we discuss out neighbor mars in the latest video from sixty symbols:
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
cute boys with cats
a few weeks ago, i saw this picture of earnest hemingway with a cat. there's something very intriguing about it.
and then saw marlon brando. lovely.
so i started to keep an eye out for random old photos of people with their cats. and then i found it: cute boys with cats. i cant believe this site exists! i'm hesitant to admit it, but i've been moderately obsessed with this website over the last week. most of the photos are just so charming! so check out that site, but for now i'll share with you my collection from the interwebs.
and then saw marlon brando. lovely.
so i started to keep an eye out for random old photos of people with their cats. and then i found it: cute boys with cats. i cant believe this site exists! i'm hesitant to admit it, but i've been moderately obsessed with this website over the last week. most of the photos are just so charming! so check out that site, but for now i'll share with you my collection from the interwebs.
will it blend?
this website came up in conversation twice today, so i thought i'd check it out: will it blend? in order to promote their counter-top blender, the company blendtec created a series of videos to see what (non-traditional) materials the blender could successfully blend.
in the video below, they ask... will the newly-released iPad blend?
yes, yes it will. but the challenge is that the iPad is bigger than the blender! great stuff.
kind of remind's me of brady haran's latest escapade in experimental science: what will it do in acid?
in the video below, they ask... will the newly-released iPad blend?
yes, yes it will. but the challenge is that the iPad is bigger than the blender! great stuff.
kind of remind's me of brady haran's latest escapade in experimental science: what will it do in acid?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
sixty symbols: dark matter!
the latest video from sixty symbols is about the illusive and mysterious "stuff" that makes up 23% of our entire universe: dark matter. this video is a bit longer than normal, running over 11 minutes, but its very well done. and after watching it, i'm feeling like i want to eat something chocolate!!
april appartitions
the astronomy photographer of the year group is in full swing at flickr. this fantastic collection of photos is being sponsored by the royal observatory, greenwich and i'm please to say that they've asked me to be the first astronomer to choose an astronomer's gallery for the 2010 competition.
my gallery is called april apparitions, which felt appropriate for the theme because the images that struck me among the vast collection seemed to have almost dream-like appearances and lovely subtleties. here are some hints of the collection, but head to this link to see the full-size photos and my commentary on each image.
there are some really gorgeous shots in the full gallery. don't be shy... upload your own images!
my gallery is called april apparitions, which felt appropriate for the theme because the images that struck me among the vast collection seemed to have almost dream-like appearances and lovely subtleties. here are some hints of the collection, but head to this link to see the full-size photos and my commentary on each image.
there are some really gorgeous shots in the full gallery. don't be shy... upload your own images!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
decorated eggs
thinking about easter reminds me of a shop we found in salzburg, austria last autumn. while walking down this little road...
... we were stunned by the window display of delicately decorated, empty eggshells!
then we entered the store to find a ridiculous amount of *rooms* stacked with eggs!
unexpected.
happy second best chocolate day of the year!
... we were stunned by the window display of delicately decorated, empty eggshells!
then we entered the store to find a ridiculous amount of *rooms* stacked with eggs!
unexpected.
happy second best chocolate day of the year!
Friday, April 2, 2010
only 4 space shuttle flights remaining!
on monday, april 5th, the space shuttle discovery is scheduled to launch and take the STS-131 crew to the international space station (ISS). STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station and begins the major countdown to the final shuttle launch, currently scheduled for september 2010.
the image above of the ISS was taken from the atlantis space shuttle in 2007.
it's looking less and less likely that i will be able to witness a shuttle launch in person :(
the image above of the ISS was taken from the atlantis space shuttle in 2007.
it's looking less and less likely that i will be able to witness a shuttle launch in person :(
Thursday, April 1, 2010
wonders of the solar system
the BBC is currently airing a series called wonders of the solar system starring physicist brian cox. i think its just great! within the UK, you can watch episodes online at BBC iPlayer, and i believe it is scheduled to air in the US in august of this year.
here's the official preview of the show:
as today is the fools day, i thought i'd share this hilarious spoof that was made of the show.
(i saw the spoof video at counting cats)
here's the official preview of the show:
as today is the fools day, i thought i'd share this hilarious spoof that was made of the show.
(i saw the spoof video at counting cats)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
the summit of mauna kea: sixty symbols
one of my favorite aspects of being a professional astronomer is visiting major telescope facilities and observing. on this blog, i've discussed observing in chile and hawaii quite a bit. finally, sixty symbols shares with you a video version of the experience of observing on mauna kea, hawaii.
see some extra footage and interviews a the periodic videos blog.
see some extra footage and interviews a the periodic videos blog.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
cheeseburger in acid
good to know that concentrated hydrochloric acid does things to a mcdonalds cheeseburger. but still, yuck!
this video comes from the new branch of the periodic table of videos: molecular videos!
this video comes from the new branch of the periodic table of videos: molecular videos!
Friday, March 26, 2010
astronomy photographer of the year
the royal observatory, greenwich has set up an astronomy photographer of the year competition and i'm a guest judge to choose my favorite entries for the month of april! if you enjoy taking photos of the sky at night or any astronomical phenomema, load your pictures to the flickr group and be eligible for the contest!
it's not really about the contest though, its about sharing your own photos with everyone and seeing the universe through other people's eyes as well.
i've been flattered to be asked to give my opinions on the astro-photographs and cant wait to start sifting thru all the entries!
enjoy!
it's not really about the contest though, its about sharing your own photos with everyone and seeing the universe through other people's eyes as well.
i've been flattered to be asked to give my opinions on the astro-photographs and cant wait to start sifting thru all the entries!
enjoy!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
a near miss: ada lovelace day contribution
this post is my contribution to ada lovelace day, which seeks to draw attention to the achievements of women in technology and science. i tell the story of a well-known scientist who unexpectedly provided me an opportunity that i almost missed...
during my second year studying undergraduate physics at the university of cincinnati, a very accomplished and well-known particle physicist, janet conrad, came to give a colloquium. the department set up a one hour session where undergraduates could sit down and chat with her. to my surprise, i was the only one who showed up for the first 30 minutes so i had her all to myself!
at the time, i had been thinking about the possibility of detecting gravitational waves because i had recently read about a new observatory called LIGO: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, under construction in the US northwest.
i questioned her about how we could possibly design a machine to detect the energy of gravitational waves when the force of gravity is so weak! i mean, the earth is really huge and creates enough gravity for me to be confident that i will never fly off its surface. and yet i can pick up my cup from the table without much effort at all, even though earth always pulls the cup towards it. gravity is such a weak force, how can we detect it?
she explained that the gravity created by two very massive objects orbiting each other, like supermassive black holes or neutron stars, cause ripples in spacetime that will be faintly detectable with LIGO's laser interferometers. the detectors act like microphones that turn gravitational waves into electric signals. i was fascinated and grateful to her for patiently answering all my questions, even though i didn't really understand the details. eventually, other students joined us and i had to give up her complete attention.
she didnt work on the LIGO project, she actually worked on the Booster Neutrino Experiment (BooNE) which is designed to tell whether the fundamental particles called neutrinos have mass. she hired students each summer to work with her group testing detectors for the BooNE project which is located at the fermilab national accelerator laboratory in chicago, illinois, USA. the image above shows her with one of the photomultiplier tube detectors.
to my pleasant surprised, at the end of the session she suggested i work there during the upcoming summer. i felt flattered and politely thanked her, even though, internally, i was not thrilled about the idea of doing particle physics instead of astronomy.
a couple weeks later, i received an email from her saying that there was a summer job opportunity at fermilab and asking me if i was interested in it. after thinking about it for a day, i decided to turn down her offer. i worried that i would offend her with my response and felt bad about passing up this position that she created and directly offered to me! but, i emailed her apologetically, thanked her for the offer, and admitted that i really wanted to do astronomy if possible and i wasnt completely excited about particle physics.
well......!! she responded immediately by email and in an almost joking tone, she clarified that she knew i was more interested in astronomy and that the position she was offering was not to work with her! instead, she had talked to the director of the sloan digital sky survey (SDSS), who she was in direct contact with because the SDSS headquarters is also located at the fermilab facility! she said she recommended me as a summer student for the SDSS and i should email him to get information about the possible position!
open mouth; insert foot.
holy crap! what an opportunity i almost passed up! and i am SO thankful to her for her persistent encouragement and endurance in dealing with my idealistic and stubborn young self.
i thanked her profusely, and went on to spend two excellent summers in chicagoland completely immersed in the workings of a professional astronomy organization, and an incredibly influential one at that!
a successful particle physicist really went out of her busy way to give me an opportunity and i am eternally grateful. i rarely saw her at fermilab during my time there. she gave me a tour of the facility they were building, but that was really our only contact, ever again. i didnt recognize it at the time, but i've come to see her as a mentor and strong influence in my career choices. she was very respected in her field, which is hugely male-dominated, and yet she was a confident mixture of kind, strong, knowledgeable, and approachable. i was impressed.
i hope to be as attentive to enthusiastic young people who i come across during my time, and try to encourage them as much as possible.
during my second year studying undergraduate physics at the university of cincinnati, a very accomplished and well-known particle physicist, janet conrad, came to give a colloquium. the department set up a one hour session where undergraduates could sit down and chat with her. to my surprise, i was the only one who showed up for the first 30 minutes so i had her all to myself!
at the time, i had been thinking about the possibility of detecting gravitational waves because i had recently read about a new observatory called LIGO: The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, under construction in the US northwest.
i questioned her about how we could possibly design a machine to detect the energy of gravitational waves when the force of gravity is so weak! i mean, the earth is really huge and creates enough gravity for me to be confident that i will never fly off its surface. and yet i can pick up my cup from the table without much effort at all, even though earth always pulls the cup towards it. gravity is such a weak force, how can we detect it? she explained that the gravity created by two very massive objects orbiting each other, like supermassive black holes or neutron stars, cause ripples in spacetime that will be faintly detectable with LIGO's laser interferometers. the detectors act like microphones that turn gravitational waves into electric signals. i was fascinated and grateful to her for patiently answering all my questions, even though i didn't really understand the details. eventually, other students joined us and i had to give up her complete attention.
she didnt work on the LIGO project, she actually worked on the Booster Neutrino Experiment (BooNE) which is designed to tell whether the fundamental particles called neutrinos have mass. she hired students each summer to work with her group testing detectors for the BooNE project which is located at the fermilab national accelerator laboratory in chicago, illinois, USA. the image above shows her with one of the photomultiplier tube detectors.
to my pleasant surprised, at the end of the session she suggested i work there during the upcoming summer. i felt flattered and politely thanked her, even though, internally, i was not thrilled about the idea of doing particle physics instead of astronomy.
a couple weeks later, i received an email from her saying that there was a summer job opportunity at fermilab and asking me if i was interested in it. after thinking about it for a day, i decided to turn down her offer. i worried that i would offend her with my response and felt bad about passing up this position that she created and directly offered to me! but, i emailed her apologetically, thanked her for the offer, and admitted that i really wanted to do astronomy if possible and i wasnt completely excited about particle physics.
well......!! she responded immediately by email and in an almost joking tone, she clarified that she knew i was more interested in astronomy and that the position she was offering was not to work with her! instead, she had talked to the director of the sloan digital sky survey (SDSS), who she was in direct contact with because the SDSS headquarters is also located at the fermilab facility! she said she recommended me as a summer student for the SDSS and i should email him to get information about the possible position!
open mouth; insert foot.
holy crap! what an opportunity i almost passed up! and i am SO thankful to her for her persistent encouragement and endurance in dealing with my idealistic and stubborn young self.
i thanked her profusely, and went on to spend two excellent summers in chicagoland completely immersed in the workings of a professional astronomy organization, and an incredibly influential one at that!
a successful particle physicist really went out of her busy way to give me an opportunity and i am eternally grateful. i rarely saw her at fermilab during my time there. she gave me a tour of the facility they were building, but that was really our only contact, ever again. i didnt recognize it at the time, but i've come to see her as a mentor and strong influence in my career choices. she was very respected in her field, which is hugely male-dominated, and yet she was a confident mixture of kind, strong, knowledgeable, and approachable. i was impressed.
i hope to be as attentive to enthusiastic young people who i come across during my time, and try to encourage them as much as possible.
sixty symbols: neptune
in the latest installment of sixty symbols, we describe the planet neptune.
according to the youtube comments for this video, my eyes suggest that i'm possibly alien. i'll let you decide.
by the way, the filmmaker of sixty symbols, brady haran, has started a blog to give you behind the scenes info on this video series, and the original series: periodic table of videos.
according to the youtube comments for this video, my eyes suggest that i'm possibly alien. i'll let you decide.
by the way, the filmmaker of sixty symbols, brady haran, has started a blog to give you behind the scenes info on this video series, and the original series: periodic table of videos.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
the only chat roulette you need to bother watching
i've watched this several times and laugh every time!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
the fairy scientist
the fairy scientist is an interesting four and a half minute video created by skeptical bob for the project reason video contest.
"Children are natural scientists - filled with wonder and curiosity, they yearn to know about the world around them. Join Fairy Scientist, Lydia as she sets out to discover the secret world of Fairies."
the fairy scientist says "A scientist is someone who looks very carefully and tries to discover new things and stuff"
life, like science, is a process of exploration and discovery, not a challenge of blind faith.
"Children are natural scientists - filled with wonder and curiosity, they yearn to know about the world around them. Join Fairy Scientist, Lydia as she sets out to discover the secret world of Fairies."
the fairy scientist says "A scientist is someone who looks very carefully and tries to discover new things and stuff"
life, like science, is a process of exploration and discovery, not a challenge of blind faith.
large hardon collider
sadly, they've fixed the typo now, but yes, the telegraph actually displayed this headline for several hours today.
thanks to all who informed me of this cock-up!
thanks to all who informed me of this cock-up!
Friday, March 19, 2010
food that doesn't rot
i applaud nonna joann for her experimental efforts! she bought a happy meal from mcdonalds and let it sit on her shelf for an entire year to see what would happen to the food inside the box, and to contemplate the reality of our fast food society.
she writes, "It smelled delicious for a few days. I’d get a whiff of those yummy French fries every time I walked into my office. After a week or so, you could hardly smell it. My husband worried that when the food began to decompose, there would be a terrible odor in our home. He also worried the food would attract ants and mice. He questioned my sanity."
the photo below is the happy meal ONE YEAR AFTER it was purchased. the results of her experiment have disturbed me.
the contents DID NOT DECOMPOSE or mold or change appearance in any appreciable way. seriously, this is scary!
except for honey, ALL things classified as "food" should decompose. the truth of our species is that everything we eat was once living, from plants to animals. i know its easy to remove ourselves from this fact when so much food at stores is offered in processed forms and comes to us in boxes and cans, but that doesnt change where our natural food sources come from or how our bodies use it.
nonna goes on: "Food is broken down into it’s essential nutrients in our bodies and turned into fuel. Our children grow strong bodies, when they eat real food. Flies ignore a Happy Meal and microbes don’t decompose it, then your child’s body can’t properly metabolize it either. Now you know why it’s called “junk food.”
I think ants, mice and flies are smarter than people, because they weren’t fooled. They never touched the Happy Meal. Children shouldn’t either."
amen.
she writes, "It smelled delicious for a few days. I’d get a whiff of those yummy French fries every time I walked into my office. After a week or so, you could hardly smell it. My husband worried that when the food began to decompose, there would be a terrible odor in our home. He also worried the food would attract ants and mice. He questioned my sanity."
the photo below is the happy meal ONE YEAR AFTER it was purchased. the results of her experiment have disturbed me.
the contents DID NOT DECOMPOSE or mold or change appearance in any appreciable way. seriously, this is scary!
except for honey, ALL things classified as "food" should decompose. the truth of our species is that everything we eat was once living, from plants to animals. i know its easy to remove ourselves from this fact when so much food at stores is offered in processed forms and comes to us in boxes and cans, but that doesnt change where our natural food sources come from or how our bodies use it.
nonna goes on: "Food is broken down into it’s essential nutrients in our bodies and turned into fuel. Our children grow strong bodies, when they eat real food. Flies ignore a Happy Meal and microbes don’t decompose it, then your child’s body can’t properly metabolize it either. Now you know why it’s called “junk food.”
I think ants, mice and flies are smarter than people, because they weren’t fooled. They never touched the Happy Meal. Children shouldn’t either."
amen.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
the white mountain
this is the extended version of a very nice timelapse video shot on top of the extinct volcano mauna kea, hawaii.
The White Mountain (extended) from charles on Vimeo.
Monday, March 15, 2010
carnival of space #145
the 145th edition of the carnival of space is now up and running for your reading pleasure at crowlspace.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
romantic circles by kandinsky
i see a lot of eclipses in this painting by wassily kandinsky, although he called it several circles.
i think it would be cool to have a first name like "wassily."
his work reminds me of my grandmother's paintings. i like the bold geometric forms and colors.
he manages to express the romance of a circle.
i went to the lenbauchaus in munich, germany one time and was mesmerized by the shapes in this massive painting...
... and the colors of this one.
i think it would be cool to have a first name like "wassily."
his work reminds me of my grandmother's paintings. i like the bold geometric forms and colors.
he manages to express the romance of a circle.
i went to the lenbauchaus in munich, germany one time and was mesmerized by the shapes in this massive painting...
... and the colors of this one.
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