Today is the spring equinox. From an orbital perspective, this marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. The tilt of the rotation of the Earth, relative to the line through the middle of the sun about which we orbit, is what drives seasons on this planet. For all […]
An ice storm is descending on the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Our car was encased in a thin shell of ice that was hard to scrape off. We left SMU as soon as we could today (right after my last class) and took side roads all the way home. We passed […]
North Texas, like many other parts of the U.S. Southwest, seems to be falling fast down the far slope of Omicron Mountain. The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 exploded across the globe and quickly became the dominant strain, now accounting for 98.8% of all COVID-19 cases world-wide. It led to a […]
It warmed up just a little above freezing today, and the sun came out and played its light on the ice encasing the trees. It was a day for cold and for virtual teaching, as we continued to work remotely but classes moved forward. I dusted off my old remote […]
A day of 20F temperatures, snow, ice, and sleet. This cold snap will last another two days before things warm up again. It really is quite beautiful, and I am able to work from home (even to teach class) during this weather event.
Collin County, Texas, is heading down the mountain of Omicron. This strain burned through the population of the Dallas-Fort Worth region, causing the most significant damage to people who have not been vaccinated. We have a ways to go, but the momentum is heading us back toward a lower level […]
The spring semester is about to begin. I thought it would be nice to share signs of new life among the various plants in my indoor garden. A new pea plant sprouts in the hydroponic garden.
It’s been a week of “getting back into the swing” before the spring semester. Most of my effort is focused on mapping my Tuesday/Thursday introductory physics course into a 3-day model (Monday/Wednesday/Friday). The mapping of lecture material (reading and lecture videos) into Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) “assignments” is complete. […]
Today was the first day “back at work” for 2022. I put “back at work” in quotes because I was working, but I did not go into the office. There is no need. Right now, we are still between terms. It’s not like the hallways of my building are teeming […]
My part of the U.S. has been experiencing anomalously high temperatures for December and January. All of that changes today. A cold front is sweeping into the region and the temperature is plummeting. With wind chill, we’re expected to hit single- or low-double-digit temperatures tonight and tomorrow. Winter has finally […]
What happened? I started this year with an intended focus on wellness. I resolved to use this blog not as a place to write long articles about the abuse of science and reason, but as a place for me to focus on efforts to exercise, adjust my eating habits, and […]