A new sociological study by Gordon Gauchat claims there has been, in the past four decades, a dramatic decline in churchgoers’ faith in science. The study, published last week in the American Sociological Review, finds that “public trust in science has not declined since the 1970s except among conservatives and those who frequently attend church.” [...]
Science and Technology
As always Richard Feynman continues to dazzle me and challenge my thinking on physics. As I prepare lectures for a quantum mechanics course, these words from Feynman remain challenging to me. Feynman is always wrestling with the implications of physics and epistemology. Of course, physics is natural philosophy; those practicing physics at the highest level [...]
Yesterday’s X5-class solar flare birthed a massive coronal mass ejection, expected to reach our planet on March 8th (Thursday) at 06.25 UT (+/- 7 hr); EST is 5 hours behind Universal Time(UT), meaning 1.25 am on Thursday, New York time. Expect beautiful northern, lights, and electromagnetic disturbances if you live in north America and are [...]
On how to get google out of your bedroom. Why should one cut down on internet browsing? Reason 10,101: Everyone has an opinion, and not all are equally worthy of your time. There is so much junk that one can spend a lot of time sifting through trash that someone knocked out in 5 minutes, [...]
Can a transistor be the size of an atom? And if so, how will this affect our lives? The answers are coming! The transistor, invented in the 1950s, is a fundamental building block of modern electronic devices. It is a device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. Every transistor is made up [...]
Once upon a time in December I was privileged to attend the American Geophysical Union Fall meeting in San Francisco. As was the case with previous visits, the weather was lovely and mild. It is quite a change from the foot of snow in Edmonton where the cycle of seasons has rather sharp edges. Change [...]
“Space weather” refers to electromagnetic and plasma conditions in near-Earth space that can cause problems for satellite and ground-based technologies, and in extreme cases also astronauts. The most visible manifestation of space weather is the aurora overhead. But auroras are only one indicator of the dynamics of particle and field interactions in the magnetic [...]
Two days into the Fall AGU (American Geophysical Union) meeting and I’m tuckered out. This largest meeting of earth and space scientists in the world, with more than 20,000 international scientists, gathers in one of the most beautiful cities of the world. With conference budgets averaging approximately $3,000 each – a low ball number – [...]
A lecture by Michael Crichton Caltech Michelin Lecture January 17, 2003 My topic today sounds humorous but unfortunately I am serious. I am going to argue that extraterrestrials lie behind global warming. Or to speak more precisely, I will argue that a belief in extraterrestrials has paved the way, in a progression of steps, to [...]
In memory of Steve Jobs, February 24, 1955-October 5, 2011 Steve Jobs, the recently deceased Apple CEO, has contributed mightily to the decline of print media, through his technologies that have enabled the masses to produce digital media. He and Bill Gates have contributed to one of the mightiest revolutions the world has ever known, [...]
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