I watched the game at a Super Bowl party hosted by some of our senior majors, because Kate didn’t want to see it. Of course, the guys who hosted the party didn’t have cable, so we were watching the game through a haze of static and swirly lines that made the weather look even worse… Continue reading Super Blog
Month: February 2007
Accentuate the Positive: Week of Science
Today is the official beginning of the week of Just Science. The many blogs who signed up have pledged to post only about science for the week, and particularly not to post about “anti-science”– no “religious people are stupid,” no “alternative medicine is crap,” no “global warming denialists are a bunch of cranks.” I didn’t… Continue reading Accentuate the Positive: Week of Science
Fearless Super Bowl Prognostication
I’ll put my prediction behind the cut, as since the Pats lost, Kate has been trying to pretend that football season is over, and I wouldn’t want to upset her…
Let’s Hear It for Oppressive Government Regulation
I didn’t actually plan for the site to go completely dark for the weekend, but Kate and I were off at a wedding for the weekend, and wound up not actually having regular Internet access, so I couldn’t post any of the weekend things I didn’t get around to scheduling before I left. I’m sure… Continue reading Let’s Hear It for Oppressive Government Regulation
Physics Lab, By the Numbers
Time spent locating the parts for the Compton Effect experiment: 15 minutes. Time spent dragging lead bricks for radiation shielding into the lab: 10 minutes. Time spent bulding little lead houses for the hot 137Cs source and Photo-Multiplier Tube (PMT): 15 minutes. Time spent trying to find somebody who knew the administrator password for the… Continue reading Physics Lab, By the Numbers
Hopeful Abstracts and Extra Motivation
Late spring/ early summer is Conference Season in academic science, with lots of meetings scheduled during the academic break, so that everybody can attend without cutting into their teaching responsibilities (of course, our trimester calendar means we’re still in session for most of these, but whatever…). The peak time for conferences in my subfield is… Continue reading Hopeful Abstracts and Extra Motivation
Artificial Atoms, Real Photons
Eurekalert has a press release about new results involving “articifical atoms” at Yale. This is new work appearing in this week’s Nature from the Schoelkopf lab. The term “artificial atoms,” while evocative, doesn’t really mean what you might think (the name they give it on their own page is Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics, which is more… Continue reading Artificial Atoms, Real Photons
Philosophia Naturalis
I’m really bad about remembering these things– I ought to start putting them on my calendar– but the physics blogging carnival Philosophia Naturalis is now up, collecting many excellent posts about physics. If you’ve been away from the computer for the last month, or would just like a quick recap, go check it out.
The Problem in a Nutshell
Via Eurekalert a poll of American attitudes toward science confirms that people are a little confused about the whole science thing. I think the most concise desription of the problem is in the second sentence: Most (87%) rate being a scientist as one of the most prestigious careers, yet 75% can’t name a living scientist.… Continue reading The Problem in a Nutshell
Superheroes 101?
Over in LiveJournal land, I’ve been reading a bunch of posts about superhero stories, mostly in the form of forty-odd years of comic books on DVD (mentioned in locked posts on a pseudonymous LJ, so no link for you). I end up reading these posts with a sort of detached interst, because I don’t really… Continue reading Superheroes 101?