Comments on: Spinach Blogging http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/ Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:07:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Clues in the Blood Splatter Patterns - Asymptotia http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-995 Clues in the Blood Splatter Patterns - Asymptotia Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:53:00 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-995 [...] It is quite a fascinating subject, a detective story full of wonderful science, and illustrates -as I have said earlier in the post called “Spinach Blogging”- how the “demotion of Pluto” story opens the door to so much active planetary science. It also illustrates why it it is interesting to keep an eye on the debate about the “demotion”. which is still ongoing. The nature of the Kuiper belt is teaching us a huge amount about the other bodies in the solar system. For example: The distribution of Kuiper Belt objects has already provided decisive evidence that Neptune was once perhaps nearly a billion miles closer to the Sun and was then gravitationally nudged outward. Astronomers also hope that the Kuiper Belt preserves a frozen record of the earliest building materials of the solar system. [...] [...] It is quite a fascinating subject, a detective story full of wonderful science, and illustrates -as I have said earlier in the post called “Spinach Blogging”- how the “demotion of Pluto” story opens the door to so much active planetary science. It also illustrates why it it is interesting to keep an eye on the debate about the “demotion”. which is still ongoing. The nature of the Kuiper belt is teaching us a huge amount about the other bodies in the solar system. For example: The distribution of Kuiper Belt objects has already provided decisive evidence that Neptune was once perhaps nearly a billion miles closer to the Sun and was then gravitationally nudged outward. Astronomers also hope that the Kuiper Belt preserves a frozen record of the earliest building materials of the solar system. [...]

]]> By: astromcnaught http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-568 astromcnaught Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:29:41 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-568 My view is that as far as math goes, all publicity is good publicity. The stories of great proofs, the eccentrics, the history and the applications oftentimes make great tales. This was exemplified in Singh's excellent popular book 'Fermat's Last Theorem'. Wonderful reading. I hope it got a prize and also hope it turned at least some young minds to the study of such things. One of the chapters is entitled 'A Mathematical Disgrace' but that just makes the read even better! Of course, the reality of the field, and the embedded behaviours remain mysterious. I agree with Clifford here. The number of folk who are willing to suffer (enjoy i mean) a lecture from your's truly here always increases on any important-sounding astro announcement. The Pluto effect also allowed me to expand onto dark matter, as it were, to captivated audiences. Or captive at least :) My view is that as far as math goes, all publicity is good publicity. The stories of great proofs, the eccentrics, the history and the applications oftentimes make great tales. This was exemplified in Singh’s excellent popular book ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’. Wonderful reading. I hope it got a prize and also hope it turned at least some young minds to the study of such things. One of the chapters is entitled ‘A Mathematical Disgrace’ but that just makes the read even better!

Of course, the reality of the field, and the embedded behaviours remain mysterious. I agree with Clifford here. The number of folk who are willing to suffer (enjoy i mean) a lecture from your’s truly here always increases on any important-sounding astro announcement. The Pluto effect also allowed me to expand onto dark matter, as it were, to captivated audiences. Or captive at least :)

]]> By: Dissonant http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-565 Dissonant Fri, 25 Aug 2006 17:46:41 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-565 Is Perelman's rejection of the Fields medal really good publicity (or is all publicity good publicity)? The story making the rounds in the press is that he considers the mathematics establishment so unethical that he no longer wants to have anything to do with it. At the very least, you have to wonder about the judgment -- and motives -- of the colleagues who apparently fired him three years ago. Is Perelman’s rejection of the Fields medal really good publicity (or is all publicity good publicity)? The story making the rounds in the press is that he considers the mathematics establishment so unethical that he no longer wants to have anything to do with it. At the very least, you have to wonder about the judgment — and motives — of the colleagues who apparently fired him three years ago.

]]> By: Navneeth http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-559 Navneeth Fri, 25 Aug 2006 06:38:39 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-559 <blockquote>The Pluto issue is obviously a valuable loss-leader. It’s the shiny thing in front of the store being sold off cheaply that gets customers in the door. Who knows what else will catch their eye once they’re in the store? For example, that Pluto issue exposes the public to the issue of planetary science.</blockquote> I have to agree with Melquiades. For this to work, people should also think about "buying the more expensive wares," and not be discouraged by it. Incidentally, mathematics also is getting some sort of attention, though not as much as the Pluto, thanks to Perelman rejecting the Fields. If all of this works correctly, it should have the same effect of the closest apparition of Mars in 60,000 years, in 2003 (the original one ;) ), which got hundreds of people into amateur astronomy.

The Pluto issue is obviously a valuable loss-leader. It’s the shiny thing in front of the store being sold off cheaply that gets customers in the door. Who knows what else will catch their eye once they’re in the store? For example, that Pluto issue exposes the public to the issue of planetary science.

I have to agree with Melquiades. For this to work, people should also think about “buying the more expensive wares,” and not be discouraged by it. Incidentally, mathematics also is getting some sort of attention, though not as much as the Pluto, thanks to Perelman rejecting the Fields. If all of this works correctly, it should have the same effect of the closest apparition of Mars in 60,000 years, in 2003 (the original one ;) ), which got hundreds of people into amateur astronomy.

]]> By: Dissonant http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-558 Dissonant Fri, 25 Aug 2006 06:27:19 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-558 Actually, while the riff-raff was going gaga over Pluto and dark matter, the <i>real</i> elite was pondering this bombshell: <a href="http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0608386" rel="nofollow">On the Absence of Cosmic Acceleration</a>. ;) Actually, while the riff-raff was going gaga over Pluto and dark matter, the real elite was pondering this bombshell: On the Absence of Cosmic Acceleration. ;)

]]> By: Timelike, Spacelike or Lightlike » Blog Archive » Poor Pluto http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-557 Timelike, Spacelike or Lightlike » Blog Archive » Poor Pluto Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:49:32 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-557 [...] I also agree with Clifford that people are expose to other fields of science such as Planetary Science and Astronomy with this type of story. The scientists need to explain what characteristics make Pluto different from the other planets, so the public can actually learn something. Name-calling does not mean anything, but is just a convention. [...] [...] I also agree with Clifford that people are expose to other fields of science such as Planetary Science and Astronomy with this type of story. The scientists need to explain what characteristics make Pluto different from the other planets, so the public can actually learn something. Name-calling does not mean anything, but is just a convention. [...]

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-556 Clifford Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:31:00 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-556 Jude:- Thanks! That was encouraging to read... -cvj Jude:- Thanks! That was encouraging to read…

-cvj

]]> By: Clifford http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-555 Clifford Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:27:27 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-555 Melquiades:- True, but in looking at a lot of the stories that are in the press, I am encouraged that a great many (if not the majority) of them quickly touch upon the deeper science issues. Recall also the Neil Tyson issue with the Hayden Planetarium and leaving pluto out of the exhibit? So, I think that the science comes out pretty quickly, if the reporter is even halfway decent at their job. It is an opportunity that is just way too good to waste..... Cheers, -cvj Melquiades:- True, but in looking at a lot of the stories that are in the press, I am encouraged that a great many (if not the majority) of them quickly touch upon the deeper science issues. Recall also the Neil Tyson issue with the Hayden Planetarium and leaving pluto out of the exhibit?

So, I think that the science comes out pretty quickly, if the reporter is even halfway decent at their job. It is an opportunity that is just way too good to waste…..

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: Jude http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-554 Jude Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:25:08 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-554 This is a great article. Thanks. No wonder your blog is one of my favorites. In the last couple of weeks, I made an effort to subscribe to conservative blogs and added a lot of homeschooling blogs to my bloglines subscriptions, and that has made me depressed about the state of education and the world. The homeschooling blogs, for example, have been talking about the report that people lose their faith when they go to college--well, then, they say, we'll have to homeschool them through college too. But you're right--today they're all talking about Pluto, talking about science, trying to understand why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. They have the same frame of reference that scientists do--they don't believe in the earth-centric view of the universe or that the earth is flat. So maybe it isn't all quite so hopeless after all. This is a great article. Thanks. No wonder your blog is one of my favorites. In the last couple of weeks, I made an effort to subscribe to conservative blogs and added a lot of homeschooling blogs to my bloglines subscriptions, and that has made me depressed about the state of education and the world. The homeschooling blogs, for example, have been talking about the report that people lose their faith when they go to college–well, then, they say, we’ll have to homeschool them through college too. But you’re right–today they’re all talking about Pluto, talking about science, trying to understand why Pluto is no longer considered a planet. They have the same frame of reference that scientists do–they don’t believe in the earth-centric view of the universe or that the earth is flat. So maybe it isn’t all quite so hopeless after all.

]]> By: Melquiades http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/comment-page-1/#comment-553 Melquiades Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:23:29 +0000 http://asymptotia.com/2006/08/24/spinach-blogging/#comment-553 Hi cvj, I understand your point. Indeed it is a good start for people to get to know planetary science and research that is not part of the "main dish". But the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about Pluto's story was the tale of Feynman and his father. Feynman tells that his father taught him the name of a bird in different languages, but that really did not said anything about the bird. So knowing that Pluto is a planet or a dwarf planet does not say anything about it. If people get interested on the details of why Pluto was demoted, then OK the story was able to deliver some scientific curiosity to the public. But having "un-educated" people learn just the fact that Pluto is a dwarf planet is not very useful. Cheers Melquiades Hi cvj,

I understand your point. Indeed it is a good start for people to get to know planetary science and research that is not part of the “main dish”. But the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about Pluto’s story was the tale of Feynman and his father.

Feynman tells that his father taught him the name of a bird in different languages, but that really did not said anything about the bird. So knowing that Pluto is a planet or a dwarf planet does not say anything about it. If people get interested on the details of why Pluto was demoted, then OK the story was able to deliver some scientific curiosity to the public. But having “un-educated” people learn just the fact that Pluto is a dwarf planet is not very useful.

Cheers
Melquiades

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