Stringy Links

For those interested in keeping abreast of the latest stuff on string theory and its discontents, some links: Jonathan Shock is based in Beijing, and blogging about the Strings 2006 meeting. He’s got a first-day recap including descriptions of several of the talks, and incident events. Victor Rivelles is also blogging from Beijing, and has… Continue reading Stringy Links

Loose Lips Sink Research Grants

A scientific conference like DAMOP almost always includes a conference banquet (to which people may or may not bring dates), usually the last night of the meeting, where everybody gets together to eat massive quantities of catered food and drink massive amounts of wine supplied by the conference. The quality of these ranges from your… Continue reading Loose Lips Sink Research Grants

My Time Among the Nerds

I’m back from DAMOP, having spent a lazy day in Knoxville yesterday, waiting around to go to the airport. That was a much-needed respite from the non-stop conferencing of the previous few days, but I would’ve preferred to be home, rather than in Knoxville. Air travel continues to suck, particularly the waiting-around-airports phase. The meeting… Continue reading My Time Among the Nerds

Published
Categorized as Meetings

True Conference Stories

Every year, or nearly every year, I go to the meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society (which revels in the acronym “DAMOP” (pronounced “day-mop”), but at least we’re better off than our Canadian brethren, who are just the Division of Atomic and Molecular Physics). A few… Continue reading True Conference Stories

Published
Categorized as Meetings

True Conference Stories

Eszter at Crooked Timber points to some public speaking tips she wrote. Some of the advice is fairly specific to the academic conference setting, but it’s all excellent. In the Crooked Timber post, she emphasizes problems with people going over their allotted time, and mentions in passing session chairs who let them. This reminds me… Continue reading True Conference Stories