Monthly Archives: January 2011

The Party's Over

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ScienceOnline 2011 just finished up, and while there were some unique aspects to it (from my physics experience/perspective), there were a few things that were business as usual — I’m exhausted and my back is killing me. (I guess I shouldn’t have been attending the sessions in the Marquis de Sade salon). I finally got to meet some fellow physics bloggers, Dr. Skyskull (aka gg) and Blake Stacey, and then having gg introduce me around. It’s now a blur.

More to follow on some impressions, but for now I’m going to relax and watch some football.

Games People at Hotels Play

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So I’m at ScienceOnline 2011 for the weekend; I drove down Thursday, checked in and apparently missed DrSkyskull in the lobby when I went to the bar to get dinner. And then I collapsed. As I write this Friday morning I’m skipping the tours because I knew I wouldn’t be up to it; I went to the gym instead, figuring that would help me shake off my travel hangover.

The elliptical was a really fast track. Insanely fast, as compared to the one I use at work. I know that the one at work might not be calibrated properly, but I find it curious that the one at the hotel was indicating at least 10% faster than what I’ve been doing the past week. The exercise room is located next to the pool, so the air is warm and humid (somewhat less so than normal because it’s cold outside, and the window condenses a bunch of water) and that promotes sweat. Profuse sweat doesn’t help keep you cool, but it can make you feel like you’re doing really well in your workout. And the scale was reading ~3 lbs lighter than the scales at work and at the doctor’s office.

I wonder if it’s deliberate. It gives you positive feedback on your workout and makes you feel good about it, especially if you might not be at the top of your game from being on the road. Gives you a good mental association with the hotel. I read stories about how much effort goes into the psychology of casinos and all the tricks they employ, so it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that someone’s gaming the exercise equipment to get a tiny edge in getting repeat business.

Or maybe it’s all about having little to think about on the machine, I had an awesome workout, and I can have the chocolate cake for dessert.

The Dandiness of Candy Was Not Measured

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Drunk scientists pour wine on superconductors and make an incredible discovery

When they tested the resulting materials for superconductivity, they found that the ones soaked in commercial booze came out ahead. About 15 percent of the material became a superconductor for the water mixed with ethanol, and less for the pure water. By comparison, Shochu jacked up conductivity by 23 percent and red wine managed to supercharge over 62 percent of the material. The scientists were pleased, if bemused with their results.

One wonders, did they have a hangover (or regret their conductivity becoming super) the next morning?

A Cold, Lazy Bum

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BEC: What Is It Good For?

The primary application of atomic BEC systems is in basic research areas at the moment, and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. You sometimes hear people talk about BEC as a tool for lithography, or things like that, but that’s not likely to be a real commercial application any time soon, because the throughput is just too low. Nobody has a method for generating BEC at the sort of rate you would need to make interesting devices in a reasonable amount of time. As a result, most BEC applications will be confined to the laboratory.

It’s not for lack of trying though. DARPA has a program aimed at applications of BECs to interferometry (Guided BEC Interferometry) which Chad mentions as one application. Research programs I mentioned some time ago are probably sill at it, though not all of them are intended to exist outside the lab.

I Think it Worked for the Professor, Too

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University of York scientists using ginger in conservation of endangered stag beetle

The new research shows that stag beetles, almost extinct in parts of England and Wales, are attracted to a chemical found in ginger and this can be used to lure the insects into aerial traps fitted with tiny microphones to monitor the movement of larvae in underground nests. From this, scientists can monitor the falling numbers of adult stag beetles.

Interesting that the chemical wasn’t found in Mary Ann, but you have to go with what works, li’l buddy.

Caught in the Act

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NASA’S Fermi Catches Thunderstorms Hurling Antimatter Into Space

Scientists using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have detected beams of antimatter produced above thunderstorms on Earth, a phenomenon never seen before.

Scientists think the antimatter particles were formed in a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF), a brief burst produced inside thunderstorms and shown to be associated with lightning. It is estimated that about 500 TGFs occur daily worldwide, but most go undetected.

From the Forges of the Ice Queen Lair

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Extruding Ice from Steel Fences and Pipes with Diurnal Freeze/Thaw (Relative of the ice cube spike you might have seen in your freezer)

After extruding many rods and ribbons of ice from steel pipes I think I know how the ice was extruded from the steel fence in British Columbia. While I produced my ice in one night, the processes leading to the extrusion of ice from the steel fence took place over a couple of days. It is a product of the diurnal freeze/thaw process, consistent with this series of pages.

Somehow water gets into the pipes of that steel fence. On the first night the water in the fence freezes, but it does not freeze solid. Then the next day some of the ice melts. The ice that remains in the fence floats to the top of the water. Then that night the temperature falls and ice forms again. This time the expanding water forces some of that ice that did not melt the day before to be pushed out of any holes where the two pipes are welded together. The results are the ribbons of ice captured by Sheryl.

The Non-Rivalry Rivalry

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In light of a surprisingly good weekend of wild-card playoff football (Three games competitive until the end, and the fourth didn’t get out of hand until the second half), we have Brady, Manning and the rivalry. (It means a little less right now, with the Colts being bounced by the Jets, but whaddaya gonna do?)

In comparison to other sports and other rivalries, this one isn’t. Quarterbacks aren’t in direct competition with each other, and they don’t act like rivals. One minor objection I have to the analysis is that they don’t emphasize the importance of the other players on the team. While passing yards and TDs reflect talent of the quarterback, your winning percentage also has a lot to do with how good your defense is. But that’s peripheral to the point of the story.