Archive for November, 2008

What computors are good for

I came across this paragraph in the reading for the quantum mechanics class I’m taking, and I think it needs to be shared with the world:

“A great deal of computation is required to perform a Hartree-Fock SCF calculation for a many electron atom. Hartree did several SCF calculations in the 1930s when electronic computors were not in existence. Fortunately Hartree’s father, a retired engineer enjoyed numerical calculation as a hobby and helped his son. Nowadays computers have replaced Hartree’s father.” Quantum Chemistry – Ira Levine

This makes me picture a little old man sitting in a room with all the world’s physicists and chemists sending him equations to solve.
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1:35 pm November 28th, 2008 | mcmillan | No Comments yet |
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Barely Literate

Colin Marshall, a friend of mine who is a prolific interviewer, reviewer, and podcaster, recently invited me to participate in a podcast bookclub experiment he’s starting called Barely Literate. Colin and myself, as well as Mike Violette and Jim Dempsey, recently completed a podcast on Robert Pirsig’s classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (also available as the Barely Literate podcast on iTunes).

I feel like we meandered a bit; not wanting to deal with the philosophical issues raised by comparison of Pirsig to other contemporary thinkers. Nevertheless, it’s kind of neat. Give it a listen sometime!

12:04 pm November 27th, 2008 | Paradoxdruid | No Comments yet |
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Time for Change

Obama has outlined a strategy for America, in great depth. Read all about Change.gov!

7:09 pm November 6th, 2008 | Paradoxdruid | No Comments yet |
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Linkdump

My first first-author paper!

Just wanted to share that my first first-author paper is now online! In the journal Stem Cells and Development, here’s my paper on “Roles of Integrins in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Growth on Matrigel and Vitronectin.”

22 Oct 09 | 1 Comment |

The Future of Scientific Publishing

Just read a fascinating (if lengthy) essay on disruptive technology and the future of scientific publishing. Well worth the read!

16 Jul 09 | 1 Comment |

Deflation!

Just wanted to share Mint.com’s Visual Guide to Deflation, which is quite explanatory.

18 Apr 09 | No Comments |

All Things Stem Cell

Hey all Paradoxdruid readers! I recently started up a blog on stem cells that I’d love you all to take a look at: http://www.allthingsstemcell.com/

12 Mar 09 | 1 Comment |

Barely Literate: The Fermata

I participated in another Barely literate book review podcast, this time on Nicholson Baker’s “The Fermata”. Give it a listen!

21 Feb 09 | No Comments |

Time for Change

Obama has outlined a strategy for America, in great depth. Read all about Change.gov!

6 Nov 08 | No Comments |

Free Rice

Okay, I’ll admit that it’s entirely possible that I am the last person to learn about this website*, but it’s really addictive. 
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18 Jul 08 | No Comments |

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