Tag Archives: Physics

In Which The Author Polishes a Turd

Posted on February 17, 2015 by thevenerablecorvex

I enjoy my job; it doesn’t pay as much as I would like, and I could do with a more regular set of hours, but it pays the bills, I’m good at it, and I get to work in my … Continue reading →

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Of Exoplanets

Posted on August 7, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

My generation will be the last in Human history to grow up with only nine planets in the known Universe*. This fact amazes me when I think about it. The planets of the Solar System were one of the first … Continue reading →

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A Blessing in Disguise?

Posted on May 25, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

Job hunting is the most frustrating job I’ve ever had. There’s really very little good to be said about it, at all. Perhaps a few weeks of it can be said to “build character,” but endless months (bleeding into years) of … Continue reading →

Posted in Academics, Personal Stuff, Physics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Losing the Faith

Posted on May 24, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

Let us suppose that there exists a field of study in which people take established facts about the world and extrapolate upon them wildly; where bizarre–though interesting–ideas are routinely advanced with no more basis than the fact that they could conceivably … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Physics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Ancestor Simulations

Posted on May 22, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

It might interest you to learn that the question of whether or not the Universe is a computer program is a real and legitimate field of scholarly interest in theoretical physics. Personally I love the idea of such “ancestor simulations.” … Continue reading →

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I Get E-Mail

Posted on May 10, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

I haven’t been a grad student in physics in about a year. As far as I know, my name no longer appears on any University mailing lists. So I guess my question is: how do cranks still manage to spam … Continue reading →

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Why There’s No Such Thing as Being “Apolitical”

Posted on April 27, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

Occasionally, I will hear from people who appreciate my writing, or my scientific work, or my qualities as a person, but who have little use for my politics. They invariably ask some variant of the question: “why do you have … Continue reading →

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Arrogance or Experience

Posted on April 13, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

My tutoring contract has now, sadly, expired, leaving me with only one source of income left to me: freelance editing of scientific and engineering papers written by scholars from Japan and China. I can’t discuss the specifics of anything that … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quantum Immortality and Me

Posted on April 1, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

One of the most controversial scientific hypotheses to emerge from the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum theory is known as “quantum immortality.” While it does have the ring of New Age tripe, it at least has the benefit of having … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Personal Stuff, Physics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Irrational Exuberance, New Space, and Jaime Holding a Bucket of Cold Water

Posted on March 30, 2014 by thevenerablecorvex

So as you know, I really like space. And I am as excited as anyone to think about new developments in space exploration. However, I am in a minority of the international space community when I admit that I’m not at all sanguine … Continue reading →

Posted in Physics, Politics, Science, Skepticism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments