Comments on: Theoretical Physics Goes Corporate? http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:57:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Charm &c. » Blog Archive » Hit-and-run III http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-34222 Charm &c. » Blog Archive » Hit-and-run III Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:38:50 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-34222 [...] Having kept my eyes open for “casual physics references in popular culture” since this Cosmic Variance post, I am pleased to report a sighting. The Guardian, in an article on death metal, says of the band Amputated: Their sound is intense and animalistic. If scientists at Cern’s particle accelerator were to shoot a pig rather than protons round their 27km facility it might sound like the Bristol band’s lead singer. [...] [...] Having kept my eyes open for “casual physics references in popular culture” since this Cosmic Variance post, I am pleased to report a sighting. The Guardian, in an article on death metal, says of the band Amputated: Their sound is intense and animalistic. If scientists at Cern’s particle accelerator were to shoot a pig rather than protons round their 27km facility it might sound like the Bristol band’s lead singer. [...]

]]> By: Life in physics and nearby » Being an equation-writer-for-hire http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22141 Life in physics and nearby » Being an equation-writer-for-hire Mon, 15 May 2006 18:08:15 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22141 [...] I like reading phyiscs blogs. People talk about different things, some of them are interesting, some are not — real life, right? Here is the post I recently read in one of my favorite blogs, Cosmic Variance: it is called "Theoretical Physics Goes Corporate." One of the points that they raise in that post is that big corporations are starting to realize the power of mathematical equations as a commercial tool — it attracts customers! One of the ads that Clifford Johnson (one of the four CV contributers) has in mind is this: [...] [...] I like reading phyiscs blogs. People talk about different things, some of them are interesting, some are not — real life, right? Here is the post I recently read in one of my favorite blogs, Cosmic Variance: it is called "Theoretical Physics Goes Corporate." One of the points that they raise in that post is that big corporations are starting to realize the power of mathematical equations as a commercial tool — it attracts customers! One of the ads that Clifford Johnson (one of the four CV contributers) has in mind is this: [...]

]]> By: John Branch http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22073 John Branch Sun, 14 May 2006 15:09:09 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22073 I too think Lisa Randall is cool, and I'd be glad to see her appear in an ad, but I'm actually glad this one isn't using her. Its focus is on the idea (equations and complicated brainwork as a component of engineering invention), not on the person, so she'd be wasted in this presentation. Her image (i.e., her face) isn't yet familiar enough for the kind of ad that Apple Computer had going for a while that allied the slogan "Think different" with estimable, recognizable persons such as Einstein, Gandhi, and Amelia Earhart. But I think she may be cool enough for an American Express ad; some of the people in those have familiar faces (Kate Winslet), some have names that most of us know (M. Night Shyamalan), but the concept, I think, is to link an accomplished person with the credit card. There's an exchange of prestige going on in those ads--if you know the person, AmEx gains something from the association, and if you don't, the fact of their appearing in the ad grants them some status and helps familiarize you with their face, their name, their work. I had no idea what M. Night Shyamalan looked like until AmEx showed me. I'm ready to see Lisa Randall join their company, and if not now, maybe in five or 10 years. By the way, I think I discovered Cosmic Variance because a New York Times article on her mentioned a discussion here as to whether she resembles Jodi Foster. (Which so far I haven't gotten around to looking up.) To indulge in a spot of self-promotion, I have <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/52044955@N00/61129283/" rel="nofollow">a kind of remixed picture of Lisa Randall</a> at Flickr. I'm not that happy with it now, but it's got a hint of equations on a blackboard. I too think Lisa Randall is cool, and I’d be glad to see her appear in an ad, but I’m actually glad this one isn’t using her. Its focus is on the idea (equations and complicated brainwork as a component of engineering invention), not on the person, so she’d be wasted in this presentation. Her image (i.e., her face) isn’t yet familiar enough for the kind of ad that Apple Computer had going for a while that allied the slogan “Think different” with estimable, recognizable persons such as Einstein, Gandhi, and Amelia Earhart. But I think she may be cool enough for an American Express ad; some of the people in those have familiar faces (Kate Winslet), some have names that most of us know (M. Night Shyamalan), but the concept, I think, is to link an accomplished person with the credit card. There’s an exchange of prestige going on in those ads–if you know the person, AmEx gains something from the association, and if you don’t, the fact of their appearing in the ad grants them some status and helps familiarize you with their face, their name, their work. I had no idea what M. Night Shyamalan looked like until AmEx showed me. I’m ready to see Lisa Randall join their company, and if not now, maybe in five or 10 years.

By the way, I think I discovered Cosmic Variance because a New York Times article on her mentioned a discussion here as to whether she resembles Jodi Foster. (Which so far I haven’t gotten around to looking up.)

To indulge in a spot of self-promotion, I have a kind of remixed picture of Lisa Randall at Flickr. I’m not that happy with it now, but it’s got a hint of equations on a blackboard.

]]> By: Moshe http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22035 Moshe Sun, 14 May 2006 01:30:28 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22035 Speaking of the PI, they have those wonderful concerts in the main lecture hall (where last year's summer school took place), and the blackboard is especially decorated with neat-looking equations (or maybe just not erased before the concert). It works very well with string quartets. Speaking of the PI, they have those wonderful concerts in the main lecture hall (where last year’s summer school took place), and the blackboard is especially decorated with neat-looking equations (or maybe just not erased before the concert). It works very well with string quartets.

]]> By: Physics goes Corporate at hey blinkin http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22028 Physics goes Corporate at hey blinkin Sat, 13 May 2006 22:27:33 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22028 [...] Cosmic Variance has a nice article up on the use of theoretical physics to attract attention to advertisements.  Like the article’s author, I was also hoping the mystery woman writing equations on a blackboard for an SUV ad would turn out to be Lisa Randall, simply because she’s that cool (she came and spoke here as part of a guest lectureship series christening the College of Science and Mathematics’ new auditorium.. I found leaving for my evening helldesk shift very difficult). [...] [...] Cosmic Variance has a nice article up on the use of theoretical physics to attract attention to advertisements.  Like the article’s author, I was also hoping the mystery woman writing equations on a blackboard for an SUV ad would turn out to be Lisa Randall, simply because she’s that cool (she came and spoke here as part of a guest lectureship series christening the College of Science and Mathematics’ new auditorium.. I found leaving for my evening helldesk shift very difficult). [...]

]]> By: blinkin http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22027 blinkin Sat, 13 May 2006 22:11:05 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22027 Too bad. I was hobing it was Lisa Randall as well. She came and spoke at $local_university last year, promoting her book on string theory. I had to tear myself away in order to make the beginning of my evening shift as a helldesk operator... Also, your blog is awesome guys. I've been reading it for a week now (caught the link on one of Seed's Zeitgeist digests), and have been entertained, educated, and generally found your posts to be generally enjoyable. -blinkin the misanthropic it gremlin Too bad. I was hobing it was Lisa Randall as well. She came and spoke at $local_university last year, promoting her book on string theory. I had to tear myself away in order to make the beginning of my evening shift as a helldesk operator…

Also, your blog is awesome guys. I’ve been reading it for a week now (caught the link on one of Seed’s Zeitgeist digests), and have been entertained, educated, and generally found your posts to be generally enjoyable.

-blinkin the misanthropic it gremlin

]]> By: Plato http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22026 Plato Sat, 13 May 2006 21:54:05 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22026 ...a script writer, with an attitude. Wonderful :) …a script writer, with an attitude.

Wonderful :)

]]> By: Clifford http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22023 Clifford Sat, 13 May 2006 21:48:13 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22023 JoAnne... are you saying that Michael <em> does not read the blog?!!</em> I'm shocked. What've you been doing all this time...? Go get him reading! Plato... Precisely. -cvj JoAnne… are you saying that Michael does not read the blog?!! I’m shocked. What’ve you been doing all this time…? Go get him reading!

Plato… Precisely.

-cvj

]]> By: JoAnne http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22022 JoAnne Sat, 13 May 2006 21:46:30 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22022 Alexey: Excellent! You go dude! Please write Michael (Peskin) and tell him the story - he found the ad in the Wall Street Journal and was tickled pink (and terribly curious about its background). Alexey: Excellent! You go dude! Please write Michael (Peskin) and tell him the story - he found the ad in the Wall Street Journal and was tickled pink (and terribly curious about its background).

]]> By: Plato http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22021 Plato Sat, 13 May 2006 21:43:31 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22021 Clifford. The equation...? A personal perogative of course?:) Just trying to operate within the contraints :) Clifford.

The equation…?

A personal perogative of course?:) Just trying to operate within the contraints :)

]]> By: Clifford http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22020 Clifford Sat, 13 May 2006 21:34:45 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22020 Plato. I already gave that link. Thanks. -cvj Plato. I already gave that link. Thanks.

-cvj

]]> By: Plato http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22019 Plato Sat, 13 May 2006 21:27:10 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22019 Yes Clifford. Why the struggle? You cut the mathematical explanation of Lazardis picture? Why? [...snip..... -cvj] It's not breaking news as you say. Yes Clifford. Why the struggle?

You cut the mathematical explanation of Lazardis picture? Why?

[...snip..... -cvj]

It’s not breaking news as you say.

]]> By: Clifford http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22018 Clifford Sat, 13 May 2006 21:14:32 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22018 Cynthia:- No problemo. I've got excellent lingerie to flash, if needed. ;-) -cvj Cynthia:- No problemo. I’ve got excellent lingerie to flash, if needed. ;-)

-cvj

]]> By: Clifford http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22017 Clifford Sat, 13 May 2006 21:13:34 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22017 Alexey Petrov:- Thanks! I was hoping that this might be the way to find out the back story. Excellent. So I was wrong, indeed, about my guess that it was Lisa, as others have said. I was expecting that there was some connectivity to her book-tour campaign. Would have made a lot of sense to have done the ad given that context. Oh well. So you are an equation-writer-for-hire! Excellent! Next time, perhaps politely ask if you will be compensated. If you were consulting on the colours, or the clothes she was wearing, or the background music choices (for a tv ad), or a host of other things, you would have probably been offered some payment, however minimal. Why should your science knowledge not be taken seriously too? It also means that the whole thing is taken more seriously by the corporate types also. If you're free...you're often not percieved as valuable. A nominal fee can't hurt. This is just my opinion....feel free to ignore. Thanks! -cvj Alexey Petrov:- Thanks! I was hoping that this might be the way to find out the back story. Excellent. So I was wrong, indeed, about my guess that it was Lisa, as others have said. I was expecting that there was some connectivity to her book-tour campaign. Would have made a lot of sense to have done the ad given that context. Oh well.

So you are an equation-writer-for-hire! Excellent! Next time, perhaps politely ask if you will be compensated. If you were consulting on the colours, or the clothes she was wearing, or the background music choices (for a tv ad), or a host of other things, you would have probably been offered some payment, however minimal. Why should your science knowledge not be taken seriously too? It also means that the whole thing is taken more seriously by the corporate types also. If you’re free…you’re often not percieved as valuable. A nominal fee can’t hurt. This is just my opinion….feel free to ignore.

Thanks!

-cvj

]]> By: Cynthia http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22014 Cynthia Sat, 13 May 2006 20:59:40 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22014 It appears that if one is going to be an equation-writer-for-hire then one needs to be able to show a hint of lingerie. It appears that if one is going to be an equation-writer-for-hire then one needs to be able to show a hint of lingerie.

]]> By: Alexey Petrov http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22013 Alexey Petrov Sat, 13 May 2006 20:58:32 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22013 I can explain the SUV ad (it's Ford, right?). It _is_ a slightly spiced-up page of calculations from the Peskin and Schroeder book. And this is not Lisa Randall. This ad was made by a company that is headquatered in Detroit -- I have a business card of one of the authors of this ad! What happened is that couple of months ago I was sitting in my office at Wayne State, looking over my QFT notes that I'm supposed to teach next Fall, when a guy showed up at my door and asked to "write down a complicated-looking equation." Now, that's not a usual question that I get when I sit in my office during the lunchtime! He quickly explained that he works for this advertisement company and they were contracted by Ford to produce a series of ads that should highlight the talent of Ford engineers and at the same time appeal to young people. (He showed me a prototype of an ad with that girl sitting next to a blackboard.) So his boss sent him to the closest university -- which is WSU, 5 min down Woodward Ave. from their office, to fish out a "complicated equation." The rest is simple -- I use Peskin and Schroeder as a main text for my course, so producing a list of equations was relatively straightforward. I must add that I received no monetary (or any other) compensation... :-( Amazing, isn't it? If you need to contract them, I'll send you the business card of the guy who I talked to -- once I get to my office (I just got back from the Minneapolis QCD conference)... I can explain the SUV ad (it’s Ford, right?). It _is_ a slightly spiced-up page of calculations from the Peskin and Schroeder book. And this is not Lisa Randall. This ad was made by a company that is headquatered in Detroit — I have a business card of one of the authors of this ad!

What happened is that couple of months ago I was sitting in my office at Wayne State, looking over my QFT notes that I’m supposed to teach next Fall, when a guy showed up at my door and asked to “write down a complicated-looking equation.” Now, that’s not a usual question that I get when I sit in my office during the lunchtime! He quickly explained that he works for this advertisement company and they were contracted by Ford to produce a series of ads that should highlight the talent of Ford engineers and at the same time appeal to young people. (He showed me a prototype of an ad with that girl sitting next to a blackboard.) So his boss sent him to the closest university — which is WSU, 5 min down Woodward Ave. from their office, to fish out a “complicated equation.” The rest is simple — I use Peskin and Schroeder as a main text for my course, so producing a list of equations was relatively straightforward. I must add that I received no monetary (or any other) compensation… :-(

Amazing, isn’t it? If you need to contract them, I’ll send you the business card of the guy who I talked to — once I get to my office (I just got back from the Minneapolis QCD conference)…

]]> By: Clifford http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22012 Clifford Sat, 13 May 2006 20:41:30 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22012 Plato... For the umpteenth time:- this is not a breaking news website. We are not in competition to bring things out "first" ok? I blog about what interests me and what might interest the readers. Whether it has been blogged about before is irrelevant. Also: Be aware that there are several more researchers at Perimeter besides Lee Smolin, who've also worked incredibly hard to make the place a success. Cheers, -cvj Plato…

For the umpteenth time:- this is not a breaking news website. We are not in competition to bring things out “first” ok? I blog about what interests me and what might interest the readers. Whether it has been blogged about before is irrelevant.

Also: Be aware that there are several more researchers at Perimeter besides Lee Smolin, who’ve also worked incredibly hard to make the place a success.

Cheers,

-cvj

]]> By: Plato http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22011 Plato Sat, 13 May 2006 20:23:01 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22011 In regards to Mike Lazardis, JoAnne made a early posting in regards to contributions, and this is one that I am most proud of, in regards to fueling societal values in regards to what you science people do. My respect, for Smolin and the work they have done in this institution. Shall we say, selfless? Not "ego biased" while serving a greater purpose?:)It's hard work for anyone to overcome, while setting our sights on the good we see in humanity, makes it easier. Sorry. Someone else made the observation first Clifford. [....snip....-cvj] In regards to Mike Lazardis, JoAnne made a early posting in regards to contributions, and this is one that I am most proud of, in regards to fueling societal values in regards to what you science people do.

My respect, for Smolin and the work they have done in this institution. Shall we say, selfless? Not “ego biased” while serving a greater purpose?:)It’s hard work for anyone to overcome, while setting our sights on the good we see in humanity, makes it easier.

Sorry. Someone else made the observation first Clifford.

[....snip....-cvj]

]]> By: Arun http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22010 Arun Sat, 13 May 2006 20:06:22 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22010 Why scanner? Found it here in a minute http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/ford_bold_invents Why scanner? Found it here in a minute
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/ford_bold_invents

]]> By: JoAnne http://cosmicvariance.com/2006/05/13/theoretical-physics-goes-corporate/#comment-22009 JoAnne Sat, 13 May 2006 20:05:51 +0000 http://cosmicvariance.com/?p=816#comment-22009 I like the idea of being an Equation-writer-for-hire. Definitely within my skill set! I like the idea of being an Equation-writer-for-hire. Definitely within my skill set!

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