After three glorious sixty-degree days in California, we returned to Schenectady just in time for a major winter storm. In mid-April. There’s an inch or two of icy slush all over everything, and it’s still raining. Whee! It occurs to me again that what we’re seeing locally from climate change feels more like a climate… Continue reading Global Climate Phase Shift
Category: Science
Jackie Robinson: Most Important American?
Yesterday, on my way in to work, I was listening to ESPN radio and Mike Greenberg made a bold assertion (paraphrased slightly): Jackie Robinson is one of the ten most important Americans of the twentieth century. Not just sports figures, Americans. Contrary sort that I am, my first thought was “I don’t think I believe… Continue reading Jackie Robinson: Most Important American?
Reading Science in College
Via Bookslut, there’s an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education about whether reading is really important: Is it always a good thing to read an entire book? When I was a graduate student, it dawned on me that I often had the most intelligent things to say about books I’d only half- or quarter-read.… Continue reading Reading Science in College
Cold Fusion and Congress
The case of Purdue’s Rusi Taleyarkhan, cleared by the university of charges of misconduct in a murky process, has taken another turn. Congress is getting involved, with the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee requesting more details from the university. On the one hand, I’m not enthusiastic about Congress getting… Continue reading Cold Fusion and Congress
Dorky Poll: Research Adaptation
I’m giving an exam this morning, and I needed to get to work early to make copies, so I didn’t have time for lengthy, insightful blogging. So here’s a dorky poll. This one needs a little background. A post-doc in my old group at NIST used to say that he always wished he had a… Continue reading Dorky Poll: Research Adaptation
The Life Cycle of a Microwave Photon
After a short post-March Meeting lag, Physics World is back to announcing really cool physics results, this time highlighting a paper in Nature (subscription required) by a French group who have observed the birth and death of photons in a cavity. I’m not sure how it is that the French came to dominate quantum optics,… Continue reading The Life Cycle of a Microwave Photon
Science Showdown: Orbit Region First Round
Announcing the first round games of the Orbit Region of the 2007 Science Showdown: These games match central physics concepts against one another, in a bid to determine the greatest physics idea, which will eventually face and humiliate ideas from other fields of science. I’ll be announcing the winners on Friday, but ehre’s your chance… Continue reading Science Showdown: Orbit Region First Round
A Bracket for Everything, and Everything In Its Bracket
Posting has been basketball-heavy of late because, well, there isn’t much else going on that I find all that interesting at the moment. More importantly, though, it’s the Season of the Bracket… I’m not the only one affected, of course, though many people who don’t care about hoops have to find other outlets for the… Continue reading A Bracket for Everything, and Everything In Its Bracket
What About Tomb Raider?
The New York Times offers an article profiling Terence Tao, mostly focussing on his child prodigy background: Dr. Tao has drawn attention and curiosity throughout his life for his prodigious abilities. By age 2, he had learned to read. At 9, he attended college math classes. At 20, he finished his Ph.D. Now 31, he… Continue reading What About Tomb Raider?
Science Showdown!
If you can’t figure out basketball, but are looking to get in on the excitement of filling out bracket sheets and arguing about seeds, well, the boys at the World’s Fair have got just the thing for you… The Science Spring Showdown 2007 That’s right, they’ve got brackets set up for the ultimate showdon of… Continue reading Science Showdown!