In which we look at basketball analytics, complaints about ancient Rome, the latest dispatch from the imminent death of publishing, and the optics of spy satellites. ———— Where the Heat and the Thunder Hit Their Shots – Interactive Feature – NYTimes.com The shooting patterns for the players on the Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City… Continue reading Links for 2012-06-18
Links for 2012-06-15
In which we look at the job situation for different specializations, yet another dumb modest proposal to fix education, and a smackdown of NBA players who are ignorant of fashion history. ———— Physics and Physicists: Job Advertisements For Theorists and Experimentalists In Physics Today Apr/May 2012 Anyone reading my blog on the Problem in Pursuing… Continue reading Links for 2012-06-15
The Perfection of Bay Area Dogphysics
Last night, as I was flying in to San Francisco, Matt Cain pitched the first perfect game in Giants history. Now, a casual observer might think these events were unrelated, but to ancient alien theorists, the connection between them could not be more obvious. Thus, you should come to Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park this… Continue reading The Perfection of Bay Area Dogphysics
Links for 2012-06-14
In which physics tackles a burning question from the world of computing, a famous biologist says something idiotic, and the world’s smallest violin plays for frequent fliers. ———— Does Your Download Progress Bar Lie to You? | Wired Science | Wired.com Different browsers do this differently. Some show a little bar to indicate how much… Continue reading Links for 2012-06-14
Graduation 2012
I just realized that I forgot to do the annual congratulatory post for our graduates this year. I plead jet lag– my flight back from DAMOP didn’t get in until after midnight, and graduation was first thing Sunday morning. I didn’t march in the procession for only the third time– instead, I snuck around back… Continue reading Graduation 2012
Ten Years Before the Blog: 2005-2006 (Part II, the Start of ScienceBlogs)
In which we look at the end of the Steelypips era and the launch of ScienceBlogs. ———— Before the Great Upgrade derailed things completely for a month, I was working on a recap of this blog’s history, and had gotten up through the end of 2005, which marked the end of my time as an… Continue reading Ten Years Before the Blog: 2005-2006 (Part II, the Start of ScienceBlogs)
How Did the arXiv Succeed?
In which we look again at the question of why, despite the image of physicists as arrogant bastards, biologists turn out to be much less collegial than physicists. ———— While I was away from the blog, there was a spate of discussion of science outreach and demands on faculty time, my feelings about which are… Continue reading How Did the arXiv Succeed?
Links for 2012-06-12
In which we look at a great commencement speech, the oversupply of mediocrity, the nominees for a science blogging award, and Facebook games distilled to their essence. ———— Wellesley High grads told: “You’re not special” | The Swellesley Report Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped. Yes, capable adults with other things to… Continue reading Links for 2012-06-12
Relativity for Bay Area Dogs, Among Others
Two How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog items: First and foremost, I’ll be appearing at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA, this Thursday, June 14 at 7:00pm. I’ll probably read a bit of the book, so if you’ve ever wanted to hear me do the silly dog voice live, here’s your chance. Provided, of… Continue reading Relativity for Bay Area Dogs, Among Others
Single Photons Are Still Photons: “Wave-particle dualism and complementarity unraveled by a different mode”
In which we do a little ResearchBlogging, taking a look at a slightly confusing paper putting a new twist on the double-slit experiment. ———— I’m off to California this afternoon, spending the rest of the week at DAMOP in Pasadena (not presenting this year, just hanging out to see the coolest new stuff in Atomic,… Continue reading Single Photons Are Still Photons: “Wave-particle dualism and complementarity unraveled by a different mode”