Matthew Yglesias » The DC Voucher Program Has Nothing to Do With Sidwell Friends "Virtually none of the recipients of the DC voucher program could go to Sidwell Friends like Barack Obamaâs kids. For one thing, they couldnât get in. And for another thing, they couldnât come close to affording the tuition. But the former… Continue reading links for 2009-03-12
Author: Chad Orzel
Everyone’s Best “Friend”
“OK, here’s your profile.”” “You used the good picture of me, right?” “Of course. Look here.” “Oooh. I like that one. I look regal.” “Yeah, I guess. So what do you want to add?” “What do you mean?” “Well, you can add applications, and become a fan of various things. Here, I’ll make you a… Continue reading Everyone’s Best “Friend”
Atoms as Little Solar Systems
Most people’s first exposure to the ideas of modern atomic physics comes through the Bohr model of hydrogen, which treats the atom as something like a little solar system, with the positively charged nucleus as the sun, and negatively charged electrons orbiting in well-defined circular orbits. It’s a very compelling picture, and works well for… Continue reading Atoms as Little Solar Systems
Academic “Branding” and the Guy Who Does the Thing at the Place
Via FriendFeed, Daniel Lemire offers a suggestion on “branding”: Stop saying you are “John from school X”. Say that you are “John who works on problem Y”. Don’t rely on your employer to carry your message! Of course, this is only the second of the three possible options. You could also be “the guy who… Continue reading Academic “Branding” and the Guy Who Does the Thing at the Place
A Game of Timing
One of my coaches, back in the day, always used to say that basketball was a game of quickness. Usually when he had just stolen the ball from somebody thirty years younger than him. It’s true, quickness is a big asset in basketball. But it’s also a game of timing– knowing when to shoot, when… Continue reading A Game of Timing
links for 2009-03-11
Science in the open » Why good intentions are not enough to get negative results published "The fundamental problem is that the âwe need a journalâ approach is stuck in the printed page paradigm. To get negative results published we need to reduce the barriers to publication much lower than they currently are, while at… Continue reading links for 2009-03-11
Atomic Physics Gordon Conference
The Gordon Research Conferences are a great program, if you’re in a field that offers them. These are mostly in New England in the summer, and involve a lot more down time than most professional conferences, to allow for more informal interaction between attendees. At past Gordon conferences, I’ve played soccer with a Nobel laureate,… Continue reading Atomic Physics Gordon Conference
The Queen on Facebook
The book is now starting through the production process, and people at Scribner are thinking about publicity. I got email asking whether I could set up a Facebook page for Emmy as a promotion. I’m not sure whether that meant a fan page for the dog, or a Facebook profile for her, as if she… Continue reading The Queen on Facebook
Semi-Dorky Poll: Low-Tech Writing
A few weeks ago, Neil DeGrasse Tyson was on the Daily Show telling stories about Pluto, and mentioned getting a letter from a little kid who added the postscript “Please write back, but not in cursive, because I can’t read cursive yet.” We were talking about this in the car yesterday, because Kate’s been reading… Continue reading Semi-Dorky Poll: Low-Tech Writing
links for 2009-03-10
The Business of Academic Publishing "This statement by Deutsche Bank is an astonishing comment on the profitability of the industry. The notion that Elsevier, and therefore the other commercial publishers, add âlittle value to the publishing processâ and cannot justify the high profit margins is significant. This statement by Deutsche Bank, while aimed towards investors,… Continue reading links for 2009-03-10