In a comment to the previous post on the Fermi Paradox, David Wallace wrote this terrific exposition of it.  I agree with almost everything he says, so I will save my own quibbles for a comment.  David writes: Just to clarify the force of the Fermi paradox (which is intended to rest on quantitative factors,…

Mark, 'tis 'Talk Liketh Shakespeare Day!' Then come, good fellows, and let us dream of dragons and finless fish, take but a moment and speak of clip-winged griffins and a ramping cat. The youth of England are on fire, and though men may sleep, some have knives with edges. Such words as his delight the…

Astronomers have found the first  Earth-sized planet located in the habitable zone of a star — the right distance away to host liquid water and possibly life.  Story here.  The system is only about 500 light years away.   This of course raises the issue of the Fermi paradox:  if there is even a tiny chance of intelligent…

PhilPapers will be moving to a partial subscription model.   Access to their resources from computers on campuses of institutions will be limited unless the institution pays for a subscription.   The features that go behind the paywall will be phased in over time.     Access to individuals from home will remain free. Details…

A story in the Britsh press about archaeological investigations in Rome that suggest the city is about 150 years oldler than its legendary foundation in 753 BCE reminds me of the apparent characteristic quality of early Rome, its openness to refugees, vagrants, and everyone in search of a new home.  At least this is the…

I wanted to write a post in response to Moontime Warrior's blog post (here) which begins with the following: Last term, I confided in a professor that I was struggling with anxiety attacks and depression. She seemed understanding. A few weeks after the class ended, I learned that she had brought the issue up at an informal departmental…

There are a number of, er, hairy stories over at the Daily Mousse worth checking out today. 

Given the recent guest post on this issue, some of us thought it appropriate to post a link to this statement, written by three APA members with disabilities, on the APA’s practices with regard to members with disabilities.    I (and the other bloggers I have communicated with) take no stand on this, and merely pass…

No. No.  Not THAT controversy.   I just got back from a meeting at the insanely cool Carnegie Observatory in Pasadena, California (Hubble's old digs) with Wendy Parker, Paul Humphreys, James Ladyman, and  many extremely interesting and engaging astronomers.   (Barry Madore and Wendy Freedman were our hosts, and Stacy McGaugh, Bill Saslaw, Alar Toomre…

Unfortunately various pressures on my time, including the flow of news about the struggle with the government block on Twitter in Turkey, led me to miss Catherine Dutilh Novaes very useful post The night twitter went down, and miss the opportunity to comment in a timely manner. As I am in Istanbul, teaching at Istanbul…