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 […]
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
One of the pleasures of being a post-doc is to see the next generation of scientist enter graduate school, wrestle with classes and exams and research, and achieve their Ph.D. A part of this, which doesn’t always happen, is also the personal struggle. In high school, I was certain that […]
YAWN STRETCH OW! Well, at least I won’t need my legs to type this. This morning, Jodi and I met friends at Sequoia High School down at the bottom of our hill. The occasion was not breakfast and coffee, though it became clear an hour later that both of those […]
Today, the linux world has a new member. A student with whom I work received a linux laptop today, a great little machine from System 76 [1]. In celebration of the open-source goodness of linux, I list a few of my favorite applications and plugins for linux and open-source software. […]
At one of the first Republican Presidential candidate debates, three of the contenders raised their hands when asked if they do not believe in evolution. These were Tom Tancredo, a Congressman from Colorado, Senator Sam Brownback, and former Governor Mike Huckabee. Since then, they’ve been clarifying their position [1]. This […]
The mad rush to the summer conferences is almost over, and while I am still trying to wrap up the research projects I’ve been working on for many months, I am thinking ahead to other projects that I’d like to start in the autumn. The BaBar experiment offers many opportunities […]
I finally had a chance this week to listen to the Senate testimony of Dr. James Holsinger, the President’s choice for Surgeon General. It’s taken me a few days to digest and form some impressions. I’ll try to communicate them here. My most global observation is that Holsinger stands for […]