Monday, September 8, 2008
questions from the weekend
this weekend, i've been asked two questions over and over:
1) is it true that only 5% of all (US) americans have passports?
2) are you scared the earth might end when physicists recreate the big bang on wednesday?
number two is easy to answer: NO!
(and huh? they're not actually recreating the big bang, they're just setting up experiments that produce energies similar to those that occured after the big bang, for tiny itty bity little pieces of time. these types of events occur all the time naturally on earth: cosmic ray events. read more HERE)
as for numero uno, i havent been able to find any solid statistics on how many american citizens have passports, but the average report shows 15% (+/- 10%). this apparently sounds absurd to many british folks, who have dozens of countries so close by that it would seem silly and inconvenient not to have a passport. i dont remember being asked this question when i lived in other parts of the world, but it has been a common theme during my two weeks in the UK!
consider that the average american worker has 2 weeks of vacation a year. this is not a lot of time (and one of the reasons i want to keep working abroad, or stick to the academic lifestyle)! with one of your two weeks, you'll probably visit family around the holidays, and with the other week, you'll go to a beach or a national park or a city in the US. san francisco and florida aren't foreign, but they are far away from the midwest, exotic, and not as intimidating as jumping across an ocean where you most likely dont speak the language.
one week is not a long enough time to travel across an ocean. if youve never been out of your country before, one week is not enough time to get adjusted to the time change, feel comfortable enough to relax, and really experience another culture. with so much diversity inside of one large country, and so little vacation time available, why would the average american need a passport?
i have two large families and only a couple members actually had passports prior to me moving out of the country and convincing them they needed to come visit me!
image found at flickr by gravitywave.
in all honesty, it's not easy to travel internationally. nearly everyone i've come across in my travels has been wonderfully hospitable, helpful, and friendly. but occasionally i intersect with a person who assumes all americans are hopeless (and/or as crass as our current president). that situation is never fun to deal with.
also, it's difficult to initiate motivation to travel so far away when its so uncommon for your family and friends. my friends growing up went to florida with their families for their week summer vacation, they never considered going to another country! i was fortunate to have two fantastically strong role models in my aunt and older sister! not as many young americans are lucky enough to be so regularly in contact with people who travel internationally. also, i'm lucky enough to have a career that provides me oppotunnities to travel if i want.
in my travels, i've found the perspective gained from leaving my home country to be immeasurable. i've learned to appreciate the amazing convenience of living in the US. with some effort, people truly have the freedom to live the "american dream" and do nearly anything they might want (aside from marrying a person of the same sex, and a few other odd restrictions). what concerns me most is that it's simple to take such freedoms for granted when you never have the opportunity to leave their protection long enough to see the conditions of a place where such freedoms don't exist.
1) is it true that only 5% of all (US) americans have passports?
2) are you scared the earth might end when physicists recreate the big bang on wednesday?
number two is easy to answer: NO!
(and huh? they're not actually recreating the big bang, they're just setting up experiments that produce energies similar to those that occured after the big bang, for tiny itty bity little pieces of time. these types of events occur all the time naturally on earth: cosmic ray events. read more HERE)
as for numero uno, i havent been able to find any solid statistics on how many american citizens have passports, but the average report shows 15% (+/- 10%). this apparently sounds absurd to many british folks, who have dozens of countries so close by that it would seem silly and inconvenient not to have a passport. i dont remember being asked this question when i lived in other parts of the world, but it has been a common theme during my two weeks in the UK!
consider that the average american worker has 2 weeks of vacation a year. this is not a lot of time (and one of the reasons i want to keep working abroad, or stick to the academic lifestyle)! with one of your two weeks, you'll probably visit family around the holidays, and with the other week, you'll go to a beach or a national park or a city in the US. san francisco and florida aren't foreign, but they are far away from the midwest, exotic, and not as intimidating as jumping across an ocean where you most likely dont speak the language.
one week is not a long enough time to travel across an ocean. if youve never been out of your country before, one week is not enough time to get adjusted to the time change, feel comfortable enough to relax, and really experience another culture. with so much diversity inside of one large country, and so little vacation time available, why would the average american need a passport?
i have two large families and only a couple members actually had passports prior to me moving out of the country and convincing them they needed to come visit me!
image found at flickr by gravitywave.in all honesty, it's not easy to travel internationally. nearly everyone i've come across in my travels has been wonderfully hospitable, helpful, and friendly. but occasionally i intersect with a person who assumes all americans are hopeless (and/or as crass as our current president). that situation is never fun to deal with.
also, it's difficult to initiate motivation to travel so far away when its so uncommon for your family and friends. my friends growing up went to florida with their families for their week summer vacation, they never considered going to another country! i was fortunate to have two fantastically strong role models in my aunt and older sister! not as many young americans are lucky enough to be so regularly in contact with people who travel internationally. also, i'm lucky enough to have a career that provides me oppotunnities to travel if i want.
in my travels, i've found the perspective gained from leaving my home country to be immeasurable. i've learned to appreciate the amazing convenience of living in the US. with some effort, people truly have the freedom to live the "american dream" and do nearly anything they might want (aside from marrying a person of the same sex, and a few other odd restrictions). what concerns me most is that it's simple to take such freedoms for granted when you never have the opportunity to leave their protection long enough to see the conditions of a place where such freedoms don't exist.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
peep show - in space
chris lintott shares this video from a project headed by the adler planetarium in chicago. they launched balloons up to 96,000ft to collect data of the atmosphere, and on one flight, a peep tagged along for the ride. enjoy the peep show!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
large hadron collider - the big bad boom!
this wednesday, september 10, 2008, is an exciting day, as the large hadron collider (LHC) at CERN in geneva, switzerland will be run to its full capacity for the first time! some are calling it beam day, while others prefer big bang day. call it what you want, it's certain that people from all around the world are on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the potential results of this experiment! some are so excited, that they've created an LHC rap...
CERN Rap from Will Barras on Vimeo.
the LHC is a huge particle accelerator which will generate beams of protons and collide them into each at great speeds in order to create very high energies, and to see what resulting particles they can detect! protons are particles that fit under the more general heading of hadrons. hadrons are atomic particles made up of smaller particles called quarks. protons are made up of 3 quarks: 2 ‘up’ quarks and 1 ‘down’ quark. protons are advantageous to use for the LHC because they have an electric charge (positive), which allows them to be steered around quite controllably by large magnets! you start with hydrogen atoms (hydrogen is one proton with one electron swooping around it), strip off the electrons so you only have protons left, then accelerate the protons with gigantic magnets and slam them into each other! fun stuff!
we want to look at such high energies, because other places in the universe have really high energies. for example, the centers of stars are incredibly energetic. we can study them pretty well by matching our theories to what light and other particles come out of stars, but we cannot generate similar energies on earth.
the LHC experiment will create energies 7 times higher than any previous experiments on earth, and will attempt to answer deeper questions about the nature of the material we find in the universe. like what is gravity? what happened in the big bang? what happened just after the big bang, but before the cosmic microwave background radiation was emitted? why do some particles have mass, but not all particles? what the heck is dark matter?
and please, please don't worry.... the LHC will NOT destroy the planet!!!
here's a visually pleasing and informative tour of the LHC by dr. brian cox:
of course xkcd has a great comic about the big day:
you can also check out an interactive game at sciencemuseum.org.uk explaining how the large hadron collider experiment thinks it could detect the higgs boson - HERE.
even with all this exciting attention, dont expect definitive results to cover the front pages of world newspapers within 24 hours of wednesday's experiment. once data is collected, it will take at least a month to analyze and double check all the details. it took many many many years to produce this most complicated machinery, let's have collective patience to allow scientists to properly reduce the data and determine reliable results!!!
UPDATE: for more about the safety and perceived potential hazards of LHC, go HERE and/or read the full analysis from the LHC Safety Assessment Group: HERE.
CERN Rap from Will Barras on Vimeo.
the LHC is a huge particle accelerator which will generate beams of protons and collide them into each at great speeds in order to create very high energies, and to see what resulting particles they can detect! protons are particles that fit under the more general heading of hadrons. hadrons are atomic particles made up of smaller particles called quarks. protons are made up of 3 quarks: 2 ‘up’ quarks and 1 ‘down’ quark. protons are advantageous to use for the LHC because they have an electric charge (positive), which allows them to be steered around quite controllably by large magnets! you start with hydrogen atoms (hydrogen is one proton with one electron swooping around it), strip off the electrons so you only have protons left, then accelerate the protons with gigantic magnets and slam them into each other! fun stuff!
we want to look at such high energies, because other places in the universe have really high energies. for example, the centers of stars are incredibly energetic. we can study them pretty well by matching our theories to what light and other particles come out of stars, but we cannot generate similar energies on earth.
the LHC experiment will create energies 7 times higher than any previous experiments on earth, and will attempt to answer deeper questions about the nature of the material we find in the universe. like what is gravity? what happened in the big bang? what happened just after the big bang, but before the cosmic microwave background radiation was emitted? why do some particles have mass, but not all particles? what the heck is dark matter?
and please, please don't worry.... the LHC will NOT destroy the planet!!!
here's a visually pleasing and informative tour of the LHC by dr. brian cox:
of course xkcd has a great comic about the big day:
you can also check out an interactive game at sciencemuseum.org.uk explaining how the large hadron collider experiment thinks it could detect the higgs boson - HERE.
even with all this exciting attention, dont expect definitive results to cover the front pages of world newspapers within 24 hours of wednesday's experiment. once data is collected, it will take at least a month to analyze and double check all the details. it took many many many years to produce this most complicated machinery, let's have collective patience to allow scientists to properly reduce the data and determine reliable results!!!
UPDATE: for more about the safety and perceived potential hazards of LHC, go HERE and/or read the full analysis from the LHC Safety Assessment Group: HERE.
carnival of space - universe from A to Z
the 69th carnival of space is up at discovery news. irene klotz has cleverly compiled the universe from A to Z.
my suggestions for viewing the september night sky come in at the letter "O":
O is for Observe and some suggestions to blow your mind
my suggestions for viewing the september night sky come in at the letter "O":
O is for Observe and some suggestions to blow your mind
Friday, September 5, 2008
the beckoning of lovely
amy krouse rosenthal initiated a fantastically cool art party among strangers in chicago on 08/08/08 at 8:08 pm. then she made a video for us all to enjoy!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
the riddle of moving to another country
growing up, i absolutely loved riddles, puzzles, and jokes. oh my.
the guesser can ask the riddler yes/no questions until the puzzle is solved:
a man lives on the 14th floor of a building downtown. everyday when he leaves, he rides the elevator down to the ground floor and walks to wherever he is going. when he returns, he takes the elevator to the 8th floor and walks the rest of the way. unless it's raining, then he takes the elevator all the way up to the 14th floor. why?
and so on...
ze frank has created an interactive matchstick version of the first puzzle i really remember solving. my dad introduced it to me one time when he took my sister and i to hear the cincinnati pops orchestra. while we were sitting on the lawn waiting for the performance, he set up this puzzle with some blades of grass.
move two matches to form 4 equal squares, using every match as part of a square in the solution.
i have no idea where he discovered this puzzle or if he even remembers this event. i was occupied and frustrated for a good while, but when i surprised myself by actually solving it, i was hooked for life!
i think my interest in solving puzzles and riddles initiated a curiousity in figuring out how things in the our universe work. i also find that it's an advantage to like such things when traveling around the globe. moving to another country is like a gigantic series of puzzles and riddles (and sometimes jokes that either i dont get, or i'm the only one who understands!).
at least during this move, the language puzzle is more entertaining than frustrating, but there are still constant mysteries to figure out. for instance, what is a person from nottingham called? why do they drive on the left side of the road here, while most of the other countries in the world have chosen to drive on the right? is there really a different and/or proper time to say cheers instead of thank you, or are they completely interchangeable? why is there a mysterious trick to flushing half the toilets i've encountered in this country... and what is it?
there are new puzzles to solve everyday.... and luckily, i thoroughly enjoy nearly all of them (for now)!
the guesser can ask the riddler yes/no questions until the puzzle is solved:
a man lives on the 14th floor of a building downtown. everyday when he leaves, he rides the elevator down to the ground floor and walks to wherever he is going. when he returns, he takes the elevator to the 8th floor and walks the rest of the way. unless it's raining, then he takes the elevator all the way up to the 14th floor. why?
and so on...
ze frank has created an interactive matchstick version of the first puzzle i really remember solving. my dad introduced it to me one time when he took my sister and i to hear the cincinnati pops orchestra. while we were sitting on the lawn waiting for the performance, he set up this puzzle with some blades of grass.
move two matches to form 4 equal squares, using every match as part of a square in the solution.
i have no idea where he discovered this puzzle or if he even remembers this event. i was occupied and frustrated for a good while, but when i surprised myself by actually solving it, i was hooked for life!
i think my interest in solving puzzles and riddles initiated a curiousity in figuring out how things in the our universe work. i also find that it's an advantage to like such things when traveling around the globe. moving to another country is like a gigantic series of puzzles and riddles (and sometimes jokes that either i dont get, or i'm the only one who understands!).
at least during this move, the language puzzle is more entertaining than frustrating, but there are still constant mysteries to figure out. for instance, what is a person from nottingham called? why do they drive on the left side of the road here, while most of the other countries in the world have chosen to drive on the right? is there really a different and/or proper time to say cheers instead of thank you, or are they completely interchangeable? why is there a mysterious trick to flushing half the toilets i've encountered in this country... and what is it?
there are new puzzles to solve everyday.... and luckily, i thoroughly enjoy nearly all of them (for now)!
hubble servicing mission 4
the atlantis space shuttle is preparing to launch on the STS-125 mission to perform the final repairs on the hubble space telescope. it's difficult to describe the impact hubble has had on scientific discovery of the properties of our universe although julianne at cosmic variance is attempting to summarize this, but also on the universal inspiration it has provided human beings. the launch of this mission is set for october 8, 2008.... quickly approaching!
to find out more about the repairs, NASA has a nice video of the hubble telescope servicing mission plan. enjoy!
to find out more about the repairs, NASA has a nice video of the hubble telescope servicing mission plan. enjoy!
Monday, September 1, 2008
spot on!
i received my first piece of mail. not only does it show the first account i signed up for using the title "doctor" (!!!!), but it also demonstrates the entertainingly polite british tone of speech ;)
night sky september 2008
this month provides an early evening of a trio of planets: mercury, venus, and mars. venus is the brightest (magnitude -4) of these three as they all shine in the west, disappearing quickly as the sun goes down. here's the view for the evening of monday, september 1st:
the best viewing will be from southern points on earth like australia, south africa, argentina, and southern chile, but folks at northern latitudes should be able to spot these planets with a bit of care and quickness!
the moon moves up and to the left (12 degrees) in the sky each night. although it is a tiny little crescent sliver right now, it will help you find the trio of our three nearest neighbor planets!
the moon passes very nearby the bright star, antares, on september 7th. viewers in south america might see the moon occult antares (or pass right in front of it).
the moon will pass below a bright jupiter on september 9th.... look south.
on september 11, venus is just 0.3 degrees north of mars.
sky & telescope has created a very cool movie (HERE) showing the western horizon and the motion of the planets since the beginning of august all the way thru the end of september! you'll see saturn at the beginning of august, then it disappears below the horizon, while the other three planets approach each other for their closest pass beginning september 13th and going until september 19th. you can check this movie for the alignment of the plants on any given night this month!
this year's harvest moon, the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, occurs on september 15th.
on september 20, the moon is a single degree north of the pleiades (M45) star cluster.
enjoy!
the best viewing will be from southern points on earth like australia, south africa, argentina, and southern chile, but folks at northern latitudes should be able to spot these planets with a bit of care and quickness!
the moon moves up and to the left (12 degrees) in the sky each night. although it is a tiny little crescent sliver right now, it will help you find the trio of our three nearest neighbor planets!
the moon passes very nearby the bright star, antares, on september 7th. viewers in south america might see the moon occult antares (or pass right in front of it).
the moon will pass below a bright jupiter on september 9th.... look south.
on september 11, venus is just 0.3 degrees north of mars.
sky & telescope has created a very cool movie (HERE) showing the western horizon and the motion of the planets since the beginning of august all the way thru the end of september! you'll see saturn at the beginning of august, then it disappears below the horizon, while the other three planets approach each other for their closest pass beginning september 13th and going until september 19th. you can check this movie for the alignment of the plants on any given night this month!
this year's harvest moon, the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, occurs on september 15th.
on september 20, the moon is a single degree north of the pleiades (M45) star cluster.
enjoy!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
quote of yesterday
i went into work yesterday to prepare my desk and complete some paperwork. everyone was nice enough to take me out for welcome drinks and dinner and i quite enjoyed their company! at some point later in the evening, my new boss looked at me and asked:
"you're not a morning person, are you?"
excellent sign! hahaha! ;)
"you're not a morning person, are you?"
excellent sign! hahaha! ;)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
welcome to nott'm
layover in dublin... nine in the morning. mmmmmmm.... guinness. this picture looks barren, but there was a surprisingly large number of people drinking guinness this early!
the place i'm staying in nottingham. i lucked out with a great hostess (not pictured)!!
she took me to a farmer's market under a simpsons sky. i've seen the full sky behind the clouds exactly twice since i've been here. i miss the stars.
longhorn? wait a minute, didnt i just leave longhorn country?
a positive side effect of the plentiful rain!
there's always a storm pending in the distance.
city center (not called "downtown")
and the shot you've all been waiting for....
more to come....
the place i'm staying in nottingham. i lucked out with a great hostess (not pictured)!!
she took me to a farmer's market under a simpsons sky. i've seen the full sky behind the clouds exactly twice since i've been here. i miss the stars.
longhorn? wait a minute, didnt i just leave longhorn country?
a positive side effect of the plentiful rain!
there's always a storm pending in the distance.
city center (not called "downtown")
and the shot you've all been waiting for....
more to come....
Thursday, August 28, 2008
things you know you dont know
yes, i'm still here, alive and enjoying nottingham... er, nott'm. i havent had my laptop online yet, so i'm waiting to write lots until i can also share pictures. there arent a buhzillion internet cafe around these parts, so it might have to wait until i go to work. mostly i've just been organizing, exploring, and relaxing before i officially start work on monday. i will say that the crosswords here are a bit different, and decidedly more difficult due to their subtlety. i'll keep trying though.
in the meantime, here's another gem from indexed:
in the meantime, here's another gem from indexed:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
noctilucent clouds
siamak sabet captured this lovely shot of the allusive noctilucent ("night-shining") clouds, over Mt. Sabalan... an extinct volcano in iran.
these clouds exist very high in the atmosphere, nearly 90 km above earth's surface, above almost all of our atmosphere! they are not seen very often, and their existence remains a bit of a mystery. notice the distinct blue color of the clouds. the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite mission has confirmed that the particles making up the clouds are tens of nanometers in size... just the right size to scatter blue sunlight, making it uniquely visible to our eyes. but the mission also found even smaller ice crystals, which makes no sense at such an altitude since it's so dry! why and how are there clouds so high up?
to read more, here's an interesting article (and more pictures) from NASA called strange clouds at the edge of space.
these clouds exist very high in the atmosphere, nearly 90 km above earth's surface, above almost all of our atmosphere! they are not seen very often, and their existence remains a bit of a mystery. notice the distinct blue color of the clouds. the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite mission has confirmed that the particles making up the clouds are tens of nanometers in size... just the right size to scatter blue sunlight, making it uniquely visible to our eyes. but the mission also found even smaller ice crystals, which makes no sense at such an altitude since it's so dry! why and how are there clouds so high up?
to read more, here's an interesting article (and more pictures) from NASA called strange clouds at the edge of space.
Friday, August 22, 2008
where can i buy a raincoat?
hello from rainy england! i've arrived, safe and sound. it has rained everyday, providing a wonderful atmosphere for napping and trying to get over my jetlag. unfortunately, i dont have proper raingear, so as soon as i venture out of the house on a shopping trip, i'll be buying myself a raincoat and maybe some shoes.
today is my new boss's birthday, so i'll make it out tonight to (hopefully) meet him somewhere in town. time to explore the pubs!!
the lovely woman i'm staying with politely corrects my pronunciation... usually i don't emphasize the letter "t" in the right places. and yesterday i innocently tried to get in her car on the drivers side - much to our amusement! i wonder how long it will take me to get used to cars zooming past on the right side?
today begins the adventure of finding my own place to live, figuring out what phone companies are the best, and what banks exist here... and also watching olympic sports that they don't show on the US channels i was watching.
why do they kneel?
also, can anyone tell me how football (soccer) teams qualify for the olympics?
today is my new boss's birthday, so i'll make it out tonight to (hopefully) meet him somewhere in town. time to explore the pubs!!
the lovely woman i'm staying with politely corrects my pronunciation... usually i don't emphasize the letter "t" in the right places. and yesterday i innocently tried to get in her car on the drivers side - much to our amusement! i wonder how long it will take me to get used to cars zooming past on the right side?
today begins the adventure of finding my own place to live, figuring out what phone companies are the best, and what banks exist here... and also watching olympic sports that they don't show on the US channels i was watching.
why do they kneel?
also, can anyone tell me how football (soccer) teams qualify for the olympics?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
to go, please!
a disadvantage of my new job, is that they are paying no relocation fees! bug dud! so my mission was to reduce and efficiently pack my load of possessions:
after much procrastination and then effort, it's finished!
that's it. two boxes were mailed home, the plastic containers and little boxes were mailed to england (come on US postal service, make it work!), and the colorful items come with me on the plane.
i spent a lot of time yesterday fashioning that big box from a refrigerator box, to send some artwork in:
but it was too big to ship for any reasonable price :( so i had to perform surgery on the poor painting and now it's all rolled up with the other paintings in the tube. sorry, shay... but i had to do it!
thanks to cindy and jeff cook for giving me a great place to stay this last week and a half in austin. i'll miss you all, but not so much the heat of texas!
ciao!
after much procrastination and then effort, it's finished!
that's it. two boxes were mailed home, the plastic containers and little boxes were mailed to england (come on US postal service, make it work!), and the colorful items come with me on the plane.
i spent a lot of time yesterday fashioning that big box from a refrigerator box, to send some artwork in:
but it was too big to ship for any reasonable price :( so i had to perform surgery on the poor painting and now it's all rolled up with the other paintings in the tube. sorry, shay... but i had to do it!
thanks to cindy and jeff cook for giving me a great place to stay this last week and a half in austin. i'll miss you all, but not so much the heat of texas!
ciao!
liver training
the advice has been pouring in these last few days, for both things to do before i leave and once i arrive...
before i leave texas:
eat mexican food (esp. breakfast tacos)
drink root beer
swim
drink margaritas
soak up the heat
after i arrive in england:
buy rain suit
carry pullover at all times
drink beer
eat indian food
sleep
hhmmmm. sounds like i have my work cut out for me ;)
anything else?
before i leave texas:
eat mexican food (esp. breakfast tacos)
drink root beer
swim
drink margaritas
soak up the heat
after i arrive in england:
buy rain suit
carry pullover at all times
drink beer
eat indian food
sleep
hhmmmm. sounds like i have my work cut out for me ;)
anything else?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
we are stardust, billion year old carbon.
on this, the weekend that the world experienced woodstock 39 years ago, i'd like to appreciate a woman who didn't get to go: joni mitchell. as she describes at the beginning of the video below, she stayed back in new york city because her manager thought it more advantageous to appear on a TV show instead. as soon as i heard that story, i felt that she probably regretted that choice the moment it was made. she immediately wrote the song "woodstock" for her friends (a young CS&N) to commemorate the event. most will recognize the more familiar version of woodstock performed by crosby, stills, nash, & young, recorded a few years later. i honestly have no idea how their version came about from the original song. joni mitchell's solo piano version is as haunting as it is hopeful....
i find it unfortunate that there have not been recent pop singers in the soprano range. joni mitchell's soprano sound is naked and gorgeous because she allows her natural vibrato to enhance the melody. i'm easily annoyed by the endless mariah carey-type quick note-hopping at the ends of phrases and carried notes. dont get me wrong, total props to mariah for introducing this sound and performing it incredibly well, it's just that too many damn pop stars are imitating it these days, and not very well! i've enjoyed listening to joni mature as a singer, because her voice has changed over the years. her voice has grown deeper with time, as i feel mine has too. i'm not the soprano i used to be!
so as i pack today for the big move tuesday, i know who i'll be listening to!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
baltimore - welcome to birdland
amazingly, four former UT astronomers, three of whom were in my class, are now living and working in baltimore, maryland (or did they call it birdtown? birdville?).
i stayed with former officemate, shay and her husband. first, we explored the neighborhood.
then we hopped a train to DC, where it rained on us...
... so we drank tea and watched the rain fall down.
(left to right) kit, shay, erin, damon , jeff, and i all went to dinner.
erin and shay both entered grad school with me, graduated with PhDs and decided the direct academic route was not for them. they seem extremely happy doing research at the johns hopkins applied physics lab. they cant tell me the details of what they're doing, but they're making twice as much money as i'll be making... d'oh!! ;)
now open, but closed.
from left to right here: claudia, shay, kit, marty, and the adorably pregnant lissa.
claudia and marty have stuck with academics and both are excited with their postdocs!
ice. custard. happiness. bring it on!
excellent to see everyone in such good spirits! i hope my move goes half as well as your alls (how's that for texas grammar?).
i stayed with former officemate, shay and her husband. first, we explored the neighborhood.
then we hopped a train to DC, where it rained on us...
... so we drank tea and watched the rain fall down.
(left to right) kit, shay, erin, damon , jeff, and i all went to dinner.
erin and shay both entered grad school with me, graduated with PhDs and decided the direct academic route was not for them. they seem extremely happy doing research at the johns hopkins applied physics lab. they cant tell me the details of what they're doing, but they're making twice as much money as i'll be making... d'oh!! ;)
now open, but closed.
from left to right here: claudia, shay, kit, marty, and the adorably pregnant lissa.
claudia and marty have stuck with academics and both are excited with their postdocs!
ice. custard. happiness. bring it on!
excellent to see everyone in such good spirits! i hope my move goes half as well as your alls (how's that for texas grammar?).
Friday, August 15, 2008
doctor of astrophysiology?
without a doubt, the best graduation present i received is a handmade creation from my aunt - my godmother - the one who inspired my interest to travel - the woman i've looked up to my entire life. the week before my ohio graduation party, we talked on the phone for a couple hours and she told me she was making me a present, but i had no idea how awesome it would be!! just look for yourself...
she painted the galaxy and the background, then attached everything else. the tent flaps are attached with velcro and open to reveal a detailed backpack! interactive art! she gave me this present at the party, where i felt completely amazed and thrilled!
there's a strand of beads dangling from the top that reads:
"dr amanda bauer phd astrophysiology"
i said... huh? what? oh, no! haha!!!
see, my aunt is a wonderful writer and an english teacher, and we've always laughed and teased each other about the imperfections of our lives.
she looked surprised and asked "what, i didnt spell it wrong, did i? i looked it up in the dictionary!"
i asked, "what did it say astrophysiology means??"
"oh, i don't know, i didn't read that far!"
hilarious! the english teacher. an instant joke forever and ever! if anyone can give me a good definition of astrophysiology that doesnt already exist under some other common title, please let me know, i'm interested.
many, many people erroneously call me an astrologer... a mistake i happily correct, remembering the day long ago when i made myself remember, "astronomy is the science. astrology is not."
sometimes clever people jokingly ask me about the progress of my cosmetology degree. i recommend this humorous post at deepastronomy.com on cosmology for cosmetologists, if you have the time.
during that conversation on the phone with my aunt, she referred to my "astrophysics" degree twice, and then near the end she mentioned my study of "astrophysiology." i was quietly amused because no one had ever called me that before! i just let it slide thinking, "she got it right twice, she knows what she's talking about!"
silly doctor. assumptions are for amateurs.
this painting will definitely be hanging in my office at my new job! i love it.
she painted the galaxy and the background, then attached everything else. the tent flaps are attached with velcro and open to reveal a detailed backpack! interactive art! she gave me this present at the party, where i felt completely amazed and thrilled!
there's a strand of beads dangling from the top that reads:
"dr amanda bauer phd astrophysiology"
i said... huh? what? oh, no! haha!!!
see, my aunt is a wonderful writer and an english teacher, and we've always laughed and teased each other about the imperfections of our lives.
she looked surprised and asked "what, i didnt spell it wrong, did i? i looked it up in the dictionary!"
i asked, "what did it say astrophysiology means??"
"oh, i don't know, i didn't read that far!"
hilarious! the english teacher. an instant joke forever and ever! if anyone can give me a good definition of astrophysiology that doesnt already exist under some other common title, please let me know, i'm interested.
many, many people erroneously call me an astrologer... a mistake i happily correct, remembering the day long ago when i made myself remember, "astronomy is the science. astrology is not."
sometimes clever people jokingly ask me about the progress of my cosmetology degree. i recommend this humorous post at deepastronomy.com on cosmology for cosmetologists, if you have the time.
during that conversation on the phone with my aunt, she referred to my "astrophysics" degree twice, and then near the end she mentioned my study of "astrophysiology." i was quietly amused because no one had ever called me that before! i just let it slide thinking, "she got it right twice, she knows what she's talking about!"
silly doctor. assumptions are for amateurs.
this painting will definitely be hanging in my office at my new job! i love it.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
jupiter in august 2008
in addition to the august 2008 sky views i mentioned earlier this month, here's another "what's up" video from JPL to help guide your eye towards the skies! watch to hear all about jupiter, currently the brightest object in the night sky (other than the lit up moon).
jupiter is high in the south-east skies these days, and has been shining brightly next to the moon for the past couple nights.
anyone see the perseids last night? i was clouded out... and i'm not even in england yet! hmph!
jupiter is high in the south-east skies these days, and has been shining brightly next to the moon for the past couple nights.
anyone see the perseids last night? i was clouded out... and i'm not even in england yet! hmph!
signs in germany
i miss living in munich. i felt like i really fit in there!
and this sticker on my desk always made me laugh!
and this sticker on my desk always made me laugh!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
size of the entire universe man
thanks for the "small world" stories shared in the comments of the little boxes post! they reminded me of another little ditty with just as much intrigue... particle man, by they might be giants! it's also a fantastic stand-by karaoke song. here's the video version from the tiny toons animated series.
Particle Man
Particle man, particle man
Doing the things a particle can
What's he like? It's not important
Particle man
Is he a dot, or is he a speck?
When he's underwater does he get wet?
Or does the water get him instead?
Nobody knows, Particle man
Triangle man, Triangle man
Triangle man hates particle man
They have a fight, Triangle wins
Triangle man
Universe man, Universe man
Size of the entire universe man
Usually kind to smaller man
Universe man
He's got a watch with a minute hand,
Millenium hand and an eon hand
When they meet it's a happy land
Powerful man, universe man
Person man, person man
Hit on the head with a frying pan
Lives his life in a garbage can
Person man
Is he depressed or is he a mess?
Does he feel totally worthless?
Who came up with person man?
Degraded man, person man
Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates person man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man
and here they are at TED: ideas worth sharing.
Particle Man
Particle man, particle man
Doing the things a particle can
What's he like? It's not important
Particle man
Is he a dot, or is he a speck?
When he's underwater does he get wet?
Or does the water get him instead?
Nobody knows, Particle man
Triangle man, Triangle man
Triangle man hates particle man
They have a fight, Triangle wins
Triangle man
Universe man, Universe man
Size of the entire universe man
Usually kind to smaller man
Universe man
He's got a watch with a minute hand,
Millenium hand and an eon hand
When they meet it's a happy land
Powerful man, universe man
Person man, person man
Hit on the head with a frying pan
Lives his life in a garbage can
Person man
Is he depressed or is he a mess?
Does he feel totally worthless?
Who came up with person man?
Degraded man, person man
Triangle man, triangle man
Triangle man hates person man
They have a fight, triangle wins
Triangle man
and here they are at TED: ideas worth sharing.
presidential shudders
i'm so disappointed that there are multiple pictures of the current president of the united states that make me so uncomfortable, i shudder. this occured at the olympics this week.
i know photographers try to snap photos at moments of blunder, but...
he also attempted to give the german chancellor, merkel, a backrub at the G8 summit in 2006, which resulted in these shots:
shudder.
by the way, did you hear the one where the US president left the G8 summit meeting by saying "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter!" ?
yeah, that really happened. in poor taste, mr. president.
i know photographers try to snap photos at moments of blunder, but...
he also attempted to give the german chancellor, merkel, a backrub at the G8 summit in 2006, which resulted in these shots:
shudder.
by the way, did you hear the one where the US president left the G8 summit meeting by saying "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter!" ?
yeah, that really happened. in poor taste, mr. president.
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