75 Comments on “Again with the De-Lurking”   rss feed

1. Nonnormalizable on Jan 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm

   Occasional poster here–particle experimentalist in real life. (As much as grad school can be considered real life.) I always enjoy the more cerebral posts, and the “how to be a good grad student” series was brilliant!

2. Shantanu on Jan 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm

   Sean I am still waiting for a blog
   about this conference, which u promised you would , but never did

3. Autumn on Jan 9th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

   20something with no real world science cred who still manages to love physics and maths of all types (I do quadratic equations out longhand to clear my head, for example).

   Love the blog!

4. Sean on Jan 9th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

   Shantanu, did I? If so, sorry about that — at this point I don’t even remember enough about what happened to relate it with any accuracy.

5. Justin Yost on Jan 9th, 2008 at 9:42 pm

   I enjoy Cosmic Variance because not being at the forefront of Science (Computer Science major) but I love learning about new aspects especially with regards to physics it lets me keep up with some cool new changes. Also going to copy Nonnormalizable and say the “Grad Student” series was really cool even for me who isn’t or hasn’t been a grad student.

6. Jacob Russell on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:03 pm

   Mostly a lurker, have left comments on rare occasio: I’m a writer, my life, intellect and sensibility in the arts… but believe profoundly that science and the arts are not enemies or competitors, but siblings.

   I could only wish for more parallel confirmation from those dedicated primarily to science… and by that I mean, something more than passive “appreciation.”

   Active involvement in the basic intellectual and critical issues confronting artists/writers today.

7. dustchick on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:03 pm

   I’m an astrophysicist who is a community college professor. I’m lurking at AAS in Austin right now. I really enjoy the blog!

8. Kenneth Wilson on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

   I love Cosmic Variance, it is great reading. I don’t comment enough, but I’ve decided to remove myself from the ranks of the lurkers on this and MANY other sites.

9. mollishka on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

   I’ll take the fact that I haven’t commented in a while as a sign that I’m actually working during the days now instead of just reading blogs. (It’s probably not entirely true, but it’s a nice thought …)

10. Jacob on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

    Hey, I discovered this site a few weeks ago, and I’ve been watching it since. I’m currently in grad school studying astrobiology, and I really enjoy the variety of topics you all cover. And now that I’ve de-lurked, I’m sure I’ll add some comments to future posts.

11. Jmoy on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:56 pm

    I’m an economist from India, lurking here for quite a while. I loved physics in high school and have tried to keep in touch since. And I also have fun reading about US academia and society on this blog.

12. Harold on Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:58 pm

    I’m a grad student in experimental particle, lurking from LA. First time I came across this site was doing a search in Google on “getting into Grad school” and came upon one of Sean’s post about the same topic. I was immediately attracted to his writing style (and soon after, to the topics of the other posters!). One phrase I recall from that post was “We here at CV know what’s good for you…” or something like that.

13. Jacob Wintersmith on Jan 9th, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    Hmm…. I think I’ve posted a comment here before, but I mostly lurk. I’m a nascent scientist (grad student in applied math, to be precise), an atheist, a left-leaning libertarian, and I have three noses. I also run my own sleepy little blog, devoted to whatever I find interesting.

14. Odani of the Faith on Jan 9th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

    Hi! I’m not really a lurker–I’ve been assigned by the Non-Apostolic Ministry of the Purest Faith to monitor your site (among others) for those to be dealt with after we take over. This is one of my best sites, in that, so far, everyone–posters and commenters both–will suffer the damnation of everlasting hellfire for all eternity.

    I’ll try to put in a good word for you (well, some of you), but the Minister is kinda tough, y’know? And the NSA software also scores you, so I can’t go too far. Anyway, good luck in the torture chambers.

15. cephyn on Jan 10th, 2008 at 12:08 am

    I lurk about 99% of the time.

16. Allyson on Jan 10th, 2008 at 12:13 am

    I have nothing to do with physics, really. So of course I have a cause that is not at all physics related.

    I started a fundraiser for the Below The Line crews who are totally screwed with the work stoppage (WGA Strike).

    The addie is Cash for the Crew, and if you donate to the Motion Picture Television Fund, I’ll enter you into a drawing to win signed scripts. We have some from Battlestar Gallactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and some film writers have written to say that they’re mailing me some scripts as well. I think Jericho is also sending some stuff.

    BTL crew are the gaffers and carpenters and costumers and that guy who holds the boom. They’re out of work, and will likely be so until the actors go out in June, or unless the DGA strikes a deal and the AMPTP and WGA agree to the same terms.

    The MPT Fund helps people out with a rent check, or other such emergencies until they can get back to work.

    Donations are tax deductible, and all you have to do is forward me your confirmation (just delete the financial info before forwarding) and I’ll enter you into the drawing.

    That’s my opportunistic shill for the evening.

17. Jorg on Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:12 am

    Well, pshaw. Astrophysicist and biologist by education; a travelling punk-rock musician by preference, a lurker by nature??? No, that did not sound right. But love the blog, nevertheless…

18. Thalonius on Jan 10th, 2008 at 2:19 am

    Studied biotech, but now I’m in the mining industry somehow. I’m still a scientist at heart though.

19. Michael on Jan 10th, 2008 at 2:38 am

    Prospective graduate student and high energy experiment group member lurking here. Cosmic Variance is my favorite blog on the google reader for two reasons. The religious arguments are excellent; and the arrow of time has been my favorite topic of meditative thought for as long as I can remember. I would love to believe that I have an interesting and unique way of attacking the problem (don’t we all?) and I hope that in the near future I will be in a position to discuss this with Sean in an academic setting.

20. chris on Jan 10th, 2008 at 3:48 am

    hi,

    i’m a theoretical hep from germany and mainly i read your blog to somewhat follow us politics (especially the scary right-wing fundamentalist actions) from a sensible point of view. hope you are not disappointed that the physics posts are not the highlights for me

21. Martin on Jan 10th, 2008 at 3:51 am

    Professional astrophysicist in the UK (permanent position) working on active galaxies and high-energy astrophysics. Like to read blogs before breakfast to start my brain working.

22. Arvid on Jan 10th, 2008 at 6:09 am

    I am a grad student in theoretical physics, working on the Quantum Hall Effect and rotating Bose-Einstein condensates. I lurk from Oslo, Norway.

    My recommendation for a tidbit of the internet is Destination: OUT, a jazz blog with soundbites leaning towards the free and avant-garde.

23. Rick on Jan 10th, 2008 at 7:39 am

    Hi All!

    I guess I’d classify myself as a “new lurker” as I only discovered your fine BLOG a couple of months ago and have watch daily since. My avocation has always been in the physics realm but, besides high school science fairs, being an avid amateur astronomer and AAVSOer is the closest I been to involvement.

    I especially enjoy listening in because I enjoy the physics and it’s very seldom that any subject matter isn’t treated in a sensible manner; enlightening and uplifting.

    Rick

24. Scott G. on Jan 10th, 2008 at 7:39 am

    Physics student here and occasional astrophysics researcher (this year’s topic - planetary atmospheric studies). Been reading here since Phil Plait pointed in this direction a few months back.

25. Karthik on Jan 10th, 2008 at 8:12 am

    Engineering student from India, been lurking around for about six months now. (Was recommended the Cosmic Variance feed by Google Reader, been reading wide-eyed since then.)

26. Steven on Jan 10th, 2008 at 8:40 am

    Hi, I’m a writer and musician, don’t comment since I don’t ever have an informed opinion. But love your work. Keep it up!

27. Mark on Jan 10th, 2008 at 8:49 am

    Love the site, check it multiple times each day. I’m a DC-based lobbyist who works with universities, scientific organizations, etc. — and I’m also just a science fan who loves to hear what y’all are saying. I’ve met more than one of the co-bloggers, though they probably don’t remember me. Some of you in particle physics might remember this event from almost two years ago now (http://www.linearcollider.org/newsline/readmore_20060518_feature2.html) — that was my work.

    I work with a great community in DC to try to advance funding for science, and advance sensible science policy — obviously, that didn’t work out so well this year (see FY 2008 omnibus appropriations bill). But we’ll all trudge ahead —

    I’m a lurker, for sure, and will try to speak up once in awhile.

28. Mark on Jan 10th, 2008 at 8:55 am

    I’m a Philosophy major, turned Systems Engineer, turned law student who misses the deep hallway discussions at the research agency where I used to work. I absolutely love this blog.

    I recently took a pilgrimage to the Creation Museum. You can see some of my pics and comments on facebook: http://nd.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2116776&l=ccd49&id=15620983

    Odani, you’re hilarious. Have mercy on us.

29. Big Vlad on Jan 10th, 2008 at 9:23 am

    pheno phd student here, soon to be postdoc I hope (nervous waiting…)

30. Marco on Jan 10th, 2008 at 9:29 am

    I am a researcher in astroparticle and particle physics (and some cosmology). I studied in Italy, spent a post-doc in the US and now I am permanent in France, near Paris. I post comments only when I cannot really shut up, which is very rarely.
    I like to read you because I find it useful, entertaining, stimulating and reassuring. Thanks, cheers.

31. Eric on Jan 10th, 2008 at 9:34 am

    Theory grad student, mostly lurking, but enjoy hearing what else is going on in the physics community that you don’t always hear in colloquia/seminars.

32. Mike on Jan 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am

    I’m a mathematician teaching at a liberal arts university in the Midwest. I do research in mathematical ecology, but I’m also an amatuer astronomer. Though I rarely post a comment, I enjoy reading both the physics posts and social/political commentary from a scientist’s point of view. (You don’t get much of the latter in the mainstream media.)

33. Matt on Jan 10th, 2008 at 10:13 am

    I’m Matt. An advertising writer in Dallas. I graduated from Rice with an english major and I was a few classes shy of a physics major (my original intent, actually, abandoned when I couldn’t parse quantum physics - the prof never bothered to tell us it wasn’t SUPPOSED to make sense). Anyway, I read this site daily in a vain attempt to keep the left side of my brain from atrophying permanently.

34. zeitshabba on Jan 10th, 2008 at 10:25 am

    CVE by trade, geek by nature and lurker by choice. What could I possibly add that doesn’t dumb down the conversations?

    I believe dark matter is evil - the cosmic cotton candy of death.
    I believe that turtles carry the secrets of the multiverse on their shells.
    I believe that scientists would learn much about scientists by studying other scientists - now that’s where the science is!

    And I believe I’ll shut up again, unless Odani tells me otherwise.

35. Cyde Weys on Jan 10th, 2008 at 10:47 am

    I guess I can’t as lurker. I’m an IT Consultant (aka programmer) in real life, but I’m very interested in science (and a few fields in particular, like astronomy).

36. Kim on Jan 10th, 2008 at 11:02 am

    I was an industrial chemist for many years, now teach chemistry at a community college (and love what I’m doing). CV has been on my favorites list for about a year and I check it on an almost daily basis.

    I enjoy reading both the scientific and the social/political commentaries, and the comments to these posts are usually also enjoyable.

37. Guru on Jan 10th, 2008 at 11:35 am

    I am a computational materials scientist, doing my post-doctoral fellowship. I don’t think I ever left a comment here, though I do link to the posts here in my blog.

38. Andrew on Jan 10th, 2008 at 11:44 am

    I’ve been visiting this blog since it appeared as one of the top science blogs in Science (or Nature, I can’t remember). I believe the universe is governed by information processing and that all we are is the calculations made by a super computer that is our universe…I thought that way before Seth Loyd wrote his damn book on the subject as well. I’m not sure how the arrow of time plays into the whole puzzle of information processing but I’m sure you guys could blog about it for decades. Keep it up, I love checking this site daily.

39. Yvette on Jan 10th, 2008 at 11:47 am

    I post on occasion but haven’t much lately- I’m a 4th year physics undergrad, working towards an emphasis on astrophys. Keeps me out of trouble.

40. Scott H. on Jan 10th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    If so, sorry about that — at this point I don’t even remember enough about what happened to relate it with any accuracy.

    I remember we had drinks … and that’s about it. And I helped organize the damn thing …

41. DougB on Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

    Longtime lurker. I have a technical background but find myself in the business world looking back jealously at those who get to use their education in their day job. Working my way through Penrose to get myself back up to speed on the mathematics as well as the basic science. I want to be ready to understand the Theory of Everything when it comes out .

42. Tim Eby on Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Hi
    I’m a retired geophysicist (industry) who did graduate work in astrophysics in the late ’60’s. Cosmology was young then and there wasn’t much opportunity in astrophysics either. I’m still trying to catch up - much happens in 40 years - so I expect to do a lot of lurking.

    Keep up the good work!

43. Chemicalscum on Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    @21

    Martin,

    By any chance would you be Baron Rees of Ludlow, Astronomer Royal and president of the Royal Society.

44. Sean on Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    Chemicalscum: nope. There is more than one “Martin” that fits that description.

45. Andi Chapple on Jan 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    hi - Andi - graphic designer and musician in south-east Cumbria, northern England - been reading the blog for a while, I have high school physics and a maths degree that I really didn’t pay enough attention to so I can really only follow the headlines, but this is one of the best places to keep up with what you cosmologists etc. are doing. I don’t comment because I really can’t keep up, but thankyou for an informative and enjoyable read.

46. Jenna on Jan 10th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    Hi, I also got onto the feed from the Google reader. I love the blog, and love the comments. I’m fascinated by science et al, but have never really been able to delve too much into it, so everyday is an adventure for me. Hm, job-wise I just left classroom teaching to make some money in the tech industry. Pray for my soul lol.

47. Tevong on Jan 10th, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    Hi,

    I’m a fourth year physics student and author of adlib comics.

    Stumbled on here during my random-browsing-cause-I-don’t-wanna-work procrastination phase (usually followed by the tidying-and-organising-everything-in-sight phase), and have been reading ever since.

48. Chris on Jan 10th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

    I think I found you when you commented on our Galaxy Zoo project. Thanks.

49. Shantanu on Jan 10th, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    Sean, yes see your promise here
    (comment #4). Unfortunately the talks (slides or video ) never got archived.

50. Mark B. on Jan 10th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    I’m a biophysics grad student in Boston who found the site after Marusa Bradac gave us a colloquium on dark matter that used Sean’s Dark Matter De-Motivator I occasionally comment on the more philosophical posts (I did a couple years in grad school as a philosopher before coming back to physics.)

51. onymous on Jan 10th, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    Martin wrote:

    Like to read blogs before breakfast to start my brain working.

    That’s odd, I usually read blogs for the opposite reason.

52. cope on Jan 10th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

    Ich bin ein high school teacher of earth/space science, my second career after a stint as a wellsite geologist in the Rocky Mountains. I read blogs, I read books, I watch shows so when the stranger topics of cosmology come up with my students (”Couldn’t we just lower a camera on a really strong cable into a black hole to see what’s there?”), I gotta have a bit of ammo to fend them off. That and my own natural curiosity (you know, that ingrained characteristic of young children that pretty much gets squashed out of them by 6th or 7th grade) bring me here at least once a day.

    Thanks for what you do. I think I may actually have posted once. I’ll have to try it again some time.

53. brendan on Jan 10th, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    Hi.

    Conceptually-based fine artist. What the hell am I doing here? Despite being a math troglodyte I read everything I can about physics. I am facinated and inspired by it. I watched Sean’s Dark Matter lectures with white knuckle excitment. No really. Anyway, I’m not really a lurker since I just started reading, but let’s face it, I’m a lurker.

    Brendan

54. leonidas on Jan 10th, 2008 at 6:55 pm

    Hi

    I discover this blog about a year and half ago when I was searching for some GR notes for my GR undergrad GR course. As you might have guessed I end up reading Sean’s notes. I’ve been a regular reader of Cosmic Variance ever since. Now I am a postgraduate student in cosmology.

55. Jake on Jan 10th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

    Hi,

    I’m currently a third year math/physics double major who has slinked about in the shadows for about a year and a half now. I’ve yet to post before now since…well, I rarely have anything pertinent to add. I love the broad focus of the site - I live in the midwest, so the rationalism vs. piety topics are of particular interest to me. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the Unsolicited Advice posts, as soon enough I’ll be going through all the grad school rigmarole. Many thanks for the great blog.

56. Woei Chet Lim on Jan 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

    Hi Sean. I’m a Mathematical/numerical relativity postdoc and long-time lurker. I appreciate the many great posts on this site.

57. Philip on Jan 10th, 2008 at 10:19 pm

    I’m a community college English teacher who’s fascinated by cosmology. I’m always impressed by how well y’all write.

58. incog the great on Jan 11th, 2008 at 1:40 am

    Hi Sean. I’m an Electrical Engineer down here in Flawwda. I’ve been lurking around here on CV for almost a year now. I check it every day for new stuff. I get a kick out of plenty of the jokes and the stories by Julianne and I usually post links to CV on a discussion/porn forum (I know it sounds weird, but I swear the discussions are not about porn LOL) that I visit: http://thafam.net I just have to say, that I absolutely loved the obtusely technical discussion with Lee Smolin on here a few weeks ago. Didn’t understand much but it was very fascinating to see it play out. I love the politico blogs here as well, I tend to trust the opinions of people smarter than I am, so thanks.

59. Atanu Dey on Jan 11th, 2008 at 4:33 am

    Hi Sean,

    Love Cosmic Variance. Keep up the great work.

    I am an economist (Berkeley) with a background in computer science (Rutgers). I love physics. It was a toss up between a PhD in physics and economics. Econ won out because the problems of development are more tractable.

    Cheers,
    Atanu

60. Aatish on Jan 11th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    I’m a first year physics grad student at Rutgers and a huge fan of this site. Especially all the posts about particles, fields & strings, cosmology, academia and religion. I started off following Mark and Sean from the Orange Quark and Preposterous Universe days.

    My recent fav. was the series on the making of a paper. Some of the posts on CV that have had the biggest impact on me: The God Conundrum (some of the clearest writing I’ve read on the topic of religion), Quantum Interrogation (I agree.. QM is the coolest thing ever invented) and Dark Matter Exists (My jaw dropped open as I finally ‘got it’. Then I promptly tried to explain it to everyone I knew. Believe me, if it can get my mom interested in science, it’s an awesome post!) And of course, the series on getting in to grad school!

    Sean, I already own your GR textbook (though I’ve yet to take a class in it), but if you ever get around to writing a book on religion, I’d buy it!

    So yeah, thank you guys for taking the time to blow my mind, and for keeping me generally fascinated.

61. Jim Miles on Jan 11th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    Regular reader, rare commenter. I’m a Maths teacher in Cambridge, UK. I’m supposedly a “Pure” Mathematician (Elliptic Curves, Number Theory, Cryptography) and my Physics knowledge is very scant, but I still love Cosmis Variance because it’s just not quite impenetrable, given a bit of reading around the subjects discussed in the posts. I’m trying to learn more Physics, thanks largely to fun Physics writers like the guys on here and Richard Feynmann.

    My favourite posts are the ones about academic politics and rituals (paper writing, conferences, talks etc.) which require no background reading and are consistently entertaining and enlightening.

62. Sean on Jan 11th, 2008 at 4:56 pm

    Thanks, folks — it’s particularly nice to hear about specific posts that people enjoyed. (One might fall into the trap that it would be equally useful to hear about posts that people didn’t enjoy — but in fact that just makes the bloggers grumpy and uninspired.)

63. John Edge on Jan 11th, 2008 at 6:26 pm

    I work in information management for a large company. I think this is almost always an interesting site and tend to check it daily. I first encountered it as the location of some of the more balanced reaction to the Lee Smolin and Peter Woit books. Suppose I must have lurked ever since.

    I rekindled my interest in astrophysics after attending a lecture by Dutch physicist Robbert Dijkgraaf. I think this is just such an amazing time to follow science - particularly cosmology, astrophysics and the like; so much happening, and so accessible to the non-specialist via web resources.

    I can recommend Serkan Cabi’s excellent page of links to physics resources on the web. Do see the material available at KITP, and the Perimeter Institute - as ever varying from most accessible to totally arcane.

    Is it appropriate to suggest Guest Bloggers? I listened to some excellent cosmology lectures by George Ellis at the ASTI Online Lectures site (lectures there from Joanne Hewett too). George Ellis is a cosmologist, but is also a Templeton Prize winner, so he has things in common with Sean, as well as some significant “opposites”.

64. WhatMeWorry on Jan 11th, 2008 at 8:41 pm

    Hello Sean. Cosmic Variance is the first on my list of daily don’t-miss links, just ahead of Perez Hilton Hollywood Gossip, so you should be very proud of yourself. I make what little living I make, at the game of bridge.

    If I had tried much much harder at University of Toronto many many years ago, I might have made myself into a mediocre physicist, but at least I retained some interest in maths and physics.

    My favourite postings are those which result in long argumentative threads, that you have to close down because they have degenerated into name-calling and bratty behaviour; those crack me up because they remind me of people arguing at the bridge table.

    Oh I also like reading reading references to the Perimeter Institute, out of national pride and because I have a friend who is some kind of big deal there.

65. incog the great on Jan 11th, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Nobody noticed Odani of the Faith (No. 14)? I thought it was sarcasm, maybe it is, it must be too thick for me. It’s funny as heck though, LOL don’t know if it was supposed to be! LOL @ a Non-Apostolic church telling us that we are all going to hell. Oh, the irony! LOL

66. Claire on Jan 11th, 2008 at 11:10 pm

    Hello,

    I am called Claire.

    I am a female person who reads this blog when I can (I may have actually de-lurked a couple of times a few weeks ago, if I remember).

    I have a part-time day job and a hobby web-site. I studied physics more formally, along side Human Physiology, at elementary level in the 80’s and 90’s at college. I own about 80 various different types of physics text books, which include a small amount of popular physics. My favourite one this last four years has been, Electromagnetism for Engineers by P Hammond.

    I suppose really, I am sort of completely de-lurked now.

    Thanks

    Claire

67. Pepito on Jan 12th, 2008 at 10:21 am

    Hello Sean!

    I’m a mechanical engineer who works in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and artist (painter) who reads the posts in this blog quite often. I’ve always been a fan of science in general and physics in particular. I try to learn about it my spare time, which is not much lately due to the fact that I have a 1-year old daughter. I come from South America, live in NJ and work in NYC. Politically my ideas are closer to Libertarian Socialism, so unlike ‘incog the Great” I tend to find the political discussions and endorsements here not very useful and a little naive. The science posts, on the other hand, are brilliant, and this site usually provides me with plenty of food for thought. I read your textbook on General Relativity in the process of teaching myself GR (a very hard subject) and will just say I found it fantastic.

    Thank you,
    José

68. John Ramsden on Jan 13th, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    I’m an IT consultant interested in maths & science. In occasionally venturing to post a reply in this excellent blog (and others) I sometimes feel like a sparrow hopping about between the feet of eagles.

    But then not all discussions are heavy duty physics, and perhaps a few posts by amateurs leavens the mix and even encourages more reticent professionals to put in their oar in who might otherwise stay silent, provided we amateurs know our place and have the good manners not to try and hog the limelight (which alas not all do!)

69. Katy Huff on Jan 14th, 2008 at 7:03 pm

    I’m a 4th year undergrad physics major at the Univ. of Chicago.
    Some days, upon reflection, I find myself amused to discover that all of my small talk was fueled by some admixture of CV, xkcd, NPR, or our friend… Ezra Klein.
    So, thanks.

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71. Sven Geier on Jan 18th, 2008 at 1:13 am

    Heh — I’m a physicist or an astronomer or maybe an atmospheric scientist or maybe an engineer, depending on what’s needed at any given moment. I gots me my PhD and I’m working for JPL and I have CV in my “diversions” folder - into which I dive occasionally whenever I have a moment.

    Found this blog-post today, so that tells you how often I really have a look.

    By the time I read a post, everything I’d like to comment has usually already been said — and usually better then I could’ve done it. So I lurk, nod my head (or shake it as matters may be) and read on.

    In a Sturgeon’ian universe, CV is definitely in the ten percent.

72. Nick Ernst on Jan 18th, 2008 at 2:08 am

    Ahoy Sean, I suppose I’m in the lurking category. Hey, I’m currently working through your book, it’s quite lucid! I should share links to a couple of physics-related panels of the webcomic Dresden Codak, this one and this one. Cheers from Santa Cruz,
    -Nick

73. Samu on Jan 18th, 2008 at 6:11 am

    I am a female biology grad student in an institute which has a renowned (and dominating!) physics department.

    Comic Variance allows me to surprise the snooty physics grad students with my knowledge of the “latest” in their fields.

    Of course this leaves them lasting psychological scars from which they never recover.(how come *she* knew that before *I* did?) but then life is never fair is it?

    Just kidding! I love this blog. I just wish there was something like this for cell biology!

74. Carey B on Jan 19th, 2008 at 11:56 pm

    My background is in math (undergraduate) and computer science (graduate) and I have been working in the fields of computer science and telecomunications for over 25 years.

    With an interest in physics and cosmology for all that time, and now on the verge of retirement, I am independently pursing the study of astrophysics and cosmology. Cosmic Variance has provided valuable information in this pursuit.

75. Martin on Feb 5th, 2008 at 4:15 am

    Chemicalscum: just for the record, no, not that Martin.

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