Third Supermoon

September 9, 2014
Tonight was the third and final supermoon of the summer. There isn't much more to say about it, but I finally got a decent photo with my 1000mm lens (regrettably my 2000mm lens malfunctioned in the field) so I thought I would add it here. This is as shot, with no post-processing.


Posted In : Astronomy 

 

The Holographic Principle

September 6, 2014
This past week saw the start of an experiment to test the holographic principle, which has lead to several request for a simple explanation of what the holographic principle is. Although it is not my specialty, I will try to provide a basic overview.

This idea starts with work in the 1970s on black holes. A black hole is an object in space that is so dense, not even light can escape from it. Nothing can ever escape from it (except possibly for thermal energy through Hawking radiation). Which l...
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Free Software

September 2, 2014
With the arrival of September, students around the world will be returning to classes this week. And for those who are starting out at college or university, one of the most important considerations is how to live on a budget. These are the years when one has little or no income, but must bear the expenses of living independently for the first time. While giving advice on living on a budget is far too expansive to cover in this blog, I can tackle one small aspect of student life by providing ...
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Posted In : Administrative 

 

Back To School

September 2, 2014

Some loyal readers will recognize this entry as a repeat from the last two years. I have had requests from some of my readers to repeat it again this year, and so I must once again acquiesce to the masses...

To all the students starting University, enjoy this time of your life. Long ago when I started, a prof told me that this is the start of your real education. Now you get to choose your own courses and your own field of study. It is entirely up to you to decide what to do with this chance.

I...


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Posted In : Administrative 

 

Mining Vacuum Energy

August 26, 2014
Following the articles I wrote a few months ago on what is possible and impossible in modern physics, a reader wrote to ask me about the possibility of getting useful work out of zero-point energy or vacuum energy. In theory, the Universe contains a limitless source of energy which could be tapped into to power our civilization until the end of time. But can this be done in practice?

Let me begin with a very simple explanation of zero-point energy (there are numerous websites that give the mat...
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The Perseids Peak

August 8, 2014
A reminder to those of you interested in astronomy and astrophotography that over the next few days we will be seeing the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower. The actual peak is expected to be on Tuesday, but they are still impressive in the days leading up to it. Unfortunately this week is also the supermoon, which will cause extra light pollution of the sky but hopefully won't completely obscure the meteor shower.

I am fortunate this year to be spending the week at a private dark site f...
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Posted In : Astronomy 

 

Rosetta Rendezvous

August 5, 2014
For those who have not heard the news already, or who have forgotten, today is the day when the Rosette probe will make contact with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a ten year journey, and begin collecting data and transmitting it back to Earth.

Rosetta was built by the European Space Agency, and launched back in 2004 aboard the Ariane 5 rocket as part of the ESA Horizon program. It is composed of both an orbiter and a lander, with a combined total of 21 sensors and probes which will be ...
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Posted In : Astronomy 

 

Energy of the Big Bang

July 12, 2014
I would like to start by thanking those people who praised the series of articles that I wrote about what is impossible and what is not in the world of modern physics. Those articles were great fun to write, and I am pleased that others enjoyed them as well. This sort of excitement about scientific research is important for the future of our society.

Now on to today's commentary, regarding how the conservation of energy could be compatible with the big bang model of cosmology. A few people hav...
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Canada Day 2014

July 1, 2014
Happy Canada Day to all who are proud to be Canadian, and all those who wish they were Canadian. This truly is the greatest country to live in, and we should all be proud of the society we have built together though the past two centuries or so. 

Happy Canada Day!

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Quantum Fortunetelling?

June 27, 2014
Last week I was inspired by a poorly presented popular physics lecture to review a couple of concepts in modern physics which people tend to think are impossible, but are not. Most laws of physics have loopholes in them - nothing can travel faster than light unless it carries no information or causes spacetime itself to move, time travel seems paradoxical but there are quantum mechanical solutions, energy must be conserved unless the laws of physics themselves can evolve over time, etc.

Conti...
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About Me


Dr. Chris Bird I am a theoretical physicist & mathematician, with training in electronics, programming, robotics, and a number of other related fields.

   

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