Lucky enough to be invited to his house for dinner a while back, where he showed off his Presidential Medal of Freedom, presented to him by Obama in 2009.
Statuses
Giant redwood, Armstrong State Reserve
Staring Down from Tilden Park
Over the SF Bay
Just heard that the University of Chicago will be shutting down the historic and beautiful Yerkes Observatory later this year. Sad, but probably realistic. (And an opportunity for a very rich amateur astronomer?)
Golden Gate Bridge
“Fish & Reptiles — Fins & Fangs” in Yucca Valley, CA. Pet shop or restaurant?
Drove through Boron, CA, last week: world capital of Borax, and I guess one of the few towns named after an element of the periodic table other than gold or silver.
Cholla Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree National Park. Not the view I was expecting to post.
I am currently in the midst of 6 weeks of shared parental leave (yes, one of the positive things about UK higher-ed employment). But if I weren’t, I would be participating in the coming @ucu strike over the decimation of our pension. #UCUstrike #USSstrike
Watching a high-speed chase on local LA news (about 20 minutes and counting) feels simultaneously creepy, inappropriate, and strangely compelling.
A comprehensive explanation of the pseudo-crisis that is “forcing” UK universities to severely cut our pensions — and, hence, why we are striking in return. Made in Westminster – Sean Wallis – The Convention for Higher Education
Via @DrBrianKeating: What a treat! @defjaf gives @ucsdcosmology a private lesson on his epochal paper with Bond and @LloydEKnox, published 20 years ago this year! twitter.com
This doesn’t capture the wonderful disorientation inside Do-Ho Suh’s “Fallen Star” at @UCSDJacobs with @antoniogm and @DrBrianKeating.
Surprisingly difficult to find halloumi in California — it seems to be a specialty item here (you can get it at the corner store in London).
In the second week of my visit to the @ucsdcosmology group, enjoying the science (and unseasonably warm temperatures) with @DrBrianKeating and other theorists, observers, experimentalists and visitors
Anecdotal evidence that macOS 10.13.2 supplemental update (Meltdown/Spectre) is extra-slow on Fusion Drives. Could this be a stealth APFS test?
The Surprising Timeliness of “Hamilton” in London (becoming obsessed with @HamiltonWestEnd @HamiltonMusical)
Back from @HamiltonWestEnd tonight: yes, believe the hype.
(Biggest applause line: “Immigrants — we get the job done”.)
First #Supernova results from @theDESurvey! w=-1! Hey theorists, its Lambda, you can stop now! #AAS231 #DarkEnergy #cosmology https://t.co/nuYWX3Mo64 via @ChrisDAndrea
Seeing the special birthday show of @HamiltonWestEnd @HamiltonMusical tonight (with someone else very special who shares the birthday!). https://twitter.com/ObiomaUgoala/status/951359261669511168
New Year’s Day lamb shawarma, via Ottolenghi, with tahini, bulgar wheat, flatbread, and salad.
I think Trump doesn’t understand the difference between rights, powers, and responsibilities.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” premier at the Royal Albert Hall.
WMAP team wins $3M Breakthrough Prize for CMB cosmology (with wise and not at all envious commentary). https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-07759-8
Academic friends: when did people start using “+” in place of “et al” for references in more informal settings like talks?
Great talk by @RachaelEvelyn Ainsworth on 1/radio obs’ns of star formation and 2/open science: github for data, not just code. Also, zenodo.org & Mozilla’s Resources for Open Science in Astronomy.
Sad but true: Britain has become irrelevant. Would brexiteers just say ‘who cares?’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/13/britain-irrelevant-world-transatlantic-brexit