Most recent posts below. Use left/right arrow keys to navigate
between posts and click on images to view full screen. Best viewed in
dark mode. For updates, follow RSS/Atom feed or twitter.
Best of the Beatles or Best
bait-and-switch?; the limits of parity arguments for irrationality; how
newer, higher performance subway cars in NYC caused slower service; the
importance of streets vs roads vs stroads for urban planning; the OEIS
once had an error in the Fibonacci sequence
‘you must study the endgame
before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and
mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied
in relation to the endgame’ -Capablanca
The influence of the atmosphere
on incoming and outgoing light is immensely complicated – but we can
understood the fundamental behavior by considering the simplest possible
model
A scientific explanation for
why hot objects feel hot from a distance – the blackbody effect – lays
the groundwork for understanding the balance regulating the Earth’s
temperature.
Ozone is both toxic to breathe
yet vital for human life. While ozone bears little relation to the
greenhouse effect, the global response to the ozone hole is a model for
addressing global warming.
How thick is the atmosphere and
does it even have a top? Why does the atmosphere have distinct layers? A
quick rundown on that stuff you breathe every few seconds.
Growing up, I was confused how
summer warming exactly canceled winter cooling, as I lacked the physics
background to understand how the Earth warms and cools. In this series,
I first cover the requisite physics and then show the
greenhouse effect as a consequence.
Letting your cat choose where
you sleep; 0 isn’t the additive identity in IEEE754 arithmetic; dates in
Excel are even more of a disaster than you imagined; Italian 110%
‘superbonus’ subsidy on pro-environmental upgrades
‘Imagine you’re on a gameshow.
There are three doors, behind one of which is a car–’ ‘You’re telling it
wrong. There are three doors, behind one of which is a car.’