Links for 2010-05-27

Confessions of a Community College Dean: Thoughts on DIY U “Eleemosynary institutions have real and serious flaws, but they exist to empower the weak. They are necessary to empower the weak. If you rend them asunder, you will expose the weak to the predations of the strong. This is so fundamental that I’m surprised it… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-27

Anatomy of a Conference: DAMOP Day 1

The conference I’m at this week is the annual meeting of the Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics of the American Physical Society (which this year is joint with the Canadian version, the Division of Atomic and Molecular Physics and Photon Interactions, or “DAMPΦ.” The Greek letter is a recent addition– as recently as… Continue reading Anatomy of a Conference: DAMOP Day 1

Links for 2010-05-26

Student Tip: Asking for a better grade : Dot Physics “If you are a student and you want a higher grade, you need to come in and show me that you understand the material at a level that was different than you showed on the exam. Most students don’t come in with this attitude.” (tags:… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-26

Links for 2010-05-25

…My heart’s in Accra » The Partisan Internet and the Wider World “I think the comparison between ideological isolation in media and in face to face encounters is more like comparing apples and hedgehogs. They’re thoroughly different types of interactions and we should have very different expectations for diversity and ideological isolation in each set.… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-25

What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics (2.0)

This is the presentation I gave to the International Baccalaureate class from Schenectady High School today. I tend to re-use talk titles a lot, but this is substantially different than the last talk with this title, as the previous group had read How to Teach Physics to Your Dog first. For this group, I spent… Continue reading What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics (2.0)

Academic Poll: The Best Part of Conferences

I’m leaving for DAMOP tomorrow, and did a presentation for local high-schoolers today, so everything is in chaos here. Thus, a poll to pass the time, inspired by my current activities: The best part of going to a conference is:online survey The word “best” naturally implies a single item, so choose only one.

Links for 2010-05-24

Sunday Function : Built on Facts How hash functions can keep you safe if you find yourself part of the French underground fighting the Nazis. (tags: math science blogs built-on-facts) “Heretical” Copernicus Reburied as a Hero – CBS News “”There is no indication that Copernicus was worried about being declared a heretic and being kicked… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-24

Links for 2010-05-23

Every Hug, Every Fuss – Scientists Record Families’ Daily Lives – NYTimes.com “[T]he U.C.L.A. project was an attempt to capture a relatively new sociological species: the dual-earner, multiple-child, middle-class American household. The investigators have just finished working through the 1,540 hours of videotape, coding and categorizing every hug, every tantrum, every soul-draining search for a… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-23