I want:

• a spacesuit
• a fire extinguisher

semester’s over now

1. Northern Water Snakes
2. Enemy at the Gates
3. Robert Downey, Jr.
4. Book sale
5. Modeling clay
6. Window envelopes
7. Scrambled eggs
8. Nimbus clouds
9. Callithump
10. Twelve-hour airplane flights
11. Five hundred dollars
12. Science fiction

actors who were considered for roles in ‘Star Wars’

1. Richard Dreyfuss
2. Jodie Foster
3. John Travolta
4. Tommy Lee Jones

Things that make me nostalgic

• Legos

• Copperline
• Star Wars
• My drawings
• Problem sets from Prof. Bolton’s classes

well, well…

1. Glider and tow plane
2. Champagne Supernova
3. Vermont
4. Paycheck
5. Red October
6. Mozzarella pesto burgers
7. Jupiter
8. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene
9. The Gates of the Desert

we interrupt these lists to bring you Joe’s review of the ‘Pirates’ threequel

Note: wherever possible, I will limit spoilers.

I went to see Pirates with pretty low expectations. Given other cliffhanger-based third-time fizzlers (the Matrix trilogy comes painfully to mind), I didn’t have a lot of hope for this new franchise. However, I was very pleasantly surprised. This movie outstrips the second one in many ways; it delivers action, some fairly interesting character dilemmas, an intriguingly bittersweet ending, and a good dose of the piratical humor that was somehow muted in the second movie.

the way things used to be

1. Rock
2. Jetpack
3. Swiss Army Knife
4. Garthim
5. Sun
6. Swadesh list
7. Q

Did I make it?

Originally posted 15 April 2006:

 

1. Be addressed as “Lieutenant Shoer” once again (Ithaca Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol)
2. Kayak in Cayuga Lake (or should I call it Kayaka Lake?) – No have kayak. Yet?
3. Go wine-tasting any time I like – Not that I do. But I could!
4. Officially call myself a rocket scientist
5. Be the first person in the world to work on an entirely new class of spacecraft – Well, in the first group to do so.
6. Have a color as a mascot
7. Live in my own apartment
8. Be surrounded by gorges and waterfalls
9. Walk down the hall to the ornithopter lab or mix things up with a visit to the college synchotron – Again, not that I do, but I could! There are some pretty damn cool toys around here.
10. Use Zaphod Beeblebrox’s pickup line: “Hey baby, you wanna see my spaceship?” – Haven’t come close to making this one yet, much to my disappointment. But just give me a couple years!!

my pet peeves

1. When people use the word “lay” (past tense or transitive) when they mean “lie” (present tense or intransitive).
2. When people talk during movies. Particularly during the really heavy scenes, and particularly when their comments demonstrate only a superficial understanding of the movie.
3. Creationism, in both its young Earth and intelligent design varieties.
4. Piles of dirty dishes in my sink.
5. When my blood sugar is over 300 mg/dL.
6. When otherwise intelligent people commit informal fallacies and respond arrogantly to counterargument.
7. Misrepresentation of science and scientific theories by media/politicians/etc.
8. The trump: When I catch myself doing any of these things.

I learned that tutoring at the Williams College Math/Science Resource Center

1. A great way to learn is to have several people explain a concept to you.
2. An even better way to learn is to explain a concept to someone else.
3. Much more better is to have to explain the concept to someone in a different way than you did the first time.
4. There’s a difference between looking like you know what you’re doing, and knowing what you’re doing. But most of the time, if you really do know what you’re doing, you’ll look like it.
5. One of the best ways to sound smart is to try not to sound smart. Simplify, address the matter at hand, and approach concepts in a step-by-step way, without a lot of needless jargon or overcomplication. (Incidentally, this is a great way to be smart, too.)
6. Successfulness is not judged by self-esteem or personal knowledge. It’s judged by your effect on others.