and he has a degree in Science!

MacArthur Prize-winning physicist Paul Ginsparg on the scandal at Bell Labs, the future of scientific research, and, well, other things:

So age is on your mind these days?

Yes and no. When I was in my 20's, there was this common idea, anecdotally, that physicists would make their major contributions in their late 20's. Presuming that it's true, then the way to proceed is to be a mathematician in the early 20's, then become a physicist in the late 20's, then switch to -- I think the profession that peaks in the 30's is biochemistry -- then in the 40's economics and 50's history.

In your 80's you switch to classics.

amused.

Read this, it's fascinating. Also fun watching him gently smack the interviewer around for asking inaccurate questions.

via the Poor Man, another aging scientist who rocks

OK, everybody already knows this,

because they saw it in Rittenhouse before they got here, but Eschaton's having trouble with editing his usual address, so for the indefinite future he's here.

Our Fearless Leader: Eddie Haskell

A Nation Slaps Itself on the Forehead

PLA on our archetype-in-chief.

frivolity

My cousin (who I will refer to by the classical greek nom de blog of Stefan) sent me this. I have no idea where it originated. It made me giggle.

I sang it to the kid. It made her giggle too.

I'm so proud.

update: we have achieved source. It started at Tom Tomorrow, and evolved in the comments section of Eschaton.

If you're happy and you know it, bomb Iraq (clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it, bomb Iraq (clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it,
And you really want to show it
If you're happy and you know it, bomb Iraq

If the GOP is hurtin' , bomb Iraq
If the GOP is hurtin' , bomb Iraq
If the GOP is hurtin'
And November looks uncertain
If the GOP is hurtin' , bomb Iraq

If your equities are falling, bomb Iraq
If your equities are falling, bomb Iraq
If your equities are falling,
and your losses are appalling
If your equities are falling, bomb Iraq.

If the euro keeps on climbing, bomb Iraq
If the euro keeps on climbing, bomb Iraq
If the euro keeps on climbing,
put your trust in W's timing,
If the euro keeps on climbing, bomb Iraq

If the GDP is shrinking, bomb Iraq,
If the GDP is shrinking, bomb Iraq,
If the GDP is shrinking,
And W's back to drinking,
If the GDP is shrinking, bomb Iraq,

If my polls are falling, bomb Iraq,
If my polls are falling, bomb Iraq,
If my polls are falling,
and Congress is stalling
If my polls are falling, bomb Iraq.

If the talk has turned to Harken, bomb Iraq,
If the talk has turned to Harken, bomb Iraq,
If the talk has turned to Harken,
and that Krugman-dawg is barkin',
If the talk has turned to Harken, bomb Iraq!

Are they checking Halliburton? Bomb Iraq
Are they checking Halliburton? Bomb Iraq
If they're checking Halliburton
Cheney's rep will soon be hurtin'
If they're checking Halliburton, bomb Iraq

If your brother is a turkey, bomb Iraq
If your brother is a turkey, bomb Iraq
If your brother is a turkey
And Florida's goin' bazerk-y
If your brother is a turkey, bomb Iraq

If the pundits call you "moron," bomb Iraq
If the pundits call you "moron," bomb Iraq
If the pundits call you moron
Then it's time to get your war on
If the pundits call you "moron," bomb Iraq

If Noelle gets caught with crack...bomb Iraq
If Noelle gets caught with crack...bomb Iraq
If Noelle gets caught with crack
and the twins drop booze for smack
If Noelle gets caught with crack...bomb Iraq

To divert public attention bomb Iraq
To divert public attention bomb Iraq
To divert public attention
From the doings of your henchmen
To divert public attention bomb Iraq

To get drilling in the Artic, bomb Iraq,
To get drilling in the Artic, bomb Iraq,
You can run us out of oil,
With the Middle East aboil,
To get drilling in the Artic, bomb Iraq.

update the also: "If your equities are falling, bomb Iraq"

To:

"If your 401k's crashing, bomb Iraq"

Because, well, mine is, to the point where it's only worth a little more than what I put into it, and that's *just not right!*

Stefan

Things I Learned Playing With Search Engines

I learned two things playing with search engines today.

One is, there are a lot of people out there who have Opinions about Camus and Ayn Rand. I mean, opinions with more than one word in them. I suspect it would be much much easier going through the hits for "Sisyphus Shrugged" if you searched for "Sisyphus Shrugged" -tendentious -bloviating. I didn't try it, though, because I'd be all crushed if the stuff about me disappeared too.

I also found out that an awful lot of kind people have linked to me. I knew about some of them, but I don't have a referral log or any of that fancy internet stuff and some of them are news to me.

Anyway, I wanted to thank the people who linked to the post on MoveOn.org, and I thought I'd get all my thank yous done at once, and in no particular order. If I missed you, please let me know.

So, thanks to the blogs who linked to the MoveOn post,

The Poor Man
TBogg
Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo
Body and Soul
Alas, a Blog
Eschaton
Ruminate This
Blah3
Counterspin Central
Talk Left*
Fatshadow*

*and I didn't even ask!

folks who were kind enough to put me on their sidebars

Busy Busy Busy
Blah3
the Rittenhouse Review
Eschaton
PLA
Body and Soul
Alas, a Blog
Ignatz
Ted Barlow
Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo
The Poor Man
TBogg
William Burton
get donkey
In Arguendo
Antidotal
Nitpicker
Political Junkie
Dr. Limerick's Natural Blogarithm
The Lefty Directory

and folks who have linked to posts

Instapundit
a pithy diarist
Public Nuisance
Locust Eater
Planet Swank

and people who put me on their friends list in Live Journal

in company

blogger who I braved a roomful of self-consciously hip smoke-belching twentysomething east village scenesters to see in person with his shirt off who mentioned me in passing on his letters page:

Neal Pollack

the person who thought up the name for my blog, who has a brilliant and twisted blog of his own

brainslug.org

I really appreciate it, folks.

edit: I forgot to mention and should that Body and Soul started this whole thing when she linked to something I wrote and I'm still really touched that she did.

this just in: I have just, I'm told, joined the sidebar at Interesting Monstah, on the strength of my semi-encyclopedic knowledge of obscure MGM musicals.

cool.

(inarticulate howl of despair)

ass-deep in figgers all day for something I'm working on, and I can't take it no more. so, yeah, what they said.