Profound musings

In a recent post about reference frames in the universe and the cosmic microwave background, my friend and fellow astronomer recently wrote:

This "dipole" signature in the cosmic microwave background represents our motion (mostly the Milky Way's motion) through this omnipresent gas of photons left over from the explosion that created the Universe. This means that the stuff in the Universe does have a preferred frame of reference, even if the laws of the Universe don't. Crazy. Sometimes I wonder: how did the Universe pick that frame? Other times I wonder whether that question has any meaning at all. Other times I wonder which of those wonderings is more profound. Then I get back to changing my daughter's diaper and my priorities are rightfully restored.

Well stated!

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A view from your shut down

The Daily Dish has been posting reader emails reporting on their " view from the shutdown ." If you think this doesn't affect you, or if you know all too well how bad this is, take a look at the growing collection of poignant stories. No one is in this alone except for the nutjobs in the House. I decided to email Andrew with my own view. I plan to send a similar letter to my congressperson. Dear Andrew, I am a professor of astronomy at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The CfA houses one of the largest, if not the largest collection of PhD astronomers in the United States, with over 300 professional astronomers and roughly 100 doctoral and predoctoral students on a small campus a few blocks west of Harvard Yard. Under the umbrella of the CfA are about 20 Harvard astronomy professors, and 50 tenure-track Smithsonian researchers. A large fraction of the latter are civil servants currently on furlough and unable to come to work. In total, 147 FTEs...

The Long Con

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back-talk begins

me: "owen, come here. it's time to get a new diaper" him, sprinting down the hall with no pants on: "forget about it!" he's quoting benny the rabbit, a short-lived sesame street character who happens to be in his favorite "count with me" video. i'm turning my head, trying not to let him see me laugh, because his use and tone with the phrase are so spot-on.

Mahalo.ne.Trash

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