Some interesting links, with a bonus one after the bullets:
- I sent an email to Mark Liberman that led to a Language Log post, concerning a particularly bizzare Google Translate result that I stumbled upon by watching my blog stats.
- Speculation about what’s inside Pluto.
- Article listing aspects of science that influence science fiction.
- Chimpanzees learn to deactivate snares.
- The story of Esaw Wood.
There are many metaphorical train maps out there, but Crispian Jago’s modern science map is one of the best of its kind. I asked on Twitter which node should be used as the destination in a Mornington Crescent variation, to which @john_s_wilkins suggested Claude Bernard, adding: “The archetypal experimentalist and error theorist. But you have to get there without a mistake!”
That works for me. In a first for this blog, I hereby invite you to play in the comments section of this post. Some ground rules:
- I strongly encourage you to look up the people played by your competitors. Also, feel free to write a sentence or two about your own choices. Bonus points for highlighting interesting connections between your move and those of others. (This is not compulsory but might make it more fun and educational.)
- Here’s how turn-taking will work. If it has been at least six hours since your last move, and at least one person has played in the meantime, then you may make another move.
I’ll start you off with the first move: Jan Oort. (Who is most famous for speculations regarding icy space rocks at the outer edge of the solar system, giving us a connection of sorts with the Pluto article I link to above, which also speculates about distant icy space rocks.)
The Outer Hoard 
9 Sep 2010 at 5:31 am
Baruch Spinoza.
Because somebody read him. Possibly Jeeves, maybe Bunter.
He opposed Descarte’s mind-body duality and apparently laid the foundations for modern philosophy and biblical criticism.
Plus, he was a lens-grinder, quite possibly for corrective lenses ;-)
9 Sep 2010 at 9:20 am
Just popped in to congratulate you fellows on electing the least evil of the profoundly right-wing, authoritarian sects that now comprimise most of the mainstream political spectrum of Australia. Fret not though…the entire Anglosphere has underwent a dramatic shift rightwards and away from socially liberal policy since Thatcher/Reagan emerged to shake the can of fizz before cracking it open. As my home nation Britain England Commonwealth Empire Reigning Prime Minister says: “We’re all in this together.”
Here’s the Political Compass salient take on the situation: Australian Elections 2010.
My pal in Brisbane is having one of his sabbaticals away from the online world so I’ve been unable to garner his valued opinion, what with him being a cleaner in a convent full of well-mannered, genial and idiosyncratic nuns. Thus…my carniverous large lizard, got any insights to share on this patriotric matter?
On topic: I enjoy train maps and glance and them at least once per annum. Keep up the good train-map linking work!
Pete, editor at Dirty Garnet.
9 Sep 2010 at 10:50 am
From lens grinding, it’s an easy step to Galileo, who did so much with the telescope.
An old episode of QI was broadcast here last week in which Stephen Fry claimed that Galileo invented the telescope. Of course, he did not. Honestly, there are times when Stephen would lose points on his own show if he weren’t in charge…