Comments on: Sneak Preview

By: A Day in the Life | Cosmic Variance

A Day in the Life | Cosmic Variance — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 07:02:17 +0000

[...] Watched the NOVA special on Einstein’s Big Idea and saw the stuff missing from our special sneak preview at SLAC. [...]

By: Einstein’s Big Idea | Cosmic Variance

Einstein’s Big Idea | Cosmic Variance — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 04:52:53 +0000

[...] You may have seen some discussion in the comments of other threads about a new PBS programme entitled “Einstein’s Big Idea”. JoAnne mentioned her thoughts about it in her post last week. It’s basically a docu-drama, in the sense that they’ve written scripts, designed sets, sprinkled in extras, and generally tried to make the settings, characters, and circumstances all seem more accessible than just having a bunch of talking heads. They spend a lot of time describing and dramatising the conversations and discoveries of several other pieces of physics (conservation of energy, electromagnetism, Maxwell’s demonstration that light is electromagnetism, etc) that lead up to the famous E=mc^2 equation. I have to say that this is a very very good way of presenting this material, and overall I think it is quite successful. [...]

By: Sean

Sean — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 22:41:31 +0000

I second the recommendation of Beamtimes and Lifetimes, it's a great book. You can get it from amazon, at least. And the gender politics haven't changed that much.

By: janet

janet — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 20:33:30 +0000

Beamtimes and Lifetimes is a book about physicists at SLAC by an anthropologist, Sharon Traweek. It was based on the research she did for her PhD in anthropology at Stanford. It was published nearly 20 years ago, so I’m not sure if it’s still in print, and the gender politics in the field have probably changed a lot since it was written.

I’ll report on the opera. I’m really excited about it!

By: JoAnne

JoAnne — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 01:32:37 +0000

Janet,

No, I, at least, am not aware of the book. Can you describe it?

And, please do report on what you think of the opera! I’ve been debating whether to go (opera tickets are not free).

By: Clifford

Clifford — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 17:01:09 +0000

janet! Please tell us what you think of Dr Atomic when you retrun from it.

Also, PBS tends to over-repeat their programmes until you’re thoroughly sick of them, and so there’ll no doubt be several opportunities to see the show again, and again, and again, and again, and ….

-cvj

By: janet

janet — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 16:50:23 +0000

JoAnn — This is a tangent, but I’ve been wondering whether people at SLAC are very much aware of the book “Beamtimes and Lifetimes,” and if so what they think of it.

I’m not going to be able to watch on Tuesday (I’m going to see Doctor Atomic, as it happens), but I hope I can catch this documentary at some point — sounds interesting.

By: Plato

Plato — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 17:49:54 +0000

Do I think “injustice” in terms of “continuing to create” racial and gender divisions. Of course. These are coverings, as far as I am concerned.

What is that underneath them, sure, balance, and how to deal with them. That we are “all the same” not in terms of our experience but “struggles about life.” Not her experience and his, but indeed “in all emotive and mental struggles” to overcome those issues.

Sort of like “getting to the center” and working outward like Sean’s sand mandala. While the lives might be different, it’s the same plan. What’s on the outside of that circle, is the covering.

While I am not a buddhist, clearly these values mean something to me.:)

By: Clifford

Clifford — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 14:46:10 +0000

Plato… the way to kill the “issue” is to fix the problem: acheive balance. Until then, the issue should stay alive.

-cvj

By: Plato

Plato — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 12:55:40 +0000

Hey Joanne,

Like the issue Clifford makes note of in racial divides, should we not kill the gender issue as well?

And on this note, recognition of the struggle of each of us, and honoring, of the “year of physics.”