links for 2008-12-23

"So how can scientists strategically convey their messages to a broad audience without losing the nuances of their field? "

Does not include Pratchett’s Hogfather, probably because it’s too British, but it’s better than almost anything that did make the list.

"Soren Sorensen, head of the UT Department of Physics and Astronomy, wrote a wonderfully informative column in the current issue of "Cross Sections" — the department’s newsletter. He discusses the economic situation in the context of his department, but the insights apply to the state of Tennessee, the University of Tennessee and science education in general."

"It was the year that the Large Hadron Collider was finally fired up — and then abruptly shut down — and 2008 also saw significant progress towards the detection of dark matter. Physicists got a little closer to making practical quantum computers and 2008 saw a few nifty inventions to harvest energy from human motion. US president elect Barack Obama made a few high-profile science nominations that could signal a change in the US government’s view of climate change. It was also a good year for Japanese physics, as three Japanese-born particle physicists won the Nobel Prize in Physics. "

"So what were the big physics findings for 2008? The following list was chosen by editors and science writers at the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society. It winnows a wealth of discoveries into the following ten topic areas, which are listed in no particular order. "

Last-minute gift-giving advice for the chef on your list.

"Honestly: what sense does it make to stick it to a bunch of auto workers while letting the financial executives off scot-free? How can Richard Shelby get all upset about the fact that some blue-collar workers have, gasp, health care, and not about the fact that financial executives, on whom we have spent a lot more money than the Big Three ever asked for, get financial planners and chauffeurs?"