Chad Orzel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in Schenectady, NY. He blogs about physics, life in academia, ephemeral pop culture, and anything else that catches his fancy.
Neurophilosophy : C19th Japanese anatomical scrolls
Cool anatomical paintings from 1819.
(tags: art biology Japan medicine history science pictures)
Population Density Increases in Hell § Unqualified Offerings
"They say you should speak no ill of the dead, and indeed, with dead Jesse Helms I…
294 - Err Lingus « Strange Maps
Aer Lingus demonstrates the fine grasp of Northeast US geography that we usually associate with Manhattanites.
(tags: silly US travel)
The Notes of Japanese soldier in USSR
Fascinating cartoons drawn by a Japanese POW in the Soviet Union.
(tags: art comics…
The great Garage Remodeling Project is slowly drawing to a close (the contractor is running way behind), but the crucial elements of the room are now in place: we can haz bookshelves:
That's looking from the front of the room back toward Kate's desk, but it give you the best idea of the room. The…
The Loom : The Loom Ends. The Loom Lives!
One of ScienceBlogs' best leaves for Discover. Update your RSS readers.
(tags: blogs science journalism writing biology)
Meeting Program
The Nobel laureates in physics get together to talk shop.
(tags: physics meetings Nobel science)
nanoscale views…
Achieving top grades in science subjects more difficult, proves research
"On average, subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Biology at A-level are a whole grade harder than Drama, Sociology or Media Studies, and three-quarters of a grade harder than English, RE or Business Studies."
(tags:…
It's been ages since I reported on the status of Bunnies Made of Cheese: The Book. For most of that time, that's because there was nothing to report-- I sent a draft off to my editor, and was awaiting comments.
When I finally did get comments, the August 1 deadline was beginning to loom,…
What Would Jesus Do (in College)? :: Inside Higher Ed :: Higher Education's Source for News, Views and Jobs
A look at "challenges confronting a subset of religious colleges: Those looking to differentiate themselves from what's perceived as the prevailing norm - Christian colleges as bastions of…
Via Matt Yglesias, an interesting twist on the shuffle-play "meme":
1. Take out your iPod (or Zune, I guess...really, who buys a Zune?)
2. Press shuffle songs.
3. Answer the following: a) How many songs before you come to one that would absolutely disqualify you from being President? b) What is…
I create gods all the time - now I think one might exist | Mail Online
Terrible, terrible headline for an excellent essay.
(tags: books religion literature SF science)
The garage remodel is dragging on a bit-- the room is usable, but not all of the shelves are in yet. We have, however, cleared enough space to set up some of the piles of baby things we've acquired:
A few details:
The crib mobile establishes the reptile theme of the decor, with some incongruously…
Dynamics of Cats : Who is Obama's Science Adviser?
I'm available...
(tags: politics US science)
Colby pig could live happily ever after
"If you were a pig and you go to a pig roast, you'd run away, too. It's not the ideal spot to hang out."
(tags: animals academia silly)
Graphic: How Class…
Over at Science After Sunclipse, Blake has a very long post about the limitations of science blogs. Brian at Laelaps responds, and Tom at Swans On Tea agrees.
You might be wondering whether I have an opinion on this. Since I'm going to be talking about it at a workshop in September (first talk, no…
Under the Same Sky
How far apart can you and your beloved be while standing under the same sky?
(tags: physics science math education literature)
Confessions of a Community College Dean: Systems and Silos
"[W]e don't have a [higher education] system. As in so many things, we have thousands of…
A few days ago, some colleagues and I were discussing the year that just ended, and the curriculum in general, and the frequent lament about needing to repeat ourselves came up. Due to some quirks of our calendar, we have a lot of students taking courses out of sequence, and as a result, have to…
Annals of Medicine: The Itch: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
The neurobiology of itching. Sadly, it doesn't include a cure for hives.
(tags: medicine psychology science)
Swans on Tea » Ghostly Visages
Video of laser-cooled atoms in a trap with the magnetic fields not balanced. I used…
From today's New York Times, and article headlined "White House Refused to Open Pollutants Email":
The White House in December refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail…
Teaching Business at a Liberal Arts College :: Inside Higher Ed :: Higher Education's Source for News, Views and Jobs
"With its successful integration of multiple academic disciplines, the study of business is a highly developed form of area studies."
(tags: academia education humanities social-…
I'm deep in book revisions at the moment, which largely accounts for the relative blog silence. This is expected to continue for a while yet, broken by the occasional post when something comes up that is irritating enough to push me to write about it. Such as, well, now.
In the chapter on the…
George Carlin, Splenetic Comedian, Dies at 71 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com
Say a prayer to Joe Pesci in his memory.
(tags: comedy society culture)
Law Blog - WSJ.com : In Texas-Arkansas Spat, Judge Orders Parties to Midfield
"Surely Defendant's corporate representative, a resident of…
Postcards from Nowhere
"It is the artists, and a certain line of thinking about art, that have given the people with the cash permission to buy and sell what amounts to nothing, and to do so for ever larger and more insane sums of money."
(tags: art culture society stupid humanities)
Earth Will Survive After All, Physicists Say - NYTimes.com
A new safety review says that the LHC won't really kill us all. I'm sure this will put the whole issue to rest for good...
"What'cha doin'?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm playing with the Spore Creature Creator. It's a videogame thing, that lets me design little computerized critters."
"What sort of critters?"
"All kinds of things. I could even make one that looks sort of like you. Here, take a look."
"Oooh! That's neat. I should have…
Experimental Realization of an Optical One-Way Barrier for Neutral Atoms
"[A] realization of Maxwell's demon [that] has important implications for cooling atoms and molecules not amenable to standard laser-cooling techniques."
(tags: physics articles science experiment news atoms optics)…
Redefining Where Salary Gaps Linger :: Inside Higher Ed :: Higher Education's Source for News, Views and Jobs
"[M]en and women are being hired at four-year colleges at comparable salaries as they start their faculty careers, but there is one significant exception: research universities. At…
A bunch of academic bloggers have been talking about the American Scholar essay by William Deresiewicz. The always-perceptive Timothy Burke offers some insightful comments about the general problems of elite education.
Burke is also a lot kinder to Deresiewicz than I'm inclined to be. Because,…
June 18: Polar Land and Life Day
Happy birthday to me...
(tags: animals environment science news education biology geology)
Halo: The Cole Protocol (and welcome to all you new readers) at Tobias Buckell Online
"Project X" revealed.
(tags: books games SF blogs)
The Giant's Shoulders
A…
As noted at Making Light, the recent disasters in Iowa have depleted the American Red Cross's disaster relief fund, and they're borrowing money in order to keep running:
"The disaster relief fund today is completely depleted. The balance is zero," Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer, said in…
The Corporate Masters have posted a new Ask a ScienceBlogger question:
The question (submitted by a reader) is this: There are many, many academic bloggers out there feverishly blogging about their areas of interest. Still, there are many, many more academics who don't. So, why do you blog and how…
