(4.23) “We’re glad to say we’re making one more move back to making things Normal.” The Wild Colonial Pub Quiz is back! Bring your brain, or anyone’s. Come with a team of four or form one here and compete for fabulous prizes. In the past the format has gone something like this: Categories might include …
(12.2) Register now to take part in a virtual Zoom meeting with theoretical physicist, Kip Thorne, he of the infamous Black Hole wager with Stephen Hawking. From the ICERM at Brown: Please join us for an exciting Q&A with Nobel prize-winning physicist Kip Thorne. Professor Thorne will briefly review the crucial role and history of …
(11.8) Up, up, and away! Arlie Petters, professor of mathematics, physics and economics, unveils how cosmic shadows carry clues about the existence of extrasolar planets and a possible fifth dimension in ‘Thinking Out Loud: Cosmic Shadows, Other worlds and a Fifth Dimension’ this Thursday at the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM). …
(1.26) This has become the most anticipated social event of the winter season. And yes, spelling can be a spectator sport . . . given enough beer. This Friday, wordsmith, library fan, and all-round bon vivant, Matthew Lawrence, will be hosting Providence Community Library’s all-ages spelling bee. It’s a really fun night benefitting a really …
(11.5) How smart was actress Hedy Lamarr? In 1941 she and her friend, pianist George Antheil, secured a patent for frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology that could prevent torpedo guidance systems from getting jammed. So yeah, pretty damn smart. No biggie, just trying to help defeat the Nazis. This spread spectrum technology ended up revolutionizing mobile …
(8.21) Head over to the main green at Brown University and join smart people who know how to watch an eclipse. While many of Brown’s astronomers will be heading out to prime viewing locations across the country, a group of students and staff will offer members of the public a chance to safely view the …
(4.27) The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) presents a lecture by Ken Golden titled “Modeling the Melt.” Golden, who is often described as the “Indiana Jones of Mathematics,” will discuss how the precipitous loss of Arctic sea ice has far outpaced expert predictions. This man keeps pretty heady company. In 2014, …
(4.22) Head over to the state house today for the Rhode Island March for Science. On Earth Day, April 22, 2017, scientists and science enthusiasts around the globe, including 394 satellite marches in every major US city and 37 other countries, will gather and march in the name of science. We stand together to champion …
Congratulations to the RISD Human Rover Team who came in second this weekend in the college/university division of the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge! They seem to have won the Technology Challenge Award as well. The team does not seem to have had time to update their Facebook page. I only know about this because …
This is nuts! BrainGate, a team of physicians, scientists, and engineers, including a neuroscientist in the Brown School of Engineering, has developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows people with paralysis to type using only brain control. No more blinking. According to the ProJo (2.22.17) three individuals — one with a spinal cord injury, and …
Brown Prof On BrainGate Team — Advances In Mind-Typing Read More »
(2.16) Biology professor Kenneth R. Miller will deliver a lecture titled “Science Denial: from Anti-Vaxers and Climate ‘Skeptics’ to the Ark Park — Why it Continues and Why it Matters,” as part of the Reaffirming University Values series. Miller’s research work on cell membrane structure and function has produced more than 60 scientific papers and …
(2.3) This picture calms me. Tickets are still available for the Lewis Black “Rant, White, & Blue” tour Friday night at PPAC. Black discussed recent events with Stephen Colbert. (Daily Beast) “I did a lot of hallucinogens when I was younger in order to prepare me for any eventual reality, and I never saw this …
(1.28) We knew he couldn’t stay away. Spelling is much like the Mafia. Just when you think you’ve gotten out, it’ll just keep pulling you back in. Bee Maestro and Word-Knower Nonpareil, Matthew Lawrence, sent out this invitation via his weekly ‘Law & Order Party’ email blast (which you should get). I’m hosting the Providence …
(1.18) Before there was iPod, there was . . . Compaq Personal Jukebox! The PJB was the first hard-disk-based MP3 player made available on the market. This picture is from the “Interesting Items” section at the Rhode Island Computer Museum website. Good stuff. The Providence Geeks will be holding the first Geek Dinner of 2017 …
(1.14) Tickets are still available for an evening with John Cleese (seen here on the right) this Saturday at PPAC. First there will be a screening of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” followed by a conversation, and audience Q&A, with John Cleese. I personally would never be able to ask Mr. Cleese (rhymes with …
Congratulations to Professor J. Michael Kosterlitz for winning the Nobel Prize in Physics, for “theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.” Colleagues and well-wishers at Brown University spoke with the modest professor today; he is currently on sabbatical in Finland. He said the phone call from the Nobel committee came as …