Not much time for blogging recently — getting together with family, travel (made longer because it involved a snowstorm), a stiff back from the car ride and the lugging of that which is lugged, and now, apparently, the fruit of the traditional holiday first sharing of germs. To be followed by the inevitable second sharing, when everyone returns to work/school.
Top Physics Breakthroughs of the 13th Baktun
We’re at that time of year where people publish lists of top stories of the year, but as many crazy people will be happy to remind you, this Friday marks the end of another calendrical period, in the Mayan calendar.
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[H]ere are the Top Ten Physics Breakthroughs of Baktun 13
…on fire slow mo flying liquids. Filmed at 2500fps
Dot Physics: How Much Does It Cost to Power Your Christmas Lights?
Rhett also analyzes the Griswold house’s consumption from Christmas Vacation, with its over-exaggerated decoration and also set in an era when the tree lighting was less efficient.
Snapping an atom’s shadow? Now that’s a first
The picture leading this article shows the shadow cast in a laser beam by a single Ytterbium atom suspended in empty space. At Griffith University, we have has pioneered the use of Fresnel lenses (a type of lens for large aperture and short focal length – producing an ultra hi-res miscroscope) to capture high-resolution images of atoms.