July 2011

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I stumbled upon this mesmerizing Java simulation of a liquid in a container made by Grant Kot. It is hypnotic and just plain beautiful. Click your mouse and drag it through the liquid to interact with it. Mr. Kot is a cellist who programs and studies fluid dynamics in his spare time. Read more about

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Learning to write well requires practice, patience, and regular editorial feedback. It is a process that is never perfected, and I am certainly no expert. So, when students ask me how they can improve their writing, I point them toward two books on the subject that I always keep nearby. The first is The Elements

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In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, xkcd posted this infographic to help clarify the doses of ionizing radiation people receive from various sources. Click on the image to be redirected to the large-format original. As a resident of West Virginia, I found it especially interesting that a person living within 50 miles of

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Cargo Bridge is a great physics and engineering-based browser-based game. The goal: to build bridges that support the cargo. I hope you paid attention in physics. Both the image and the following link redirect to the game on physicsgames.net.