Posted by Chad Orzel on January 4, 2012 It’s the first day of class today (for me, anyway– classes technically started yesterday, but I don’t teach on Tuesdays this term). This, of course, means that something will go horribly wrong. The question is, what?
This is a class for first-year students, so quantum superpositions of multiple answers are not allowed.
Ah, the joy of modern IT infrastructure.
Last fall we began with new images on all faculty and computer lab computers. Images that made it impossible to access the statistics software we use in our stat classes. At the end of the semester Blackboard was down, then up, then down, for four days. No stress there.
Good luck with the semester.
Instead of your notes, you accidentally bring Emmy to class.
You left out “professor unable to find room” and “students unable to find parking space”.
@2:
I am told that all of our licenses for some key statistics software always expire at the start of January and are only renewed a week after this is brought to the attention of the folks in IT, well after classes start.
You've read the blog, now try the books:
How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog is published by Basic Books. "“Unlike quantum physics, which remains bizarre even to experts, much of relativity makes sense. Thus, Einstein’s special relativity merely states that the laws of physics and the speed of light are identical for all observers in smooth motion. This sounds trivial but leads to weird if delightfully comprehensible phenomena, provided someone like Orzel delivers a clear explanation of why.” --Kirkus Reviews "Bravo to both man and dog." The New York Times.
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is published by Scribner. "It's hard to imagine a better way for the mathematically and scientifically challenged, in particular, to grasp basic quantum physics." -- Booklist "Chad Orzel's How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is an absolutely delightful book on many axes: first, its subject matter, quantum physics, is arguably the most mind-bending scientific subject we have; second, the device of the book -- a quantum physicist, Orzel, explains quantum physics to Emmy, his cheeky German shepherd -- is a hoot, and has the singular advantage of making the mind-bending a little less traumatic when the going gets tough (quantum physics has a certain irreducible complexity that precludes an easy understanding of its implications); finally, third, it is extremely well-written, combining a scientist's rigor and accuracy with a natural raconteur's storytelling skill." -- BoingBoing
January 4, 2012
January 4, 2012
January 5, 2012
January 5, 2012
