Windows is pleading to be allowed to install updates, so I’m going through closing browser tabs that I opened foolishly thinking I might write about them. In that list is yet another blog post on how electronic books will kill traditional publishing. This one is fundamentally an economic argument, claiming that it will soon be… Continue reading Spoken Like Somebody Who’s Never Read Slush
Category: Pop Culture
Poll: Holiday (Music) in Hell
The Onion kindly provided this Patton Oswalt demolition of the “Christmas Shoes” song. while it’s funny, it is a reminder that we have reached the time of year when radio stations across the country will begin inflicting holiday “cheer” on their listeners. which seems like an excellent subject for a poll: Which of these holiday… Continue reading Poll: Holiday (Music) in Hell
Poll: New York State of Mind
Kate has a court appearance in New York tomorrow, and we’re making a long weekend of it. I’m typing this from my parents’ house, where I’m dropping SteelyKid off for some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa, and tomorrow, I’m heading down to The City. I’ve got some meetings scheduled tomorrow afternoon, and Friday at… Continue reading Poll: New York State of Mind
Creepiness Is Contagious
It’s always kind of distressing to find something you agree with being said by people who also espouse views you find nutty, repulsive, or reprehensible. It doesn’t make them any less right, but it makes it a little more difficult to be associated with those views. So, for instance, there’s this broadside against ineffective math… Continue reading Creepiness Is Contagious
Physics Is Going to the Dogs
There’s been an independent rediscovery of the notion of using dogs to explain physics, as you can see in this YouTube video of Golden Retrievers explaining the structure of atoms: Emmy thinks she should get royalties, in the form of cheese. But then, she thinks that about everything…
Companions in Zealous Research
Blogging has been light of late because I was in the Houston area for the weekend, at the annual meeting of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society (think Phi Beta Kappa, but for science nerds). Every chapter is required to send a representative to the annual meeting at least once every three years, and… Continue reading Companions in Zealous Research
Cranky Toddler Poll
SteelyKid had a check-up yesterday, and got three shots (chicken pox, MMR, and seasonal flu). This may or may not be related to her high fever and general misery last night; whatever the cause, she was not a happy camper. Since she can’t very well go to day care like that, I’m staying home with… Continue reading Cranky Toddler Poll
Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz
I’ve gradually gotten used to the idea that as a semi-pro blogger, I will occasionally be sent review copies of books I’ve never heard of. These are generally physics books, and I have a stack of them sitting next to the bed at the moment, not being read nearly fast enough. It’s only recently that… Continue reading Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz
An Important Public Service Announcement
If you want to be a musician, there are some simple rules you must follow: And now you know…
Where Were You When…?
I failed to write something on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall yesterday, partly because I think the other six million blog posts on the subject had it pretty well covered. Another factor, though, was the fact that I don’t have the sort of crystal-clear recollection of where I was and what… Continue reading Where Were You When…?