In which we look at commemorating an important anniversary, an unusual way to publish more articles, one of the best discussions of fraternities and sororities I’ve seen, an article calling for more flexibility in academia, and a bit of political silliness. ———— Emilio Segrè Visual Archives “Niels Bohr’s atomic model has had an immense impact…

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 |…

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…

In which we look at the real goal for the Giants, how they’ve overspent on running backs over the last twenty years, the capital-S surrealism of Daniel Pinkwater (author of Lizard Music and The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death), and an attempt to put the cost of the Large Hadron Collider in perspective.…

In which we look at the death of a sports-media pioneer, the settling of the Chicago teachers strike, writing while a parent, why even highly educated people hate school teachers, and a different approach to teaching students not to plagiarize papers. A Positive Solution for Plagiarism – Do Your Job Better – The Chronicle of…

In which we learn about a new science communication service, some history of astronomy, a more complete definition of “one-hit wonder,” and a new science award promoting basic research. ———— Bowler Hat Science Matthew Francis launches his Media Empire, offering a variety of talks (both public lectures and research talks), and more importantly workshops on…

In which we look at Obama’s speaking style, what Bill Clinton wrote vs. what he said, and Gangnam Style. ———— Obama and the Racial Politics of American English – NYTimes.com This ended up being less interesting than it seemed it might be, but I’m not sure why. What Bill Clinton Wrote vs. What Bill Clinton…

In which science shows the FAA is full of crap, Slate takes on the question of science grad school, NFL team logos get redesigned to make them honest, the Joint Quantum Institute invites your Nobel guesses, and experimentalists are more sought after than theorists. Do Our Gadgets Really Threaten Planes? – WSJ.com “The odds that…

Confessions of a Community College Dean: Kermit How Kermit the Frog is the perfect model for an academic administrator. Chester A. Arthur: Sasquatch Trainer : Filmmaking Frenzy: Commander-in-Chief From the people who brought you “Rutherford B. Hayes, Urban Vigilante,” a movie about the only Union alumnus (so far) to be US President. In a Mass…