The Virtuosi: Darts A scientific analysis of where to aim to get the most points, and how that point shifts depending on your skill level. (tags: science games statistics math blogs virtusoi physics) Real Genius | Film | The New Cult Canon | The A.V. Club “Here’s a movie that has all the elements of… Continue reading Links for 2011-01-14
Month: January 2011
Ballistic Air Travel
I am in Florida for a meeting this week, having flown from Albany to Ft. Lauderdale. Due to the vagaries of the air travel system, though, this required a change of planes in Orlando. The Orlando-Ft. Lauderdale flight is sufficiently short that I like to think of it as a ballistic route– you’re not cruising… Continue reading Ballistic Air Travel
Links for 2011-01-13
Pimp My Novel: Two Households, Both Alike in Dignity “The sample sizes aren’t quite identical yet, folks (232 votes this round compared to 342 last round), but currently 54% of those of you who responded own an e-reader, as opposed to only 42% in June 2010. Granted, this is an entirely unscientific survey, but it… Continue reading Links for 2011-01-13
BEC: What Is It Good For?
Another response copied/adapted from the Physics Stack Exchange. The question was: What are the main practical applications that a Bose-Einstein condensate can have? Bose Einstein Condensation, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is a phenomenon where a gas of particles with the right spin properties cooled to a very low temeprature will suddenly “condense”… Continue reading BEC: What Is It Good For?
In the Open Lab 2010
It occurs to me that I’m kind of dropping the ball on my shameless self-promotion because I haven’t mentioned that one of my posts made the cut for this year’s fifth edition of the best-of-science-blogging anthology The Open Laboratory. The post included is Science Is More Like Sumo Than Soccer, a discussion of the importance… Continue reading In the Open Lab 2010
Stewart Gets It Right, Again
As usual, the best commentary on this weekend’s shootings comes from Jon Stewart: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c The Daily Show on Facebook If you prefer your sensible commentary in convenient HTML form, John Scalzi’s got you covered. Comments closed, because I don’t want to host a discussion… Continue reading Stewart Gets It Right, Again
Links for 2011-01-11
Cocktail Party Physics: i think that i shall never see / a carbon offset as lovely as a tree “I heard a NASCAR broadcaster make the following claim: “NASCAR offsets 100% of the carbon emissions from this race via their tree-planting program.” Anytime someone says “100%” or “always” or “without exception”, my ears perk up.… Continue reading Links for 2011-01-11
An Illustrated Guide to Relativity by Tatsu Takeuchi
I’m always a little hesitant to post reviews of books that I’m using as reference sources when I’m writing something, because it feels a little like recommending that you skip past my book and go to my sources instead. This is, of course, completely irrational, because however much I my use a given book as… Continue reading An Illustrated Guide to Relativity by Tatsu Takeuchi
Winter Poll: “Bitter” Cold
A seasonally appropriate poll, brought to you by this morning’s frigid dog walk (15F/ -9C), and the memory of a newscast back when I was in Maryland that referred to an overnight low temperature of 22F/-6C as “Bitter, bitter cold”: The maximum (daytime high) temperature I would characterize as “bitter cold” would be:survey software For… Continue reading Winter Poll: “Bitter” Cold
Links for 2011-01-10
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: FAQ: The “Snake Fight” Portion Of Your Thesis Defense. “Q: What does it mean if I get a small snake that is also very strong? A: Snake-picking is not an exact science. The size of the snake is the main factor. The snake may be very strong, or it may be very… Continue reading Links for 2011-01-10