 21, 2007Friday?
Aaargh!
We welcome the return of the Sun, Newtonian dynamics never cease to amaze.
And we ask the Mighty iPod, what is in store for us this festive Yule season?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The Crossing: No Compassion - Talking Heads
The Crown: Welcome Back Victoria - Jesus Jones
The Root: Four Studies: The Firebird
The Past: Kata Rokkar - Björk
The Future: Strange Days - Doors
The Questioner: 15.5 Remake - Smith and Selway
The House: Lover, Come Back to Me - Billie Holliday
The Inside: Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul - Metalof, R.H.…
catdynamics | December 21, 2007Gluggagægir- sneaky little elf, likes to peep in the windows to see if he can see something "nice"...
Nice!
Happy winter solstice!
Remember, you need an evergreen, and a flame.
Do it right, or winter might never end...
catdynamics | December 20, 2007in theory there is no difference between theory and practice
a theorist can derive the Lie algebra for the non-commuting differential operators that describe the two axle parallel parking problem, and derive the constraint equations that determine the smallest space that can be parallel parked in
an experimentalist can parallel park
in practice there is a difference between theory and practice
catdynamics | December 20, 2007CoRoT, the French stellar photometry satellite, had a press announcement at 1 pm (Paris time) today
They announced the discovery of CoRoT Exo-2b their second extrasolar planet.
3.5 Jupiter masses, 1.4 Jupiter radii with an orbital period of 1.743 days around a K0V star, 12th magnitude.
UPDATE: ESA press release in English
Click for large image
Should note here that CoRoT is now follow-up limited. Transit discoveries are currently announced after ground confirmation to get radial velocities, so first announcements will be high mass, short period, because those are easiest to follow-up, and…
catdynamics | December 19, 2007Stanford claims Lithium battery breakthrough
Li-ion battery using Si nanowires with order of magnitude improvement in capacity
If practical to fabricate, this would do wonders for laptops and cellphones.
If mass producable, it could be interesting for rechargable mass energy storage and for high power applications, like transport.
The papers claims they reached theoretical capacity of 4.2 Ah/g, which is quite impressive. They'd require ~ 1000 cells in series to get a voltage interesting for high power application, which would still give you an Ah/kg or more, with packaging etc.
That is an…
catdynamics | December 19, 2007Bjúgnakrækir - hold on to your sausages.
The hungry elves are back, and this one will hook the sausages from the rafters and snarf them.
"Bjúgu" are a particular Icelandic delicacy, large, very fatty. Good winter food.