Random
catdynamics | September 18, 2009It is often noted on the Intertoobz that President Obama has a number of financial institutions in the top 20 list of "institutions whose invididual members donated to Obama's campaign".
So, the bankers bought Obama?
Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, UBS AG, Morgan Stanley
these come in at #2, 6, 7, 12, 17 - collectively well over $3 million in donations.
But... hold on:
#1 is University of California - $1.5 million
#3 is Harvard University - $850k
#10 is Stanford University - $600k
#16 is Columbia University - $500k
the big universities raised about as much as the financial…
catdynamics | September 18, 2009Check out the Revolutionary Minds guest blog. It is worth browsing through.
They invite people to comment on interdisciplinary questions of very broad nature.
Current topic is:
Cross-disciplinary work has sparked provocative new technologies, solutions, and insights. What problems do you see as ripe for cross-disciplinary research, and which fields would you choose to combine?
Previous question was:
The boundaries of science are continually expanding as scientists become increasingly integral to finding solutions for larger social issues, such as poverty, conflict, financial crises, etc. On…
catdynamics | September 18, 2009Scienceblogs is introducing an optional user membership program.
This would provide more control and filters and notice for regular readers.
Here is your opportunity to provide input.
You can tell me what features you'd like, or not like.. but really you should go to the
blog which binds and rank choices there
I also suspect we may end up using it to pre-filter comments - with registered users getting to comment, and others going into a manual filter.
At least that is what I'd plan to do if I were running it.
It may be as important to say what is not wanted as what is wanted.
eg. a number of…
catdynamics | September 17, 2009Quark Expeditions are running a competition to send your favourite blogger to Antarctica... you too can vote.
Nah, not for me, can't get rid of me that easily.
There are, currently, 613 entries - people who volunteered to go south and blog about the experience.
The competition closes on September 30th, and, realistically, it is down to the four most popular entries - many of the bloggers with large numbers of votes, but who are out of the top few, are now asking people to switch votes to one of their favourite top candidates.
Luis, Kristina, GrrlScientist and Don.
Yes, that is Sb's very own…
catdynamics | September 17, 2009I both really like this song and find it hard to listen to sometimes.
rallain | September 16, 2009The administration are people too. I just want to start off saying that. However, in this case, I just don't get it. The more I think about it, the less I get it.
Here is the plan our administration came up with. Faculty will report class absences for every Tuesday and Wednesday course. Absence reports are due online by Friday. I guess the goal here is to try to monitor the health of the student population and see if we have a flu outbreak or something. Here are the first problems I thought of:
Won't there be some type of attendance noise anyway? Maybe attendance goes up and down…
rallain | September 15, 2009As I said before, I went a SPIN-UP workshop (you can find tons of info and the SPIN-UP report here). The basic idea of the SPIN-UP program is to first look at schools that are successful in their production of undergraduate physics majors. And with an understanding of what makes them successful, help other institutions become successful. Maybe you couldn't make it to the meeting, so here are some highlights. Oh. I believe that this highlights have very general applications. Although this is aimed at undergraduate physics, it seems it would apply to many other majors and maybe even to…
rallain | September 9, 2009This weekend I am off to a SPIN-UP (Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics) meeting. The basic idea is for physics departments to meet and discuss how they can be better. Note: if you don't have a good acronym, you don't get any funding. In preparation for this meeting, I was thinking - what is the one thing I think could make a difference.
Maybe the most important thing is to create a community of learners. The department should be a place where students can be students. It would be awesome if this included space (in whatever form possible) for studying, learning,…
rallain | September 8, 2009Here is a quick story. A faculty member came to me last week disappointed about the introductory physics students' lack of understanding with regard to electric potential. Let me call the faculty Beta, because I think that would be a cool name. Beta was disturbed that the students didn't get potential and it was covered last semester in the first part of the course.
Beta also said, "and electric potential is so simple". My reply was to show Beta my favorite 3-d puzzle. I think it is called a snake cube. Basically, it is a set of 27 wooden cubes attached together in some fashion that…
catdynamics | September 8, 2009can't remember if I put up a pointer for this yet, but
Billy Bragg podcast #14 - Half Bragg, Half Blokes was put up this summer.
catdynamics | September 4, 2009trump trump trump
strange things flash into my mind on hot friday afternoons
The Toy Dolls
Original TOTP version, with period costumes.
Strangely enough, this is one of the best songs to ice skate to.
Who knew?
catdynamics | September 2, 2009yes, it is linkedy link time,
because it has been a while,
because I can, and...
because linking is an intrinsic good, ain't it?
Sometimes it is what is not said that matter. (It all goes back to this).
why yes, yes it does
e-Astronomer on a roll: University Challenge - don't get me going about the good old days, when Universities were Real Universities...
and, Sex Lives of Famous Astronomers.
Between these you will find Obama Bicycle Sneakers
The Female Science Professor is on a graduate roll:
Playing Favourites
Adviser with Benefits
Unintentional Bad Advisers
and Moving Grads
Chad goes…
catdynamics | August 29, 2009Station Fire in La Canada down in SoCal looks to be getting a bit nasty.
Spectacular Evening Images from a Mt Wilson webcam - hope it is still there in the morning.
Fire/Evacuation map from LA Times
I hear JPL is closed over the weekend.
Better hope wind doesn't shift and pick up.
Oh, ok, grabbed a night image for souvenir - web cam images are of course dynamic
Mt Wilson view 9:30 pm 29th Aug '09
PS: view over JPL towards the mountains the other night
click to embiggen
catdynamics | August 21, 2009Splendid Idea.
NYC cricket crawl.
Bring a bit of culture to the Big Apple.
I must say, though, I didn't think there'd be enough matches in NYC on a given day to make it worthwhile, even if you count limited over matches...
Make mine a Pimm's.
catdynamics | August 13, 2009I don't know what made me think of this, but since it is on youtube...
Spizz Energi!
catdynamics | August 10, 2009more occasional link fodder from the recent past
'cause y'know, linking is an inherent good
Jay Bookman reports on a editorial in the IBD which notes: "People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the U.K..."
"...where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless,"
Stupid blighters, the IBD.
Don't they know Stephen is a fellow of Caius...
Actually, good thing he got that dual appointment at the Perimeter Institute on this side of the pond, eh.
That way the Canadians can step in as…
catdynamics | August 2, 2009A couple of years ago, during a cold snap in winter, I noticed my hands were getting acutely chapped, with cracking of the skin and bleeding.
I come from a cold climate, I had never had problems with cold weather before.
Ah well, thought I, getting old; too much time in California made me soft.
So, I made a point of wearing gloves or mittens, even when the temperature was barely below freezing. Hands still hurt when it got cold, but it helped.
However, later that winter, I was traveling to an even colder, windier, clime, and I noticed my hands were fine. It was as if I had discovered some…