Monthly Archives: October 2008

FiO 2008: Day two

Posted on October 21, 2008 by

My hotel’s wireless internet completely crapped out late Sunday night, and they still have not been able to get it fixed.   Fortunately, there’s wireless connectivity in some of the conference center, so I thought I’d post an update while I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics, Science news | 2 Comments

Letchworth State Park in Autumn!

Posted on October 20, 2008 by

I brought my fiancée for the first few days of my stay in Rochester, both to introduce her to my former thesis advisor (who insisted I couldn’t get married until he approved of my choice) and to show her a … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel | 5 Comments

‘Liveblogging’ the What’s Hot in Optics Today? session at FiO

Posted on October 19, 2008 by

I thought I’d experiment and try liveblogging a session about What’s Hot in Optics Today? at the OSA Annual Meeting.  This was in fact one of the first sessions, and seemed interesting enough.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t liveblog, because I didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Optics, Science news | 1 Comment

Attending Frontiers in Optics 2008!

Posted on October 18, 2008 by

My blogging will probably be a bit slow over the next week, as I’m attending the Optical Society of America‘s annual meeting, Frontiers in Optics, being held in Rochester, NY.  I’ll hopefully find some interesting optics-y topics to post about … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal, Science news | 4 Comments

The Bee Gees as a tool in cardiac resuscitation?

Posted on October 17, 2008 by

Via CNN, we learn an interesting little factoid: the 103 beats per minute rhythm of the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”, and its catchy, memorable tune, can be used by CPR practitioners to properly time their chest compressions! A small study … Continue reading →

Posted in Science news, Silliness | Leave a comment

The Giant’s Shoulders #4 is up!

Posted on October 17, 2008 by

After a little delay, the fourth edition of The Giant’s Shoulders is up at Second Order Approximation!  Thanks to Dave for putting it together! The next edition will be held at Podblack Blog on November 15th.  It will already have … Continue reading →

Posted in General science, Science news | Leave a comment

Fabry, Perot, and their wonderful interferometer (1897, 1899)

Posted on October 16, 2008 by

This is my entry for the fifth edition of The Giant’s Shoulders, to be held at Podblack Blog on November 15th. By the late 1800s, physicists had begun a serious study of the structure of the atom.  The best tool … Continue reading →

Posted in History of science, Optics, Physics | 7 Comments

History of science at ScienceOnline ’09!

Posted on October 15, 2008 by

I should mention that I’ve been asked to help lead a discussion at ScienceOnline ’09 about the History of Science and blogging, along with the excellent bloggers Scicurious, Brian Switek, and John McKay.  ScienceOnline ’09 is the third-annual scienceblogging conference, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science news | 3 Comments

A brief political observation

Posted on October 14, 2008 by

I went to Best Buy to buy my DVD copy of the fourth Indiana Jones movie, and I passed a major intersection where McCain supporters were standing with “Honk for McCain” signs.  On my way out and back, I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

‘Ultima’ creator takes the ultimate ride!

Posted on October 12, 2008 by

This is quite cool: Richard Garriott, the millionaire creator of the Ultima series of fantasy role-playing videogames, is now in orbit!  Garriott is one of the board members of Space Adventures Ltd., the space tourism company which has been sending … Continue reading →

Posted in Silliness | Leave a comment