Impossible Thruster Probably Impossible

Torsion pendulum from the Eot-Wash experiment at the University of Washington.

I’ve gotten a few queries about this “Impossible space drive” thing that has space enthusiasts all a-twitter. This supposedly generates thrust through the interaction of an RF cavity with a “quantum vacuum virtual plasma,” which is certainly a collection of four words that turn up in physics papers. An experiment at a NASA lab has… Continue reading Impossible Thruster Probably Impossible

The Social Event of the Season…

SteelyKid's birthday party invitation.

…if you’re a first-grader in Niskayuna, anyway. We’ve got 10-15 elementary school kids who are supposed to descend upon our house a bit before lunchtime. Morituri te salutamus… Kidding aside, it’s worth it, because SteelyKid is awesome, and she’s super excited to have a whole mob of her friends over. I just hope the rain… Continue reading The Social Event of the Season…

Eureka! It’s a Book!

The just-arrived galley proof for my forthcoming book. Laptop included for scale.

I took a short nap yesterday, and of course as soon as I lay down on the bed, Emmy erupted in the furious barking that signals the arrival of a package. When I went out to get it, I found shiny new bound galley proofs of Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist: I knew these were… Continue reading Eureka! It’s a Book!