tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-263257442024-03-08T03:34:27.065-08:00Angry PhysicsPresenting the "other" side of academic physics, where people
backstab and give lousy talks. Where people are sometimes lazy
or incompetent, and the best don't get the credit or the job.
From the perspective of someone lucky enough to have landed a
tenure-track professorship.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.comBlogger281125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-63070451046974624742020-01-21T08:03:00.001-08:002020-01-21T08:03:31.164-08:00Armenian cosmic ray scienceInteresting <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/science/observatory-cosmos-armenia-physics.html">arcitle</a> with pictures in the NYT about an old cosmic ray detector in Armenia maintained by a skeleton crew.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-33814235864438965052019-03-27T09:09:00.001-07:002019-03-27T09:09:24.830-07:00Death of journalism?I'd imagine most, if not all, readers of this blog recognize the name Dennis Overbye and therefore might find this somewhat personal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/science/astronomy-magazine-telescope.html">story</a> interesting.<br />
<br />
Have there really been no leaks on how much Karpernick got from the NFL in his settlement? I'm hoping more than 8 digits (in USD).<br />
<br />
Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-3947591038476546982018-07-06T01:39:00.000-07:002018-07-06T01:39:17.670-07:00Spiders fly via electrostaticsInteresting <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/07/the-electric-flight-of-spiders/564437/">article</a> on the spiders' ability to detect electric field and use it to propel themselves in air.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-44539048931805030172018-02-22T14:14:00.004-08:002018-02-22T14:14:45.268-08:00Black Hole ApocalypseI just happened to see that my DVR recorded a new Nova special, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/black-hole-apocalypse.html">Nova: Black Hole Apocalypse</a>. It's hosted by Janna Levin, a physicist who is recently pursuing outreach via <a href="http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=8372">books</a> and <a href="http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=9783">hosting panels</a> and such. <br />
<br />
The early part talks a bit about LIGO's discovery, and then transitions with the non-astounding line "Today we know more about black holes than ever." Good to know that we've not gone backwards!<br />
<br />
I'm wondering what's the <i>apocalypse</I>? Falling into the black hole? So what's new? I just don't get the title.<br />
<br />
And I get that making an effort to showcase female scientists is worthwhile because it makes sense to (i) work a systematic bias, and (ii) show young folks that physics need not be a dominantly male enterprise. But I've seen only two males versus at least six females so far. I just checked the "Participants" tab in the first link above and I guess things get more evened out later in the show.<br />
<br />
More generally, I wish these shows gave a little info about why these particular scientists were chosen to speak on the show. In other words, why don't they tell us what each researches (even if just a couple sentences and no more than maybe ten seconds)?<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to finish the show, but I'm generally a big fan of Nova shows.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-66696679387628508162018-02-16T06:24:00.000-08:002018-02-16T09:55:56.023-08:00Physics in the News and Olympics<ul><li>There are two kinds of people in the world (I have a number of these but of course can hardly remember more than one at a time): <br />
<ul><li>those who keep open many tabs in their browser and those who can't stand to see tabs open<br />
<li>those who can pick up a foreign language easily and those who get passed by quickly in language class<br />
</UL><li> I only tend to see commercials while watching sports. But they've either gotten worse or I've become even more curmudgeonly. My faith in humanity can't afford any more dings. As just one example, why does it seem that every SUV commercial espouses the ability to drive when you shouldn't be on the roads? I'm thinking specifically of the Jeep commercials in which they show weather reporters in the middle of saying "It's not safe to drive" while some yahoo drives his (always geared towards men) vehicle into a clearly constructed soft pile of snow that a Smart 2 could probably tackle. As a whole, these commercials seem to appeal to our anti-social and selfish instincts; I don't care what effect I have on the environment or on others, I just want what I want. Indeed, I think they want certain things because there is a cost to others to demonstrate their importance. <i>I won't even comment here about those who support the NRA.</i> I'm sure this can't be a new observation, but I need to be able to keep these thoughts at bay in order to be civil to those around me.<br />
<li>Olympics<br />
<ul><li>First off, I really don't like the tally of medals by country that I see everyday on the pages of US newspapers. When watching an event with competitors with whom I'm not familiar, I'll tend to root for any Americans. However, if given a reason, I'll gladly root against the American (if he/she appears un-sportsmanlike for example, or if I'm simply moved by some compelling story for someone from another country). But even so, aren't the Olympics about countries coming together and not yet another country versus country competition (such as the Davis Cup (tennis), the Ryder Cup (golf), and others in less snooty sports [e.g. the World Cup])? Update: Here's a <a href="https://deadspin.com/the-guy-who-finished-last-in-the-olympic-cross-country-1823066878">nice story</a> that typifies the Olympic spirit so much better than these annoying medal tallies.<br />
<li>There's lots of physics in sports generally, and the Olympics in particular:<br />
<ul><li>A speed skating race was so close they apparently had to use slow motion video to decide the winner. The frame rate seems to be an obvious determining factor in the timing uncertainty.<br />
<li>Curling involves friction in a non-trivial way with the sweeping (as noted below). Chad is discussing both <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2016/12/09/the-surprisingly-complicated-physics-of-sliding-on-ic">friction on ice</a> and other <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chadorzel/2018/02/10/olympic-physics-how-does-mass-affect-luge/">physics</a> at the Olympics.<br />
</UL></uL><li>Physics in the newspaper:<br />
<ul><li>In the sport of curling, should one maximize the normal force at the expense of speed? Try a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/06/sports/olympics/curling-smart-broom.html">smartbroom</a><br />
<li>I keep telling my students that they have some instinctual sense of physics, but was surprised by the animals in this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/science/animals-count-numbers.html">article</a>. I particular the comment that we're not so good at counting because instead we can understand the sentence: "There is no non-vanishing continuous tangent vector field on even dimensional spheres" (if you somehow you lack instinctual understanding [jk] of this sentence, perhaps see this <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairy_ball_theorem">Wikipedia</a> page).<br />
</UL><li>Students are always questioning why they need to take certain classes. A teen in high school was questioning having to take math with the usual whine, "when am I ever going to use trigonometry?" I'm not terribly inclined to participate on those terms because I think most people will never use trigonometry (and so perhaps the answer is to rethink what we teach and give options possibly more directly applicable to the world, like this <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/02/a-math-class-that-makes-tax-season-easier/552863/">math class</a> as a substitute for Algebra 2).<br />
<br />
Indeed, I think people, at least in this country now, tend to pursue willful ignorance (more anti-social behavior) and laziness, trying to do nothing that uses their brain. Instead, I questioned the teen on why they need take any more classes at this point. Can it really be argued that what they learn in an English class at this point will benefit them or the country more than what they learn in physics or math or really anything? Certainly one could launch into a soliloquy about improved writing skills from English, more informed electorate from history, etc. But it's not working: the electorate is not only ill-informed but appears to believe in fake news. Maybe we can co-opt the conservative push to allow the immigration of only the good ones into an even more radical policy: a test to maintain one's citizenship to be taken at regular intervals (perhaps every ten years to match the census). A sort of "common core" for citizenship (I'm forgetting who was against common core but I think it was the conservatives, but that seems to be antithetical to their immigration stance).<br />
</uL>Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-37842548993033680172018-02-02T06:50:00.002-08:002018-02-02T06:50:38.840-08:00Buying rubber duckies from Amazon for studying ocean currentsAmusing article in the Washington Post about scientists <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/01/30/fits-neatly-inside-a-lizards-cloaca-scientists-are-leaving-amazon-reviews-and-its-amazing">reviewing</a> everyday products that they've used for science research (mostly biology).Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-64517310908107758732018-01-04T09:23:00.000-08:002018-01-04T09:23:35.882-08:00Still angryHappy New year. I've been silent for a while. It's that time of year when one hears about a number of applications/proposals/etc. For me, one was successful, one passed the first round, and two were rejected (one agency doesn't return any feedback and the other won't make those comments available for a month or so). <br />
<br />
Things about which I'm angry:<br />
<ol><li>The National Football League (NFL)<br />
<ul><li> Teams blackmailing cities by threatening (and sometimes carrying-through) to move to some other city.<br />
<LI> Paying their leader such ridiculous sums (did they give into Goodell's request for healthcare for his family for life? Interesting that such an expensive perk is a right in so many other developed countries).<br />
<li> Sports teams generally getting sweetheart deals on stadiums with special tax treatment (continued in the latest US tax bill)<br />
<li> Stupid rules about catches that ruin the endings of (US) football games (particularly that they always seem to go the Patriots' way). <br />
<li> The absurdity of the Kapernick conundrum. I can see that some would be bothered by his behavior as some inappropriate offense to the nation, but to act like he's being a selfish, spoiled, rich kid is simply to be in denial. And as much as you may disagree with how he's going about his protest, I can't see not being upset with a league which is clearly blackballing him for it. But ultimately, for all those who nevertheless find themselves lambasting this guy and the other NFL players following his lead, it's hard to listen until these same people:<br />
<ul><li>Acknowledge that, at the very least, you can see that reasonable people might think there's a problem in how black people in this country are treated by some in law enforcement. Of course personally, I know there's a big problem, but, even for those who disagree, there's no way to argue it's not reasonable to suspect that there is. In the same vein, I can appreciate that some would worry about voter fraud, even if all evidence says it is absolutely not a problem.<br />
<li>If you're going to complain to me about the protest of these players offending you, then in the same breath, why aren't you complaining about the other offenses to this nation? One example among so many, is our President calling our justice system a "laughing stock" and a "joke." How is this not more offensive to our country generally, and our police officers in particular?<br />
<li>Why am I not hearing your complaints about all the players allowed to play in the league who have done things (e.g. assault) worse than taken a knee during the anthem? <br />
<li>I also don't hear complaints about non-players in the stadium failing to pay heed and stand for the anthem. Those at the concessions or otherwise not paying attention. Indeed, for those so upset, if the anthem plays on the TV for home listeners, what is their obligation to avoid offending you and to demonstrate their patriotism?<br />
<li>Finally, if you're going to complain about these players and their protest as inappropriate, then why am I not hearing suggestions for what an appropriate protest is. My sense is that the only appropriate protest is for them to do so in their own homes. They apparently should not block traffic or indeed gather in significant numbers lest you be inconvenienced. <br />
</uL></UL><li>I was invited to a conference, agreed to attend, but then my name was left off the advertisement. The website notes that those invited "include" certain names. Why not list them all? Should I be offended?<br />
<li> So what would you think if you met a biologist only for them to tell you that they study the afterlife? They might talk about hooking up electrodes and SQUIDs to some on hospice care to study what happens when they die. They might also talk to those who have had near death experiences (NDEs). They might consider theories of consciousness and somehow determine properties of our souls after death. Fair enough, they might learn something interesting. But would you trust what they have to say about the afterlife? Whether there is one and what it might be like? After all, the body (that is to say the brain) is either active or not, and I don't see why its properties when active should say anything about what happens after its activity ceases. And those who have had NDEs are alive and hence I would have serious doubts that they know anything about the afterlife.<br />
<br />
In any case, what sent me down this path is that I was thinking how studying a possible Multiverse is a bit like studying an afterlife. There are some interesting things to do, but none that seem like they can actually tell us about the afterlife. For example, arguing that a multiverse may exist and the particular value of the cosmological constant we observe is simply one which allows for life seems to have some useful content. But then extrapolating some how to argue the probability that any given universe has a constant that allows for life...it's not at all clear that there is any hope of doing this.<br />
<br />
NB: I recently heard about a Netfilx show called <i>The Discovery</I> which is set in a future in which "there is now definitive proof of an afterlife."<br />
<br />
*Some quick caveats to this criticism of studies of the multiverse: (i) Collisions of universes that might produce observable signatures seems like good science. However, if two universes collide, they're not really different universes taking as my personal definition of a universe as the sum of all things and events that can affect anything else in that universe. (ii) I like certain Multiverse theories (e.g. many worlds), and I don't see anything wrong with considering a multiverse. I just can't see much beyond that. For example I cannot see that we can reasonably infer probabilities about other universes.<br />
<li>A short article in <i>The Atlantic</I> on <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/dark-matter-china/547835/">China's ambitions</a> with a dark matter search from space.<br />
<br />
<li>Just fair warning: There is a huge range in the cost of a refinance. Not only that, but the folks that "sell" you the refinances can be as crooked as the quintessential used-car salesperson. Even the well-respected bank USAA was dishonest about the costs, and when I complained they did nothing. I hear so many good things about USAA despite my negative experiences throughout the years, that I worry that there are simply too many suckers out there. For another example, I contacted Quicken Loans who advertise heavily on the various podcasts I listen to. Big mistake. Seconds after filling out a form, the phone rings despite having clicked that my preferred method of communication is email. And instead of approaching this with the seriousness that this huge amount of money demands, he's just asking about how much I can afford each month and how much cash back I need. Nothing about rates and fees and my longterm best interest. A couple days later an offer comes in the mail with a good interest rate. It is surprising for a few seconds until I found the fees which showed it thousands of dollars more expensive than my best offers. How many potential customers would spend those seconds to discover the exorbitant fees?<br />
<LI>I just finished a class for physics majors and the students did not do well. Was it me? Did my teaching suffer somehow? Or instead, was it just that the group of students wasn't very good? One indication in favor of the latter is that I got none of the questions that I usually get. My first thought when recognizing this is that the students were uninterested and perhaps unable to even get to the point of having the obvious questions. Of course, perhaps I was so dull and incompetent at explaining things to get them interested and asking questions.<br />
<LI>I keep meaning to re-read this entire post and publish, but the longer it gets, the more imposing that task becomes. Then I think of some new entry to this list which only makes things worse.<br />
</oL>Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-20571834199089212832016-07-22T15:50:00.000-07:002016-07-22T15:50:38.155-07:00Politics and the arXiv collide!I read a lot of politics and so when I see a link to the arXiv on a political blog, I had to do a double take. After all, I read a lot of physics as well. It feels a little strange, to tell you the truth. Anyway, glad to see the arXiv serve the broader community (neh, a <b>broader impact</b> :). Anyway, the political blog is at the <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/clay-shirky-stop-trump-twitter">TalkingPointsMemo</a> (highly recommended reading) and if you don't want to click through, the arXiv paper is this <a href="http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.03022">one</a>.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-78679805743721305662016-03-08T12:51:00.000-08:002016-03-08T12:51:52.594-08:00Dishonest FolksI'm aware that students can cheat with smartwatches, but wasn't aware of watches designed for <a href="http://news.slashdot.org/story/16/03/08/1659242/new-smartwatches-allow-students-to-cheat-on-exams">cheating.</a> Instructors may want to click through to the Amazon page to see what these look like.<br />
<br />
And it's not just students being dishonest. I've had an archenemy in my department for a few years now and it's not pleasant. However, I could always step back and tell myself that he wasn't trying to hurt my career or enrich himself. He simply had a very different vision for what the department should be. Indeed, I think he had lost sight of what an academic should be. <br />
<br />
But in a recent episode, I'm reminded of where the title for this blog comes from. The issue involved a personnel recommendation and, as usual, he was assigned to draft it (the committee would then have to approve it). He ignored what was discussed in committee (as per his usual), but he also saw fit to, at the very least, be very misleading. I would call it lying. This latter deception was surprising, but in the course of various emails trying to sway the committee members our way (him against me), he sends out an email similarly lying about the emails themselves. <br />
<br />
I somehow find it surprising to find faculty act without basic integrity. And of course the fact that the paragraph in question is ultimately inconsequential just makes me even sadder about the whole situation. True to form though (the guy knows how to battle), when in the end he lost, he sends out an email praising the rewording as being better than his as if he hadn't just lost but instead succeeded in making the letter better! Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-73230344261904051902016-02-13T12:24:00.000-08:002016-03-02T17:51:49.678-08:00Don't believe the Hype!The academic establishment in their ivory tower is trying to shove some<br />
more of their pseudoscience down the throat of the public yet again.<br />
For thirty years, a cabal of Caltech and MIT scientists have bilked the<br />
US taxpayer of a billion tax dollars via yet another unnecessary governmental<br />
agency, the National Science Foundation (where in the<br />
Constitution does it say that the government should support basic science<br />
research? If it's so valuable, the free market would support it). In order<br />
to keep their jobs and their plush summer salaries flowing, these ``scientists'' <br />
are trying to convince the public that they've finally measured something.<br />
But they've gone too far, claiming a huge signal that perfectly matches what<br />
the numerical results predicted (if they were a bit smarter, they would have<br />
made it a bit more different!). And the system they claim to see would have<br />
been orbiting for hundreds of millions of years, and the second they turn<br />
on LIGO they just happen to see these black holes merge? What a coincidence!<br />
<br />
None other than the great scientist Albert Einstein showed that gravitational<br />
waves don't exist! Yes, I know his paper showing this was rejected, but do you<br />
know which publication this was? Physical Review! The very same publication<br />
that is pushing LIGO's latest by publishing their ``detection'' as a Letter.<br />
We need to investigate who's funding this journal. I wouldn't be surprised<br />
to find a Soros or Bill Gates funneling cash their way.<br />
<br />
The astute reader will notice the similarities between this gravitational<br />
conspiracy and the whole global warming hoax. They're following the same<br />
basic plan...put a slick looking graph (e.g. the hockey stick) out there,<br />
argue a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, and ask for more money. Let's all rise up<br />
and call on our Congress to investigate and subpoena their emails. As mad<br />
as you are reading about this, just think of all those poor, duped individuals<br />
calling for a Nobel prize (of all things) for revealing a fundamental property<br />
of nature and developing the technology for further discoveries. Hardly!<br />
We need to put these people in jail for scientific fraud.<br />
<br />
<b>Update (03/02/16):</b> As per Doug's comment, let me say explicitly this post was written in complete jest. I thought maybe it might produce some reactions one way or another, and so I monitored it for a while. When I saw no reaction for a week or so, I got busy and forgot about it. Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-86262220940558908172015-09-11T10:01:00.000-07:002015-09-11T10:01:42.615-07:00Dreaming of other vocationsA discussion of the complaints and motivations of those leaving academia in <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/inside_higher_ed/2015/09/disgruntled_professors_and_the_rise_of_quit_lit_what_does_it_mean_for_academics.html">Slate</a>. Not terribly convincing...when getting grant funding becomes too difficult, I dream of doing many other things, such as starting a hedge fund, finding a use for a swarm of tiny bots, studying energy storage methods (batteries, flywheels, etc), picking up a unicycle again and proficient enough to juggle on it, maybe trying to charge for photographic services on a very limited basis, and many other things that are not coming to me as of yet.<br />
Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-86391103767701642602015-09-07T08:19:00.000-07:002015-09-07T08:19:44.753-07:00Neil deGrasse TysonFunny <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/key-and-peele-did-brilliant-spoof-neil-degrasse-tyson">video</a>...spouses of physicists might enjoy.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-18651605322489606792015-05-07T10:26:00.000-07:002015-05-07T10:26:31.446-07:00Naturalness<br />
<br />
<br />
A neat movie of zooming into a <a href="https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/weekend-diversion-zooming-into-a-fractal-975c80636cf0">fractal</a>. I must have zoned-out for a good five minutes while watching it.<br />
<br />
I tend to make a game of minimizing fees with currency conversions, and so I tend to have lots of cash leftover in various world currencies. I feel a bit like a spy when preparing for another foreign trip going to my secret stash of money. Too bad that I only have a single passport and, horrors upon horrors, it's in my real name! In any case, the amounts are not significant (to me at least) but it does expose me a bit to valuation risk. Right I've lost quite a bit on my Euros (not counting my conversion-fee savings).<br />
<br />
I've always been fascinated by music. I have a strong affinity for listening (with little ability in performing), but why? I've read some that evolution explains it, but never convincingly so. And why do I like some songs right away (e.g. ``Rude'') and others only upon many listenings or never at all. And the one-hit wonders...why don't they ever have another hit? What's the relationship of hits to songs I like? I mean that I generally like the hits, but I like some music that many have never heard of.<br />
<br />
More than you ever wanted to know about the <a href="http://flip.it/qE1mW">gunk</a> that builds up in your eyes when you sleep. <br />
<br />
I'm almost to the point of giving up on Japanese and Thai restaurants in North America. It seems that folks think "hey, why open yet another Chinese restaurant when I can open a Thai or Japanese restaurant and charge twice as much."<br />
<br />
I saw a strap hanging from the back of a box truck while driving down the highway. It was frayed on the end. And so, as a scientist/physicist, I was curious about how it might have gotten that way. In particular, I figured it got frayed from being dragged along the road surface. However, the strap was clearly too short to reach the ground (by at least a couple feet). Do I, guided by "naturalness", invoke something along the lines of the Anthropic Principle and say the strap just happens to be the length it is...long enough for me to see it swinging, but not long enough for me to understand why its length is what it is?<br />
<br />
<br />
Visualizing thunder...there's a <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-05/sri-srt050415.php#.VUtXgkQkFMY.mailto">movie</a> but somewhere I had seen a pretty picture as well. Apparently, the thunder originates from the part of the lightning near the ground.<br />
<br />
Pretty neat <a href="http://gizmodo.com/nasas-radar-found-4-men-trapped-in-rubble-in-nepal-by-t-1702553957">story</a> of a device arising from NASA research saving lives in Nepal. <br />
<br />
<br />
Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-27285768943187045692015-03-29T06:41:00.000-07:002015-03-29T06:41:02.449-07:00Physics with Global ImplicationsAn interesting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/world/middleeast/no-2-negotiators-in-iran-talks-argue-physics-behind-politics.html">article</a> in the NYT about two MIT-trained physicists central to the negotiations between the US and Iran.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-34779001280266658662015-03-17T07:04:00.000-07:002015-03-17T07:04:03.286-07:00Value-added<UL><LI>Despite the assertions of this <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/how-to-set-up-a-clinton-style-home-server/387841/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews">piece</a> in the Atlantic, it's not that hard to setup and run a mail server. I used to do so before my campus IT was finally successful in getting me not to. And I'm not much of an outlier.<br />
<LI>Interesting study of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/science/why-icicles-look-the-way-they-do.html">icicles</a> in the NYT: <br />
<center><em><br />
They do not yet understand the physics of the ripple formations. But they have uncovered some strange facts. The spacing of the ripples doesn't seem to vary with different levels of impurities. "The ripples have a universal wavelength of exactly one centimeter, no matter what you do," Dr. Morris said. "That's the real mystery"<br />
</center></em><br />
<LI>I'm truly pissed with my colleagues on some committee related to dreaded <em>outcomes assessment</em>. Their ability to waste so much time on such trivial matters is not so surprising, but their lack of appreciation for science (even among some ostensible scientists) is astonishing and disappointing. And I suppose much of my anger is that I let myself invest a little time and allowed them to ensure it would be in vain.<br />
</UL>Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-75746669465449259532015-01-07T15:43:00.000-08:002015-01-07T15:43:13.511-08:00On a rollIf you pay US taxes, you might be interested in this <a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/01/05/lets_abolish_west_point_military_academies_serve_no_one_squander_millions_of_tax_dollars/">piece</a> from Salon about getting rid of their military academies (West Point, Naval, Air Force, and Coast Guard Academies). I had sort of drunk the Kool-Aid that these were worthwhile and produce good officers, and so it was, at the least, a very different perspective. And it's written by a full professor at one of these academies.<br />
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My last post mentioned Scott Aaronson's feelings on sexism and feminism, and now I find myself trying to find women to invite to a workshop I'm organizing. Partly it's sad how hard it is to come up with anyone, and partly I worry because sometimes I find myself thinking about whether some given candidate is attractive. Am I sexist for thinking about such a thing or am I a feminist because I admit to having such thoughts but try not to let them affect any decisions?Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-59610014563484643812015-01-01T05:39:00.000-08:002015-01-01T05:39:04.899-08:00SundryI've been absent quite a long time. I'd apologize if I felt like I owed you all anything :).<br />
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In case you've missed it, you might spend some time reading what Scott Aaronson has been saying about women and feminism. It's gotten a lot of attention. I'd start with his <a href="http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2091#comment-326664">comment</a> and then follow it with his follow-up <a href="http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2119">post</a>. Whatever you think of all that, if you have the stomach for a nice helping of bile, you might read <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/mit-professor-explains-the-real-oppression-is-having-to-learn-to-talk-to-women/">this</a> afterward (a comment points out the link and Scott has seen it). <br />
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I don't think I was as socially handicapped as Scott (at least when it came to finding mates), but his experiences certainly ring true. At first I wasn't sure how brave he was being, but then I recalled once asking a financial question in an online forum. I was very surprised both at the nastiness of the responses and at how much the nastiness affected me. I don't think I have terribly thin skin, but it took some time to just let the comments go. Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-74057510022930892462014-05-09T10:19:00.000-07:002014-05-09T10:19:15.601-07:00PrestigeThis <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21601811-getting-job-top-university-will-not-make-you-better-researcher-why-climb">piece</a> in <I>The Economist</I> doesn't sound correct to me. It describes a study of the citations achieved by physicists who move from one institution to another to evaluate whether more prestigious institutions inherently produce better research. I have no idea how the researchers may have controlled for the reasons and timing behind a move nor am I convinced that citations are a good pathway to an evaluation of the quality of research. <br />
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In any case however, I strongly suspect that <a href="http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-early-success-breeds-success-study-kickstarter-20140429-story.html">success breeds success</a>, regardless of institution. Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-84393052440243410322014-04-26T07:51:00.000-07:002014-04-26T07:51:18.631-07:00The Easy LifeThis article doesn't quite match <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-wade/what-do-professors-do-all_b_5212149.html">what I do all day</a>, but it still might be of interest.<br />
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Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-21659627369031976562014-03-28T10:43:00.000-07:002014-03-28T10:43:10.491-07:00He who lasts laughs, winsScene: airline lounge; The view out the bountiful windows showing the setting sun as planes move silently around the tarmac. <br />
Inside: 90% men mull about in ties and jackets; a few use the cell-phone self-importantly; The occasional family barges in. Alcohol is self-serve as are little bits of sandwiches.<br />
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I don't like jackets and I hate ties. I like to consider myself a graduate student even though those days are long gone. I'm still a sucker for free food and I prefer not to be on the phone. These folks here dress better than I, but perhaps none have as expensive a laptop nor as much time with family as I. They surely make more money than I. A very good wife, healthy if not always happy kids, and I research what has fascinated me since I was a little boy. At times, I very happy, even proud, of what I have (what I have <b>earned</b>).<br />
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But many physicists make more money than I, get invited to more workshops, produce more interesting research and they have families as well. I see a good talk and <b>I</b> want to be doing that research...to be the first to understand some cool new feature. I want people to assault me at the coffee breaks asking this or that about my research. <br />
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I don't think any of this is unhealthy, but it takes some work stabilizing these competing influences. Putting a check on any jealousy, figuring out which is more important, getting an important paper out before someone else, or seeing my child in some micro-achievement at a crowded, loud, and boring even at school...Being happy and content but yet with the drive it takes to find and answer interesting questions. They'll be calling my flight soon...anxious to return home, if only to hold my family for a few days until the next meeting.<br />
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Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-47140172188376180972014-02-25T13:47:00.001-08:002014-02-25T13:47:45.123-08:00To enter the Ivory Tower or notI really like the ``Talking Points Memo" blog...though it's moved way beyond blog to a full-fledged news/analysis outlet. And so I'm happy to link to a discussion of <a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/responses-and-critiques-to-goodbye-to-all-that">academics</a> and to what extent they do or should influence the real world. The discussion was kicked-off by a Kristoff column in the NYT and isn't really about the sciences. Nevertheless, folks here might find it interesting in terms of established people looking back on the paths they chose and their chosen paths (not always the same). I'm not providing much in the way of links, but things shouldn't be too hard to find.<br />
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As for Svik's request for more anger, I'll keep it in mind. The anger is surely there, but it can be hard to disguise the players appropriately.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-21266180537529663962014-02-13T14:05:00.000-08:002014-02-13T14:05:41.643-08:00Measurement Uncertainty in the Real World (of Olympics)The NYT covers the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/sports/olympics/womens-downhill-historic-tie.html">first tie</a> in an Alpine Olympic event. The times are reported to the hundredths place, but the times are actually recorded with two more digits that were not identical for the two contestants. The tone of the article is almost like it's some conspiracy to cover up the last two digits...taking it on faith that a device which is ostensibly accurate to the ten-thousandths of a second will yield a measurement with that same accuracy despite all that is involved. It would have been nice to have a more informed discussion of why measurement uncertainty isn't so simple...perhaps elsewhere such a discussion occurs. I need to remind my students of this example.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-66989579417445787412014-01-07T17:26:00.000-08:002014-01-07T17:26:20.028-08:00The MultiverseMax Tegmark has an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-tegmark/why-a-larger-multiverse-s_b_4546750.html">opinion piece</a> in the <em>Huffington Post</em> arguing that the universe is not just described by mathematics, but is in fact purely mathematical. As such, it exists within some huge ensemble of other universes. <br />
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I find it rather light...in other words, not terribly convincing but giving us so little in the way of actual argument that there's little to say. I do wonder what it would take for one to construct some new, mathematical universe...can one just have a set of numbers? Do you need an operator?<br />
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Apparently, he's got a book to sell, but this piece doesn't prod me to look at it.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-41077458149976901902013-12-27T18:46:00.000-08:002013-12-27T18:46:08.374-08:00Academic AcknowledgmentsWhen I pointed out a strange acknowledgments section <a href="http://angryphysics.blogspot.com/2013/10/looking-gift-horse-in-mouth.html">previously</a>, I hadn't been aware that apparently such strangeness is common, according to an <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/12/27/academics_hide_snarky_clever_comments_in_the_acknowledgments_sections_of.html">article</a> in <em>Slate</em>.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26325744.post-76755350406418983552013-11-24T12:23:00.000-08:002013-11-24T12:23:42.483-08:00Big physisPhotos of large <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/11/23/stanley_greenberg_photographs_the_world_s_greatest_physics_experiments_in.html">physics experiments</a>.Angryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15464835370517136806noreply@blogger.com0