Both Physics Buzz and the X-Change Files are noting the Imagine Science Film Festival starting tomorrow in New York City. As the Buzz notes: This is only the film festival’s second year, but it’s already attracted the attention of major sponsors. Last year the journal Nature co-sponsored the festival, and this year the American Association… Continue reading Imagine Science Film Festival
Category: Science
Silly Poll: Scary Creatures
SteelyKid has a fever, and can’t go to day care, so I’m staying home with her. This pretty much rules out significant serious blogging, so here’s a poll to keep you amused: Which of these threats is most threatening?(survey) Choose only one.
Adventures in OA
The abbreviation here has a double meaning– both “Open Access” and “Operator Algebra.” In my Quantum Optics class yesterday, I was talking about how to describe “coherent states” in the photon number state formalism. Coherent states are the best quantum description of a classical light field– something like a laser, which behaves very much as… Continue reading Adventures in OA
Baseball and Tea Parties
The baseball playoffs are upon us, which means that most of the sports media are consumed with baseball talk. I find this faintly annoying, as I’m not really a fan of baseball. And, really, I can’t be a fan of baseball, for the same reason that I can’t be a conservative Republican activist– I don’t… Continue reading Baseball and Tea Parties
Many Worlds, Many Comics
The Digital Cuttlefish looks at the Archie comics, and waxes poetic: Two paths play out in a comic book, When Archie walks down memory lane “The road not taken” is the hook; So now, the writers take a look And re-write Archie’s life again, This time with Betty as his bride; Veronica the woman spurned,… Continue reading Many Worlds, Many Comics
What the Pope’s Astronomer Thinks
Over at Physics and Physicists, ZapperZ notes a fairly useless interview with Guy Consolmagno, and suggests some alternative questions: 1. How old do you estimate the universe to be based not only on your observation, but also the consensus among astronomers? Would this be contrary to the biblical interpretation on the age of the universe?… Continue reading What the Pope’s Astronomer Thinks
Where I’m Going to Be
In the last couple of weeks, I have suddenly acquired a rather full travel schedule for the coming months. The odd thing is that none of these trips are book-publicity junkets– they’re all basically professional-type appearances, several of them taking place before How to Teach Physics to Your Dog hits stores on December 22. My… Continue reading Where I’m Going to Be
Dorky Poll: The Speed of Light
Inspired by yesterday’s post about the speed of light, a poll about c: What do you think of the speed of light?(surveys) So, how do you feel about the speed of light?
DonorsChoose Payoff: Faster Light
A couple of days ago, I answered a question from a donor to the Uncertain Principles challenge page in this year’s Social Media Challenge (we’ve raised $1,807 thus far– thank you all). If you’d like a question of your own answered on the blog, all you need to do is send me the confirmation email… Continue reading DonorsChoose Payoff: Faster Light
Dorky Poll: Photon Operators
Prompted by working on lecture notes for Quantum Optics last night, a Dorky Poll about the mathematical formalism of photon number states What’s your favorite photon operator?(polls) I know it’s hard to pick, but choose only one.