Michael Nielsen » The Wikipedia Paradox “To determine whether any given subject deserves an entry, Wikipedia uses the criterion of notability. This lead to an interesting question: Question 1: What’s the most notable subject that’s not notable enough for inclusion in Wikipedia? Let’s assume for now that this question has an answer (“The Answer”), and… Continue reading Links for 2009-11-16
Links for 2009-11-15
10 Geeky Laws That Should Exist, But Don’t | GeekDad | Wired.com “1. Munroe’s Law: A person in a geeky argument who can quote xkcd to support his position automatically wins the argument. This law supersedes Godwin, so that even if the quote is about Hitler, the quoter still wins.” (tags: science culture books internet… Continue reading Links for 2009-11-15
Links for 2009-11-14
WTF, Aerosmith? WTF? | Popdose “Never has there been a band so unbelievably great and so sadly shitty at the same time. That, to me, is the Aerosmith legacy, and it’s only bound to get worse. Yet, there is something that still seems sacred about this band, beyond mere nostalgia. I just think they need… Continue reading Links for 2009-11-14
Links for 2009-11-13
Physics Buzz: Best physics inventions of 2009 “TIME magazine has announced the 50 best inventions of 2009. NASA’s Ares family of rockets was a shoo-in for best invention, given the recent launch of Ares 1-X, the family’s test rocket. I’ll give them that; NASA could certainly use the cheerleading. But I was surprised to see… Continue reading Links for 2009-11-13
Thursday Baby Blogging 111209
An indignant SteelyKid says “What do you mean I can’t go to day care? I’m perfectly healthy!” She is, indeed, doing much better. Last night, I wasn’t sure you’d get any Baby Blogging at all, because snot and fever don’t make for a photogenic baby. She’s waddling around in more or less her usual state… Continue reading Thursday Baby Blogging 111209
Text = Death, But Text Is Essential
The always interesting Timothy Burke has a good post about PowerPoint in classes, spinning off a student complaint. I’ve been lecturing with PowerPoint– my own slides, not something sent to me by a textbook company– since day one, so of course I have opinions on the topic. For the most part, Burke’s points on the… Continue reading Text = Death, But Text Is Essential
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
Links for 2009-11-12
Das Kriegstagebuch von Dieter Finzen im 1. Weltkrieg – Wardiary of Dieter Finzen in WW1 Diary entries from a German soldier in WWI, posted 93 years after they were written. (tags: history war world blogs) WW1: Experiences of an English Soldier “This blog is made up of transcripts of Harry Lamin’s letters from the first… Continue reading Links for 2009-11-12
How to Generate Scientific Controversy
Some years ago, I heard Bob Park give a talk about pseudoscience, using “How to get rich and famous abusing your science knowledge” as a framing device. He ran through the deceptions involved in a bunch of high-profile “science” based scams and scares– homeopathy, free energy, power lines causing cancer, etc. Over at Live Granades,… Continue reading How to Generate Scientific Controversy
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