Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Error Bar is now open and trying to come up with content...

Liquid nitrogen may be used to prepare Image via WikipediaMany years ago, I was an undergraduate studying physics at the University of Queensland. When I was there, we started an undergraduate student club (PAIN - we never really decided what the initial stood for, but the acronym still stuck) and co-opted the graduate students' weekly beer-and-pizza Friday nights - the "Error Bars".

The name is, not surprisingly for a room full of physicists, an awful pun. Traditionally the error bar would begin with some sort of fun experiment or physics inspired game, of the sort that tired, inebriated physicists would enjoy- liquid nitrogen ice-cream, physics trivia pub quizzes, construction challenges using household objects... that sort of thing. I was "social convener" (with Amanda) of the club for a year or two, presiding over a sharp downturn in the quality of the physics activities presented ;)

Today, a Discover magazine blog (cosmic variance) came up with a list of good physics/cosmology blog titles - one of which was "The Error Bar" - In a fit or nostalgia, I set up this blog. Hopefully I'll find good stuff to write about as time goes on...

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