Stimulated by the press, a few colleagues told me of their concerns with dirty bombs delivered by terrorists. Whoa, let’s look at whether that risk means massive deaths or just monstrous mess. Continue reading
Blog » Ideology »
Blog 113. Information, misinformation and survival
Scientific news magazines now feature articles that reach out, not only to scientists, but to the educated public. The journal Physics Today, once of interest only to physicists, now has a section entitled People and History. How come? Continue reading
Blog 112. A frosty morning for the New Year
Here’s a photo of a frosty holiday morning in California. The frost illustrates the physics that determines the global climate. And climate is but one of the current worries of scientific associations, who worry about a frosty government. Continue reading
Blog 111. Nuclear Paranoia
Seeing the term “nuclear paranoia,” you might think of hostile countries that are developing nuclear weapons—such as Iran or North Korea. But the term applies closer to home. Continue reading
Blog 108. Can a system have integrity?
The notion of integrity—being what you say you are—remained unwritten but implicit in a recent magazine column* entitled “Issue of the week: Too wealthy to pay taxes?” Continue reading
Blog 107. Hanging the laundry
It occurred to me as I lifted the load from the washer, up into the dryer. Why don’t we hang out the laundry any more? Continue reading
Blog 106. Can we govern ourselves?
The U.S. struggles to act as the world’s policeman, but we can’t help others unless they can govern themselves.
The crucial question is: Can we govern ourselves?
Continue reading
Blog 105. What trickles down?
President Reagan proposed that it’s ok for the rich to get richer because wealth would “trickle down” to the poor. That doesn’t seem to have worked well, but something else does trickle down. Culture. Continue reading