Steinn Sigurðsson
Professor of Astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University. Science Editor at Astrophysical Journal. Icelandic. Herder of Cats.
catdynamics
Posts by this author
November 12, 2008
Can I just ask for one thing, of those seeking recommendation letters for postdoctoral fellowships... ?
...please, please, please - agree on some consistent phrase to be part of the "Subject:" line.
Preferably something involving the words "Letter" and "Application" or "Recommendation" or "…
November 12, 2008
Wow.
I just realised that the Molinari, h(m), impact index is really measured in magnitudes...
No, really!
h(m) = h/N0.4
is clearly a magnitude system - with a sign ambiguity of course, but that is just to confuse the physicists.
So we should work in log[ h(m) ] and set a "ranking modulus" as a…
November 12, 2008
there are many ways to rank a program: including its reputation, its performance, and more subtle quantitative indicators, some of which are contradictory and mutually inconsistent. Rankings are also generally lagging indicators and imperfect indicators of future performance, they are vulnerable to…
November 11, 2008
There is much angst now about finanical crises and bank collapses, and whether and which emergency bailouts are appropriate and who gets them.
Yet at the root of the whole process are petty little people with fragile egos and incomplete understanding of the basics of their profession, despite…
November 10, 2008
Phoenix Lander on Mars has ceased operation as winter moves in, power ran out and batteries died.
Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough…
November 10, 2008
there will be a major press release on thursday, for a paper appearing in Science this week.
It is a potentially major planet discovery, I will not break embargo to leak the news, but the hint of the upcoming discovery was public exactly two months ago, and there will be some nice ancillary…
November 10, 2008
O'Leary, O'Reilly
O'Hare and O'Hara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama
Studio version:
Live version:
"Now lets see Barack to Riverdance"
November 7, 2008
Interesting presentation by Brad deLong to the googleplex
'cause linking is an intrinsic good.
November 7, 2008
Indian summer and a friday. May snow this weekend...
So, that was exciting. Oh, Mighty iPod - what now?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Light My Fire - Doors
The Crossing: Money - Pink Floyd
The Crown: Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
The Root: Dream River - Mavericks
The Past: Pump…
November 6, 2008
NASA is putting together a memo giving guidance on conference funding and travel under the 2009 fiscal year budget.
University scientists may be allowed to travel on NASA funds, when all is clear.
This is from SARA:
"The good news is that that folks who have grants (i.e., those at universities)…
November 6, 2008
I was forwarded some Obama policy documents on European relations and was also pointed to a key aspect of Obama's heritage I had overlooked, though I gather it was discussed some months ago
Obama and Biden: A Stronger Partnership With Europe for a Safer America
There it was, after "Effective…
November 6, 2008
of a non-viable business model
It has been known for a while that Landsbanki, Iceland's second biggest commercial bank, had commissioned an academic study of the vulnerabilities of the country's banking system; and that the study was confidential.
Now that the worst case scenario from the study…
November 5, 2008
the fifth of november...
I spent a year living in Lewes, just down the hill from the castle and jousting field shown at the start of the video. In fact, my bedroom window looked out over the exact spot where Virginia Woolf committed suicide, or so we were told - the location does not exactly…
November 4, 2008
apparently there is some sort of election taking place in the US today...
I woke up to see "1000 students in line to vote at Penn State", before 8 am.
It is now a little after 1 pm and the line is still there. Probably a bit shorter, but very long, doubled up on itself a couple of times. High…
November 3, 2008
Scalzi explains things.
Carefully and beautifully.
'cause linking is an intrinsic good.
November 3, 2008
This is a public service announcement:
not sure what to get people for the holidays?
FSP has the answer
it is trendy, but obscure and geeky. The perfect gift or self-indulgence.
I want FSP Oven Gloves.
Because links are an intrinsic good.
November 2, 2008
My cousin got a beer bottle smashed over his head last month.
He was traveling in Europe with a friend, and some british lads found out they were Icelandic and decided to take out some interest on them.
So, the Icelandic banking system imploded over a few days, recently.
The collateral damage from…
October 31, 2008
Gorgeous autumnal friday, as we enjoy better living through chemistry...
So, Oh Mighty iPod One, modulo the unpredictable vagaries of human actions, can we expect any major surprises in these first 3 or 4 days of November? Anyone going to kick the table over?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.…
October 31, 2008
There is a Chandra mission blog
Nifty.
I think all NASA observatories should blog. Some could use a twitter or other microblog as well...
October 31, 2008
Apparently while I was away Gov. Palin came to town, again, and held a ticket only rally on the Penn State campus.
This is all well and good, many of the candidates have come to campus and held rallies both during the primaries and the presidential campaign. The campus has suitable facilities,…
October 30, 2008
firegdoglake has an interesting story
"go right ahead boys"
"...What [he's] hearing from very trustworthy sources whom I've known for years is that the Syrians have completely withdrawn their forces from the border."
This could be problematic.
Damascus has cut off diplomatic relations with Baghdad…
October 30, 2008
Science operations have resumed.
Servicing Mission 4 has been delayed even further.
WFPC2 lives!
Arp 147. Pretty!
but...
SM-4 is delayed beyond the current delay to feb '09
"NASA managers have announced that they will not meet a February 2009 launch date for the fifth and final shuttle mission to…
October 29, 2008
Ouch, Chad calls me out on the use of science blogging
Last night, after giving a talk on science blogging, I posted a rather frustrated rhetorical question on whether science blogging has done any good.
Now, I specifically asked this excluding science policy and science communication, not because…
October 29, 2008
Cosmic Variance is doing a Donors Choose Bloggers Challenge
This is one of those very good things that I keep thinking I ought to do, but am not organised enough to set up and walk through the paces and by the time I check the e-mail giving the info it is too late.
The CV crowd has lined up a…
October 29, 2008
The editors endorse Barack Obama for President in the upcoming US Presidential elections.
Readall about it here