Steinn Sigurðsson
Professor of Astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University. Science Editor at Astrophysical Journal. Icelandic. Herder of Cats.
catdynamics
Posts by this author
August 9, 2007
Oh yeah, it is the season and PhD Comics delivers
Turf Wars Pt 1
and
Turf Wars Pt 2
h/t Steve
August 9, 2007
Joe P. is keeping busy
I'll be sending another package there in about 10 days, if anyone local has a contribution
August 8, 2007
Congratulations Dr Mandell
Wow, that's an old web page... he must have been busy for the last couple of years...
Here's our old press stuff on the first part of his thesis
The second part will be submitted soon. It is quite interesting also.
So... that was three PhDs in 12 days.
Interesting, not…
August 8, 2007
...in the Minor Key
One of my favourite Billy covers.
Don't know what the video is supposed to convey...
August 8, 2007
Some links are just for the sake of linking
Banality of Evil
For Our Own Good
August 8, 2007
Do Rock Steady
The Bodysnatchers another much underappreciated UK oldie
August 7, 2007
Doug N. got a memo on faculty recruiting
Apparently post-boomer faculty are completely unreasonable in their expectations, and the silverbacks in academia are trying to analyse the new demands.
Doug goes straight to the point, the young 'uns want:
Not to be treated poorly where they work
Have a…
August 7, 2007
Grauniad Science podcast has Brian May on the effect of taking a 'gap year' on progress on his PhD - how did that work out for him anyway? And how did he cope with London housing prices coming back to Imperial College to finish up and hand in his PhD thesis on "Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal…
August 3, 2007
bloomin' hot friday
we ask the iPod - what will become of the three doctors?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
The Crossing: Geek Stink Breath - Green Day
The Crown: Si, fui soldato - Pavarotti
The Root: Jarg Armani - Half Man, Half Biscuit…
August 2, 2007
Not to be confused with either the corgies, or Icelandic Roast Beagles with schmear and lax
The Beagle Project is building a replica of HMS Beagle and going to retrace its celebrated voyage, with added science bonus, to commemorate Darwin's imminent 200th birthday.
The project's web pages are…
August 1, 2007
Congratulations, Dr Micic
"Gravitational radiation from the growth of supermassive black holes"
August 1, 2007
that was a rough committee meeting...
those climates scientists sure don't take criticism lightly...
never argue about money with a physicist
shouldn't blog snarky things about NASA...
now you know how Colbert broke his wrist...
er, I mean, you should have seen that other guy tree.
it is firewood…
July 30, 2007
NASAwatch reports more top level moves at NASA
time to start managing the crisis that keep popping up
Karl Rove staffer becomes NASA White House liasion
I wonder if she has strong opinions on the Big Bang vs Steady State "controversy"?
Came to White House from Arkansas RNC
UPDATE: she apparently…
July 30, 2007
Domestik Goddess shows us a SIGGart Eco Style contest winner
I like it. Elegant, subtle, concise.
h/t powers of four
July 30, 2007
Receiving "Back in the DHSS/Trumpton Riots" CD in the mail, finally replacing my very beat up cassette copy...
Half Man, Half Biscuit are one of the most underappreciated UK bands around, and they've been around for a long time.
'course they can be a bit obscure sometimes for the uninitiated...…
July 28, 2007
didn't check my e-mail for 24 hours, weekend, very light on "real e-mail"
so I got good statistics on the spam
we're losing
I have four levels of spam filtering: the university does virus and porn trapping, the department has an adaptive filter, my mailbox has a filter, and my local mailer has an…
July 27, 2007
Congratulations Dr Smith!
The Transition from the First Stars to the Second Stars in the Early Universe
July 27, 2007
Frazzled friday, and we ask the iPod, quickly: so, iPod dood, what will come out of this afternoon's proceedings?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: The Midnight Special - Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Crossing: Donna Non Vivi Mai - Pavarotti
The Crown: I Allegro (Eine Kleine…
July 26, 2007
Geoff Andersen is a USAF Academy physicist and he has written a book on the Telescope
The Telescope
by Geoff Andersen
Princeton University Press 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0-691-12979-2
It is an interesting little book, as promised it only has one equation, and it is a useful one, with the rest of the…
July 26, 2007
news reports of an explosion killing two people at the Scaled Composites (makers of
"http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/index.htm">SpaceShipOne) facility at the spaceport in Mojave, near Edwards AFB Ca.
Sounds like a fuel tank rupture, four people injured.
SF Chronicle report - they say it…
July 25, 2007
There was a fire in Spokane
No big deal in and of itself, except that there was also a fire at a Saudi oil terminal;
local insurgents blew up Mexican oil and gas pipelines - correctly, to maximise damage and repair period; a contactor pierced a major oil pipeline in Vancouver, and there was a steam…
July 25, 2007
Three PhD defences, and a comps exam in 12 days.
Ouch.
And I'm chair of all the vivas, and the comps is in meteo...
Some sort of subliminal overcompensation, I guess.
July 25, 2007
President threatens veto of NASA appropriations: too much science
dontcha know...
From NASAwatch:
the House appropriations bill on NASA included extra funding for Science and Aeronautics, and restrictions on spending on Exploration and, more importantly, Exploration Development, including new…