Aug
29
2007
Quite a while back, I believe in early 2006, I setup a home personal video recorder (PVR) using a Hauppauge 350 TV Tuner card, a small form-factor system and an old monitor, and MythTV. My MythTV distribution of choice, at the time, was KnoppMyth. However, after one or two scary attempts to upgrade KnoppMyth, and [...]
Aug
26
2007
I’ve largely avoided the political pageantry surrounding the alleged candidates for U.S. president in 2008. This is for several reasons. The first is that I am still a little burned out on the pure doses of politics that came in 2006, during my last round of physical science outreach to Washington and the November elections. [...]
Aug
26
2007
This has been a really refreshing week, quite a turn of events from the constant obsession with fundamental particles. My sister arrived on Tuesday, and after finally clearing my plate of all my last minute research items I was ready to put aside physics. We hiked, we biked, we watched the Giants and the Cubs, [...]
Aug
22
2007
From Tuesday, and for the rest of this week, I am on vacation. This is my first time off in over half a year. While Europe shuts down for the month of August, and people rest or spend time with family and friends on the coast, I am trying to recover from a terribly stressful [...]
Aug
21
2007
Well, it’s inevitable. In physics, we have a saying that goes something like, “Yesterday’s theory is today’s discovery is tomorrow’s calibration”. In politics, it might go something like this: “Yesterday’s impossibility is today’s lightning rod is tomorrow’s bludgeon.” This morning, as I listen to the program “Forum” on KQED, they are discussing a measure in [...]
Aug
20
2007
My thoughts tonight will be with the many people in the path of Hurricane Dean as it makes landfall in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
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Aug
18
2007
Two years ago, we in the United States were treated to the destruction of an entire city, the failure of local, state, and national government institutions, and an ongoing saga regarding the New Orleans’ levee system. Last year, predictions were for an equally destructive season, something that was averted thanks to El Nino. This year, [...]
Aug
16
2007
After my last freak out, I decided it was time for some R&R. My sister is visiting next week, and that seemed like a pretty good time to just not come into work. Consequently, I’ll be taking my first vacation since Christmas next week. In the meantime, I’ve had a few topics for the blog [...]
Aug
12
2007
Well, this probably is the worst year on record. Sigh. It had such potential. Last November, I was optimistic that I’d be done with my search for invisible decays of the Upsilon, I’d have at least one other publication in addition from another rare decay search, and that by now I’d have a third paper [...]
Aug
08
2007
Jodi and I finished dinner tonight and the suggestion arose that we shouldgo to a local cafe for cake, coffee, and a little atmosphere. She had some work to do on a research project, something she could do with her Powerbook, and I had a paper to edit and some of my own research to [...]