The Large Hadron Collider at CERN has suffered some setbacks in recent months, but they aren’t letting that hold them back: CERN has announced that the Large Hadron Collider will switch on in May 2008, with collisions at full energy starting in summer 2008. “We’ll be starting up for physics in May 2008, as always… Continue reading Irrational Exuberance at the LHC
Class and Networking
Via Bora, a very interesting essay by Danah Boyd about class divisions in social networking sites: Over the last six months, i’ve noticed an increasing number of press articles about how high school teens are leaving MySpace for Facebook. That’s only partially true. There is indeed a change taking place, but it’s not a shift… Continue reading Class and Networking
Blogwars!
Scott Eric Kaufman must have a dissertation deadline coming up, because his procrastination is getting intense. He’s just set up a text adventure game on his blog: You are standing near the Moral High Ground. To your South are Theists (or Theorists). To your North are Atheists (or Anti-Theorists). To your East and West are… Continue reading Blogwars!
Tobias Buckell, Ragamuffin [Library of Babel]
The other book that I’ve torn through really quickly this week is the sequel to Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell. The first third of the sequel, Ragamuffin is freely available on the web page for the book, for those who are interested. I tend to find sample chapters frustrating, though, so I didn’t read it… Continue reading Tobias Buckell, Ragamuffin [Library of Babel]
Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union [Library of Babel]
There are lots of other books in the booklog queue, but this one is due back at the library today, so it gets bumped to the front of the list. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s probably the most widely discussed of the books waiting to be logged… In case you’ve been hiding out… Continue reading Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union [Library of Babel]
The Meme That Wouldn’t Die
Via a colleague: (Original here.) I enjoy the really obscure ones…
Education and Media Relations
The great media relations debate is starting to wind down, but there’s still a bit of life in it. In particular, I want to comment on something that Bora said, that was amplified on by Melinda Barton. Here’s Bora’s comment: Everyone is afraid to use the F word, but the underlying tension is, at its… Continue reading Education and Media Relations
Extremely Dorky Poll: Coolest Word in Physics
The other day, while we were walking from my office back to the lab, one of my students asked me a question that’s perfect for a Dorky Poll: What’s the coolest single word you’ve encountered in physics? His vote was for “antineutrino,” but I’ve got to go with “counterintuitive,” as in “Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage… Continue reading Extremely Dorky Poll: Coolest Word in Physics
Small Victories
Here’s my achievement for the week: OK, that may not seem like much, but this is what it looked like before I started:
Family Friendly Blogging
Via Jennifer Ouellette, I find that there’s a site where you can get a movie-style rating for your blog. And the answer is: by Mingle2 Well, fuck.