Greek Blog November 1, 2010
Posted by dorigo in Blogroll, internet, language, news, personal, physics, science.comments closed
I had forgotten to link it from here, but the internet always provides a chance for redemption. So here I go. A couple of months ago I have opened another wordpress blog, where I write on particle physics – in Greek. This is a rather extravagant choice, and I think I need to spend a few words explaining it.
First of all, there is my love of the language, which I have been studying for two years. It is a difficult language to master, due to the interplay of several factors: the different alphabet, the enormous wealth of words, and the rather quick evolution of rules and uses. Maybe because of these challenges, I have found it quite entertaining to get on top of it.
The second reason for writing in Greek is, in fact, that I have yet a lot to learn, and I think that writing about science is a very good exercise, allowing me to find a solution to the translation problems I may encounter if I discuss about my job – physics – in that language.
The third reason is that I think there is no offer whatsoever in the web for a blog about particle physics in Greek (if you know any, let me know). So I might just try to fill that hole myself.
In short, the new blog is an experiment. I do not know, nor can predict, how long it will last; for now, if you know modern Greek please stop by. Below is a list of my recent efforts:
ICHEP blog July 12, 2010
Posted by dorigo in astronomy, Blogroll, cosmology, internet, news, physics, science.comments closed
Just one line here to mention that since May there is a new blog out there – a temporary blog that will cover the end of July event in Paris – the International Conference on High Energy Physics -, how we get there, and the aftermath. The effort includes several well-known bloggers in high-energy physics, and is definitely worth following.
You can visit it here.
Some recent posts you might want to read March 6, 2010
Posted by dorigo in Blogroll, internet, news, physics, science.Tags: B decays, CDF, CMS, Higgs boson, particle physics, quark, top quark, W boson, weak interactions
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As the less distracted among you know, I have moved my blogging activities to scientific blogging last April. I wish to report here a list of interesting posts I have produced there in the course of the last few months (precisely, since the start of 2010). They are given in reverse chronological order and with zero commentary – come see if you are curious.
- Understanding muon decay
- CDF on Higgs decays to diphotons
- Bose-Einstein interferences: the collider view
- Are quarks and leptons elementary or composite?
- Constraints on the Higgs mass from the muon anomaly
- Tevatron Higgs searches: past and future
- Exotic hadrons: there is the rub
- The fascinating search for rare W decays
- Three papers on the muon anomaly
- Particle physics in 2020
- Triggering: the subtle art of being picky
- New rare B decays nailed by CDF: a door to new physics?
- The approved CMS Phi signal with 900 GeV data
- Three top quarks: a door to new physics ?
- Luminosity, Michel Parameter, Phase space: what a lousy title for a great post
One million hits June 29, 2009
Posted by dorigo in Blogroll, internet, news, personal, physics.comments closed
While this site has been basically inactive for over two months, it still draws some residual traffic due to google searches and links; so the hit counter has continued to click after April 15th, although at a rate of roughly a third of what it did before.
Today’s news is that we got past the millionth click. Thanks to everybody for your interest in particle physics and in my reports. Please visit www.scientificblogging.com/quantum_diaries_survivor to keep up-to-date with particle physics!
The say of the week March 19, 2009
Posted by dorigo in games, humor, internet, italian blogs, physics, science.Tags: humor, sentences
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“Questi c’hanno sistematici che fanno provincia”
[These fellas have got county-wide systematics]
(Xisy, from a comment in M.Dal Mastro’s blog)
Greek lessons online February 22, 2009
Posted by dorigo in internet, language, travel.Tags: greek
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Just a short entry today, to mention that I found an excellent resource on the web to learn modern greek. The site is completely free, and it makes available to users a full set of audio lessons, complete with study material. The lessons are easy to follow -I listened to four of them this afternoon already.
The site is http://www.kypros.org/LearnGreek/ . Have a look…They deserve some advertisement. You need to register but everything is free of charge.
What’s hot around February 10, 2009
Posted by dorigo in astronomy, Blogroll, cosmology, internet, italian blogs, mathematics, news, physics, science.Tags: Blogroll, LHC, pioneer anomaly, quirks, singularity, turbulence
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For lack of interesting topics to blog about, I refer you to a short list of bloggers who have produced readable material in the last few days:
- The always witty Resonaances has produced an informative post on Quirks.
- My friend David Orban describes the recently-instituted singularity University
- Stefan explains other types of singularities, those you can find in your kitchen!
- Dmitry has an outstanding post out today about the physics of turbulence, with four mini-pieces on the Reynolds number, viscosity, universality and intermittency. Worth a visit, if even just for the pics!
- Marco discusses the long winter of LHC. Sorry, in italian.
- Peter discusses the same issue in English.
- Marni points out a direct explanation of the Pioneer anomaly with the difference between atomic clock time and astronomical time. Or, if you will, a change of the speed of light with time!
Sunday chess riddle February 8, 2009
Posted by dorigo in chess, games, internet, personal.Tags: chess, ICC
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Here is a rather simple chess riddle for you, taken -as I’ve taken a habit of doing- from a blitz game I played a minute ago on the Internet Chess Club. Below I give you all the moves of the game leading to the position:
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.Nc3 Nxc3 4.dxc3 d6 5.exd6 exd6 6.Be3 Be7 7.Qd2 0-0 8.0-0-0 a5 9.Nf3 a4 10.a3 Nc6 11.Bc4 Be6 12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.Nd4 Nxd4 14.cxd4 d5 15.Bf4 c5 16.Kb1 Qb6 17.Be5 c4 18.Ka2 Ra5 19.f3 Rb5 20.Qc3 Rc8 21.h4?
I am black. Can you guess the move I played and the possible followup ? I will give the remainder of the game tomorrow.
(A disclaimer: the moves of the game listed above are not to be taken too seriously: as I said this was a blitz game played on the internet, and I am sure there are imprecise moves from both sides leading to the diagrammed position…)
White to move and win February 3, 2009
Posted by dorigo in Art, books, chess, games, internet, personal.Tags: chess, chess combinations, internet chess club
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Minutes ago I logged on the Internet Chess Club for some evening fun, after an evening spent playing with my kids, feeding them, and reading them a chapter of the first book of the Harry Potter saga (which, I hate to say, is excellently written). And here is the position I worked out with a similarly rated player (I am white):
White to move. Can you spot the move I played ? Mind you, I did not analyze with a chess engine the position yet, and I just spent a minute looking at it post-mortem, so I do not claim that my move is the best one in this position. It might even be flawed. But I am darn proud of it… The game ended two moves later. I will leave this little riddle on for tonight, and will give the solution tomorrow. In the meantime, do write below what you’d have played. But beware: this was a 5′ blitz game, and I had less than two minutes left for all my moves – investing more than 30 seconds of thought on the position would cost you the game in most situations.
A Quantum Diaries Survivor 