“The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics to Yoichiro Nambu.”—Press Release, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences – – – FREDDY MIND: To begin with, let me introduce myself. My name is Freddy Mind. It’s a stage name. I was once one-half of the physics duo of Freddy Mind & Yoichiro Nambu. This man to my right, he needs no introduction! Go ahead and introduce yourself, Yoshey. YOICHIRO NAMBU (softly): My name is Yoichiro Nambu, and I won the Nobel Prize for physics. MIND (laughs): When you think of good ol’ Yoshey,…

Why does my hair keep falling out? Why would it skip going gray and go straight to falling out? What if my lab coat has a stain on it and I just can’t see it? Will people be able to tell this is the same lab coat I wore yesterday? Is it going to rain? What if it rains? Do I have an umbrella in the car? If I leave too late, am I gonna get caught in traffic and be late to work? If I leave too early, am I going to get to the lab and no one…

CD Title: Inverse: (Special limited edition release) (2009) Artist: VAMPIRE WEEKEND Rating: 2.718 stars (out of 5) – – – The rating stands. (Spoiler alert: We rounded.) Actually, we took our cue here from Leonard Euler. Our rating is actually “e,” as in the sound of the squeals that will inevitably emanate from the ladies of Cambridge after they all get a hold of Inverse come two months. Yes, M.I.T.’s finest are back with a shtick to shake up the innumerate masses for whom any further mention of the band’s album sales sends us critics to sleep, and more than…

(See the previous 10 questions piece here) – – – 1. The clone researchers said you were leading a happy life in your cramped, sterile, colorless, soundless storage pod. Why did you feel the need to escape? 2. I doubt any of the idiots at work will notice you’re an imposter, but you won’t be so lucky at home. Karen and the kids will see through you pretty quickly. How much longer do you think you can pull this off? Any chance you can make it through the weekend, so I can get in a little fishing? 3. You may…

Man has been studying the fossil records for quite some time now—and we are not referring here to the investigation of old maid Sunday school teachers, Bob Dole, or others long presumed dead—and has discovered that there are many species of plants and animals which have become extinct. While many of these have simply evolved to more viable forms, there are others which seem to have run into a brick wall—or in more scientific terms, an up-thrust of metamorphosed iron-rich silt interlaced with veins of limestone. Although there is only inconclusive evidence as to the purpose, if any, of certain…

(Because it’s also the International Year of Astronomy, over the next few weeks, we are happy to present a few reprinted funny pieces that relate to this business of space – Enjoy!) January 17, 2005 I received the syllabus for my Humanities course. A humanities course should not be required for my B.Sc degree in Physics. To add insult to injury, we are supposed to do an analysis of Well’s The Time Machine. We are to focus on the historical context when the topic is time travel? Who reads a book on a time machine for social insights? I would…

(Because it’s also the International Year of Astronomy, over the next few weeks, we are happy to present a few reprinted funny pieces that relate to this business of space – Enjoy!) Are you doomed? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to consult a colour-coded chart. Take, for example, the Torino Scale, which astronomers use to express the likelihood of an asteroid hitting the Earth. Asteroid impacts are believed to be responsible for several mass extinctions – just ask the dinosaurs (oh wait, you can’t) – and it’s only a matter of time until another killer rock…