The Twin Paradox

If you're riding a train and you shoot a gun in the same direction, the total speed of the bullet, relative to the ground, would be the speed of the bullet relative to the gun plus the speed of the train relative to the ground. There's nothing mysterious about that concept.But what if you decided to shoot your photon torpedo gun (aka, your flashlight, or your torch if you're in England or Australia) under the same conditions? Intuitively, you'd think...

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Colbert and Maurice Sendak on Children's Books

If you have kids, I hope you've been smart enough to realize that most children's books are written by idiots and celebrities (a distinction usually without a difference) who most likely write for children because they certainly would not be able to read for intelligent and literate adults without getting laughed at. Same goes for plenty of elementary and middle school teachers who diminish from the quality and impact of those teachers who are passionate...

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This Is a Galaxy

Ideally, science works by the testing of hypotheses. In the real world, however, hypotheses can't always be tested directly, so scientists have to get creative and figure out indirect ways to see whether hypotheses are at least consistent with our empirical observations. Consistency alone is not sufficient for thinking that a scientific hypothesis is 'correct,' but inconsistency is usually a safe red flag that the hypothesis in question either...

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Sex: An Unnatural History - The Revolution

When you think about the sexual revolution, your mind probably focuses on the last half a century, starting with the fact that the development of the contraceptive pill gave couples all over the world, and especially women, unprecedented freedom regarding their own bodies and sexual choices. Ever since then, and with other revolutions in mind (like the civil rights movement, the rise of feminism, etc.), sex has been more about gratification than...

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Doodling in Math - Spirals, Fibonacci and Plants - 2

This girl is so cool I may soon have to create a tag on this blog just for her awesomeness. Last time we saw her, she gave us a nice introduction to how the Fibonacci sequence can give rise to the kinds and numbers of spirals we find in many plants.Now, talking about plants, and considering the question of the most efficient leave arrangement for them to maximize sunlight for photosynthesis (aka, plant nom-noms), we stumble upon something incredible...

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"Dear Professor Hawking"

I had some surgery yesterday, nothing major, but my present inability to move around as much as I'd like may result in fewer blog entries in the near future... or more than usual; we'll see. In any case, as today's entry shows, when you're bed-ridden, there are few better ways to spend your time than listening to an homage to Stephen Hawking :)Defying medical expectations for an early death by decades, Professor Hawking, perhaps the most famous and...

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Apple Revolutionizes Education?

As you may or may not know, Apple announced last week three initiatives designed to revolutionize education: fully interactive and affordable digital iBook textbooks for the iPad, iBooks Author (for those of you interested in creating your own interactive textbooks) and their new iTunesU app.Obviously, one would have to purchase an iPad, which is exactly what Apple is banking on, but whatever their economic scheme, it's hard to argue that the educational...

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Alain de Botton - Atheism 2.0

Traditionally, religion has been associated with a number of different concepts: explanation, revelation, salvation and consolation. The so-called New Atheists have made a strong case that when it comes to explanation, religion is no better than child fantasies. Revelation, as a corollary of explanation turns out to be another silly concept, as is salvation... whatever that might mean.One of the few areas in which religion does seem to thrive (regardless...

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Hitler reacts to SOPA

I'm having a hard time concentrating on work today, so instead of simply procrastinating, I've decided to raise some awareness about SOPA and PIPA without getting too technical or boring... and so I present to you Hitler!You know that there is something fundamentally wrong with the above-mentioned legislation when the voice of reason comes from one of the worst and most brutally violent and despotic tyrants of all time... Say hello to major...

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Stop SOPA and PIPA

Via The OatmealShould copyrighted material be protected? Definitely.But SOPA and PIPA are not the way to do it. Learn more about it, and then do something about it...

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Fear Factory

Economists use the concept of externalities (or external costs) to refer to those costs that that are paid (usually against their will) by parties other than those who engage directly in a purchasing contract.You know how you love a good bargain? Well, those low prices are not something borne out of the generosity and kindness of corporations. The costs are transferred, and ultimately paid for by the horrible working conditions of workers in some...

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Dangerous Knowledge

Beneath the surface of the world are the rules of science, but beneath them there is a far deeper set of rules, a matrix of pure mathematics, which explains the nature of the rules of science...So begins this David Malone tour-de-force tribute to four geniuses who dared to confront the nature of the rules underlying all mathematics, logic and science, and saw in their various ways that the certainty with which we had become so familiar and comfortable...

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Circular Tip of the Hat / Wag of the Finger

One of the mantras underlying conservatism is the idea of radical freedom and personal responsibility: in America, you have the freedom to become anything you want. So, when you succeed, you should be able to keep your earnings (this is one reason they hate taxes). But when you fail, don't come crying and asking for handouts: it's your own damn fault.Never mind that the system is rigged to perpetuate social and class differences: it's always easier...

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William Lane Craig vs Peter Millican - Does God Exist?

While there is a venerable history of philosophical inquiry into the question of God's existence, debates geared for lay audiences out there tend to display a painful and embarrassing lack of philosophical sophistication. To begin with, the distinction between metaphysics and epistemology, between truth and justification, is so often overlooked that the opponents usually don't realize they are each talking about something completely different from...

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What Is U.S. Debt?

Everyone knows that we ought to live within our means. It's just common sense, isn't it?And yet, consider your own situation: chances are that you are in debt, either because of some sort of loan or because you have a line of credit (or multiple) to pay for your house, your car, your drug addiction, your ipad, your medical expenses, etc.Now, consider that just like you are in debt, so is virtually everyone, including your own country, and up to a...

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God's Message to Pat Robertson

I've never been able to figure out whether Pat Robertson believes the crazy things that come out of his mouth, or if he's purely a manipulative sociopath trying to advance his political and economic agenda by any means necessary.Well, apparently, God speaks directly to him now, telling him the outcome of the next presidential election. One has to wonder why God didn't start this line of communication earlier... say, when Pat Robertson was running...

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Evolution through hands

As someone with an incredibly short attention span, I've been thinking of lots of things lately, from the classics to history, biology, existentialism, love, to math, fractals and infinity.And the ideas of fractals and evolution reminded me of the weird video below, portraying the history of the evolution of life on earth, so I thought I'd share with you.And just in case that proves a little too disturbing for you, you can always watch a beautiful...

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Hilbert's Infinite Hotel

If you study subjects like philosophy, cosmology or mathematics, it won't be long until you find yourself deep in the contemplation of the nasty little business of infinity.Zeno's paradoxes of motion represent some of the earliest attempts to confront this beast, and although modern tools like calculus or the idea of an infinite sum seems to resolve the problem, I can't say that we've really solved it. It's more like we've brushed it aside and agreed...

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Doodling in Math - Spirals, Fibonacci and Plants - 1

Time for some math. No, don't run away! I guarantee even the greatest of mathophobes among you are going to love this, not only because it's a new episode of the Doodling in Math Class series (narrated by the future mother of my children, although she doesn't know this yet), but because it's related to golden spirals and the Fibonacci sequence.The mathematical properties of this sequence are easy enough to understand. The marvel comes from the fact...

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Louie Schwartzberg - The Hidden Beauty of Pollination

As a new year begins and we do what we can to leave the past in the past, however unsuccessfully, it seems rather appropriate to think about new beginnings, not only as they apply to our own individual lives but as they relate to life in general, and to the fact that life is only possible because of new beginnings.The following captivating short film by Louie Schwartzberg captures in exquisitely fine and beautiful time lapse detail some of the intricacies...

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