Monthly Archives: January 2013

The most moving moments on this trip to Rwanda? These three topics win by a mile. The story threads are loosely woven together. You can see the narratives running through the photographs on the Downtown Baptist Facebook page but you … Continue reading →

I’ve been immersed in policy and away from science too long… On day two here in country, the nine of us were bouncing along through the streets of Kigali in our van and our church pastor says, “Dr. Hooke…” An … Continue reading →

The previous post suggested that we’re all living in the Age of Nonlinearity. One consequence is that most of us live in a nonlinear level of ignorance best described as “don’t-know, squared”… that is… we don’t know what we don’t … Continue reading →

“Linear problems are all the same. Nonlinear problems are all different.” – Robert Hooke (1918-2003) My father, a mathematician, once shared this offhand remark, at a time when I was still in school. He certainly wasn’t claiming this to be … Continue reading →

Here’s how we can turn all that into good news. Let’s start with the backstory. When hurricane Sandy came ashore on October 29th of last year, it took the lives of over one hundred people and triggered perhaps as much … Continue reading →

Although Dr. Martin Luther King Day will be officially celebrated this coming Monday…fittingly, by Barack Obama’s inauguration as President for a second term…  today, January 16, is his actual birthday. Many readers of this blog might be interested to hear … Continue reading →

This past Friday saw the release of a report: New York State 2100 Commission: Recommendations to Improve the Strength and Resilience of the Empire State’s Infrastructure. A rather remarkable timeline! Hurricane Sandy (sic: not worrying here overmuch about the nomenclature) … Continue reading →

Stove-piping: we decry it in the workplace. What about when it separates science from relationships with others from spirituality in our lives? Why do we embrace it then? We know it has clear benefits. For example, it protects the scientific method, … Continue reading →

In the Latin, “bene + dictus” connotes the idea of “good word” or “well said.” In English, “benediction” has come to mean good wishes or a blessing. The 2013 AMS Annual Meeting featured a number of such good words. We’re … Continue reading →

Here at the AMS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, some of the buzz is that the Earth observations, science, and services community faces a constrained future. We hear that we must learn to do more with less… that the trickle-down … Continue reading →