Dennis Overbye has a piece on “The Big Bang Theory” in today’s New York Times, taking the “Is this good or bad for science?” angle: Three years later some scientists still say that although the series, “The Big Bang Theory” (Monday nights on CBS), is funny and scientifically accurate, they are put off by it.… Continue reading The Big Blah Theory
Month: April 2010
Links for 2010-04-27
News: Science for Non-Scientists – Inside Higher Ed “Next January, Bard’s science and math faculty – along with postdoctoral students and faculty from other institutions — will try to change all that with the Citizen Science Program, three weeks of science learning modeled on the success of Language and Thinking. Also required of all 500… Continue reading Links for 2010-04-27
Reminder: Vote for the Most Amazing Laser Application of All Time
As of 1:45 Monday, 217 people have cast votes in the Laser Smackdown poll. That’s not bad, but it’s currently being handily beaten by the 271 people who have voted for a favorite system of units. The nice thing about using actual poll services for this sort of thing, though, is that I can re-post… Continue reading Reminder: Vote for the Most Amazing Laser Application of All Time
Infuriating Polls
I’m currently enjoying the high, thin whistle of an impending deadline, so here are a couple of poll questions about infuriating behaviors to pass the time. The first is about people: Which of these is more infuriating to read/watch/hear?online surveys The second about presentations: Which of these talks is more infuriating to listen to?Market Research… Continue reading Infuriating Polls
Links for 2010-04-26
Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 163601 (2010): Direct Observation of Coherent Population Trapping in a Superconducting Artificial Atom “The phenomenon of coherent population trapping (CPT) of an atom (or solid state “artificial atom”), and the associated effect of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), are clear demonstrations of quantum interference due to coherence in multilevel quantum systems. We… Continue reading Links for 2010-04-26
Series I Like Disappoint Me
Jim Butcher’s Changes, the 12th Dresden Files novel, came out not too long ago, and there’s been a bunch of discussion of it in various places on the Internet. I seem to have a slightly less positive take on the book than a lot of other people, so I figured I’d put up a slightly… Continue reading Series I Like Disappoint Me
Links for 2010-04-25
One-third of Americans may be obese, but we’re not too fat to fight. – By Daniel Engber – Slate Magazine “Yet fat soldiers are sometimes given the boot for reasons that have nothing to do with their abilities in the field. According to military guidelines, even someone who’s fit as a fiddle can be drummed… Continue reading Links for 2010-04-25
Links for 2010-04-24
slacktivist: Establishment “Here is what the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says about religion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” Sometimes a comma is just a comma and not a vast chasm separating two competing and incompatible ideas. The two clauses there do… Continue reading Links for 2010-04-24
Laser Smackdown: Vote for the Most Amazing Laser Application
In 1960, the first working laser was demonstrated, and promptly dubbed “a solution looking for a problem.” In the ensuing fifty years, lasers have found lots of problems to solve, but there has been no consensus about which of the many amazing applications of lasers is the most amazing. Now, in 2010, as we celebrate… Continue reading Laser Smackdown: Vote for the Most Amazing Laser Application
Links for 2010-04-23
Don’t ignore the Tea Party’s toxic take on history. – By Ron Rosenbaum – Slate Magazine “And it suddenly occurred to me that Tea Partiers really should read this pamphlet, because it would teach them something about what “tyranny” is actually like. It would teach them something about what “communism” was really like. It would… Continue reading Links for 2010-04-23