Physics with Emmy
drorzel | August 14, 2009A cosmologist, a science writer, three best-selling science fiction authors, a best-selling mystery novelist, and a Nobel laureate walk into a bar--
Oh, wait, that's not the opening to a joke. That's the list of people who have provided blurbs for my book... Kind of an eclectic bunch, but I'm pretty psyched. I'm not quite sure why the final list of blurbs gets locked in this early-- we don't even have the cover copy written yet-- but it's set now, and they look pretty good:
"Chad Orzel teases out the mysterious and seemingly incomprehensible side of advanced physics and makes it…
drorzel | August 13, 2009One of our poetry contest winners has been reading his proof copy of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, and posted some comments. Actually, it was posted last week, but I was at Worldcon, and not dealing with much of anything else.
The comments are pretty positive, but he asks a couple of questions along the way, and I figured I should respond to those here. So, below the fold are Adrian's questions and my responses:
I don't get what's so weird about the Quantum Eraser, other than things that are already weird in simpler double-slit experiments in any case. Once you've accepted that a photon…
drorzel | July 20, 2009I'm watching an episode of NOVA scienceNOW (eccentric capitalization makes it hip!), and Neil deGrasse Tyson is doing a segment on extrasolar planets. I'm only half listening, because I'm also trying to keep SteelyKid from trying to eat any of the furniture, but it's quite good.
All of a sudden, Emmy's head snaps up. "Hey!" she says. "He owes me a cookie!"
"What?" I ask. "Who owes you a cookie?"
"The human on the tv. He was just explaining science using dogs. Inferior dogs. That's my job!"
"Technically, it's my job. I'm the one who does all the writing, after all." I rewind the DVR a bit to…
drorzel | July 8, 2009I've got a couple more things to say about Unscientific America, probably, but I opted for some more David Foster Wallace last night, and don't feel like typing them up now, so I'll give you all a break. Anyway, what you're really here for is the baby and dog stuff, so here's another poll question from Emmy:
Cats are(survey)
(I think you should be able to choose multiple answers to this one, but I'm not 100% sure I set it up right.)
drorzel | June 25, 2009Just a quick reminder post to note that you can win an advance proof copy of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog in one of two ways:
By captioning pictures of the dog with physics apparatus
By writing short poems about dogs and physics
Regarding the last one, I'm thinking of adding a second poetry prize for "Best poem by somebody who isn't the Cuttlefish." So if you've been intimidated by squidly verse, don't be...
Entries for both contests are open through this Sunday, June 28th.
drorzel | June 24, 2009There's an interview with me, plus bonus comments from Emmy, over at Paw Talk:
Words of advice for fellow pet owners?
If you're looking to get a dog, I'd recommend visiting your local animal shelter, as you can find lots of great dogs there. And take walks with your dog-- every now and then, I see people who just leave their dogs penned up in the yard, and that's just sad. Get out, see the neighborhood, and get a bit of exercise. Yeah, it's a drag sometimes, especially when it rains, but it's better for both of you.
Emmy: Treats. Lots and lots of treats. Also, don't trust the squirrels. They'…
drorzel | June 22, 2009
There once was a dog from Niskayuna...
The previous post announced a photo caption contest for a chance to win an advance proof copy of my book, How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, six(-ish) months before it's available for purchase. I thought I should include something for the less visually inclined, though, and I do have two extra galley proofs, so...
Announcing the Official How to Teach Physics to Your Dog Poetry contest. The idea is simple: write a short poem involving both dogs and physics in one of the usual short verse forms (haiku, limerick, double dactyl, whatever, as long as it has…
drorzel | June 22, 2009
Today is six months to the day from the official release date of my book, How to Teach Physics to Your Dog. It feels like I ought to do something promotion-like to mark this date, and I have a couple of extra bound galley proofs (seen above with Emmy), sooo.....
I hereby announce the first of two contests giving you, the blog reader, a chance to win an uncorrected galley proof copy of the book six months (ish) before you can buy it. The idea is simple: below the fold are two pictures that just cry out for amusing captions of some sort. The person who comes up with the best caption will get…
drorzel | June 9, 2009
I'm watching Pardon the Interruption after work, and they're talking about the Belmont Stakes. They show a clip of horses running, and Emmy pipes up: "I like horses!" She does this when she feels I'm not paying her enough attention.
"Horses are okay," I say.
"Okay? Horses are really neat!" She thumps her tail on the floor, to emphasize the point.
"I guess." A really bad idea comes to me. "Say, did you know that all horses have an infinite number of legs?"
"What?"
"Yeah," I say, pausing the DVR. "All horses have an infinite number of legs, and I can prove it with logic."
"How?"
"Well, we know…
drorzel | May 22, 2009The release date for the forthcoming How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is December 22, seven months from today, and I got a look at some sample pages yesterday, so things are moving right along. To mark the occasion, and give you something to entertain you while I'm spending another day at DAMOP, I thought I'd offer some video:
This is me reading the dog conversation that goes with Chapter 3, on the Copenhagen Interpretation. The cheap computer microphone doesn't do that great a job picking up the Dog Voice, but it'll give you the basic idea. The images that go with it were mostly taken by…
drorzel | April 22, 2009The official release date for How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is December 22nd, exactly eight months from today. It's probably a little too early to go into countdown mode, but I thought I would mention a couple of recent developments with the book.
First, the book itself continues its steady progress toward publication. I got the copyedited manuscript last week, and got off remarkably easy. There are only a few substantive changes, and remarkably few grammar and spelling corrections. Credit for the easy copyedit probably ought to go to Kate, for proofreading almost as many drafts as I have…
drorzel | March 13, 2009I have an official release date for the book-in-production: December 22nd. There's no lay-down date, though, so they may turn up in stores before then. Mark it down on your Christmas list now...
There's also an official title and cover:
Emmy's slightly miffed that she's not the dog on the cover, but that's what she gets for refusing to do the quizzical head-tilt when I have the camera.
I am, as you might guess, pretty excited. I've also got a complete schedule for the process from here on out-- the next step is getting the copyedited pages, which should get here in the second week of April.…
drorzel | March 10, 2009The book is now starting through the production process, and people at Scribner are thinking about publicity. I got email asking whether I could set up a Facebook page for Emmy as a promotion.
I'm not sure whether that meant a fan page for the dog, or a Facebook profile for her, as if she were a user of the site. I'm also not sure whether setting up a Facebook account for my dog is acceptable within the normal Facebook operating parameters. Still, it's amusing to consider what she would have on her Facebook profile.
I mean, obviously, she's looking for random play, and her interests include…
drorzel | February 22, 2009Holding TUH not very neatly done up in pink butcher's paper, whcih was all he could find in a last-minute search before leaving to catch his train for London, Mr Earbrass arrives at the offices of his publishers to deliver it. The stairs look oddly menacing, as though he might break a leg on one of them. Suddenly, the whole thing strikes him as very silly, and he thinks he will go and drop his parcel off the Embankment and thus save everyone concerned a good deal of fuss.
-- Edward Gorey, The Unstrung Harp; or, Mr Earbrass Writes a Novel
I have just now sent off the (hopefully) final…
drorzel | February 16, 2009On Saturday at Boskone, I gave a talk on the Many-Worlds Interpretation of QM. This was held up a bit by waiting for the projector to arrive (I was busy enough with other stuff that I didn't notice that I hadn't received confirmation of my request for a projector until late Thursday night, so this was entirely my fault). They were able to come up with a projector, sparing people the need to squint at my tiny tablet PC screen, but it took some time off the beginning of the talk.
The talk consisted of me reading the dog dialogue from Chapter 4 (not to different from the original post), then…
drorzel | December 9, 2008I'm sitting at the dining room table eating lunch, when I get the feeling of being watched. I look around, and see the dog across the room, curled up on her pillows staring at me. She's quietly chanting to herself "I get stuff. I get stuff. I get stuff."
"You're not trying that hypnosis thing again, are you?" I ask. "You know it won't work."
"No. I'm manipulating the wavefunction of the universe to bring me good things. Such as, for example, that cheeseburger you're eating."
"Really. Manipulating the wavefunction of the universe?"
"Really. You see, all conscious beings are surrounded by an…
drorzel | September 24, 2008The dog marches up to my computer as I'm checking my morning email. "What the heck is the deal with relativity?!?"
"Well, good morning to you, too. How are you this fine morning?"
"I'm fine, but I'm confused about relativity." Sarcasm is totally lost on her.
"What are you confused about?"
"Well, you've got Special Relativity, right, and also General Relativity. Special Relativity is all about clocks that run slow when you're moving, and bunnies that get smaller when you chase them, and General Relativity is all about bowling balls on rubber sheets."
"Actually, that's just an analogy for the…
drorzel | September 10, 2008We're out for a walk, when the dog spots a squirrel up ahead and takes off in pursuit. The squirrel flees into a yard and dodges around a small ornamental maple. Emmy doesn't alter her course in the slightest, and just before she slams into the tree, I pull her up short.
"What'd you do that for?" she asks, indignantly.
"What do you mean? You were about to run into a tree, and I stopped you."
"No I wasn't." She looks off after the squirrel, now safely up a bigger tree on the other side of the yard. "Because of quantum."
We start walking again. "OK, you're going to have to explain that," I say…
drorzel | September 8, 2008I gave my talk this morning at the Science in the 21st Century conference. Video will eventually be available at the Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminar Archive site, but if you'd like to get a sense of the talk, a few people were live-blogging it in the FriendFeed room for the meeting. You get a pretty accurate impression of the talk from the comments there.
I think it went well. People laughed in the right places, and there was some really good discussion in the question period. I look forward to seeing what it looks like on video. They have a really nice AV set-up here, with two cameras…
drorzel | May 19, 2008
We're just starting out on a walk, and no sooner do I open the gate from the back yard than the dog takes off at a run, hitting the end of the leash and nearly pulling my arm out of the socket.
"Whoa, there," I say. "Take it easy."
"Come on," she says, "We need to go fast! Let's go, let's go, letsgo!"
"What's the hurry? It's a nice day, there's no rush."
"We need to go fast. If we go fast, I'll be younger than that annoying dog out back."
"You know, I'm all in favor of exercise, but I think you're overstating the benefits."
"No, silly, it's not about exercise. It's physics. When I go fast,…