Andrew Jaffe: Leaves on the Line

I realize that I haven’t posted in nearly two weeks. Between marking exams, gardening, attempting to solve differential equations and calculate integrals with several hundred terms, inspiration has been lacking. Here are some things I may yet get to:

• The book launch for Universe or Multiverse, edited by QMW Cosmologist Bernard Carr. Entertaining, for sure, worth talking about in the pub. Beyond that, I have yet to reach the requisite eminence grise status to be allowed to talk about this sort of thing. (Although I am allowed to comment…) It was sponsored by the Templeton Foundation, whom I find slightly creepy, mostly since they’re a bit too careful to not mention their, erm, spiritual side when in a room full of sceptical scientists.
• For some reason, my brain makes a link between the issues surrounding the multiverse, and the fight being on the right wing (at least in America) between neo-social-Darwinists and anti-evolution fundamentalists believe that their biblical beliefs can’t be reconciled with any sort of evolution.
• The fantastic appearance by The Hold Steady on Later with Jules Holland.
• The really big supernova — the explosion of a star the mass of 120 suns — that’s recently been observed.

A beautiful but frightening picture of the fire burning near the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles. Evidence that we were probably never meant to live in that part of the world? (Photo courtesy Monica Almeida/New York Times)