Science

I'm pretty comfortable with technology, complacent even, but every once in a while some commonplace thing about our modern world just amazes me. One day about 120 years ago, French actress Sarah Bernhardt left the Broadway theater where she was performing and set out on a journey that took her over the Hudson River into New Jersey. She was the most famous actress in the world, … [Read more...] about Divine Sarah Meets the Wizard of Menlo Park

Why the world is going to be an exciting place in the new century: Did You Know? Thanks, Susan, for bringing this little presentation it to my attention. … [Read more...] about Shift Happens

A few days ago, Kip Esquire posted a fascinating thought experiment. Imagine that whatever biological mechanism it is that makes some people gay also produced a clear and unmistakable sign of its presence, such as a birthmark on the forehead. If you see a person with this mark, you know they're gay. Children with the mark are sure to grow up to be gay adults. In other … [Read more...] about The Mark of the Gay

A couple months ago I mentioned that Richard Nixon's name would be long-remembered because it's engraved on the Apollo 11 plaque on the airless surface of the moon. I started wondering how long the plaque would actually last and did some research, but for some reason I didn't post what I found. I can't find the links to my sources, but here's what I wrote about it: On … [Read more...] about Apollo 11 Plaque

I was driving home from dinner with the parents when suddenly it hit me: I don't know how many planets there are! The IAU met to decide on it a few months ago, but the rule they settled on was not the rule everybody thought they'd settle on. I can't remember what they decided, so I have no clue how many planets there are. I think that means I get to make up my own rules. … [Read more...] about A Personal Astronomical Crisis