I have chickened out in the face of the Snowpocalypse, and moved my flight up to get out of DC before the storm. I’m too old to sleep in airports any more. In honor of my spending another day on a plane, here’s another airline-themed poll for you: The flight crew insist I turn off… Continue reading The Use of Approved Electronic Devices Is Not Approved
Category: Polls
Airline Poll: Would You Like a Drink?
I’m on the road today, so here’s a poll for you, in honor of the question I will probably be getting asked right around when this posts: Would you like a beverage?(surveys) Please be sure that your comments are stowed beneath the seat in front of you, or in the overhead compartment. Thank you for… Continue reading Airline Poll: Would You Like a Drink?
Physics Quiz: Accelerated Twins
Just about everybody has heard of the Twin Paradox in relativity: one twin becomes as astronaut and sets off for Alpha Centauri, the other remains on Earth at mission control. Thanks to time dilation, the two age at different rates, and the one who made the trip out and back ends up younger than the… Continue reading Physics Quiz: Accelerated Twins
Academic Poll: Pop Quiz, Hotshot
Tuesday is a heavy teaching day for me– I’m in lab from 9-4, basically– so here’s something to occupy the time. Oh, no! It’s a pop quiz: Pop quizzes are:(survey software) (In case the phrase is an American idiom, a “pop quiz” refers to a short test given in class with no advance warning.) This… Continue reading Academic Poll: Pop Quiz, Hotshot
Kid-Lit Poll: Fish?
We had a parent-teacher conference this morning with SteelyKid’s teacher at day care, who confirmed that she is the cutest and cleverest baby in the universe. OK, not in those words, but that’s how I interpreted them. In honor of that, here’s a poll: Fish?(poll) There’s probably another stanza worth of choices, but unlike my… Continue reading Kid-Lit Poll: Fish?
Semi-Dorky Poll: Super Meeting!
I have to go to the Happy Fun Meeting this afternoon, which will be both Happy! and Fun! To keep things lively while I’m there, here’s a question that is dorky, but not in the usual way for this blog: What superpower would you most like to have to help you deal with annoying meetings?… Continue reading Semi-Dorky Poll: Super Meeting!
Public Knowledge of Science: The More Things Change, the More They Don’t
The NSF’s Science and Engineering Indicators report came out not too long ago, and the bulk of it is, as usual, spent on quasi-quantitative measures of scientific productivity– numbers of degrees granted, numbers of patent applications for various countries, etc. I find all of those things pretty deeply flawed, so I tend to skip past… Continue reading Public Knowledge of Science: The More Things Change, the More They Don’t
Academic Poll: Hail, Stranger
I’m getting considerably more email from people I don’t know these days, which has me wondering about the ways people address one another. Hence, a poll: You are writing an email to a person you have never met before, who you know to be employed by a college or university. What salutation do you use?(survey… Continue reading Academic Poll: Hail, Stranger
Travel Poll: Excess Baggage
I’m just about finished packing up, then I’m meeting a former student for lunch, then heading off to the airport to spend the next eight hours or so making my way home to Kate and SteelyKid and Emmy. Which is a good excuse for a non-dorky poll: Are you checking any bags today?(answers) (Bag fees… Continue reading Travel Poll: Excess Baggage
Air Travel Poll
My flight to Texas tomorrow leaves ungodly early, requiring me to leave for the airport around 6:30 or so. That’s earlier than I like to be up, but it’s a bit late by my father’s standards– he always books flights that leave at 7am or thereabouts. This seems like a good topic for a poll:… Continue reading Air Travel Poll