psychohistorian.org
Front page archives – 2010
2010.08.23
astronomy
Aurora over Earth.
2010.08.22
magic
The College of Magic in Cape Town held their Annual Stage Contest on Saturday (August 21). The outcome of the contest would determine who would be allowed to take part in the Western Cape Junior Magician Championships, to be held in the Baxter Theatre on September 19th.
Friend Bertus and I attended the event, and it was a total blast – magic is alive and well in Cape Town.
2010.08.12
prophets & magic
I love magic. Not the silly kind that the degenerates believe in, but the conjuring kind, legerdemain with a deck of cards. Not only is it fun, but its also engaging intellectually.
When performing a good card trick, you amaze and surprise your audience, because the seemingly impossible happened before their eyes – it's magic! A trick is engaging precisely because it cannot be explained in terms with which the viewer is familiar.
One of my favourite effects plays out like this. I present an ordinary deck of cards and shuffle the cards thoroughly. I then hold the deck out towards the audience member, in full view.
"You're familiar with cards, right?" I ask, as I hold up the top card. "Please tell me what this one is."
"That's the Jack of Spades," she says (or whatever it is).
"Good," I say, "lets put the Jack back on top of the pack," which I then do.
I bring the deck even closer to her, saying, "Now watch this carefully..."
2010.08.21
atheism
Saturday, August 28 – "Awesome Universe: How to reconcile the Big Bang universe and evolutionary processes with belief in the God of the bible."
This unlikely revelation will be made by Dr Michael Jarvis during a one-day seminar at the Fact and Faith Centre, 10 Berg Street, Wellington, from 09:00 to 16:00. Entry is free, and so is the coffee.
2010.08.19
nice one
via MGS
MESSENGER, NASA's "mission to conduct the firts orbital study of the innermost planet", is in orbit around the Sun and positioned to study the elusive planet Mercury. A few months ago, the space craft looked back to Earth to capture a lovely view of our planet together with the Moon.
If you haven't seen Mercury itself yet, now is a good time – soon after sunset, look for the planet low in the west, where it shares the twilight with Saturn, Mars and brilliant Venus.
magic
College of Magic – August 21: Annual stage contest; September 19: Cape Junior Magician Championships (Baxter Theatre)
2010.08.17
two vices
via EJFF
2010.08.14
ted talks
2010.08.13
missing
via MC
2010.08.11
astronomy
KSP
KSP photos by Hannes and Pieter Pieterse, at Astropix.
quote
via JP
“I don't know if I'm the right person to be doing jokes about religion. In the last few months I've become religious, I've started believing in God and creationism and intelligent design, and the reason that I now believe in God and creationism and intelligent design is because of Professor Richard Dawkins. Because when I look at something as complex and intricate and beautiful as Professor Richard Dawkins, I don't think that could have just evolved by chance. Professor Richard Dawkins was put there by God to test us. Like fossils. And facts.“
Stewart Lee
skeptic
R.I.P. Martin Gardner (1914–2010)
2010.08.10
astronomy
Fri 2010.07.02
sometimes
via: Bruce
Wed 2010.06.30
astronomy
Image: eta Carinae region, by Dale Liebenberg.
astronomy
Image: Messier 24 region, by George Liakos.
Tue 2010.06.29
astronomy
The solstice Full Moon rising over Cape Sounion, Greece, elegantly captured by Anthony Ayiomamitis.
Mon 2010.06.28
sport
via: Johann P.
Tue 2010.06.22
silliness
via Hermann
To pray for: Gulf oil spill. Seriously.
astronomy
To celebrate: 100 supernovae
astronomy
By Hubble: N 11 in the LMC.
psychology
The human brain: specialized machine or general-purpose problem solver?
Tue 2010.06.15
howzat
via Clint
Destroyed: Touchdown Jesus.
journal
Images: Two days in Rocklands
journal
Images: ASSA Cape Centre dark sky evening (2010.06.05).
journal
Images: World Cup in Sutherland
Wed 2010.06.09
space
Update: SumbandilaSat blog, and Engineering News on working with problems.
image
Image: Lights of Cape Town on TWAN by John Goldsmith.
in denial
Here's a rash of silliness that isn't going away soon – cell phones cause cancer. Or microwave ovens cause cancer. Or [insert device of your choice][append "radiation"] causes cancer. Instead, read this month's feature article before forwarding silly e-mails. Be careful: computers cause cancer, too.
Fri 2010.06.04
upgrade
via Hans
At last: Sir Patrick Stewart.
Tue 2010.06.01
astronomy
Mon 2010.05.31
tickets
Advice: Products for the women in your life, sponsored by Angus Buchan.
astronomy
Video: Martin Lyons setting up his mobile 16-inch Meade LX200. Amazing.
astronomy
Free: A new version of Stellarium.
astronomy
Images: Two stunning images of the International Space Station, by Anthony Ayiomamitis..
Sun 2010.05.30
photography
via Bruce
To use: EXIF metadata editor.
Wed 2010.05.26
rip
Wed 2010.05.19
astronomy
Image: NGC 6231 in Scorpius, imaged by Kos Coronaios.
astronomy
Images: Latest crop of stunning astro-images by Anthony Ayiomamitis, including views of M23 and M25, and the recent occultation of Venus by the Moon.
astronomy
Image: Southern Pinwheel (M83), imaged in the infrared with ESO's VLT.
Sat 2010.05.15
astronomy
via: Bruce
Gone: Jupiter's belt! Catch the lob-sided giant planet in the morning sky, rising 5 hours before the Sun.
astronomy
Images: Latest crop of stunning astro-images by Dieter Willasch from his recent visit to Harkos in Namibia.
astronomy
Crescent Moon
From Wednesday until the week-end (May 19-22) watch the beautiful crescent Moon after sunset as it passes by Mars, Regulus and Saturn.
Aim your binoculars at the Moon on Wednesday evening and look just 5° below the lunar crescent for the delightful Beehive open cluster (a.k.a. Messier 44).
Time for outreach, anyone?
Fri 2010.05.14
musings
A star, when you get right down to it, is just a massive thermonuclear explosion.
Thu 2010.05.13
musings
Any good Dungeon Master (or Games Master, as the yungins call it nowadays) knows that there is one big secret to running a successful campaign.
astronomy
Image: McClean Dome, SAAO (Cape Town).
Fri 2010.05.07
Wed 2010.05.05
journal
To make: the perfect mustard.
Wed 2010.04.21
atheism
via: Ian Glass
To watch on YouTube: Stephen Fry on the Catholic Church.
Tue 2010.04.20
musings
For the past year or so I've been learning to do magic. I'm no good at it yet, as unwilling audience members (i.e. friends & polite colleagues) will eagerly testify. But I have learnt one secret.
Mon 2010.04.19
astronomy
Feedback & photos – ScopeX 2010.
Thu 2010.04.15
particle physics
via Victor van Wulfen
Has the Large Hadron Collider destroyed the world yet? Find out at http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/.
musings
Being happily married for 23 years now, my correspondent (let's call him Jack) writes to say that when he woke up this morning next to his wife, he couldn't help smiling as he watched her sleep. She was still the most beautiful thing he'd laid eyes on.
Wed 2010.04.14
musings
Life goes on in slow plodding steps, whether you're a subsistence farmer in Namibia or an air-traffic controller at Heathrow who Twitters, blogs and Facebooks in his spare time.
Thu 2010.03.25
atheism
via: Pieter Bosman
To decide: IOL poll on Jesus art.
Tue 2010.03.23
astronomy, ASSA Cape Centre
A few pics from the weekend's dark sky evening, arranged by the ASSA Cape Centre.
Mon 2010.03.10-22
astronomy, outreach, CAP2010
Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 (Day 1, 2010 March 15).
Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 (Day 2, 2010 March 16).
Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 (Day 3, 2010 March 17).
Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 (Day 4, 2010 March 18).
Communicating Astronomy with the Public 2010 (Day 5, 2010 March 19).
Day 1: Astro 101 School.
Day 2: CAP2010 Astro 101 School.
Day 3: CAP2010 Astro 101 School.
Mon 2010.03.08
astronomy
To switch off: your lights, on March 27.
Mon 2010.03.08
astronomy
To switch off: your lights, on March 27.
Sun 2010.03.07
admin
So, there it is. A few hours ago my laptop and cellphone were stolen. Wailing and gnashing of teeth will no doubt be the order of the day for a while. Meanwhile, if you have my cell phone number, please e-mail me yours so that the healing can begin.
Sun 2010.02.28
journal, photography
Imaged: Simonsberg.
astronomy,
photography
Rose: the Moon over Coetzenburg.
astronomy,
photography
Arrayed: Sunday-morning stars over Stellenbosch.
Sat 2010.02.27
lecture
To attend: The Origin of Life (Cape Town, March 17).
Wed 2010.02.24
astronomy, south africa, meerKAT
Imaged: Flying over meerKAT last week.
AD&D
To buy: Surfacescapes.
astronomy, minor planets, occultation
Report: Varuna occultation event.
astronomy,
photography
Three photos from Sutherland: "All-star guest house", "Looking south" & "Galactic centre risen".
journal, photography
Three photos: Passing through the Hex River Valley.
Tue 2010.02.23
astronomy
Recently opened: Martin Lyon's new backyard observatory.
astronomy,
photography
Photographed: Lightning over SAAO Sutherland.
modelling
From ESO: NGC 346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Sun 2010.02.21
astronomy, ASSA
To attend: The 8th Biennial ASSA Symposium, Silverton, Pretoria, 2010 October 07 & 08.
modelling
To ponder: Alan Baker's evaluation of simulation-based definitions of emergence in the current issue of JASSS.
modelling
To keep in mind: the forthcoming cognitive modelling repository at OSU.
astronomy, outreach, IAU
To browse: CAP 2010 programme.
astronomy, SSN
PDF download: March Southern Sky Almanack.
Fri 2010.02.05
journal, blaireaux
Thu 2010.02.04
astronomy
To enjoy: http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/
Wed 2010.02.03
updated 2010.02.04
astronomy, SAAO, NRF
"Concern over top SA astronomer's suspension" (Cape Times, Feb 04, page 5)
"Astronomical observatory head suspended" (Business Day, Feb 02)
"Phil Charles suspended" (The e-Astronomer blog, Feb 02)
"Chief astronomer suspended" (Cape Times, Feb 01)
"DA calls for transparency from NRF about renowned astronomer's disciplinary hearing" (DA Newsroom, Jan 29)
Tue 2010.02.02
education
via: Hans
A different kind of Jesus Nut.
Mon 2010.02.01
Wed 2010.01.27
atheism
via Chris
Fred on the religion of science.
Sun 2010.01.24
astronomy, photos, Orion's Sword
To see: Orion's Sword region, imaged from Somerset West last week by Dieter Willasch.
Stellenbosch
To attend: an opening exhibition, of Artspace44, at 44 Church Street, Stellenbosch, on Friday February 05 @18:00.
Eddie
To attend: Its No Joke With Eddie Izzard, at Cape Town International Convention Centre, on Thursday February 04 @20:00.
Mon 2010.01.18
astronomy
Sat 2010.01.09
Mon 2010.01.04
astronomy, eclipse
Sat 2010.01.02
astronomy, eclipse
Sat 2010.01.02
nostalgia
Southern skies
- Find out about the Moon, stars, planets and constellations visible in the southern skies this month.
ASSA Symposium
- Eighth Biennial ASSA Symposium will be held in Pretoria on 2010 October 07/08.
Recommended
Science
Science
Scepticism
Skepticism
Stars to Midnight
- Visit Sutherland, the astronomical mecca of Africa, and enjoy a guided star show and deep sky tour, and see the "Stars To Midnight".
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