CERN scientists recently managed to trap and observe antimatter for almost 17 minutes.

Sweet.

It's sixty-five degrees out (that's 17C, roughly), sunny, with a warm breeze.  There's a 30% chance of thunderstorms tonight.  In March.  Tomorrow, naturally, we're looking at a high of not-quite-fifty degrees (8C).  Friday night there could be snow.  I love this climate.

Amy has gotten into Avatar: the Last Airbender.  I don't know how she ( Read more... )

My little brother's in town, and all of us got together for lunch today after church.  Somehow we got on the subject of Rob Bell and his new book, Love Wins (which isn't out yet), mainly because Daniel and Lisa have really enjoyed Bell's series of devotions (the Nooma videos), but were put off by the interview Bell gave for Good Morning America.  I ( Read more... )

One of the things I love about astronomy is that we humans have been documenting the stars for so long that modern astronomers get useful information from data collected centuries ago.  Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day talks about how the light from Cassiopeia A's supernova reached Earth 330 years ago.  Which is way before computers and ( Read more... )

Most people have never heard the whole of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.  I've got it on CD, which has been very useful as we've practiced it.  There are four movements, and the famous "Ode to Joy" doesn't show up until about twenty minutes from the end.  (The whole symphony is around an hour and twenty.)

( Symphonic journey )

( Here. Have some musical coolness. )

I can has stand mixer!  Found one through Craigslist, used, and in perfectly good condition, for less than half the "new" price.  It shall do splendidly, I think.

Also, you guys, I just watched The Secret of Kells, which is this stunningly beautiful animated movie dramatizing the story of the Book of Kells.  And I mean stunningly beautiful.  I can ( Read more... )

My little brother is an awesome photographer.  Just so you know.  His photos have such mood to them, and a real sensitivity to light, without being murky or unpleasant ( Read more... )

I don't know why it struck me the way it did, but yesterday I realized anew that Sam Gamgee learned to read from Bilbo.

( The Gardener's Tale )

So apparently Doctor Who is going to be doing actual cast-and-crew on-location filming in Utah next month.  I think I feel a road-trip coming on.

(Well, no, we wouldn't drive.  It's a clear two days of solid driving just to get to Utah.  But mid-November shouldn't be too expensive for flights.  It would all depend on when and where.  And it's ( Read more... )