Do you live in a democracy? Did you vote in its most recent election? If you didn't vote, keep quiet. Your opinion doesn't matter.---me
These are two images of our home planet. The one on the left
was taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts, the one on the
right was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft from its
vantage point on the edge of the solar system. (The streak of
light is an artifact from the camera; the Earth is the bright
speck in the center of the frame.) Carl Sagan
wrote about Voyager 1's image in his book Pale Blue
Dot. As he noted, all the wars fought, loves won and
lost, hopes and dreams of all human beings have occurred on
this small, pale blue dot.
It is the first day of spring.
I am thinking of the last day of autumn.---a poem heard on the radio that seems to capture well poetry's capability to express feelings while using words sparingly; unfortunately, I do not remember the poet's name
Steps in a large project (like building a telescope):
Enthusiasm;
Disenchantment;
Panic;
Search for the guilty;
Punishment for the innocent;
Decoration of those who took no part.
---from a talk at the Munich SPIE meeting, April 2000
Speaking of ranking the various disiplines---
Politicians think they are Economists.
Economists think they are Social Scientists.
Social Scientists think they are Psychologists.
Psychologists think they are Biologists.
Biologists think they are Organic Chemists.
Organic Chemists think they are Physical Chemists.
Physical Chemists think they are Physicists.
Physicists think they are Mathematicians.
Mathematicians think they are God.
God...ummm...so happens that God is an Astronomer.---Vinay Kashyap (of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), originally appeared in the Annals of Improbable Research, republished in the Washington Post
When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: why relativity? and why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first.---W. Heisenberg, on his death bed
After the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, and the waters closed on the Pharaoh's soldiers and chariots, the children of Israel were shouting, cheering, and celebrating. God said to Moses, "Tell the people to be quiet. Can't they hear that my children are drowning."---an old rabbinic story as told by Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre, adapted from an article in the Washington Post
Who do you think the Christian Coalition would support? A Bible-quoting Southern Baptist or a believer in astrology and Armageddon prophecy? Who do you think they did support?---from The Godless Constitution by Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore
Between one-third and one-half of the [Earth's] land surface has been transformed by human action; the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased by nearly 30% since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; more atmospheric nitrogen is fixed by humanity than by all natural terrestrial sources combined; more than half of all accessible surface fresh water is put to use by humanity.... By these and other standards, it is clear that we live on a human-dominated planet.---from the abstract of the paper "Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems" by Vitousek et al. (1997, Science, 277, 494)
Perhaps the most compelling argument in favor of a strict interpretation of the "separation of church and state" can be found in examining what the free market has done to Christmas.---me, but probably not original
As important as what happened is how it happened; how a man, widely dismissed by politicans on both the right and the left, in six months, acquired and then consolidated power, crushing his opposition in the process---this must be remembered along side the boxcars, concentration camps, gas chambers, and ovens.---my thoughts after viewing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Have you ever seen those advertisments that show macho pickup trucks and suburban assault, err, sport-utility vehicles climbing mountains, charging through forests, and swimming oceans? Why is it then that the drivers of these vehicles will weave all over the road and slow waay down when driving through a construction zone where the road has been torn up?---me
Have you ever been at a gate in an airport terminal when "pre-boarding" is announced? Though it is announced that pre-boarding is for families with small children and those needing a little extra time, nevertheless, half the people waiting will jump up and rush to get in line. I wish the airlines would be a bit more honest and announce something like, "Welcome to Flight NNN.... The plane is now ready for boarding, please make your way to your seat. We ask that you refrain from elbowing, shoving, and using your briefcase or laptop as a weapon. Good luck, and enjoy your flight."---me
Have you heard the song "Right Hand Man" by Joan Osborne? I have very little musical talent, yet I'm quite confident I could stand in front of a microphone and scream "right hand man" for three minutes. How much do you think Osborne is getting paid? How much do you think I could get paid? Is life unfair or what? :)---me
