Category Archives: science

Why Scientific Posters Are Bad

Posted on 10 September 2015 by zolltan

When you do research, you sometimes get results[citation needed]. When you get results, you usually want to present them to your colleagues. As a scientist presenting to scientists, you have three common forms that that presentation can take: the talk, … Continue reading →

Posted in media, science | 1 Comment

The Unexpected and the Unexplainable

Posted on 3 September 2015 by zolltan

Niels Bohr, the quantum theorist, once said “If quantum theory hasn’t shocked you, that just means you haven’t understood it yet”. People love this quote because it gets at how counterintuitive quantum mechanics can be. But it’s also discouraging, making … Continue reading →

Posted in physics, science | Leave a comment

The CCGS Amundsen is sitting idle in Hudson Bay

Posted on 30 July 2015 by zolltan

Earlier this month, with abnormally icy conditions in the Eastern Hudson Bay, the research icebreaker CCGS Amundsen was diverted from its scientific mission to help escort ships providing fuel to remote Inuit communities in Northern Quebec. Highly idiotic reports crowed about … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, politics, science | Leave a comment

The Experimentalist’s Apprentice

Posted on 16 March 2015 by zolltan

There is a rule in science that says you should assume the simplest explanation that fits with what you observe. This is named Occam’s Razor after the medieval monk William of Ockham, who, it is generally agreed, didn’t come up … Continue reading →

Posted in Apprenticeships, science | 6 Comments

Unfalsifiable thoughts on falsifiability

Posted on 22 December 2014 by zolltan

To be able to tell science from other kinds of study, Karl Popper developed the idea that for a theory to be scientific, there ought to be an experimental way to show that the theory is false based on predictions … Continue reading →

Posted in science, shit we have no idea about | Leave a comment

Canada Ebola Panic Blues

Posted on 4 November 2014 by zolltan

Although I am in general not a fan of the current government, I am still very surprised and highly disappointed in the Government of Canada’s ridiculous decision to stop issuing any visas to residents of, and travellers to, the countries … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, science | Leave a comment

What I learnt from marking labs for 6 straight hours while drinking caffeinated beverages the entire time

Posted on 16 January 2014 by zolltan

Abstract: As a TA for advanced undergraduate physics labs, I had to mark (“grade” in American) a lot of lab reports last quarter. Being a slow and poorly motivated marker, while wanting to give good feedback to my students, means … Continue reading →

Posted in personal, science, whimsy | 1 Comment

I once knew a guy named Anatoly who had a bicycle… does that count?

Posted on 7 July 2013 by zolltan

At one point in this blog, I talked about how historical linguists determine where and when the Indo-European languages were likely to have begun. The use of such methods usually puts the Indo-European homeland as somewhere in the Black Sea … Continue reading →

Posted in language, science | 3 Comments

Zolltan, crotchety old man

Posted on 13 March 2013 by zolltan

I complain about some stuff since I can. The shootout is a joke so I’m glad people are treating it like a joke. Why does it exist? Apparently, cause Americans hate ties? But okay, it’s entertaining, whatever. But we can … Continue reading →

Posted in hockey, science | 2 Comments

Svante Pääbo

Posted on 26 February 2013 by zolltan

Other than the fact that if you oversleep your alarm and wake up at 11 am, you’re not fired, and, in fact, pretty much no one cares, the thing I will miss most about being a grad student is the … Continue reading →

Posted in science | 1 Comment