Living And Working In a (Benevolent) Absolute Monarchy

Wednesday 16:00 - 17:00, 2205 (Kansas City Convention Center)

While fantasy novels are often set in absolute monarchies, very few readers have actually experienced what it is like living under an absolute monarch. Brother Guy Consolmagno shares his experiences living and working in one of the ( Read more... )

Wow, two posts in the same week... haven't done that for a while.
Anyway, here's the first cut of what my speaking schedule at WorldCon next month looks like:

The Year in Astronomy
Thursday 15:00 - 16:00, 3501F - A/V (Kansas City Convention Center)
Join us for a lively roundup of the latest research and discoveries. Topics may include the New ( Read more... )

It's been months and months since I posted. I just finished a letter to a friend, though, and thought it might be a nice update for my friends here...

This past month was completely occupied with our biennial summer school. Now the students are gone, it's quiet, I can relax... almost too quiet, of course. The school was great, the students were ( Read more... )

Back in November (this is how long it’s been since I’ve posted) I ran into papersky at Windycon, and chatted with her about the reaction she’s gotten to The Philosopher Kings. One amusing comment was, “why did Apollo have to do that (horrible thing)?” to which her answer was, “because that’s what really happened!” Which got us both laughing, because it’s ( Read more... )

... of the Vatican Observatory. A lot of people have had questions about what this will mean for me, and also (by extension) what it will mean for them, especially for folks who have invited me to give talks, sit on panels, etc. etc ( Read more... )

Carl Sagan Medal Speech

Wednesday 21:00 - 22:30, Integra Telecom Ballroom 100B (CC)

Longtime fan and the Vatican astronomer, Guy Consolmagno, won the Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science. His speech is:

Discarded Worlds: Astronomical Ideas that Were Almost Correct ( Read more... )

Someone on twitter (hi @Maryloduffin!) asked for the text... here is what I prepared, not including the ad-libs...

To the president, the provost, the deans, I thank you; honored guests, I greet you; to the Truman State University Class of 2015, I congratulate you. I am honored to share this stage with you.
Thinking about the class of 2015, I did ( Read more... )

My father by this together in 1995; now, on the 70th anniversary, he's emailed it around to his family and friends. I may have posted it before, but I think it deserves a wide audience...

-The fighting and dying in Europe went on for nine days more, but at Stalag VIIA, April 29, 1945, was -

The Day The War Ended

David Westhelmer, krlegieWe began ( Read more... )

Do I recommend MIT? Only if you are a very particular type of student. There is a reason why schools like MIT are so rare: because for most people, it is the wrong school to go to ( Read more... )

Tis the season of students wondering about where to to go college, so I thought I would post here my standard set of advice... one size does not fit all, and that is especially true of advice!

Oddly enough, the things from high school I use to this day in my work include things I never thought were important at the time I was learning them:

the ( Read more... )