Author Archives: woit

2011 Templeton Prize

This years $1.6 million dollar Templeton Prize has been awarded to astronomer and cosmologist Sir Martin Rees. The Templeton Foundation has traditionally been largely devoted to promoting the intersection of science and religion, so one surprising aspect of this choice … Continue reading

Posted in Multiverse Mania | 23 Comments

The Bogdanov Equation

Another book that I picked up in Paris is Lubos Motl’s L’Équation Bogdanov: Le secret de l’origine de l’Univers?. It’s a rather weird document, a mish-mash of defense of the Bogdanovs (partly by comparing their ideas favorably to loop quantum … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews | 18 Comments

Multivers: Mondes Possible de l’Astrophysique, de la Philosophie, et de l’Imaginaire

While I was in Paris recently I picked up several French books that aren’t readily available in the US. One of these is entitled Multivers: Mondes Possible de l’Astrophysique, de la Philosophie, et de l’Imaginaire, and it takes the form … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Multiverse Mania | 10 Comments

Back to the Usual

Since April 1 is over, choice of blog topics will revert to the usual, and at some point I’ll get around to reverting the logo. There are plenty of other blogs covering desserts, biking, and what’s wrong with Obama, so … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

Dessert

Another important topic that this blog will cover is that of baked goods. While every street-corner in Paris has a wonderful bakery, they’re hard to find in the US. Luckily for me, there’s Silver Moon at 105rd St. and Broadway, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 22 Comments

Biking in New York

I’ve been biking in and around New York City for many years, recently doing several thousand miles a year, and this should provide many topics for the blog. Look forward to, for example, an explanation of how to best get … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

New York, New York

Another topic I hope to write about extensively is that of New York City, including discussing the wide range of cultural events going on, as well as the amazing restaurants. On the subject of food, I should give a plug … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Obama Worse Than Bush

I voted for Obama in the Democratic primary, because I figured Hillary Clinton was more likely to expand the war in Afghanistan and otherwise engage in the sort of misguided military adventure favored by the shrub. Look what happened. He … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 59 Comments

Change of Direction

It probably won’t surprise my regular readers to hear that recently I’ve been getting rather tired of the usual topics of this blog. String theory has been intellectually dead for a very long time now, and continuing to point this … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 22 Comments

Things That Deserve (but won’t get) Longer Blog Postings

Here’s a selection of news that deserves longer blog postings that, for one reason or another, I’m unable or unwilling to provide… This year’s Abel Prize goes to John Milnor. With an excellent blog posting about this from Fields Medalist … Continue reading

Posted in Experimental HEP News, Langlands, Uncategorized | 9 Comments