Monthly Archives: December 2005
Just say no to …
… to new year resolutions. It will make you happier. So says Timothy Wilson, a professor of psychology at the University of Charlottesville, in this wonderful NYTimes op-ed. Social psychologist Daniel Batson and colleagues at the University of Kansas found … Continue reading
It doesn’t make sense!
The New Scientist has an article on ‘Thirteen things that don’t make sense‘, with a nice description of some big problems that have been baffling scientists. There are many entries there on astrophysics and cosmology, which never made much sense … Continue reading
It was 11, it then became 2, and …
… now, it is one big Zero. Zilch. Zippo. Thus progresses the shameful saga of the fraud perpetrated by Hwang Woo Suk. Read about it in this report byChoe Sang-Hun in the New York Times.
Caste discrimination
There is indeed much discrimination in our society but there is also a sense of fair play, and that sense is growing. It is a sensitive plant and it should be given fresh air to grow. To insist as a … Continue reading
Intriguing enchantment from a soap bubble with a handle …
I am sure you all want to know what a ‘genus one helicoid’ is. Apparently, it’s the new, new thing in minimal surfaces. The article mentions some of the applications of minimal surfaces in mixtures of polymers and architecture too; … Continue reading
Happiness and the new year
So in these last days of 2005 I say to you, “Don’t have a happy new year!” Have dinner with your family or walk in the park with friends. If you’re so inclined, put in some good hours at the … Continue reading
“It may happen, but not now, and not to us”
The first anniversary of the south east Asian tsunami is being commemorated as the Remembrance Week. Dilip D’Souza has an excellent series of posts, with snippets from his coverage of not just the 2004 tsunami, but also the 2001 earthquake … Continue reading
Sexy scientists?
Science is sexy, but scientists? Yeah, I know the idea sounds spooky. But there is this uber-elite club, and I know quite a few among my colleagues who would qualify. . Check out the list of 10 Sexiest Geeks of … Continue reading
100 Dollar laptop, Niagara, and browser birthday
… all of them made possible by the great folks at digg.com. A really, truly, absolutely amazing picture of the Niagara falls from a satellite up above the world so high; it actually looks as if it was taken from … Continue reading
Why should all Koreans pay for the sins of one fraudulent ‘scientist’?
Nicholas Wade has a report on the immediate aftermath of the disgraceful end to the Hwang Woo Suk saga. This guy seems to have figured out how to trick the system: The South Korean government, which promoted Dr. Hwang as … Continue reading
It’s over
A panel at the [Seoul National University], releasing initial findings of a investigation, accused Hwang Woo-Suk of damaging the scientific community with his deception, while the South Korean government threatened to pull its funding for his research. “I sincerely apologise … Continue reading
Evolution in Action, etc.
The prestigeous journal Science has just announced the “Breakthrough of the Year”. The prize goes to — can we have some drumroll, please — “Evolution in Action”. You can read its report here. If you are wondering why a 146-year … Continue reading
Ranjit Nair on this year’s physics Nobel
Disclaimer: For this post, I am going by popular accounts of the contributions of great people like Sudarshan, Feynman and Glauber. *** The latest is by Ranjit Nair, who has an op-ed in today’s Times of India on the issue … Continue reading
Nanosilver
Apparently, silver (particularly in the form of silver nitrate) was used as a disinfectant before the advent of antibiotics. Today’s NYTimes has an article about the return of silver — this time, in the nanometric, elemental form — to its … Continue reading
How to get into graduate school?
Over at Cosmic Variance, Sean Carroll offers some guidelines, which are probably not for everyone. But do read them anyway, for they provide an interesting window into how some of the physics departments choose their students.
