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“In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms."
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Nov 275 min read
The First Programmer
The exception that proves the rule . We’ve all heard the phrase, but I think most people use it without understanding it or knowing where...
Nov 136 min read
End of an Epoch!
Let’s talk about the end of the world, shall we? Or maybe not. Fortunately, some stories of impending doom are overestimated, and some...
Oct 166 min read
Welcome to the Rage Machine!
One of my all-time favourite songs is Welcome to the Machine , by Pink Floyd. While the song appeared on the 1975 album Wish You Were...
Oct 95 min read
Rasputin
It’s been more than two years since I last posted, so I’m trying to remember which buttons to press to make this happen. Life has a...
Jul 24, 20223 min read
Jellies!
When the COVID-19 pandemic began (need to be specific here, to avoid confusion ...), I recall a lot of people emphasizing the need to...
Jun 26, 20224 min read
Move the Earth!
“Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth” “δῶς μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω” Archimedes is described as a mathematician,...
May 1, 20223 min read
Silos!
“Why can’t we all just get along?” This was the question asked by the incomparable Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks! Nicholson’s...
Apr 17, 20224 min read
Relativity!
M. C. Escher has always been one of my favourite artists. From the moment I first saw his work (I think it might have been Waterfall), I...
Apr 3, 20224 min read
The Wall!
#TIL that the iconic image of the album cover for the famous album The Wall was not actually the original cover. In fact, the text “Pink...
Feb 27, 20224 min read
School!
Over the decades, the way we listen to music has changed, and it’s interesting to wonder about the implications of those changes. Prior...
Feb 13, 20225 min read
Moo!
A farmer asked a physicist to help him figure out how to increase milk production. After gathering data and studying the problem, the...
Feb 6, 20226 min read
Lingua Franca!
Recently, I was listening to an old episode of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, (actually, episode 803, dated 28-Nov-2020), in which...
Jan 2, 20224 min read
The Internet is on fire!
I found the image above when searching for a good image of fire, and it seemed just about perfect on multiple levels. Buster Keaton...
Dec 12, 20214 min read
The Haywain!
In the late 1980’s I liked to collect “taglines” to include in my interactions with people. While these included many “pithy” statements...
Dec 5, 20214 min read
When it hits the fan!
I’ve heard a number of people say that they “don’t like X”, only to discover that their only exposure has been some “pop culture” version...
Nov 28, 20213 min read
Songs in the Key of Life!
Stevie Wonder is one of those truly great artists whose music permeates our culture. I had never actually listened to the album “Songs...
Nov 21, 20214 min read
You need to start somewhere!
You need to come up with something, so keep it simple. Even if it starts out with only six words, you can always add more later....
Oct 24, 20214 min read
A Kind of Magic!
The film Highlander (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film)) was enormously popular when it came out, as were several of the...
Oct 11, 20213 min read
Keys!
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets), there is a scene...
Oct 3, 20213 min read
Don't Panic!
One of the key catch-phrases of the classic “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to...
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