Live Granades has a survey of current SF, done in the form of a school walk-through with new principal Michael Capobianco (who won the SFWA election discussed earlier this year). It’s pretty amusing if you know the authors involved, but one bit made me just about spit my drink at the monitor: Of course. I’d… Continue reading …For Loud Values of “Quiet,” Anyway
Author: Chad Orzel
Learn Math the Winnie Cooper Way
I can’t resist the snarky title, but this is a serious topic. Tara Smith has a review of a math book by Danica McKellar, titled Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail. It’s aimed at getting middle-school girls to have more positive feelings about math in… Continue reading Learn Math the Winnie Cooper Way
The Grand Contraption, by David Park
Some time back, I was offered a review copy of Why the Sky Is Blue by Götz Hoeppe by Princeton University Press. Looking at their web site, I noticed a forthcoming book by an emeritus professor at my alma mater, so I asked if they’d send me a copy of that, too. I’m all about… Continue reading The Grand Contraption, by David Park
A Moment of Silence, Please
The Weekly World News is shutting down its print operation at the end of August, though the web site will continue to be active. Long lines in the supermarket will be that much duller. Actually, a moment of silence is probably the wrong tribute. Maybe a moment of screeching like a bat child found in… Continue reading A Moment of Silence, Please
Crucial Harry Potter Links
If you’d like to know what hapens in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows without having to read two hundred pages worth of camping-related program activities, there’s a slightly snarky scene-by-scene summary at Gibberish in Neutral: Yaxley: HAI I IZ DEATHEATER NOT APPEARING IN PREVIOUS BOOKS. YOU HAS NEWS? Snape: Of course I have news.… Continue reading Crucial Harry Potter Links
Why Do Polarized Sunglasses Work?
In the previous post about light polarization, I promised to post an explanation of why it is that “Polarized” is a selling point for sunglasses. Given that sunlight is unpolarized, the only obvious benefit would be that polarized sunglasses will automatically block half of the light hitting them, but it’s actually much better than that.… Continue reading Why Do Polarized Sunglasses Work?
What’s the Next “Harry Potter”?
No, I’m not talking about Harry Potter books– there won’t be any more of those for a while, at least until J. K. Rowling decides she really needs to buy Bolivia. I’m talking about “Harry Potter” the cultural phenomenon– the inescapable, endlessly hyped mass-culture Event that everybody talks about and obsesses over. The question is… Continue reading What’s the Next “Harry Potter”?
Some Book That Came Out Recently [Library of Babel]
Kate was out of the house around nine on Saturday morning, which usually only happens if we have a plane to catch, which should tell you the importance Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had for her. She tore through it by dinnertime. I’m not that big a fan, but I hate missing out on… Continue reading Some Book That Came Out Recently [Library of Babel]
Basic Concepts: Polarization of Light
One of my tasks this week, before heading off to the Caribbean for a relaxing vacation, is going to be to find a new pair of polarized sunglasses that aren’t ridiculously ugly. This seems like a decent hook of a physics post, explaining why “polarized” is a selling point for sunglasses, but first, I probably… Continue reading Basic Concepts: Polarization of Light
Rejecting US News
There’s a quick mention in Inside Higher Ed today of the latest news on the college presidents opposed to the US News rankings. They’re up to 61 signatures on their letter committing college presidents to 1) refusing to provide information for the rankings, and 2) refusing to use the rankings in their publicity. 61 signatories… Continue reading Rejecting US News