Ars Technica

By John Timmer | Published: January 05, 2009 – 11:38AM CT

The new year is looking to be a big one for science, as the scientific community is gearing up to celebrate two major anniversaries. Both revolutionized their fields—astronomy and biology—and they had impacts far beyond the scientific community. Not content to pick between life and the heavens, another group has simply declared this the Year of Science.

 

The International Year of Astronomy

400 years ago, an Italian put together a carefully collected set of glass disks, and our view of the universe and our place in it changed. Galileo’s observations of the other bodies in our solar system suggested that the prevalent view of the heavens—pristine, unchanging—was simply wrong, and started the process that has gradually displaced the earth from its position as the center of the universe. That process was aided by Kepler, who published the first two of his laws of planetary motion in the same year.

 

Although Galileo would never recognize the modern descendants of his instruments, the basic principle he used—bending light to magnify distant objects—is still very much in operation. It’s just that we can put the instruments in space, adjust the magnifications using computers, and use entire galaxies as lenses.

 

To celebrate the accomplishment, the International Astronomical Union is celebrating 2009 as the year of astronomy. As its announcement states, it’s hoping to “help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery.” Most of the national divisions within the IAU are hosting their own events; here in the US, there will be an opening event on January 10th in California, but science centers around the country will be hosting displays of images and discoveries provided by NASA’s great observatories program.

 

A double dose of Darwin

The year sees two major anniversaries for one of the unifying theories of modern biology. February 12th marks what would have been Darwin’s 200th birthday, while November 24th will see the 150th anniversary of the first publication of The Origin of Species, the book that brought his ideas before the wider public. Like Galileo, Darwin’s work changed our perception of the natural world and our place in it, and is still providing a foundation for all of modern biology (although the foundation is intellectual, rather than mechanical.

 

In contrast to the IAU, there’s no single organization acting as a clearing house for all the events that will mark these anniversaries. One of the better places for news is the Beagle Project website, run by a group that’s trying to recreate Darwin’s voyage on a replica of the HMS Beagle. The British Natural History museum is also coordinating events in that country. Also notable is the University of Cambridge, Darwin’s alma mater, which is hosting a week-long Darwin Festival this summer; we’re going to try to have someone in attendance for that.

 

Even if you can’t find any events in your neighborhood, you can follow along online. The journal Nature has a special section devoted to the Darwin anniversaries. One of the things Nature has done is comb its archives and produced a list of what it calls evolutionary gems. These papers provide clear evidence of the robustness and fruitfulness of the modern interpretation of Darwin’s theory, something that’s often lost in the heat and noise of the theory’s social implications. We’re considering doing something of the same, but are finding ourselves overwhelmed by the abundance of possible material .

 

It’s all science in the end

Not wanting to be limited to biology or astronomy, the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) has simply declared 2009 the Year of Science. Each month will have a theme, ranging from the nature and process of science to specific areas of study, like the oceans; events are happening across the US in association with each of these.

 

The year is kicking off this week in Boston, though, as events are being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Speakers will include Ken Miller, Carl Zimmer, and Sean Carrol, and start in just a couple of hours at the Westin Boston Waterfront.

 

Even if you’re not in Boston this week, it should be possible to find something that’s accessible in 2009, since the festivities look to be pretty global. They should be a great opportunity to become reacquainted with the rich history of science, and a great reminder that science has an influence on society that goes well beyond the technology it provides.

 

UPDATE: A reader pointed out the documentary 400 Years of the Telescope, which will premier tomorrow at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in California, and make its way to PBS in April.

You may discuss the weather but only if the weather outside falls dramatically out of the norm for the area. Such as: In Oregon no weather should be discussed unless it’s an icy, snowy mess outside that has the potential to last for days, take out trees, power, etc and cause flooding during the thaw (see Arctic Storm ’08 for the guideline). If it’s over 103 degrees, you may discuss that as well… but only if it’s over 103 F. Even so, amongst local peers/friends the conversation is only allowed to take place no more than 3 weeks after everything has returned to norm. When recounting with peers/relatives/friends who are NOT local- please exaggerate the event and up the body count/damage.

“Fifty feet of snow fell within a week and then the ice storm hit causing the roof and floor to collapse. We lived off of snow and cats for two weeks before I was able to dig us out of the rubble.”

Weather that is always allowed for discussion:
Hurricane
Tornado
Earthquake (and it better be big… not “A picture frame fell over” or “A can fell off the shelf in the grocery store.”)
Blizzard
Ice storms
-20 F
Tsunami
Anything else that is life threatening or caused massive hardships for you and yours.

Weather questions to NEVER ask “Is it hot enough for you?” “Is it cold enough for you?” “Is it (insert duh here) for you?”

From myself and others I will no longer tolerate “Well where I come from the weather (was like such and such)” Well you aren’t there. You’re here, and I’m sure *there* they are equipped for such and such and prepared. If you miss it, then go back- no one is stopping you, in fact I’m certain that we can come up with a fund raiser to send you back… permanently… dead or alive… I don’t care.

How odd it is to live on a planet that is hurdling through space that doesn’t have a completely predictable and persistent weather pattern for each region.

Seriously folks- if you’ve nothing of interest to discuss and find yourself spewing out weather related cliche’s- just keep quiet. I’d rather be over looked for conversation than be remembered as someone “not having anything of interest to say”. I call it “Being Silent Bob”… only Dawn… except when I do finally talk it still isn’t very interesting.

I’ve had cats and I’ve had babies- I’ve had the two co-exist and last night/this morning was a first in my world. 

As some of you know, I got the pleasure of caring for Isla this weekend. She fell asleep before midnight and I took that chance to get a little shut eye. Come three in the morning she stirred a little, I gave her a bottle and we fell asleep on the sofa. A few hours later the two of us woke up to Stan Lee dashing around the living room FREAKING OUT. He was literally bouncing off of walls and going insane. I glanced over and saw his food bowl was full, he had water… “Stan! Shhh!” I wanted to fall back asleep but there was a horrible smell hitting me- He pooped just a few feet away and a few more times around the apartment.

I screamed at him and heard him run into Jonathon’s closed door desperately trying to get in… when he noticed the door was not going to budge, all of a sudden silence. He was no where to be found. 

I walked into the kitchen just in time to see a cupboard door close… yes… little paw pulling the door shut… and presto- Stan Lee found a hiding spot where he stayed for ten hours. After Ash and Ryan picked up the baby, he slowly came out and checked out the parameters. Once he saw it was baby free it was like nothing happened in his world.

I’ve no idea if it’s his breed (just a tabby cat) or bad parenting on my part Has anyone else experienced this and if so, what did you do?

I wish to add that this isn’t the first time he was exposed to the baby… this was probably her fourth over night stay. One time he bonked her on the head (sans claws) when she was crying… I gasped and had him go away. The next time she cried he came up behind me and bonked me on the head. His behavior settled down after that… until this last one.

Look how happy that person is. It could be me!

If you’ve known me over the past years, then you’d know I developed an obsession with the Watchie Talkie thanks to Scrubs. “Brown Bear, come in Brown Bear…” I tried to get local friends on board with the Watchie Talkie idea but since we all work in the same building and for the most part in the same aisle… it was apparently “Silly” and “Pointless” to spend so much money on a product when we could just walk three feet to the other persons desk.

My other friend who was completely on board with the idea lives and works on the East Coast and although we brainstormed to see if we could make the signal stronger on the Watchie Talkie… the range never made it over the Grand Canyon area.

Fret not oh those who think like me… there’s now an improvement in the wrist phone that hopefully will be in a realistic price range.

No more putting my phone next to me and forgetting about it when I get up to leave. No more dropping it in the sofa cushion or potentially washing it if left in my jacket. I submit the next generation of the wrist phone- or at least an article that writes about it.

 

By robotics on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 comments

A few years ago, I read a news article about concept mobile phones that may become commercially available in a decade or so. I don’t remember if it was Nokia who came out with the said concept phone but I do remember being quite excited by their fantastical idea. The concept phone was actually just small rings that you put on your thump and pinky finger. Using those two fingers, mimic talking on the phone and you get the general idea of the kind of miniaturised electronics that was being thought up.

That future is slowly becoming a reality with ever smaller mobile phones being developed by the major phone manufacturers. LG (http://uk.lge.com/) itself will be unveiling what could be the smallest commercially available phone at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2009 that will be held in Las Vegas, USA.

The new phone is effectively a phone watch. It is actually not the first phone watch in the market but it is the first to get mainstream support. The 3G Touch Watch measures just 13.9mm thick and successfully puts all of the features you would expect from a 3G phone in its minuscule size – and this includes a built in camera and video telephony.

Other features of the phone include 7.2Mbps HSDPA network support and Bluetooth connectivity. The svelte phone will have a 1.43 inch touchscreen, which will be the primary navigation tool. Sporty types will be glad to note that it is going to be water resistant too. It will also have the capability to play MP3s and it will even sport a tiny speaker for text to speech conversion.

No price has yet been given for the phone – officially dubbed as the LG-GD910 – but Europe will get to see it in the market this year.

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So my New Year’s Eve wasn’t really a night of celebrating or moping. It wasn’t even ‘meh’. It just ‘was’. 

I have to admit that I felt a little down after work and hearing all the plans being thrown around and some how I let it get to me… but on the way to pick up dinner, I felt Jonathon’s hand rest on top of mine and he gave me sweet lovable puppy dog eyes and my spirits lifted 100 times.

We ended his evening with a few games of Disney Channel Monopoly where he wiped the brd with me and after I put him bed, I popped in Eagle Eye and paused at my 2 for one bottles of wine.

I wasn’t going to buy anything alcoholic but after work I still had that feeling of  ’Misery loves getting tipsy.’ and caved. 

The more I got into the film, the further my mind was distracted from what *should* be a typical week night that has become one of the most romantic/celebratory nights of the year (the end/beginning) and strangely… soon I was “just watching a movie” and enjoying it. 

I smiled at the thought of Jonathon nestled all snug in his bed. I rolled my eyes at the heavy cat sitting on my head and I grinned sleepily at the realization that I had Thursday off. Soon I put in the second movie of the night “Traitor” and after half an hour I could not keep my eyes open.

Needless to say, bottles remain unopened.

Yes, it’s just a number. The rolling over of the Gregorian calendar. A digit upping itself and only superstitiously does it have any meaning. The joys that were housed in 2008 will not just go away. I’m not a failure or a success based on the random events that just happened to occur within that calendar year. Life is looked at as a whole, not a year- because quite frankly after enough time goes by we don’t recall so much the year as much as those phases of our lives that shape and shift us into who we are.

I don’t care about the New Year kiss- hell if I did then I’d just step outside my door and plant one on someone, anyone. I could have made more of an effort to go out and celebrate the new year… asked for a sitter in advance, make plans ahead of time… but I didn’t. Not because I like to mope, but because I guess I enjoy the warmth of a quiet evening. I let the all the talk of the festivities get me down… and didn’t do anything about it except enjoy my evening after all and like I’ve done most years when I opt not to do the ‘celebration is always more fun on the other side’ mentality.

I’m wishing everyone’s Gregorian year is wonderful as every day should be… unless you’ve been a jerk to me, in that case I couldn’t care less what kind of day/year you have… jerk.