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Saturday, April 30th, 2016
Here’s the article/press release from the University. Here’s the key bit relating to Vikram’s research with me: He received an EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant in 2014 and started research with UW Department of Physics and Astronomy Professor Mike Brotherton, studying supermassive black holes. They have since published a paper together and […]
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Friday, January 15th, 2016
I’m streamlining the blog, as I’m not actively blogging any more. I need to focus my energies on astronomy and science fiction, and social media has largely usurped blogs from my perspective. I’ll continue to post occasional updates here as they come up, e.g., Launch Pad announcements, story or novel news, perhaps still pieces on […]
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Friday, May 16th, 2014
I am happy to announce the list of those participating in this summer’s Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers! Here they are in no particular order: Lisa Yee Malinda Lo Jenn Reese Meg Howrey William Ledbetter Ann Leckie Amy Sterling Casil E. C. Meyers Marc Halsey Geetanjali Dighe James L. Sutter Anne Toole Sarah McCarry […]
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Monday, November 18th, 2013
I took the weekend off the big proposal deadline Friday. I’ll do a starlinks post soon, but in the meantime, the video of my recent talk in Gillette, WY, on the science of superheroes is now available. Enjoy! Comments welcome. Share/Bookmark
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Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Real life. We’re already living in a science fiction future, but we’ve still got too many things that suck. I spent three hours waiting for tires today. I spent four hours on this task a few weeks ago. I don’t mind waiting as long as I have something constructive to do — some work, reading, […]
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Monday, May 21st, 2012
My perfect SF novel, the kind I love to read, and that I’ll probably always be struggling to write, contains: -One or more heroes who use, primarily, their intelligence to reach toward their goals. -Spaceships in space. -Aliens, usually to serve as a mirror for ourselves. -Big stakes, at least life and death, and some […]
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
I don’t think so…but it’s a classic lesson in how not to get into grad school. I recently had an exchange with a student who queried me about why they had not been admitted into our graduate program. I won’t name names, or say where they were from, or their gender, and I won’t quote […]
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Saturday, November 26th, 2011
Academia and writing are two systems where mentors are still common, something like the old system of Apprentice/Journeyman/Master. I think in nearly every field of individual excellence that requires serious expertise, you’ll find mentors. Tiger Wood’s had his dad teaching him golf. The Polgar sisters had rigorous chess coaching. Every scientist these days has or […]
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Monday, October 10th, 2011
When I was about six or so, I realized that what separated humans from other animals was our intelligence rather than our physical capabilities. Sure, there are other differences, such as the degree of tool use, or the social aspects of our species and how we employ culture and altruism to lead to ever increasing […]
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Friday, August 5th, 2011
One of my more popular posts is Five Qualities Required to be a Scientist. In response, I get a lot of comments and email from kids / teenagers who want advice about how to become a scientist. Now, as a practical matter, being a scientist is like being a writer. No one makes you into […]
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Monday, July 25th, 2011
As I look over my list of topics I want to write about soon, it’s clear that I’m thinking a lot about science at the moment. I’m a scientist and do science on a daily basis, or struggle to anyway, but I’ve had a lot of triggers to write about several aspects of science. I’ve […]
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Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Launch Pad is sucking up all my time, but I wanted to point out an article I wrote that’s just been released. Check it out: Neptune has just completed its first full orbit since being discovered in 1846. Steve H Silver marks the anniversary in his latest issue — Argentus: Neptune [PDF file] — with articles […]
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