In which we have the next round of the conversation with Puff the Mutant Dragon. Previous entries here and there. ———— Amusingly, your post was singled out for high praise in the Knight Science Journalism Tracker review of the book. Probably because Deborah Blum, who wrote it, wrote a book about poisons, so the topic… Continue reading Blog Table Discussion with Puff the Mutant Dragon (part II)
Author: Nathan
Entangled in the Past: “Entanglement Between Photons that have Never Coexisted”
In which we do a little ResearchBlogging to look at a new paper about weird quantum effects, entangling two photons that never both exist at the same time. ———— I’m teaching full-time this term, but I’ve blocked out Thursdays as a day when I don’t do class- or chair-related work. Usually, this means trying to… Continue reading Entangled in the Past: “Entanglement Between Photons that have Never Coexisted”
Links for 2012-10-05
In which Heinlein helps out a friend, new Trek turns 25, the future isn’t what it used to be, skeptics see a chupacabra, Star Wars characters can’t read, and Frank Turner is brutally honest about John Lennon’s worst famous song. ———— British folksinger Frank Turner on why he hates John Lennon’s “Imagine” | Music |… Continue reading Links for 2012-10-05
Nobel Prize Betting Pool 2012
It’s that time of year again, when everybody pays attention to Sweden for a couple of months: the 2012 Nobel Prizes are about to be announced. Which means it’s time for the game everybody loves to tolerate: the Uncertain Principles Nobel Betting Pool: Leave a comment to this post predicting at least one of the… Continue reading Nobel Prize Betting Pool 2012
Gender and Balance in Aviation
In which we use math and physics to show that the pilots of my flight from Toronto to Albany this past weekend were full of crap. ———— As previously noted, I was in Waterloo, Ontario this past weekend for the Open House at the University of Waterloo’s new Quantum Nano Center. My talk went very… Continue reading Gender and Balance in Aviation
Still Stuck in Paragraph Two
This one’s for Matthew Francis, whose tweet from yesterday lodged this in my head until I broke down and typed it out. With apologies to Stealer’s Wheel and their Dylanesque pop bubblegum classic: Still Stuck in Paragraph Two Well, I don’t know why I came here tonight, I brought the laptop but still just can’t… Continue reading Still Stuck in Paragraph Two
Blog Table Discussion with Puff the Mutant Dragon (Part I)
My post post Faster Than a Speeding Photon, doing a Q&A explainer of the OPERA fast-neutrino measurement was picked for inclusion in The Best Science Writing Online 2012 (confusingly published in late 2012, featuring blog posts from 2011…). As promotion for the book, it was suggested that pairs of authors from the collection “interview” each… Continue reading Blog Table Discussion with Puff the Mutant Dragon (Part I)
Programming Note and Links Dump
I’ll be taking advantage of the one daily flight to Toronto that allows Albany to claim an International Airport today, en route to Waterloo, where they are celebrating the opening of their shiny new Quantum and Nano Center with an Open House on Saturday, September 29. I’ll be giving my “What Every Dog Should Know… Continue reading Programming Note and Links Dump
How to Teach Relativity to Your Four-Year Old
SCENE: The library at Chateau Steelypips. DADDY is typing on the computer, while THE PIP plays on the floor. Enter STEELYKID. STEELYKID: I’m already four years old. DADDY: Yes, yes you are. THE PIP: Thbbbbbbbpppt! STEELYKID: How old is The Pip? DADDY: Eleven months. Not quite one year. STEELYKID: When The Pip is four, how… Continue reading How to Teach Relativity to Your Four-Year Old
Links for 2012-09-26
In which Rhett almost makes me want ridiculously expensive sneakers, space loses its aura of cool, the Dean Dad introduces his kids to Star Trek, John Myers Myers overreaches in an interesting way, and a blogger asks for information on why women leave physics. ———— Physics Not Physical: Why I’m Asking Why I want to… Continue reading Links for 2012-09-26