On Scientific Conferences, and Making Them Better

I’ve been doing a bunch of conferencing recently, what with DAMOP a few weeks ago and then Convergence last week. This prompted me to write up a couple of posts about conference-related things, which I posted over at Forbes. These were apparently a pretty bad fit for the folks reading over there, as they’ve gotten… Continue reading On Scientific Conferences, and Making Them Better

Most Played Songs Meme

This went around a different corner of my social-media universe while I was off in Waterloo, away from my iTunes. I was curious about it, though, so looked at the contents of the “25 Most Played” playlist, and having done that, I might as well post them here (the number in parentheses is the number… Continue reading Most Played Songs Meme

My Week in Waterloo

My trip to Waterloo and back for the Convergence meeting accounts for almost 1% of the miles on my car.

I spent the last few days in Ontario, attending the Convergence meeting at the Perimeter Institute. This brought a bunch of Perimeter alumni and other big names together for a series of talks and discussions about the current state and future course of physics. My role at this was basically to impersonate a journalist, and… Continue reading My Week in Waterloo

Father’s Day 2015

The Pip is ready to fix anything that needs drilling, and SteelyKid wants a katana.

Act I: STEELYKID and THE PIP: Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! DADDY: Aww, that’s sweet. So, what are you going to make me for breakfast? STEELYKID and THE PIP: What? DADDY: It’s father’s day, right? So you guys should be cooking breakfast for me. STEELYKID and THE PIP: No!!!! THE PIP: We can’t cook breakfast for… Continue reading Father’s Day 2015

Tiny Forces, Artificial Materials, and Wobbling Stars: Physics Post Round-Up

I’ve been really busy with year-end wrap-up stuff, but have also posted a bunch of stuff at Forbes. which I’ve fallen down on my obligation to promote here… So, somewhat belatedly, here’s a collection of physics-y stuff that I’ve written recently: — Using Atoms To Measure Tiny Forces: A post reporting on some very cool… Continue reading Tiny Forces, Artificial Materials, and Wobbling Stars: Physics Post Round-Up

Kids and Schools and Liberal Guilt

Matt “Dean Dad” Reed is moving to New Jersey, and confronting one of the great dilemmas of parenting (also at Inside Higher Ed): what school district to live in. This is a big problem for lots of academics of a liberal sort of persuasion: From a pure parental perspective, the argument for getting into the… Continue reading Kids and Schools and Liberal Guilt

Graduation 2015

The Union College Physics and Astronomy class of 2015: Caleb, Alex, Stephen, Will, and Eason (Salina took off before we got the picture together).

Commencement was today, the 14th of those that I’ve been to as a faculty member. As usual, the procession was led in and out by the Schenectady Pipe Band; I realized that after many years of this, I’m coming to associate “Scotland the Brave” with graduation… This was a really unpleasant year for me in… Continue reading Graduation 2015