There’s a phrase given to us by the venerable computer game called Adventure, which fits many situations. The game, in which one explores caverns, searches for treasures, and solves puzzles to obtain…

One time on a dreary (particularly dreary- 300 of them a year are rather so) Seattle afternoon I was approached by a hobo(1) so I gave him some money and asked him, since he clearly had no place…

I am back from attending the February-scheduled ongoings of the International Year of Chemistry, IYC 2011, as all the chemists and chemical educators are preparing the usual science stuff--------…

From Melville's under-appreciated Mardi: On a quest for his missing love Yillah, an AWOL sailor pretending to be a demi-god travels the (imaginary) Mardi chain of Polynesian islands via canoe fleet,…

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo. Must say, now that's effective communication !

Believe it or not, I’m rarely accused of being a romantic. I know, I know — baffling! And this even after I brought home Thai food for our anniversary. Okay, I forgot the anniversary. But a couple…

I've been busy with proposal work instead of Calliope.  I have to fund this satellite somehow, and earning money writing corporate proposals is enjoyable work.  Proposal writing is also a…

If you've ever been a grad student, post-doc, or a research assistant, surely there have been days when you thought, "This is the worst research project on the planet. Is this really science? Does…

A few science-related chuckles for the day... This is how professors should talk... For all of you new parents out there... Technology lets us exist in the winter, even today when the temp is about…

Today our chambers of representation and government are filled with politicians and bureaucrats, who are largely careerists who cling to power, but very few statesmen who seek to secure the future…