It's All by Design

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Are we raising a generation of nincompoops?

Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? And do we have only ourselves to blame? Or are some of these things simply the result of kids growing up with push-button technology in an era when mechanical devices are gradually being replaced by electronics?

Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter “literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else.”

All the more for me after the impending apocalypse. The cell-phone-savvy will wither and die, and I will know how to open the cans.

Revenge of the Ant Overlords

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Vdara visitor: ‘Death ray’ scorched hair

The “hot spot” was visible during one of the visits, but no guests were in its reach. An employee pointed out the zone and said it was “like a magnifying glass that shines down” over a space about 10 feet by 15 feet, which moves as the Earth rotates. At this time of year, the bright reflection is present for about an hour and a half, both before noon and after, according to the young man.

Also: Sunbather Singed by Shiny Hotel’s Reflected “Death Rays”

What's Nu, Pussycat?

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Starts With a Bang: The New Nu News!

[B]ack in the late 90’s, an experiment called LSND — Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector — sought to measure neutrino oscillations from antineutrinos emitted from a radioactive source. And they did measure it! And — for about 10 years — everyone thought there was something wrong with their data.

Why? Because it both looks and sounds crazy.

This is a Blog Post Linking to Someone Else's Blog Post

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This is a news website article about a scientific paper

This is the part where I quote a teaser from the post.

This paragraph elaborates on the claim, adding weasel-words like “the scientists say” to shift responsibility for establishing the likely truth or accuracy of the research findings on to absolutely anybody else but me, the journalist.

In this paragraph I will state in which journal the research will be published. I won’t provide a link because either a) the concept of adding links to web pages is alien to the editors, b) I can’t be bothered, or c) the journal inexplicably set the embargo on the press release to expire before the paper was actually published.

This is the part where I tell you that I agree with the linked post, or where I would state my objections if I had any strong ones (or nits, if I was feeling nitpicky).

Dish Soap Mechanics

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I saw this picture tweeted by drskyskull, and I must point out that the “powerballs” are indeed, quanta in this paradigm. Not every use of the word implies that quantum mechanics is involved or being invoked.

Quantum means “discrete.” A liquid would represent a continuum.

Lab Story of the Day

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The good news: The measurement box that had gone walkabout has been located.

The bad news: it was located just before I was able to construct a milk carton “Have you seen me?” sign to give to the owner.

The better news: They seem to have been breeding, since we found another of these boxes. They’re quite useful, so different divisions had purchased at least one and kinda lost track of how many we had. We borrow equipment from each other all the time (not so much sharing is caring as cooperation, because we are not of the Barney generation), and it didn’t help that we just called them measurement system boxes. Possibly from the town of Measurement System on Measurement System Island, near Measurement System cove. For all of our cleverness, we physicists are often an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things.

Well, no more. The boxes are now named Larry, Moe, Curly and Harpo. Literally — they now have nametags on them. Harpo is a different model number, hence the comedy-paradigm-shift, and it does beep at us. This paints us into a corner, though. We now have to worry if we get a new model, if it is Abbot/Costello or Laurel/Hardy, and will that limit us to buying only two?