Steinn Sigurðsson
Professor of Astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University. Science Editor at Astrophysical Journal. Icelandic. Herder of Cats.
catdynamics
Posts by this author
October 5, 2007
I gather NASA has discovered web 2.0 and social networking.
From a series of very interesting conversations I've had recently had, there is both growing awareness of a semi-official NASA presence in web 2.0 realms, and an interest in making this permanent and official.
My first reaction was to go…
October 5, 2007
"Life goes on as it did before
As the country drifts slowly to war"
The Torygraph is getting worried: Drum beaters for Iran war should think again
"Those in favour of war are now apparently contemplating including Syria, opening not one door into the dark, but two.
We should all hope that serious…
October 5, 2007
Hot and sultry friday. Happy, happy autumn.
So, we ask the iPod, in commemmoration of yestarday's anniversary...
This whole space travel thing, what will come of that?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Fantaisie de Concert II: Lento assai - Perlman
The Crossing: Hestavísur
The…
October 4, 2007
Mikulski-Hutchison put in extra billion into NASA appropriations in Senate
and HR3737 - House votes to save Arecibo - doesn't come with money, just orders to NSF.
I bow in awe to Cornell's powers.
October 4, 2007
"Girls go to College
to get more knowledge;
Boys go to Jupiter
to get more stupider"
by Á. age 6 1/4
October 4, 2007
Fifty years ago today, the first tiny step was taken off planet.
We may be more introspective nowadays, but we sure know how to Have Fun 2.0
Here is a selection of finds from the blogosphere, trawled up over the last few weeks. Some of these were sent in, some I picked as good examples of blog…
October 3, 2007
anyone know who was first to use avatar in fiction to describe the virtual persona representation of a real person either in cyberspace or as telepresence?
It is not in True Names, which would have been my first guess. I have vague memories of it being used in new wave science fiction in the early/…
October 3, 2007
NASA may be rolling back their "full cost accounting" scheme
A couple of years ago, NASA switched to "full cost accounting.
Previously a fair fraction of NASA permanent staff were paid out of center budgets directly, but, with some reason, to be fair, they moved to the aforemention full cost…
October 1, 2007
Ugh.
Outfit is wrong.
Flag colour is wrong (shade of blue, dood)
And no no no hockey sticks! You think we're Finns or something?
Funny though
October 1, 2007
"ten dead American soldiers and four burned trucks"
'Let's do it if the Iranians stage a cross-border attack inside Iraq.'
"Shifting Targets" a Sy Hersh article in the New Yorker.
Speculative but interesting read.
Wonder what our Brit readers think of the "shame" and "desire for revenge" the…
October 1, 2007
unconfirmed report that Russia pulled all its technicians out of Bushehr
the ever unreliable DEBKA is passing along a report from Iranian opposition group that the Russians pulled their technical people out of the almost completed Busher nuclear reactor in Iran this weekend
DEBKA floats a lot of…
September 28, 2007
iRobot the makers of the Roomba robot vacuum have new toys...
we have a Roomba, 2nd generation, which works great in the smaller rooms, or it would if we didn't have books piled everywhere, interspersed with occasional toys, cats and laptop accessories
I like the look of the Looj - robot gutter…
September 28, 2007
Off-season, but still two proposals in two days.
So, oh Mighty iPod - given them vagaries of panels and those who run them, how will they dispose of what we propose?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: World is Full of Crashing Bores - Morrissey
The Crossing: A New England - Billy…
September 27, 2007
strange allegation that NASA climate scientist, James Hansen, was "paid" by the Soros foundation...
NASAwatch points to an op-ed in Investor's Business Daily where they claim:
"How many people, for instance, know that James Hansen, a man billed as a lonely "NASA whistleblower" standing up to the…
September 26, 2007
Now there's an insult: they must have put Ahmadinejad in one of those annoying fancy hotels that charge for internet access, 'cause he still hasn't blogged the Columbia visit, and no liveblog of the UN speech, either!
In fact he hasn't updated his blog in like six months. Deadbeat.
And it is not…
September 26, 2007
I'm hosting the next physical science carnival: Philosophia Naturalis #14 on Oct 4th 2007.
It is a memorable date, send me entries on any relevant physical science bloggings.
September 26, 2007
Carnival of Education #137 is up
at Global Citizenship in a Virtual World
September 25, 2007
What are your true, academic, pleasures?
Sean is disgusted at the lameness of academic guilty pleasures
Chad gets in on the action also...
I'm not into guilt, and there are real academic pleasures; emotional states that come with the job.
We should revel in them.
The rarest and greatest pleasure…
September 25, 2007
New banner image and design, courtesy of Josh Gemmell. Thanks.
I like it.
May redecorate eventually. We'll see how it goes.
September 25, 2007
I gather Halo 3 just came out.
How much did it cost to develop?
A news story on the wire quotes a development cost of $30 million for Microsoft, with another $30 million or so in marketing and bonuses, for a launch cost of $60 million. Which implies very high profit margins for a successful game…
September 24, 2007
Tom Friedman on the Colbert Report has terminated the legendary Friedman Unit!
No longer can we wait six months to see how things are going to develop in Iraq.
It is decision time...
September 24, 2007
Michigan has beaten PSU in football every year that I've been here
This is clearly just so hos can taunt me, again.
Normally I'd remind myself that "it's only a game", but a) I tried that on Mike McQuery two years ago, and he was so fucking not amused and b) there is nothing like a plaintive little…
September 23, 2007
In a few years, I am going to leave this book lying out somewhere in my house and see if one of the kids picks it up and reads it.
"The Canon" by Natalie Angier
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-24295-5 Houghton Mifflin Books
The Canon is a pop overview of some key concepts in science, starting with scientific…
September 21, 2007
NuSTAR lives!
NuSTAR is a SMEX class high energy x-ray observatory.
It was shut down just at critical design review in spring 2006 by the then NASA associate administrator for Science, due to budget cuts in NASA science.
It has now been revived by the current associate administrator for Science,…
September 21, 2007
The Female Science Professor contemplates those who pass over good projects
This is something to read and internalise.
That means you.
September 21, 2007
foggy cool autumnal friday, and so we ask the Mighty iPod, cryptically, are worm micelles the key insight?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Are You Satisfied? - Jesus Jones
The Crossing: Mommy Daddy You and I - Talking Heads
The Crown: Spam Song - Monty Python
The Root: Riders on…
September 19, 2007
Well, the Peruvians claim something from above hit them...
Maleficent Mystery Meteorite Miasma.
Makes more sense then invading the Home Counties, or New Jersey for that matter; they'll want to adapt gradually to local conditions, start at altitude...
The claim is that there was a fireball and…
September 18, 2007
should K-12 students keep the same teacher for several grades, especially in lower grades?
My current limited contact with the US K-12 system made me ponder the differences I see locally compared with my anecdotal experiences in Europe.
Specifically, the local practise, which seems to be…
September 18, 2007
ties 'cause cooties
Told you so!
Some of us are just ahead of our times.
September 17, 2007
Should teachers track "their class" between grades, and
should students stay with their classmates between years?
So, my exposure to the US K-12 educational system is increasing, and I am intrigued by some of the differences. What I don't know is whether these are broadly general across the US…