Before we could synchronize clocks at the speed of light (or something reasonably close to it), we had the sound of bells, like Big Ben.
Time corrections for Big Ben’s chime
When Big Ben was built in 1859, charts were issued to show the allowance that had to be made for the sound of the bell, traveling at ~768 mph, to reach different parts of London.
This Disappearing Ghost-Octopus is Crazy Awesome
When marine biologist Roger Hanlon caught this creature on camera, he said he screamed bloody murder. And no wonder. Did you see that thing appear out of nowhere?!
Freaky.
The Scientific Secret of Fluffy Pancakes
This is great, and an example of cooking as science (which I’m on record as saying doesn’t always/usually qualify, such as when you are simply following a recipe). This does qualify, because there are three tests proposed! All from the same starting point, so you are only changing one variable — the mixing time — and then comparing the results. Rigor!
The site has been flaky, especially of late. I understand pages will not always load, and it’s been a problem loading the admin pages as well. There have been occasions where I could not write or post anything because everything was acting up during my window of time where I was trying to blog. I’m not sure what the fix is, or when it might happen.
So, in the words of mad prince Ludwig, many apologies for the inconwenience.
Waxbows: The Incredible Beauty of a Blown Out Candle
Up close the mist looks almost like how water vaporizes at the bottom of a waterfall. Indeed, the wax droplets are enough like water that they reflect and refract light to create a very special sight; I call it a waxbow.
Wide Left: Study Shows that Holders Play Key Role in Field Goal Accuracy
Using the model, the researchers found that if the ball is leaning to the left or right, it will affect the trajectory of the football. And the more it leans, the more pronounced the effect, which is the result of complex interactions between the rotational motion and aerodynamic forces acting on the football.
“For example,” Mazzoleni says, “if the ball is tilted 20 degrees to the left for a 45 yard field goal attempt, it will sail up to 3.5 feet to the left before hooking back to the right.” And any football fan can tell you that 3.5 feet can be the difference between winning and losing. (Just ask the University of Nebraska.)
The paper’s abstract indicates they checked with real results
A case study was performed for which experimental data were available, showing the trends of the flight of the ball captured in our simulations in actual game situations.
The title is a quote attributed to Garo Yepremian, a pretty good kicker who played for several teams from ’66 to’81, including the ’72 Dolphins. Sorry, Garo, the holder is blameless for that horrible decision to try and pass the ball in Super Bowl VII.
This is really cool. Well, technically it’s hot.
I especially like how the drops move uphill in seeming defiance of gravity, since you can’t see the invisible transition to vapor that’s doing the work.
The vocals from the Medley part of Abbey Road. Good stuff.
Winners of the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest 2013
Some really neat shots in there.
A pretty good summary of the situation, I think, including the point that making more students scientifically literate is not the same as churning out more science majors.
Also, this:
Clearly, powerful forces must be at work to perpetuate the cycle. One is obvious: the bottom line. Companies would rather not pay STEM professionals high salaries with lavish benefits, offer them training on the job, or guarantee them decades of stable employment. So having an oversupply of workers, whether domestically educated or imported, is to their benefit. It gives employers a larger pool from which they can pick the “best and the brightest,” and it helps keep wages in check.