The other big nerd event of today is that it’s Einstein’s birthday, on this date back in 1879. I keep meaning to take and post a photo of the cool picture of Einstein we have in the department’s collection of stuff, and this is as good an excuse as any. If not for him, we… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Mr. Einstein
Category: Physics
The Real Pi Day(s)
Today is March 14th, 3/14 in the normal American way of writing dates, so you’ll find a lot of silliness on the web today talking about “π Day” due to the coincidental similarity with the first three digits of π (see, for example, Rhett’s annual post). But, of course, this is an archaic and local… Continue reading The Real Pi Day(s)
The Most Important Cosmos Review You’ll Read This Week
“So, that’s the science show with space pictures. What did you think of it, honey?” “Science. Space pictures. Awesome!” Our umpteenth winter storm of the season delayed school two hours this morning, which is kind of the worst of all possible worlds from a parenting perspective– when the schools are closed, there’s (usually) a snow-day… Continue reading The Most Important Cosmos Review You’ll Read This Week
The Sound of Simulated Bombs
So, last week I idly wondered about the canonical falling-bomb whistle. The was originally intended to be a very short post just asking the question, but I got caught up in thinking about it, and it ended up being more substantial. And leaving room for further investigation in the form of, you guessed it, VPython… Continue reading The Sound of Simulated Bombs
Uncertain Dots, Episode 8
In which Rhett and I talk about Cosmos. What, you thought there would be another topic? We have contractual obligations, you know… Okay, there were some other topics like Battlestar Galactica (both versions), why so much of what’s on Discovery Channel and TLC sucks these days, the flawed astrophysics of Firefly, speculation about how those… Continue reading Uncertain Dots, Episode 8
Obligatory Cosmos Commentary
It says here in the fine print that my blogging license could be revoked if I fail to offer a public opinion on the Cosmos reboot, which premiered last night. I missed the first couple of minutes– I had The Pip for bedtime, and he didn’t start snoring until 8:58– but saw most of it… Continue reading Obligatory Cosmos Commentary
Idle Physics Query: Whistling Bombs
Not that long ago, SteelyKid was doing something violent with toys (she’s very tough, as you can see from the featured image above), and in the process made the canonical falling-bomb whistle noise. And it occurred to me to wonder, why that sound? I mean, I’ve seen footage of falling bombs and the canonical sound… Continue reading Idle Physics Query: Whistling Bombs
The New SAT, Reading, Gaming, and Jargon
Given the academic circles I run in, it’s not surprising that one of the most repeated stories crossing my social media feeds yesterday had to do with the changes to the SAT. Starting in 2015, the essay section will no longer be mandatory, and they’re going to reconfigure the reading and math sections to emphasize… Continue reading The New SAT, Reading, Gaming, and Jargon
Uncertain Dots, Episode 7
In which we move out of the original trilogy, and into J.J. Abrams territory. Cue the lens flare! This week’s random assortment of topics includes travel, airports, physics models of loading and unloading planes, uses and abuses of curve fitting, odd stuff we get sent to review, and high-speed video cameras. Miscellaneous links: — Rhett’s… Continue reading Uncertain Dots, Episode 7
Struggling With Sincerity
In October 1988, I trashed my parents’ basement in order to get into college. OK, the causal connection is a little indirect, but it’s there. I was applying to college that fall, and needed to write an essay to go with my application. I’ve always been able to write stuff with very little effort, so… Continue reading Struggling With Sincerity