Here locally I went to a church service by a “comedic” inspirational speaker. When he spoke about the bible he was funny and revealing. When he attempted to tailor his talk to include me and he referenced quantum physics and how “the matter of which we are apart has 2 quarks and they represnt relationships…. well altough he is correct about up and down, he did not get that proton and neutron have three quarks working to make matter and reality the basis of what is. I had to bite my tongue.”
Further it seems the dispute is NOT Darwin evolution VS religion…. BUT ATHESIM vs Religion, and Darwin was NOT an atheist… but psychology and frued are NOT christians either so it seem the debate should be what the psychologists are stirring and why. It seems they tell religion Darwin is wrong, and they tell Darwinists that religion is Wrong, then they watch the sparks fly. When looking at the history of when each was written tells where the difference lies, and adds to the appreciation of each WITHIN the proper context.
But then maybe I am too much of a patriot for my own good, and education shows up so black and white…

It almost sounds like you are saying the Bush administration did something right. ;o)

BA: I, too, worked on COBE, but for a bit longer (10 yr), and I would like to amplify your assessment of Dr. Mather. He can communicate more substance with less pomp and pretension and at a lower volume level than anyone I have ever met.

I hope it conveys something of John when I report that hearing the news that he was to share the 2006 Physics Nobel, well, it made my year. And I’m once again very pleased to hear of his new appointment at NASA.

As COBE was getting its first results, there were a few half-joking references to a Nobel Prize coming out of this, but I doubt that anyone seriously expected it. Historically, there have been several top people in the field who never won one. But as the results ricochéd through the astrophysics community, and the journal citation count grew, and it became clear that these citations were much more than just the casual kind, they were influencing and pushing the science forward, and, well, let’s just say that the Nobel Committee hit this one square on the head.

John had a simple but effective idea — the CMBR is only briefly and narrowly (in spectrum) measurable from Earth- and atmospheric-based instruments, so let’s get a platform to look at the CMBR that can really look ‘hard’ and long — let’s put a cryo-cooled instrument package in orbit! He then spent practically his whole career attracting plenty of talent and resources to accomplish that, and we are all better off for it.

Kudos to John, and kudos to you for this site. Keep on bein’ Bad!

PS. If you ever want to trade COBE stories, on-blog or off, feel free. I was on the software development team, on and near GSFC, mostly for the FIRAS instrument, from late ‘85 to the end of ‘95. No pressure, I know you’re a busy dude.

They took a leader of their movement and turned him
into the Son of God no less. The rest is history - and a
sordid, messy one at that.

The Middle East and the state of human affairs and
the level of general intelligence hasn’t changed in over
2,000 years. I wonder if we will even make it to another
2,000 years before we wake up and grow up from this
oppressive superstition.

I don’t follow the “evening press”, but I believe the crown princess is taken. Can’t speak for the other two though

What? But then you;d have no politicains left and…

…

Never mind.