June 19, 2008
June 08, 2008
Cool interactive graphic assembling all the exit poll data from the dem primaries.
It's a top-notch infographic so it's from the NYT, natch. It's disappointing that the larger scientific community hasn't embraced information design and online communication the way, for example, those who study politics or baseball have. [more inside]
June 07, 2008
The Salem Hypothesis - Is there a correlation in the scientific world between subscribing to creationism and having an engineering degree and if so why? Can I also add another group which is the people who go into theoretical particle physics because they want to understand the mind of God?
April 26, 2008
If you put no stamp on a letter, how often will it be delivered anyway? What if you put yourself down as the sender and the recipient? And drew a little square in the top right corner and wrote "No Stamp"? But put a stamp inside, and a polite note? Would it still show up if you sent it from another state? country? continent? Would they arrive adorned with stickers apologizing for the delivery delay incurred by your stinginess? A controlled scientific experiment in 15 photographs.
April 13, 2008
John Archibald Wheeler died today. A huge percentage of the best researchers in relativity research (and Richard Feynman) can trace their Ph.D. lineage back to Wheeler. His research was massively influential in reconnecting general relativity with astrophysics. He was, by all accounts, gentle, straightforward and noncondescending in his teaching and dealings with ordinary people, which, as we know, can be quite rare in physicists.
RIP - W of MTW [more inside]
April 01, 2008
Science Fair Whatif - it's been a while since a Photoshop Phriday has been worth pointing to, but this one's pretty good. remember though: somethingawful.com => "mostly NSFW"
March 31, 2008
Joltin' Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hit streak, re-examined - I've heard it said several times that DiMaggio's 56-game hit streak was the most unlikely, and one of the most unbreakable, records in baseball. That claim has always rung false (or at least, unexamined) to me. Samuel Arbesman (a grad student from Steven Strogatz' group) actually sat down with the numbers and wrote a nifty little article for the NYT. [more inside]
Ask Languagelog: How much of our language do we use? - the answer is an unsatisfying "well, we can't even reasonably define what that question means, let alone answer it", but the exploration is fascinating.
March 20, 2008
Physics Fun. So again I'm looking for creative input from the most creative people I know. The linked website is going through a redesign and there will be fun physics factiods included. Anyone have some fun physics factoids? Did you know that Newton loved fig tarts which is why in 1891 Nabisco named its new tart after him?
February 09, 2008
MIT approved* perpetual motion [more inside]
February 05, 2008
Entries for the nanobowl competition. Work is so hard, I had to sit here and watch all 28! I particularly like the Superbowl X^IX one.
February 01, 2008
Frog went a-courtin’ he did ride, hmm (2x)
Frog went a-courtin’ he did ride
Sword and his pistol by his side, hmm
January 30, 2008
A food scientist examines the Double Dip in time for the Superbowl of Snacking, the Superbowl. [thx kottke] One surprising thing: the claim that was the only known study "to proclaim that it was inspired by an episode of 'Seinfeld.'" None come to mind, but I'd be surprised if that were true. (I know we've seen some academic work inspired by The Simpsons land on Alkaline Earth).
January 28, 2008
Duncan Watts doesn't believe in the theory of The Tipping Point. He thinks there is no such thing as a class of Influentials that are tastemakers that decide what ideas or products catch fire. He thinks anybody can start a trend. Consider it an assignment or personal challenge.
January 22, 2008
The maiden commercial voyage of the SkySails kite propulsion system.
January 14, 2008
The 2007 Feltron Annual Report is available now. In a series of elegant infographics, you may discover how many albums Mr. Feltron bought in the year (12 CDs, 1LP and 98 download tracks), and how often he visited bars in October (6 times; he made 57 total bar visits, down 39% from last year). My print copy is on the way. (last year's report).
Metadata is the new Eyeballs (which is the old Interaction).
January 13, 2008
Top of the Crops 2007 - Circlemakers.org shares their top Crop Circles of 2007. Via the highly enjoyable Wikipedia page detailing a putative reply to our Arecibo Message. (more, tin foil hat recommended.)
January 06, 2008
Motion Mountain - "the self-published 1,500-page (!!), still-unfinished physics textbook written and designed by your polymath genius uncle who dwells on a mountain with the spirits of departed philosophers (whom he quotes, in German). It's what a physics textbook would be like if a poet wrote it..." (I'll note that in my once-over, the actual crackpot index is far, far lower than the above-linked might indicate, possibly even down to background levels).
I wouldn't put it at the core of my own get-your-own-physics-degree-on-the-back-of-a-tour-bus curriculum, but I'd certainly make it an optional reading alongside The Flying Circus of Physics. Where he's right, he's compelling, and where he's heterodox, it's interesting to reason examine both sides. (See the Butterfly Effect on p.286.) The way he looks at and presents concepts is fascinating and visual and beautifully written; even the typesetting is artful and delicate.
I'd really like to hear other's opinions, especially curmudgeonly ones, as I'm not sure yet how carefully I should endorse the book. [more inside]
Ladies and Gents, your 2007 word of the year: Subprime. A good choice, I think. Full rundown here [PDF].
December 05, 2007
A blog on oddities takes on the 10 Most Bizarre Scientific Papers.
December 04, 2007
Astronauts Test Sex in Space - "Only four positions were found possible without "mechanical assistance"." [more inside]