Now on ScienceBlogs: The Galaxy's Biggest Valentine
Thoughts on physics, politics, and pop culture, by a physics professor at a small liberal arts college, plus occasional conversations with his dog.
You've read the blog, now try the books! How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is published by Scribner, and available wherever books are sold. How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog is published by Basic Books and will be available 2/28/2012, as foretold by the Maya.
"Uncertain Principles" features the miscellaneous ramblings of a physicist at a small liberal arts college. Physics, politics, pop culture, and occasional conversations with his dog.
"Prof. Orzel gives the impression of an everyday guy who just happens to have a vast but hidden knowledge of physics." (anonymous student evaluation comment)
Emmy is a German Shepherd mix, and the Queen of Niskayuna. She likes treats, walks, chasing bunnies, and quantum physics.
Category: Academia
In comments to Friday's snarky post, I was chided for not engaging with the critique of standardized testing offered by Washington Post education blogger Valerie Strauss. I had intended to say more about the general topic, as there have been...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 2:48 PM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Including pretty much anybody wearing a helmet in this video from UC-Davis: That's just disgraceful, all the way around (with the possible exception of the chubby hatless cop in the first part of the video, who appears to be behaving...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:53 AM • 20 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Academia
The new school year is upon us, so there's been a lot of talk about academia and how it works recently. This has included a lot of talk about the cost of higher education, as has been the case more...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 11:01 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Class Issues
Fred Clark has an idea for you: Start with the housekeeping staff at a Manhattan hotel. They've just learned that their next contract includes no raise, but doubles the employee share of the cost of health benefits. The Norma Rae...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 11:42 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Kevin Drum is puzzled by default panic: If we run out of money, the federal government will stop paying some of its bills. That's bad, and it will quite likely have a negative effect on the economy. Corporations are right...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:52 AM • 19 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Academia
Via Jessa Crispin on Twitter, there's a really excellent article in the Paris Review about Harvard and Class: When I applied, I thought it would be great because I would get to meet lots of smart people. Those were the...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:09 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Academia
As I noted the other day, we're entering graduation season, one of the two month-long periods (the other being "back to school" time in August/September) when everybody pretends to care deeply about education. Accordingly, the people at the Pew Research...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:26 AM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Academia
College graduation season is upon us, at least for institutions running on a semester calendar (sadly, Union's trimester system means we have another month to go). This means the start of the annual surge of Very Serious op-eds about what...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 5:25 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Society
SteelyKid is, as I have noted previously, half Korean, a quarter Polish, and an eighth each Irish and German. Her parents are irreligious, the extended family is Catholic (more so on my side than Kate's), and she goes to day...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 1:41 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Education
Kevin Drum notes a growing backlash against education reform, citing Diane Ravitch, Emily Yoffe and this Newsweek (which is really this private foundation report in disguise) as examples. The last of these, about the failed attempts of several billionaires to...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 9:38 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Orac 02.13.2012
Orac 01.26.2012
PZ Myers 02.02.2012
Jason Rosenhouse 02.12.2012
ERV 11.26.2011
