Category Archives: Fragment

Greg Kuperberg: a paladin fighting against the ogres of hype

Posted on October 22, 2012 by sflammia

Nothing much to add here, but Greg Kuperberg has an excellent article at Slate which clarifies the power and limitations of quantum computers. The article is brief, accessible, and highly accurate. The next time a science journalist contacts you for … Continue reading →

Posted in Fragment, Quantum Computing | 4 Comments

Taken to School

Posted on September 25, 2012 by sflammia

Here is a fine piece of investigative journalism about a very wide spread scam that is plaguing academia. Definitely worth a watch.

Posted in Education, Fragment, Funny Ha Ha, The Loony Bin Called Academia | Leave a comment

Katamari Damacy Any Website

Posted on March 16, 2011 by dabacon

If you know what Katamari Damacy is, then you will love http://kathack.com. (The script was created by University of Washington students Alex Leone, David Nufer, and David Truong for the 2011 Yahoo HackU contest. See, dear physicists, the benefits of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fragment, Games, Technology | Leave a comment

Hippy Software Licenses

Posted on March 7, 2011 by dabacon

One of my favorite software licenses is the Beerware license, here in a version due to Poul-Henning Kamp: /* * ————————————————————– * “THE BEER-WARE LICENSE” (Revision 42): * <> wrote this file. As long as you retain * this notice … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, Fragment, Funny Ha Ha | 6 Comments

A Mathematical Definition of News?

Posted on December 14, 2010 by dabacon

Lately I’ve been thinking about the news. Mostly this involves me shouting obscenities at the radio or the internet for wasting my time with news items the depth of which couldn’t drown an ant and whose factual status makes fairy … Continue reading →

Posted in Brainstorming, Extralusionary Intelligence, Fragment, Go Ahead, Waste Your Time, Mathematics, Off The Deep End | 16 Comments

Life, Death, and the World is Such a Wonderful Place

Posted on December 3, 2010 by dabacon

I am not a big fan of THE NEWS. But then again, some days the universe just tees up some fun stuff. NyTimes obit, Frank W. Lewis, Master of the Cryptic Crossword, Dies at 98. The younger Mr. Lewis attended … Continue reading →

Posted in Fragment | Leave a comment