Meanwhile, back in D.C....

Back in the Woods

Another fine day in the woods at the Bethel Bike Trails in DeSoto NF.  First woods ride since June, and first woods ride since this pneumonia started up.  No issues from that crud, just the usual comeback rustiness.

Two Songs

Doing bills this morning, paying the credit card, "Halloween Jack is a real cool cat / and he lives on top of Manhattan Chase" popped into my head.  So here's Bowie's Diamond Dogs.

The other song on my mind this morning was Pumpkin Head from Cowboy Bebob.  It kicks off like a demented robotic parrot grand marshalling a Mardi Gras parade, keeps motoring on from there.

Enough of this foolishness, I'm back to listening to Cajun pop on KLRZ for the rest of the afternoon.  Got a mountain bike to prep for tomorrow.

Smarter than our grandparents?

Or are we just more abstract?  It is a very complex issue, but the raw fact is that IQ scores show a long-term rising trend.  James Flynn makes a good run at explaining what is going on in this 18 minute TED talk.  In it, he makes three main points: (1) The number of cognitive workers has steadily increased over the past century.  (2) All of this cognitive working out has improved our ability to think abstractly.  (3) But unfortunately we're losing some of our grasp of basic history and facts, for reasons he leaves largely unprobed.

He does make some good points.  I'll leave you to ponder while I get to the lab for another stimulating day of Krell-fu.  [insert theremin sound effect here]

Some of the New(ish) Physics Explained

Bohemian Gravity (8 minutes)

Rolling in the Higgs (4 minutes)

For once, I am at a loss for words.  Certainly not at a loss for laughs though!  The guy is good.

Right on Time

Today's the fall equinox, and look what the Weather Fairy brought this morning:

Sixty six degrees, mmmmm!

You know, the best thing about fall around here is that outdoor activities are feasible throughout the day, and leisurely mornings are again possible.  In summer, you launch at dawn to enjoy the relative cool, while the middle part of the day is spent nooning out inside.  But fall days work on my schedule, and it does feel good.

Sweeping Summer Away

A big cold front:

Well, cool-ish anyway.  The 80 degree nights are probably done until next June:

In any case, I'm about done for this summer.

Bleh.