Category Archives: Uncategorized

Physics Today’s July 2024 issue provides the happy news, in an article authored by Timothy DelSole and Paul A. Dirmeyer. They begin in this (excerpted) vein: As senior scientists, we have navigated the challenging waters of the PhD qualifying exam—both … Continue reading →

On July 11 my InBox contained this contribution from a New York Times (subscription) service, a thoughtful piece by David Gelles entitled A.I.’s insatiable appetite for energy. He cited an interview that he and other reporters had held some weeks … Continue reading →

On June 26, Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences and Chair of the National Research Council, presented what NASEM billed as an inaugural State of the Science Address. A February press release had publicized the event this way: “Just … Continue reading →

On May 13th  the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate held a day of sessions entitled Enabling US Leadership in Artificial Intelligence for Weather. A webcast made the experience available to a … Continue reading →

Heaven, if it exists, will be made of plastic, that glowingsky space of eternity floating abovebright colors of every size from nano-to peta-chip—a kind of technicolorbeach—and we’ll waft above the seaholding on to our paragliders of plastic bags—trying to sight … Continue reading →

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.” – Will Rogers[1] I absolutely love this book: High Tension, FDR’s Battle to Power America, by John (“Jack”) Riggs came out in … Continue reading →

“But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult … Continue reading →

Earlier this month, Benjamin L. Preston, Hila Levy, Heather Tallis, Rod Schoonover and Jane Lubchenco published an opinion piece in Eos Buzz by this title. In it, they argue that orienting global change science so that it informs national security issues will help us develop … Continue reading →

Generally speaking, our successive thoughts are connected, rather than disjoint; hence, metaphors such as “train of thought” and “stream of consciousness.” So it shouldn’t be surprising that while writing the previous LOTRW post, which dipped a toe into the sea … Continue reading →

My dad, the statistician, used to lecture my brother and me on the importance of population size. He would say “in a town of 800 people, serious crime is a rare thing, almost unheard of. But in a population of … Continue reading →