catdynamics | September 6, 2006Sometimes one just knows that certain issues are better left to others.
"... students should shout at the president and ask why liberal and secular university lecturers are present in the universities"
The Dangeral One Strikes
Darn tootin'.
catdynamics | September 5, 2006Official word out of DC - associate administrator for the Science Directorate, Dr Mary Cleave is retiring in spring 2007.
This implies possible significant policy changes for space science next year, including changes in funding priorities, particularly for the smaller niche missions and sub-fields.
Keep a sharp eye out for who the replacement will be. It may matter a lot.
NASA also has ads out for new Astrophysics and Planetary Science Division Heads. Same applies there.
catdynamics | September 4, 2006Ok, so I'm a bit behind on my reading, but Prof Johnson's group at OCCF came up with an intriguing study last year conjecturing that terrorist attacks follow Salpeter's Law.
see semi-technical article in PhysOrg or the pop article in the Grauniad
Richardson had found a similar law for the size of conventional warfare, but Johnson et al have now shown similar statistics apply to terrorist acts, with the frequency of attacks of a given size scaling roughly as t-2.3 -- -2.5
In a further refinement, instantly recognizable to all stellar theorists, the slope is flatter, but normalization lower…
catdynamics | September 4, 2006I am happy to report, after a scout of the Wunderpalace, that Tom et al have kept up their social panache despite the move and other life changes.
It just figured that I'd be in the Bay Area and there'd be a party at Tom's place...
Good crowd, interesting conversation (I did not know synthetic biology had got to such a stage. Must blog.) met the instigator of the Quantum Diaries and some other notables.
What I did not expect was the social event stretching out over two days, on the water.
Nice breakfast. Nice boat. City looks good from the water.
Social life of the scientists can be more…
catdynamics | September 2, 2006hm, I leave town for a few days and first the servers are trashed, then the backup fails and now the mail servers are off line. oooee.
my deepest sympathies to those who lost /home the week before lectures began.
anyway, e-mail has been inaccessible for over a day - if you need to reach me urgently, comment on this post, can call back if really needed - if you wonder what this is about, then it is not about you
catdynamics | August 31, 2006Early friday, and we move to ask:
iPod - was the Earth's atmosphere anoxic in the Archaean before 2.4 Gyr BPE or did we have oxic episodes going as far back as 3.8 Gyr BPE?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: Take of Me - Alison Moyet
The Crossing: Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald
The Crown: Kata Rokkar - Björk
The Root: Í dansi með þér - Björk
The Past: Feeling of Falling - Bonnie Raitt
The Future: Did You Ever See a Lassie - Twin Sisters
The Questioner: Death at One's Elbow - Smiths
The House: The Grey Goose - Burl Ives
The Inside: Nógan Gefur Snjó a Snó
The Outcome: Við Eigum…
catdynamics | August 31, 2006Sometimes one is reminded of why doing science is really rather enjoyable...
I am currently visiting old friends, picking up undone work in an old collaboration.
And for once, everything just clicked together, in two short days we have put together new and old data, and extracted the near definitive results on a hard problem; a problem that has been patiently worked on for over a decade. Actually very close to two decades now.
Data, we worked on the actual data. Figured out actual data collection issues. Did science to 13 significant figures (I just counted)!
We then put together the…
catdynamics | August 31, 2006Just caught Bush's American Legion speech on CNN.
He just gave Iran an ultimatum. His Sept 19th speech to the UN will be interesting.
I am seriously concerned that the US is likely to make a unilateral pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and armed forces in late September. I'd now put the odds at over 50%, maybe as high as 2/3.
That would not be amusing.
The US is talking itself into a nasty trap - if they back down after escalating the rhetoric against Iran, then the US policy is severly weakened. If they attack then the US is likely to face severely negative consequences for…
catdynamics | August 30, 2006
Bill Maher - new rules: min 2:51 on
"It is time for the United States to severe its ties with science..."
Defence of Planet Act! Now! Call your congresscritters.
You are either with us, or you are with the scientists...
catdynamics | August 30, 2006Looks like Ioke is going to do bad things to poor little Wake Island.
That island has had a hard history, it may end tonight.
Bad Ioke on Wake.
See The Intersection and Wunderblog
bonus if you can spot the island - hint upper left...
NOAA advisory
Wake Island is 19N 167E - the eye is just about to hit...
catdynamics | August 30, 2006"I read this article in the NRO, and the author actually made some interesting arguments. 'Basically,' he said, 'I am questioning the premise that [you know what] is a problem rather than an opportunity.' Does he have a point?..."
Absolutely. Ok, some people may die, including possibly half your friends and relatives, but if the estate tax is abolished, just think of the opportunities!
And "liberals" are always bitching about over-population. Voila.
Housing prices will come down, plenty of opportunities there; oil peak will be deferred, and with the sharp immediate decrease in consumption,…
catdynamics | August 29, 2006another Katrina revisit - this from six months ago
Is this going to be on the test?
Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you are talking to a class and you see the slouch...
That one student with attitude who slumps in his seat (it is almost always a "he") and gets the slightly impatient what-am-I-wasting-my-time-on-this-for look and starts the attitude through body language.
Sometimes, just to prove he is paying attention he'll make a generic comment at the beginning of class, but as the others sit up straight and start interrupting with questions and comments he slouches further,…
catdynamics | August 29, 2006So, Santa Cruz is as lovely as ever.
Damn. I'll have to browse a real estate brochure to get a sense of perspective back.
Interesting thing on the plane out of DC...
For some strange reason it is impossible to get a flight out of State College round this time of year, at least for a finite price.
So, I drove to DC, in a rainstorm, at 5 in the morning, and the #$^!(() rental car radio was broken. Bastards.
Airport security was fun. For real. Guy on the metal detectos was doing a good keep the punters amused stand up routine. Didn't help the lady in front of me who hadn't got the "no fluids"…
catdynamics | August 29, 2006So, somnilista asked I comment on the Steorn claimed over-unity device.
See Grauniad story here
The claim is for a permanent magnet configuration that draws power but returns more energy than it takes in, ie it is a type one perpetual motion machine claim.
I should note that I have not seen the machine, nor have I seen diagrams or explanations of what it claims to do.
The basic design seems reminiscent of gimmick Daedalus came up with for New Scientist some years ago, to puzzle and amuse his peers.
Normally these claims are simple investment fraud, I have not seen any evidence that that is…
catdynamics | August 28, 2006 August 29th 2005 I was at a meeting in Chicago, I was up late flicking between the Weather Channel and CNN while catching up on some work and preparing to chair a session...
2:27 am August 30th 2005
New Orleans - bad news breaking on CNN
Oh dear. Tulane Uni hospital director is reporting the lake levee is breached and water is rapidly rising.
FEMA is evacuating hospitals by helicopter in the dark; deep water rushing into the business district;
this is very bad, especially with many people still stuck in houses - the water will now rise in the dark.
Earlier reports had city workers trying…
catdynamics | August 27, 2006Grauniad article reports...
Unfortunate Dr Coyne will not be available to lend his perspective on the meeting of the scholar's circle.
catdynamics | August 26, 2006Jimmy and the Keyz sing out
now they've done it, the folk singers have risen...
seen on livescienceblogs
catdynamics | August 25, 2006Janet asks...
Or, was it Sir, Professor, Doktor, Herr... I forget.
No I don't.
This was a real question for a friend of mine visiting Germany a few years ago...
Round here in Central PA, the students are excessively courteous, and I frequently find myself wondering who this "Prof Sigurdsson" is and why they keep trying to get his attention. (That is when they're not being incredibly obnoxious and rude, but that is rare and was a different blog topic)
It is simple, see: I am Icelandic - my name is Steinn
Sigurðsson, is a patronym, I am the Son of Sigurð:ur, literally. There is no such…