I’m going to be spending the bulk of today in transit between Albany and Houston, with a layover in Orlando (whee!), so here’s a pair of related poll questions for you to consider: The most enjoyable way to travel between two cities in the continental US is:customer surveys The least enjoyable way to travel between… Continue reading Non-Dorky Polls: Travel Day
Month: May 2010
Links for 2010-05-25
…My heart’s in Accra » The Partisan Internet and the Wider World “I think the comparison between ideological isolation in media and in face to face encounters is more like comparing apples and hedgehogs. They’re thoroughly different types of interactions and we should have very different expectations for diversity and ideological isolation in each set.… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-25
What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics (2.0)
This is the presentation I gave to the International Baccalaureate class from Schenectady High School today. I tend to re-use talk titles a lot, but this is substantially different than the last talk with this title, as the previous group had read How to Teach Physics to Your Dog first. For this group, I spent… Continue reading What Every Dog Should Know About Quantum Physics (2.0)
Academic Poll: The Best Part of Conferences
I’m leaving for DAMOP tomorrow, and did a presentation for local high-schoolers today, so everything is in chaos here. Thus, a poll to pass the time, inspired by my current activities: The best part of going to a conference is:online survey The word “best” naturally implies a single item, so choose only one.
Links for 2010-05-24
Sunday Function : Built on Facts How hash functions can keep you safe if you find yourself part of the French underground fighting the Nazis. (tags: math science blogs built-on-facts) “Heretical” Copernicus Reburied as a Hero – CBS News “”There is no indication that Copernicus was worried about being declared a heretic and being kicked… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-24
Ancient Aliens: The Unified Theory of Kookiness
As mentioned previously, I have an inexplicable fondness for the “Ancient Aliens” show on the History channel. It’s such a bizarre mishmash of every crazy idea out there in the UFO community that it ends up being hilarious where it ought to be just reprehensible. To give you an idea of the wackiness, the episode… Continue reading Ancient Aliens: The Unified Theory of Kookiness
Links for 2010-05-23
Every Hug, Every Fuss – Scientists Record Families’ Daily Lives – NYTimes.com “[T]he U.C.L.A. project was an attempt to capture a relatively new sociological species: the dual-earner, multiple-child, middle-class American household. The investigators have just finished working through the 1,540 hours of videotape, coding and categorizing every hug, every tantrum, every soul-draining search for a… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-23
Houston, We Have a Problem
The problem is “What should Chad do/ see in the evenings while he’s at DAMOP next week?” This is the major physics conference in my field, so my days will be pretty well booked up with talks and posters, but there’s not much after 6pm other than food and socializing. If there’s some not-to-be-missed Houston… Continue reading Houston, We Have a Problem
Links for 2010-05-22
News: Questioning Endowment Losses – Inside Higher Ed “High-risk, high-reward policies heavily influenced by Wall Street helped some college endowments grow to several times their original sizes, but they also did damage to employees, local communities and the global financial system, a new assessment of investment practices at Harvard University and five other New England… Continue reading Links for 2010-05-22
Precision Measurement Hits Cable
I didn’t see it live, but thanks to the wonders of the Internet, you can see Tom O’Brian of NIST talking about measurement on the Rachel Maddow show last night: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Tom used to have an office not far from the lab I worked… Continue reading Precision Measurement Hits Cable