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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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3 days ago5 min read
What evidence do you have of that?
Thomas Bayes (maybe), via Wikipedia The portrait above might be that of Thomas Bayes ... but probably not. Perfect! I wanted to talk...
Nov 205 min read
AI Big Brother
Artificial Intelligence is- Hey! Come on! I haven’t even said anything yet! Ahem. As I was saying, Artificial Intelligence is a term that...
Nov 65 min read
Who controls the past
“‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’” George Orwell,...
Oct 295 min read
Orwell was an Optimist!
Contrary to the apparent belief of some in the world today, the book Nineteen Eighty-Four was not intended to be an instruction manual...
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...
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 23, 20223 min read
The Plural of Linux!
It’s been a while, but the Latin plural should be “Linuces” (3rd declension noun), but don’t worry – I won’t use that. Non-technical...
May 15, 20223 min read
An Honest Man!
The Greek philosopher Diogenes is famous for carrying a lantern during the day, claiming he was “searching for an honest man”. Yet...
Apr 24, 20224 min read
Just asking questions!
“That is the question!” Or is it? The problem with many questions nowadays lies in the motivations behind the asking. By quoting out of...
Mar 27, 20224 min read
All in this Together!
When I write, I sometimes have a topic in mind, and look for an interesting way to introduce it. This time, I ended up going down an...
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 30, 20224 min read
Major Generalist
It’s interesting that everyone needs to come up with their own “process” for writing. And, while there are certain common elements, each...
Jan 23, 20224 min read
We go Wayback!
Mr. Peabody (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Peabody) is a figure whose influence is truly incalculable. For any not familiar with...
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...
Nov 14, 20214 min read
What a Jerk!
Everyone knows what a jerk is. And everyone knows someone who is a jerk. But why? Why are some people jerks? Or rather, why do we...
Oct 31, 20213 min read
How Meta!
Yesterday, I sat down to start writing a post, and realized that I couldn’t think of anything to write about. Usually, I think of...
Sep 12, 20214 min read
Come Sail Away!
The start of school is often a busy time, but it gave me a bit of time to think about my high-school experience and led me back to...
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