![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Mojo follow-up
Dec. 18th, 2013 05:26 pmIn my previous post, I mentioned that I was working on a talk about the history of Nevis. I presented that talk yesterday.
I'd been worried about how the talk would be received. I focused more on the history of the Nevis estate and on the construction of the Nevis synchrocyclotron than the research we've done in the past 35 years. Anyone who came to the talk expecting to hear their work or name mentioned would be disappointed.
My stomach was doing flip-flops in the two hours just before the talk.
I needn't have worried. Everyone loved the talk. They were more interested in learning something new than having their egos stroked. I made the talk non-technical, so the family and friends of the physicists at the holiday party had no problems following it.
The mojo lives!
I'd been worried about how the talk would be received. I focused more on the history of the Nevis estate and on the construction of the Nevis synchrocyclotron than the research we've done in the past 35 years. Anyone who came to the talk expecting to hear their work or name mentioned would be disappointed.
My stomach was doing flip-flops in the two hours just before the talk.
I needn't have worried. Everyone loved the talk. They were more interested in learning something new than having their egos stroked. I made the talk non-technical, so the family and friends of the physicists at the holiday party had no problems following it.
The mojo lives!
Playing with the Mojo
Dec. 8th, 2013 12:07 pmI recently picked up Playing at the World by Jon Peterson. This book is a history of the game Dungeon & Dragons.
Since many of my readers are Wiccan, I'll use an analogy that will make sense to them: Playing at the World does for D&D what Ronald Hutton's Triumph of the Moon did for Wicca. It explores the different elements and influences that resulted in D&D, and follows the chain of influence forward as D&D affected the world around it. [1] [2]
( Read more... )
Since many of my readers are Wiccan, I'll use an analogy that will make sense to them: Playing at the World does for D&D what Ronald Hutton's Triumph of the Moon did for Wicca. It explores the different elements and influences that resulted in D&D, and follows the chain of influence forward as D&D affected the world around it. [1] [2]
( Read more... )
Two addenda
May. 26th, 2013 02:55 pmTwo additional items about my previous post:
- It looks like power will probably not be restored at work until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest. Keep those cards and letters going to my g-mail address.
- It was not a woodchuck that got into the transformer. It was a raccoon. Mrs. Bucktooth is relieved and overjoyed, but Mrs. Ringtail is inconsolable.
- It looks like power will probably not be restored at work until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest. Keep those cards and letters going to my g-mail address.
- It was not a woodchuck that got into the transformer. It was a raccoon. Mrs. Bucktooth is relieved and overjoyed, but Mrs. Ringtail is inconsolable.
For anyone trying to reach me by e-mail
May. 26th, 2013 09:36 amMy work e-mail address isn't working. Please use one of my g-mail addresses (William, then a dot, then Seligman) or the Acorn Garden one (again, with a dot).
The reason why the work e-mail address is down is that power is out at the lab. There was a serious transformer breakdown because a woodchuck crawled inside. Funeral services for Mr. Bucktooth will be scheduled as soon as we can contact Simplicity Memorial.
The reason why the work e-mail address is down is that power is out at the lab. There was a serious transformer breakdown because a woodchuck crawled inside. Funeral services for Mr. Bucktooth will be scheduled as soon as we can contact Simplicity Memorial.
It was a nice decade while it lasted.
Aug. 31st, 2012 07:22 pmOnce every two years, the Particle Data Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories publishes their Review of Particle Physics. This is both a web site and thick magazine, about the size of the New York telephone directory. The production issues associated with such a volume are so complex that, even though it's only published biennially, publication is distributed among several physics journal publishers; in 2010 it was published by Journal of Physics; this year it was published by Physical Review D.
In other words, it's a big deal.
( Read more... )
In other words, it's a big deal.
( Read more... )
Finally, physics
Dec. 17th, 2011 01:34 pmMy subtitle for this blog is "Musings of a physicist, a witch, and a gamer." I've posted on wicca and gaming, but I've never said much about physics until now.
I have been reticent to talk about physics because what I physically do is sit in front of a computer terminal and type (and occasionally think) all day. But evidently someone thinks that the work I do is interesting:
( Read more... )
I have been reticent to talk about physics because what I physically do is sit in front of a computer terminal and type (and occasionally think) all day. But evidently someone thinks that the work I do is interesting:
( Read more... )
There's a database of high-energy physics papers called SPIRES. If you click on the HEPNAMES section and type "find seligman, william" you'll see my entry; it can lead you to the physics papers with my name on it (only one of which I wrote).
What's interesting is that you'll also see my thesis advisor. Click on his name, and you'll see his advisor. If you keep clicking, you'll go through my "genealogy" of advisors all the way back to Otto Mencke (1644 –1707), the founder of the first scientific journal in Germany: Acta Eruditorum (the acts/reports of the scholars). The SPIRES database has copies of all published physics-related papers from then until now.
So here's to Great^15-grandpa Otto, founder of a line that includes me and almost everyone I've worked with at Nevis Labs.
What's interesting is that you'll also see my thesis advisor. Click on his name, and you'll see his advisor. If you keep clicking, you'll go through my "genealogy" of advisors all the way back to Otto Mencke (1644 –1707), the founder of the first scientific journal in Germany: Acta Eruditorum (the acts/reports of the scholars). The SPIRES database has copies of all published physics-related papers from then until now.
So here's to Great^15-grandpa Otto, founder of a line that includes me and almost everyone I've worked with at Nevis Labs.
Investing in our future
Aug. 26th, 2011 12:23 pmI was asked to repost this Facebook status as a blog post, so that others could share it.
When someone asks what good the space program ever did, I have to point out: The sky is blue and the sun is shining, yet we know that a potentially devastating hurricane is coming due to weather satellites. Thousands of lives are being saved because we spent less than 0.5% of our national budget on space exploration and research.
The benefits of scientific research aren't always obvious. Ben Franklin flew a kite in a storm... and so we had electric power 150 years later.
When someone asks what good the space program ever did, I have to point out: The sky is blue and the sun is shining, yet we know that a potentially devastating hurricane is coming due to weather satellites. Thousands of lives are being saved because we spent less than 0.5% of our national budget on space exploration and research.
The benefits of scientific research aren't always obvious. Ben Franklin flew a kite in a storm... and so we had electric power 150 years later.
You don't believe
Jul. 31st, 2011 12:05 pmOccasionally I'm asked how I reconcile being both a physicist and a Wiccan. My answer is long and I think most people find it tedious. But in today's Writer's Almanac, I learned that William Blake expressed it much more succinctly:
You don't believe — I won't attempt to make ye.
You are asleep — I won't attempt to wake ye.
Sleep on, sleep on, while in your pleasant dreams
Of reason you may drink of life's clear streams
Reason and Newton, they are quite two things,
For so the swallow and the sparrow sings.
Reason says 'Miracle', Newton says 'Doubt'.
Aye, that's the way to make all Nature out:
Doubt, doubt, and don't believe without experiment.
That is the very thing that Jesus meant
When he said: 'Only believe." Believe and try,
Try, try, and never mind the reason why.
You don’t believe
You don't believe — I won't attempt to make ye.
You are asleep — I won't attempt to wake ye.
Sleep on, sleep on, while in your pleasant dreams
Of reason you may drink of life's clear streams
Reason and Newton, they are quite two things,
For so the swallow and the sparrow sings.
Reason says 'Miracle', Newton says 'Doubt'.
Aye, that's the way to make all Nature out:
Doubt, doubt, and don't believe without experiment.
That is the very thing that Jesus meant
When he said: 'Only believe." Believe and try,
Try, try, and never mind the reason why.
My "wedding dress"
Feb. 15th, 2009 01:26 pmIn my last two posts, I talked about significant events in my life, and about cleaning out my closets.
There's something I found while cleaning out my closets of old clothing. I should get rid of it. I know that will never fit into it again for the rest of my life. But I find it hard to let them go.
It's the jacket and pants that I wore during my university defense. They're a size 40 or something like that; I'm presently a size 48-50 and I have little hope of seeing that waistline again.
Aside from that, they're a pale beige in color. Even if I could fit into them, there wouldn't be an occasion to do so. I wear my tux to weddings; I have some dark clothing for funerals. I wear a blue jacket at Passover; I'd never wear something light-colored at an occasion where I might spill food on it.
They're taking up useless space in my closet. If I were to donate them (it turns out that the bins outside the supermarket belong to the Police Youth department), they might serve to keep someone warm. They could have a purpose.
Sigh. I suppose this is how many women regard their wedding dresses.
There's something I found while cleaning out my closets of old clothing. I should get rid of it. I know that will never fit into it again for the rest of my life. But I find it hard to let them go.
It's the jacket and pants that I wore during my university defense. They're a size 40 or something like that; I'm presently a size 48-50 and I have little hope of seeing that waistline again.
Aside from that, they're a pale beige in color. Even if I could fit into them, there wouldn't be an occasion to do so. I wear my tux to weddings; I have some dark clothing for funerals. I wear a blue jacket at Passover; I'd never wear something light-colored at an occasion where I might spill food on it.
They're taking up useless space in my closet. If I were to donate them (it turns out that the bins outside the supermarket belong to the Police Youth department), they might serve to keep someone warm. They could have a purpose.
Sigh. I suppose this is how many women regard their wedding dresses.
Physics and Wicca can mix!
Oct. 30th, 2008 06:19 pmToday I had the chance to go over some slides from a presentation that a colleague was going to make the Physics Advisory Committee at Fermilab. It was an important presentation, and it was vital to make a good impression. (I should mention that i was not the only one to look over these slides; everyone from the collaboration did so, in order to help her out.)
At one point in her talk, she describes a relatively new technique for detecting particles. She shows some results, and then had written on the slide, "This is not black magic"; the implication being that the detector worked and was practical for use in physics analysis.
However, she had spelled the word "magic" incorrectly. I, with 17 years of experience in paganism and ritual, immediately picked up on the error.
Wicca rules! At least for finding spelling mistakes...
At one point in her talk, she describes a relatively new technique for detecting particles. She shows some results, and then had written on the slide, "This is not black magic"; the implication being that the detector worked and was practical for use in physics analysis.
However, she had spelled the word "magic" incorrectly. I, with 17 years of experience in paganism and ritual, immediately picked up on the error.
Wicca rules! At least for finding spelling mistakes...
Physics web-cam
Sep. 11th, 2008 05:33 pmThe following observation was brought to my attention:
www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html
I want to assure everyone that the experiment shown, CMS ("Compact Muon Solenoid") is not the experiment on which I worked. I worked for a while on ATLAS ("A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS"). I can assure you that the experiment on which I worked would be first to make any such observation! Of course!
www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html
I want to assure everyone that the experiment shown, CMS ("Compact Muon Solenoid") is not the experiment on which I worked. I worked for a while on ATLAS ("A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS"). I can assure you that the experiment on which I worked would be first to make any such observation! Of course!
