The short tale of the demon core, at Futility Closet
Look, Ma. No Equations!
[I]n 1936 Buckminster Fuller explained Einstein’s theory of relativity in a telegram
Pay Attention to the Woman Behind the Curtain
Check out Allyson’s guest post at Cocktail Party Physics for one of the main reasons for my recent observation
I didn’t see any glitches except for one or two instances of technical difficulties, which speaks volumes for the organizers and support staff, because you just know there were issues, and since they didn’t become visible it means they were solved quickly.
Allyson was the awesome conference secretary, and gives an account of her unique perspective on how you can help get science done without actually being a scientist.
And they’re all weirdly grateful when I pick up a gauntlet and call the accounting department to explain that they’re to call me with the bullshit questions, because when they tie up my scientists with a four dollar discrepancy on a rental car, SCIENCE IS NOT HAPPENING, JACKHOLE.
You betcha we’re grateful when we find people who are part of the solution, rather than being part of the precipitate problem.
James Bond Already Knows This
007 statys alive because he already assumes it to be true.
Do You Like Staircases?
Then you’ll love Stair Porn
It’s OK to click. They only show stairs, not how stairs are made.
via neatorama
Smile! Look at the Pinhole!
Pinhole Camera Solargraphy at Astroengine.
[The] solargraphs are taken by a compact camera film cartridge (plus tiny pinhole) strapped to an inanimate object for long periods of time. However, due to the low speed of the camera film and light restriction (plus, as this is Bristol, plenty of overcast days), the six-month exposure brings a surprising amount of detail to the shot. Every day when the Sun was shining (and days when it was struggling to get through the clouds), the path it made through the sky every day was captured.
The original site is Pinhole Photography and has some very interesting pictures and information. Also check out the Solargraphy site.
A Little Help
Pictures of Numbers is a book-project-in-progress, consisting of practical tips and techniques for busy researchers on improving their data presentation, and is updated in intermittent bursts of regularity
In particular, there are
A good rule when making graphs is to remove needless impediments. Every extra act of interpretation we ask of the reader is a chance for them to misunderstand, be baffled, or get frustrated and move on. There should be as little standing between the reader and the data as possible. One level of interpretation all readers have to grapple with is the humble axis
Fixing Excel’s Charts, which need fixing, and
Reflections on the Planets, which improves a plot of the albedo of the solar system’s planets
via Kottke
Under Down Under
Down in Antarctica, November marks the end of spring, the beginning of austral summer, and the beginning of Antarctica’s cruise season. The Sun just rose for the first time in 6 months on September 22nd, and is now visible in the sky all the time. Recent studies in Antarctica have brought new insights into the origins of deep sea octopus species (a 30 million-year-old ancestor from Antarctic waters), volcanic contributions to disappearing antarctic ice, and the effects of increasing numbers of icebergs scouring the seafloor. Collected here are 32 photographs of Antarctica from the past several years. (32 photos total)
Worst … Idea … Ever
Worst Idea Ever: Ridley Scott is Directing Monopoly
Ridley Scott is now OFFICIALLY attached to direct a big screen movie based on Hasbro’s popular board game Monopoly. Corpse Bride/Monster House scribe Pamela Pettler has been hired to write the script. Scott had been developing the project with plans to produce since June 2007.
Whaaaa?
I’m having a hard time imagining the scene where the doggie rolls doubles to get out of jail.
Illusions: Tricking the Eye or Fooling the Brain?
Optical illusions: caused by eye or brain?
For the past 200 years, researchers have debated whether the illusion of motion in a static image is caused by mechanisms in the eye, in the brain, or by a combination of both. Because measuring these kinds of physiological responses is difficult, no study has successfully measured direct and tightly timed correlations between a kinetic illusion and a physiological precursor.