SteelyKid says “You know what? Forget Appa– take a picture of me next to Mommy:” “I’m half Mommy’s height already!” And, if you think about it, that’s a pretty good accomplishment for 2009. Happy New Year, everybody.
Month: December 2009
Paying For Free Stuff Is a Solved Problem, Isn’t It?
A couple of days ago, the LHC Blog asked about the future funding of the arxiv pre-print server, currently hosted at Cornell. Cornell is looking to get some external funding, though: Currently the plan is to ask the “heaviest user institutions” (other university library systems) to voluntarily contribute to support arXiv operational costs. The FAQ… Continue reading Paying For Free Stuff Is a Solved Problem, Isn’t It?
Musical Poll: Ten Years, Ten Songs
Everybody with an opinion seems to be doing a decadal wrap-up of one sort or another, but I’m too tired to do anything serious. So, I’ll let you do it for me: here’s a list of ten songs that are, in my mind, inextricably bound up with the events of the decade. Which of them… Continue reading Musical Poll: Ten Years, Ten Songs
Links for 2009-12-31
Sketches and Paintings by Richard Feynman | Amusing Planet “Richard Feynman started taking art lessons at the age of 44, and continued drawing for the rest of his life. These include portraits of his close friends, wife and daughter and professional models that posed for him at his friend’s studio. Feynman was also an avid… Continue reading Links for 2009-12-31
Is Frank Wilczek Making Us Look Bad?
Today is Question Day when it comes to post topics, I guess. Over at Fine Structure, Nick asks about the effect of spotlighting brilliant scientists: I can’t help but think about the repercussions of looking at his clearly above average career as something that’s normal in physics. It’s a deterrent, I think, for all those… Continue reading Is Frank Wilczek Making Us Look Bad?
Does Pinkification Fool Anybody?
Over at Faraday’s Cage, Cherish is thinking about gender color codes: I know I may be in the minority here, but let’s look at it this way: if someone might consider getting a microscope or telescope for a girl because it’s pink rather than a traditional “girl toy” (read: BARBIE) in the absence of a… Continue reading Does Pinkification Fool Anybody?
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog: Obsessive Update
I should probably start date-tagging these updates about miscellaneous How to Teach Physics to Your Dog news. I don’t really mean this to become a second daily links dump, but it’s kind of looking that way… — As a general matter, it’s dangerous for authors to acknowledge the existence of Amazon customer reviews (acknowledgment leads… Continue reading How to Teach Physics to Your Dog: Obsessive Update
Links for 2009-12-30
YouTube – Tom Waits ã Heigh Ho ã ( The Dwarfs marching song ) from Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs Creepiest. Disney song cover. EVER! (tags: music movies video youtube) Gallagher | DVD | Interview | The A.V. Club Kind of a surreal extended get-offa-my-lawn rant, only vaguely related to the questions being asked.… Continue reading Links for 2009-12-30
Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 6: Superconductors
If you’re still not sure whether you should be teaching physics to your dog, here’s another good reason: Superconductors. The “super” in “superconductor” refers to the fact that these materials conduct electric current with absolutely zero resistance, better than the best ordinary metals. This has obvious applications in the green technology field (which dogs should… Continue reading Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 6: Superconductors
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog: Obsessive Update
Today’s miscellaneous information about How to Teach Physics to your Dog: — Following on yesterday’s discussion about Barnes & Noble, which seems to have numerous in-store copies everywhere but New England, where I am, it’s not some system-wide issue– B&N stores have a healthy number of copies, and have sold a pretty reasonable number of… Continue reading How to Teach Physics to Your Dog: Obsessive Update