This year’s DAMOP meeting is in State College PA, which has good and bad points. It’s not exactly a tourist Mecca, but then that means I won’t feel bad spending all day in physics talks. It’s also probably relatively cheap, unlike Calgary last year. But the most important feature of the location is that it’s… Continue reading Fines Doubled in Work Areas
DAMOP Day 2
I spent a whole bunch of time running around between talks on Thursday, and at one point was grumbling to myself about the way the organizers had scheduled all the good stuff at one time. Only later did I realize that it really wasn’t their fault– it’s all good stuff, and there are only a… Continue reading DAMOP Day 2
The Drunkard’s Walk by Leonard Mlodinow
If you’re reading this shortly after it’s posted, you may notice ads for this book popping up in the sidebar and on top of the page. This is probably not entirely a happy coincidence– I was offered a review copy in email from the author and his publisher, and I suspect that they had ScienceBlogs… Continue reading The Drunkard’s Walk by Leonard Mlodinow
DAMOP Day 1
A very quick run-down of physics topics at DAMOP, before I go to bed: I skipped the prize session at 8am, so I started my day with Bill Phillips’s talk in the recent developments in optical lattices session. Oddly, his talk really didn’t have much to do with lattices, but it’s always a pleasure to… Continue reading DAMOP Day 1
DAMOP Day 0
I made it to Happy Valley without incident, though it is Orange Cone Season in Pennsylvania, and I spent a lot of time dodging construction. Happily, there really wasn’t anything important at the meeting last night. So I skipped out on the welcome reception to have dinner and a few beers with Kevin and RPM… Continue reading DAMOP Day 0
Matthew Hughes, Template [Library of Babel]
A little while back, Matthew Hughes offered a free copy of his forthcoming novel Template to online reviewers via his web site. I wasn’t able to read it fast enough to get in on James Nicoll’s review-a-thon, but I finished it a few days ago. Template is set in the same basic world as Majestrum,… Continue reading Matthew Hughes, Template [Library of Babel]
links for 2008-05-28
Confessions of a Community College Dean: Academe and Parenting “Part of the problem, I think, is the potentially infinite demands of the job. How much time does it take, per week, to prep and grade a typical class?” (tags: academia kid-stuff society culture education) The Traveling Taps Brigade – washingtonpost.com “”[F]aking taps just isn’t good… Continue reading links for 2008-05-28
Science-and-Religion Links Dump
I did a few of these a while back, and then, as usual, sort of stopped posting on the subject. There are a limited number of articles on science, religion, and culture wars that actually catch and hold my interest, so it’s hard to populate a regular links dump. Of course, I could always just… Continue reading Science-and-Religion Links Dump
Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
I’m off to the 39th meeting of DAMOP, the division of the American Physical Society for people who do the really cool stuff involving whole atoms and lasers. I’ve queued up a few things so that the site won’t go dark, and the hotel web page promises high-speed Internet, so I may even do a… Continue reading Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
links for 2008-05-27
A Misunderstood Monument – WSJ.com “French worked hard to make his huge Lincoln a man and not a god. This is one rumpled icon. The imperfections are hard to miss. His hair is uncombed. His tie is askew. His hands betray a fidgety disposition, and his eyes aren’t quite symmetrical.” (tags: history US art society… Continue reading links for 2008-05-27