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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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Dec 44 min read
Grandma COBOL
So, it’s HER fault! :) I recently wrote about why Y2K was such a big deal. To summarize, one major reason was the cost of computer...
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 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...
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,...
Jun 12, 20223 min read
Killing in the Name!
Who’d have thought that music could be political? Or that musicians might have political views? Let’s take the song Killing in the Name...
Jun 5, 20223 min read
Apathy!
As I have noted before, I tend to avoid politics as a primary focus of my writing. But this last Ontario election worries me quite a...
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...
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 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...
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 10, 20223 min read
The Name is the Thing!
Some films age well. An example is the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was fairly successful when it was originally released...
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...
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...
Mar 20, 20224 min read
Trust The Science!
“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” A vastly amusing quote from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, about which I will, erm, make...
Mar 13, 20224 min read
Two Years In!
In Canada, it was almost exactly two years ago that the COVID-19 lockdowns started. When students went away on March break, and didn’t...
Mar 6, 20222 min read
Not a plumber!
The great John Cleese describes the Dunning-Kruger Effect in a brilliantly concise way which is vastly entertaining. Brilliant!...
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...
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