The spring round of the Adopt-a-Physicist outreach program will begin soon. I did this in the Fall, and it was a good experience, so I’ve registered myself again. The program pairs volunteer physicists with high school classes, and provides a web forum in which students can ask questions about physics and careers in physics. Back… Continue reading Up for Adoption
links for 2009-04-02
Hold Steady rocks for the lucky few — Page 1 — Times Union – Albany NY "The Hold Steady’s Tuesday night performance at Valentine’s was sold-out weeks in advance of the show, which left a lot of mopers without a ticket or a hope of getting in. Those who’d jumped on the chance early on,… Continue reading links for 2009-04-02
Introducing DogPhysics.com
Because a book isn’t a real book until it has a promotional website, I give you: http://dogphysics.com the official(ish) site for promoting How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, which will be published this December (and can be pre-ordered on Amazon). The site does, in fact, contain content you won’t find on the blog, including… Continue reading Introducing DogPhysics.com
The Hold Steady at Valentine’s, Albany
Everything I’ve read about the Hold Steady says that they’re a great bar band, which always seems a little improbable. I mean, the songs are complicated, with tons of words and odd subject matter (“I dig those awkward silences, ’cause I grew up in denial, and I went to school in Massachusetts”), and Craig Finn… Continue reading The Hold Steady at Valentine’s, Albany
links for 2009-04-01
Setshot: Basketball for the Aging and Infirm: "Worse than he thinks": Self-image versus ability "To me, the worst players to run with (aside from the belligerent and insane) are those with drastically inflated self-images. You know these players. They’re the ones who think that they’re the best on the court, the ones who think they… Continue reading links for 2009-04-01
Course Report: Nuclei and Particles in 3+1 Classes
This is the final report on my modern physics class from last term, covering the last week of classes, which generally deal with nuclear and particle physics. This was actually three-and-a-bit classes, because I lost one class to a nasty cold a few weeks earlier, and used part of the lab period to make up… Continue reading Course Report: Nuclei and Particles in 3+1 Classes
Course Report: Solid State Physics in Three Classes
In the last course report post, we dispensed of atomic and molecular physics in just three classes. The next three classes do the same for solid state physics. Class 25 picks up on the idea of basic molecular potentials from the end of the previous class, and uses that to introduce energy bands in a… Continue reading Course Report: Solid State Physics in Three Classes
Course Report: Atoms and Molecules in Three Classes
I got way behind on my reports from my Modern Physics class– the last one was over month ago, and the class has since ended. There’s enough material left to be really awkward as a single post, though, so I’m going to take my cue from Brandon Sanderson and split it into three parts. The… Continue reading Course Report: Atoms and Molecules in Three Classes
Academic Poll: Mind Like a Steel… Thingy
Today is the first day of Spring term classes, which means there’s one obvious question to ask: What am I forgetting? I’ve spent the last few days alternating baby duty with frantic class prep, and I think I’ve got everything ready. I’m bound to be forgetting something, though. So what is it? What’s the thing… Continue reading Academic Poll: Mind Like a Steel… Thingy
Final Four Thoughts
Last week, the more annoying yelling heads on ESPN and its affiliates were all making a big show of brushing off the complaints of NCAA fans who felt the tournament was missing something due to the lack of a “Cinderella” team from a small conference making it to the round of 16. This was just… Continue reading Final Four Thoughts