About SETIstars.org | SetiStars Blog “SETIstars is an initiative by the SETI Institute to recognize and rally support from the community to help fund the SETI Institute’s operations and that of the Allen Telescope Array. It serves as a place to galvanize community action with clearly defined fundraising goals as well as a place to […]
Month: June 2011
Science, Statistics and the Supernatural
Josh Rosenau has a post about the supernatural, spinning off recent posts about a recent Calamities of Nature webcomic. Josh makes a point that I think is valid but subtle: The issue with the supernatural is not whether it’s part of the universe, but whether it is bound by the same laws as all the […]
I’ll Take “Hobbies Less Acceptable Than Blogging” for $1000, Alex
Via Inside Higher Ed, a professor in New Jersey took the whole social media thing to the next level: A Fairleigh Dickinson University physics professor is in custody for allegedly running a prostitution website involving about 200 women and more than 1,200 johns, police said Monday. David Flory of New York City, who teaches on […]
Greatest (Nonscientific) Nonfiction
While I was off at DAMOP last week, the Guardian produced a list purporting to be the 100 greatest non-fiction books of all time. Predictably, this includes a tiny set of science titles– five in the “Science” category, two under “Environment,” and one each under “Mathematics” and “Mind.” And that’s being kind of generous about […]
Links for 2011-06-20
Minneapolis “[Don] Rawitsch, a lanky, bespectacled 21-year-old with hair well over his ears, was both a perfectionist and an idealist. He started dressing as historical figures in an attempt to win over his students, appearing in the classroom as explorer Meriwether Lewis. By now he’d made it through to the western expansion unit, and he […]
Her Father’s Daughter
My parents came up today to go out for dinner for my birthday/ father’s day. On the way home, SteelyKid announced that she wanted to go to a playground. We explained that first we needed to go home and get Emmy, and then we would see about going to a playground. SteelyKid then suggested that […]
Links for 2011-06-19
Why The Atlantic’s Article On New Age Medicine Is Wrong – Matthew Herper – The Medicine Show – Forbes “What bothers me most about Freedman’s argument is that he comes so close to being right. I actually agree that the success of alternative medicine is the result of mainstream medicine’s failure. But it’s not that […]
Arbitrary Numerical Signifier
Today was my birthday, one of the integer-multiple-of-ten ones that’s supposed to be a milestone. And, really, to the extent that it does prompt self-reflection, it’s nice to be reminded that the last several decades have been pretty good to me: I’ve got a really good job, a great family, and the whole nice-house-in-the-suburbs life […]
DAMOP Day 3
Alternate, More-Interesting Post Title: Attack of the Vampire Physicists. I realized today that the only time I have been outside during daylight hours on this trip to Atlanta was during the brief walk down the platform to the airport entrance. This is only a little unusual for a DAMOP– the Marriott Marquis is connected to […]
Thursday Toddler Blogging 061911
Kate here while Chad is at DAMOP, with this week’s Toddler Blogging. What, you may ask, is SteelyKid counting on her fingers? In fact, she is counting down to . . .