Particle physicists have always considered themselves the kings of physics. Murray Gell-Mann famously called solid state physics by the moniker “squalid state physics.” In the ivory towers where scientists picture themselves as selfless serfs in the service of knowledge, particle theorists have long occupied the attic. At the same time, there is another community of [...]
In some bizarre twist straight from the pages of a Pynchon novel, the Air Force in 1994 became interested in chemicals that might annoy the bad guy and in particular (thanks to a memo made available at the memory hole): Chemicals that effect [sic] human behavior so that discipline and morale in enemy units is [...]
Who is the most thanked person in computer science? According to an analysis of the CiteSeer database performed by Giles and Councill, the most thanked person in computer science is Olivier Danvy. I was also interested to see that the institutions I’ve been a member of, Caltech, Berkeley, and the Santa Fe Institute, are all [...]
On the plane I got quized by a neighboring passenger about tsunami dynamics (“oh, you’re a physicist?”) Here is what I recall from Physics 12: The waves created by tsunamis are very long wavelength. While typical ocean waves are around a hundreds of meters long, tsunamis produce wavelengths of up to a hunderds of kilometers. [...]
Quoteth Saint Lennon: And so this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun. And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun, The near and the dear ones, the old and the young. A very Merry Christmas, And a Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s [...]
From a New York Times article: After a bitter and protracted recount fight in the Washington state governor’s race, elections officials announced today that the Democratic candidate, Christine O. Gregoire, was now leading her Republican opponent by a miniscule margin of only 10 votes, a stunning reversal of the Nov. 2 election results.
Best title of the year on quant-ph? Or Worst title of the year on quant-ph? Is Quantum Suicide Painless? On an Apparent Violation of The Principal Principle
According to the Book of Revelations, 144,000 is the total number choosen by the Lord for the Tribulation. The current world population is 6.4 billion people. Hence the chance I will be saved is around 0.002 percent. Better than winning the lottery, but about the same odds as dying by exposure to a sharp inanimate [...]
Arrived in Seattle yesterday afternoon, just in front of Seattle’s notorious traffic. As many of you may know, Washington is in the middle of a huge fight over recounting ballots for their governers race. Currently the Republican, Dino Rossi, is in the lead by 42 votes. Anyway, I’m fairly convinced that the governor of Washington [...]
Yesterday: Santa Fe->Las Vegas->Sacramento->Yreka. Winter sunsets in the state of Jefferson make Mt. Shasta look incredible. Today: Yreka->Portland.
If you were a quantum computer, would the mystery you be working on not be the mystery of quantum theory but the mystery of the classical world?
