Posting is slow, partly because of other commitments, and also because my co-bloggers are poopyheads. So this is as good a time as any to resurrect our occasional de-lurking threads, in which loyal readers who tend not to comment on ordinary posts can peek their heads up and introduce themselves. If you see your shadow, it’s six more weeks of winter.
Don’t worry, there are great things ahead, including some potentially very cool guest blogging (you know who you are). And you are welcome to take the opportunity here to advertise important events or links that you think people should know about — for example, Chanda points us to the 2008 joint annual meeting of the National Society for Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists to be held in Washington DC on February 20-24, 2008. And I can point you to the upcoming Categorically Not in Santa Monica on January 27, featuring what promises to be a lively discussion on Hollywood Physics. Stuff like that.
Hi, I’m a writer and musician, don’t comment since I don’t ever have an informed opinion. But love your work. Keep it up!
Love the site, check it multiple times each day. I’m a DC-based lobbyist who works with universities, scientific organizations, etc. — and I’m also just a science fan who loves to hear what y’all are saying. I’ve met more than one of the co-bloggers, though they probably don’t remember me. Some of you in particle physics might remember this event from almost two years ago now (http://www.linearcollider.org/newsline/readmore_20060518_feature2.html) — that was my work.
I work with a great community in DC to try to advance funding for science, and advance sensible science policy — obviously, that didn’t work out so well this year (see FY 2008 omnibus appropriations bill). But we’ll all trudge ahead —
I’m a lurker, for sure, and will try to speak up once in awhile.
I’m a Philosophy major, turned Systems Engineer, turned law student who misses the deep hallway discussions at the research agency where I used to work. I absolutely love this blog.
I recently took a pilgrimage to the Creation Museum. You can see some of my pics and comments on facebook: http://nd.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2116776&l=ccd49&id=15620983
Odani, you’re hilarious. Have mercy on us.
pheno phd student here, soon to be postdoc I hope (nervous waiting…)
I am a researcher in astroparticle and particle physics (and some cosmology). I studied in Italy, spent a post-doc in the US and now I am permanent in France, near Paris. I post comments only when I cannot really shut up, which is very rarely.
I like to read you because I find it useful, entertaining, stimulating and reassuring. Thanks, cheers.
Theory grad student, mostly lurking, but enjoy hearing what else is going on in the physics community that you don’t always hear in colloquia/seminars.
I’m a mathematician teaching at a liberal arts university in the Midwest. I do research in mathematical ecology, but I’m also an amatuer astronomer. Though I rarely post a comment, I enjoy reading both the physics posts and social/political commentary from a scientist’s point of view. (You don’t get much of the latter in the mainstream media.)
I’m Matt. An advertising writer in Dallas. I graduated from Rice with an english major and I was a few classes shy of a physics major (my original intent, actually, abandoned when I couldn’t parse quantum physics – the prof never bothered to tell us it wasn’t SUPPOSED to make sense). Anyway, I read this site daily in a vain attempt to keep the left side of my brain from atrophying permanently.
CVE by trade, geek by nature and lurker by choice. What could I possibly add that doesn’t dumb down the conversations?
I believe dark matter is evil – the cosmic cotton candy of death.
I believe that turtles carry the secrets of the multiverse on their shells.
I believe that scientists would learn much about scientists by studying other scientists – now that’s where the science is!
And I believe I’ll shut up again, unless Odani tells me otherwise.
I guess I can’t as lurker. I’m an IT Consultant (aka programmer) in real life, but I’m very interested in science (and a few fields in particular, like astronomy).
I was an industrial chemist for many years, now teach chemistry at a community college (and love what I’m doing). CV has been on my favorites list for about a year and I check it on an almost daily basis.
I enjoy reading both the scientific and the social/political commentaries, and the comments to these posts are usually also enjoyable.
I am a computational materials scientist, doing my post-doctoral fellowship. I don’t think I ever left a comment here, though I do link to the posts here in my blog.
I’ve been visiting this blog since it appeared as one of the top science blogs in Science (or Nature, I can’t remember). I believe the universe is governed by information processing and that all we are is the calculations made by a super computer that is our universe…I thought that way before Seth Loyd wrote his damn book on the subject as well. I’m not sure how the arrow of time plays into the whole puzzle of information processing but I’m sure you guys could blog about it for decades. Keep it up, I love checking this site daily.
I post on occasion but haven’t much lately- I’m a 4th year physics undergrad, working towards an emphasis on astrophys. Keeps me out of trouble. 😉
If so, sorry about that — at this point I don’t even remember enough about what happened to relate it with any accuracy.
I remember we had drinks … and that’s about it. And I helped organize the damn thing …
Longtime lurker. I have a technical background but find myself in the business world looking back jealously at those who get to use their education in their day job. Working my way through Penrose to get myself back up to speed on the mathematics as well as the basic science. I want to be ready to understand the Theory of Everything when it comes out 🙂 .
Hi
I’m a retired geophysicist (industry) who did graduate work in astrophysics in the late ’60’s. Cosmology was young then and there wasn’t much opportunity in astrophysics either. I’m still trying to catch up – much happens in 40 years – so I expect to do a lot of lurking.
Keep up the good work!
@21
Martin,
By any chance would you be Baron Rees of Ludlow, Astronomer Royal and president of the Royal Society.
Chemicalscum: nope. There is more than one “Martin” that fits that description.
hi – Andi – graphic designer and musician in south-east Cumbria, northern England – been reading the blog for a while, I have high school physics and a maths degree that I really didn’t pay enough attention to so I can really only follow the headlines, but this is one of the best places to keep up with what you cosmologists etc. are doing. I don’t comment because I really can’t keep up, but thankyou for an informative and enjoyable read.
Hi, I also got onto the feed from the Google reader. I love the blog, and love the comments. I’m fascinated by science et al, but have never really been able to delve too much into it, so everyday is an adventure for me. Hm, job-wise I just left classroom teaching to make some money in the tech industry. Pray for my soul lol.
Hi,
I’m a fourth year physics student and author of adlib comics.
Stumbled on here during my random-browsing-cause-I-don’t-wanna-work procrastination phase (usually followed by the tidying-and-organising-everything-in-sight phase), and have been reading ever since.
I think I found you when you commented on our Galaxy Zoo project. Thanks.
Sean, yes see your promise here
(comment #4). Unfortunately the talks (slides or video ) never got archived.
I’m a biophysics grad student in Boston who found the site after Marusa Bradac gave us a colloquium on dark matter that used Sean’s Dark Matter De-Motivator 🙂 I occasionally comment on the more philosophical posts (I did a couple years in grad school as a philosopher before coming back to physics.)