tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.comments2023-07-16T20:34:59.414+10:00Taking Things SeriouslyBruce Yabsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-71314535034835608782014-12-05T22:41:18.500+11:002014-12-05T22:41:18.500+11:00I hate to pop anyone's bubble but light doesn&...I hate to pop anyone's bubble but light doesn't go through glass without interacting. In fact, the photon that emerges from glass isn't the 'same' photon as the one that emerges.<br />A photon interacts with electrons in the glass but don't impart enough energy to kick an electron up into the next energy level, and so the electron re-emits the absorbed energy as a photon in the same direction and speed.<br /><br />The analogy between photons and neutrinos is not a particularly good one but an excellent way of sparking discussion.Not Richard Feynmannnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-80176295256179198922014-11-22T07:18:36.270+11:002014-11-22T07:18:36.270+11:00Nice interview.Nice interview.Ebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18305070461972884964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-653785927571390842013-11-19T12:32:17.273+11:002013-11-19T12:32:17.273+11:00Taking thigns seriously? Now that's my kind of...Taking thigns seriously? Now that's my kind of behavior since I made it m ygoal to take everything seriously.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-47121627547446626872012-07-11T00:32:07.662+10:002012-07-11T00:32:07.662+10:00In Bruce we find nothing at all which may be deeme...In Bruce we find nothing at all which may be deemed 'Christian', or even thoughtful...but only a tertiary conditioning producing tertiary 'thought'.<br /><br />The "Brown coats" are not allusion to the Confederates...though the common mind will no doubt attach to that conceit...it is allusion to the entirety of the uSa. The color Brown, the stuff of the earth, common clay...is allusion to simplicity/virtue without adornment/abstinence from all the liquors of the world, which was the basis for the Puritan 'ethic'. It is, as such, quite ritely based on the VERY long term 'war' on slavery...called base Liberty...which was championed by the uSa.<br /><br />When one knows US and 'western' history...in depth...one sees that both the North and South lost the Civil War...and only Roman subversion artists won the day. <br /><br />Your opinion that Utopianism has caused the ills of the last century is a step not taken to proper conclusion. The clear view of history is that the ills were born of the agents of Counter Reformation on all sides of conflict, as well as mere conditioning taking the place of true Education in our halls of learning.<br /><br />And we all know (or should do) which Roman Order consistently encourages conditioning and slavery over Education and Awareness. Curious it is that all things called Nazi or Communist are...at their root...only Divine Right given some gloss via euphemism. <br /><br />Now, I have no way of peering into your soul to see which you favor...slavery or Liberty. However, your arguments and tone lends one to take you for a willing slave, and an hopeful slave master. <br /><br />If this is true...a sad state of personal affairs in deed.<br /><br />PS "The Bajorians" are metaphor for all mankind....and Injustice a key to all Tyranny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-71771064708799439242011-11-15T18:50:55.273+11:002011-11-15T18:50:55.273+11:00C'mon Bruce. Keep posting.C'mon Bruce. Keep posting.Neil Cameron (One Salient Oversight)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03143948543305522865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-45232148305550287152011-08-20T14:08:23.940+10:002011-08-20T14:08:23.940+10:00I love that series. I thought it continued to impr...I love that series. I thought it continued to improve as she went on, especially the fourth book.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-21140883391914194612010-09-22T08:50:30.142+10:002010-09-22T08:50:30.142+10:00A comic that's only vaguely related: http://ww...A comic that's only vaguely related: <a href="http://www.gocomics.com/brewsterrockit/2008/09/25/" rel="nofollow">http://www.gocomics.com/brewsterrockit/2008/09/25/</a>Ebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18305070461972884964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-79973634163135220032010-06-21T22:29:06.002+10:002010-06-21T22:29:06.002+10:00Indeed it has. I guess you saw that I'm trying...Indeed it has. I guess you saw that I'm <em>trying</em> to start posting again: I would hope to manage one a week. And do you like the new template?Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-41706552883889345292010-05-10T21:45:02.385+10:002010-05-10T21:45:02.385+10:00It has been a while!It has been a while!Heathernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-48986389970854867402010-02-15T16:39:19.177+11:002010-02-15T16:39:19.177+11:00If you do want to elaborate on doctor/parent, your...If you do want to elaborate on doctor/parent, your blog would be a great place for it - that way I can be reminded when I forget it! :)Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-38352592146197678032010-01-25T10:15:44.398+11:002010-01-25T10:15:44.398+11:00Yeah, the exoskeletal things were fun. I noticed t...Yeah, the exoskeletal things were fun. I noticed they kept SW away from them, maybe to avoid making it too obvious. And come to think of it, this time there's an unkillable bad guy in the exoskeleton, and the female alien fighting it is on the side of the angels ...Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-14496237140813941782010-01-25T09:34:43.818+11:002010-01-25T09:34:43.818+11:00Near the start when the general gets into the exo-...Near the start when the general gets into the exo-skeleton lifter thing I had an Aliens flashback moment. It turned out to be justified.Ebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18305070461972884964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-35824538447039970762009-12-22T22:53:56.663+11:002009-12-22T22:53:56.663+11:00Forgot to mention about the Higgs mass: basically,...Forgot to mention about the Higgs mass: basically, because if it were any lighter than that we'd have already seen it; and because lower masses are otherwise favoured over higher masses, so it's expected close to the current limit. That is, if we are talking about a Standard Model Higgs. If there is something else going on at the TeV scale, it will in general have a more complicated Higgs sector (or maybe even no fundamental Higgs at all) and any statement becomes model-dependent and complicated.Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-48027508964413010942009-12-22T22:50:04.147+11:002009-12-22T22:50:04.147+11:00I'm glad you found the Higgs explanation helpf...I'm glad you found the Higgs explanation helpful: most of the popular explanations on the market are pretty useless in my view. Of course I'm making it easier on myself by not actually attempting a fundamental explanation, but pointing to a more familar phenomenon and saying "it's like that". I'd claim that that's not a cop-out, because the resulting explanation is true as far as it goes, rather than being a travesty. <br /><br />I would have liked to speak more about my own position, but found I just didn't have space. I'd been approached as a scientist: my being a Christian was incidental in that sense, although I did think it important to mention. I guess I would also say that my Christianity is not especially interesting as such — no more than anyone else's — whereas in a piece like this the way one relates scientific and religious matters is very important, so that's what I devoted my word count to.<br /><br />I'm happy that you liked the doctor/parent thing, as that's original: I would have been glad of another hundred words to develop it further. I do think it gives some purchase on the situation.<br /><br />As for Pell's piece: it is worth a read. There is nothing surprising in it, or rather, nothing that should be surprising: a foursquare piece of apologetic in the Catholic style. But since many people relate to the RC via stereotypes rather than familiarity, it might be surprising to some. As I say, he's an uncompromising fellow, but he writes well. And it's a more reasonable form of uncompromisingness than one finds on our side of the fence.Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-55069497550479510242009-12-22T20:54:43.640+11:002009-12-22T20:54:43.640+11:00Good job. It's ingenious and brave enough to ...Good job. It's ingenious and brave enough to get the gig in the first place! You explained things well, I understand much more about Higgs bosons than I did before. Why do you expect it to be double the mass of a copper atom (in simple terms!)? Your doctor/parent analogy was new to me, and seems useful (it also seems like a scenario most would have sympathy with). A sentence or two on <i>why</i> you're a Christian would have interested your readership.<br /><br />I'm afraid the bus journey wasn't long enough to read Pell as well - I rifled through most of the paper to find your article in the first place. I do still have it, so I'll try to find some time if you think it's worth reading his comments.Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-67650799756822896562009-12-21T23:20:32.784+11:002009-12-21T23:20:32.784+11:00Hey Toby. So how did I do? And what did you think ...Hey Toby. So how did I do? And what did you think of the Cardinal's piece?Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-26609947916940478162009-12-21T21:49:15.129+11:002009-12-21T21:49:15.129+11:00Someone left a copy on my bus seat this morning. ...Someone left a copy on my bus seat this morning. It was the first time I'd read the Telegraph in over a year, so was amused to find you gracing its pages.Tobynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-57181896272226470382009-10-15T16:50:08.951+11:002009-10-15T16:50:08.951+11:00Yes, it has been rather interrupted.
I had a cou...Yes, it has been rather interrupted. <br /><br />I had a couple of particularly good soba meals when I was in Japan just now, so I felt inspired to take this up again. I'll try to post some more on this soon, although this is a hectic time of year: students' research projects are due ...Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-81063253503013750772009-10-12T08:50:25.836+11:002009-10-12T08:50:25.836+11:00Good to see the return of the Japan series.Good to see the return of the Japan series.Ebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18305070461972884964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-7250411996727107032009-08-24T09:44:33.094+10:002009-08-24T09:44:33.094+10:00Hey Nick: the short-book-length essay is only in h...Hey Nick: the short-book-length essay is only in hardcopy as far as I know ($20 hardback), but there's a much shorter version available <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2008/05/tsunami-and-theodicy" rel="nofollow">on the First Things website</a>.Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-73626970556635379272009-08-24T09:31:50.857+10:002009-08-24T09:31:50.857+10:00Hi Bruce
Do you have a link to this essay? Or is ...Hi Bruce<br /><br />Do you have a link to this essay? Or is it only in hardcopy?<br /><br />NickNickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03629343325674044649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-85000659596368560112009-08-13T23:38:08.019+10:002009-08-13T23:38:08.019+10:00In my last comment, I had in mind mainly the obser...In my last comment, I had in mind mainly the observation in parentheses, and especially the use of "naturally". Ross Douthat doesn't, to my understanding, think that Obama "naturally" gives decision-making power to those who habitually get things wrong.Earwickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04767839381479210648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-75878675527901535282009-08-13T23:15:59.607+10:002009-08-13T23:15:59.607+10:00Interesting. I agree that the article will support...Interesting. I agree that the article will support that reading, but I'd taken it more critically: maybe I'm projecting, because I have real reservations about Hillary Clinton's judgement, if not her character. I mean: Hillary-hating is a very unpleasant industry, and crazed on many points; and whatever else she is, HRC is very well-informed and thorough and committed to public service. But she does make bad calls.Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-12094266234237349052009-08-13T22:42:20.611+10:002009-08-13T22:42:20.611+10:00I didn't take it as a criticism of the adminis...I didn't take it as a criticism of the administration: just a wry reflection on how people attain political office.Earwickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04767839381479210648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769246818135102880.post-29608850276743997122009-08-13T22:18:51.160+10:002009-08-13T22:18:51.160+10:00Yes, that was a bit of an “ouch” moment, as in: th...Yes, that was a bit of an “ouch” moment, as in: the truth hurts, doesn't it.<br /><br />It's remarkable how much easier it is to accept this sort of assessment from someone like Douthat, who is trying to see the situation straight and will hoe into all parties freely, than from someone like Brooks, where you feel the need to hold onto your wallet and ask what his angle is. Even if the assessment is the same in both cases (and indeed Brooks can be very insightful).<br /><br />Having said that, I'm actually quite fond of Joe Biden. If nothing else, his issue with saying unscripted things is endearing, given current values.Bruce Yabsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10091471695711534450noreply@blogger.com