Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Published: May 2017

 A very compact, yet quite thorough sampling of astronomical topics. We bounce from the ingredients of the cosmos to particle physics, from relativity to dark matter and a quick breakdown of the electromagnetic spectrum. Woven into the science lessons, we also get some pushes toward critical thinking and humility:

"Ignorance is the natural state of mind for a research scientist. People who believe they are ignorant of nothing have neither looked for, nor stumbled upon the boundary between what is known and unknown in the universe."

Overall, well written and accessible, a must-read for anyone in need of a quick refresher course on the fabric of the universe.

4 out of 5 stars: As someone who loves to read pop-sci physics books but never made it past PHYS 101 in college (*ahem*), I knew this would be right up my alley. Then again, as someone who loves to read pop-sci physics books, I should have realized that there wasn't going to be lot of new information presented here. But that wasn't deGrasse Tyson's fault! This offers a good, solid base of information for anyone who wants to learn about astrophysics but gets overwhelmed by the trail of links you must follow when researching on Wikipedia.

Bonus: after listening to the audiobook, if you crave more NdGT, he gave the 100th commencement at Rice University which I was actually quite a bit bummed about missing (until I remembered how godawfulhot it is outside during graduation season)

List of things to do before I die.

At the end of the summer.
...and then I burst in flames and am reborn from my own ashes!
I decided that if I formally list everything out here, there is a slightly better chance that I will hold myself accountable and actually do some of them. That, or that the list will just remain a constant, public reminder of what a failure I am . I figure this will build character.

- Six Flags

- Menil Collection

- Beach (Galveston counts, just this once)

- reread MOAR Crichton

- Miller Outdoor Theater

- Live music

- Lolololapallooza (maybe? plz?)

- Kemah Boardwalk

- Little Sister's Swimming meet

- The Dark Knight

- California

- Pick a water park, any water park

I know that some of these are pretty given, but it makes me feel good about myself to cross things off on a list irregardless of how silly the item might be.
LET ME HAVE MY FUN.

If we still find ourselves too bored, there's always Social Rule b.99.1.
Or we could start using made up words like IRREGARDLESS and see how many people still take us seriously.

A Tale of Two Outings

I take a strange pride in being easily amused. Mostly because it allows me to stay content being while others are feverishly searching for stuff to do. However, living in the loneliest hallway in Jones Dorms (complete with creaky doors and a flickering ceiling light at the far end- I kid you not) has made me realize that even I, the great antisocialite, need to hang out with people and do things sometimes. Notice, I am not admitting weakness here. Human interaction and IRL events are only necessary so that I don't run out of things to blog about.

Monday Night I crashed your party...
Drove with Kyle to JavaJazz Cafe with the promise of a live local DJ. At first I was skeptical, since the venue has a reputation for catering to tweens (and as we all know, I'm more into 8 year olds...), but P.D.A was an altogether pretty impressive show. Review: Even though I hate to pigeonhole his mad-stylez, he was kind of a pop-ish rapper with solid electronic/melodic beats. Very catchy. Very danceable. I approve. (Except for the name. Just so you know, PDA stands for Public Displays of Afflection-- a portmanteau defined as the struggle between love and hate. Really? ...really?.)

Tuesday Night I said I'm sorry...
Metrorail'd myself over to the Angelika to catch Iron Man with Viren. It's one of those movies that everyone but me had seen, so I was starting to get left out of lots of conversations. And birthday parties. Somehow, I found the only other human being on the face of the earth that hadn't seen it yet to accompany me. Unexpectedly proving my hyperbole-- we ended up being the only two people in the theater. Pfft. Where's the fun in buying popcorn if you have no one to throw it at? (Fine, you caught me, I didn't actually buy popcorn... but we ended up having a good amount of spare change between us for when a couple decided to enter the theater forty-three minutes after the movie started.) Review: I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, it's not going go win any awards, but I found myself cheering and laughing out loud more than I found myself yelling constructively-critical obscenities, which is always a good sign. And DAMN, the explosions were HAWT (*drool*). So yea, thumbs up. I'd definitely recommend the movie to people if I knew there was any possibility of someone out there not having seen it yet.
But that would just be ridiculous.

Wednesday came and trashed it out again...
Actually, all I did on Wednesday was go to work. Though I might head out to an apartment gathering later. I guess I have to do something blog-worthy now, like set furniture on fire or toilet paper their room to keep with this WILD OUTING trend of mine.

I was only having fun, wasn't hurting anyone.
And we all enjoyed the weeknights for a change.

I don't know why I had to add that in... the titles are in no way relevant to the post itself.
Bah, I'm a sucker for Billy Joel. So sue me.

Definitely 'shopped.

I hate friend-spam emails.
I'm not talking about the computer generated "SUPERS1ZE_YOUR BABYMAKER" ones (lord knows I love those...), I'm talking about the mass of forwarded mail you get from older relatives, really lonely coworkers, or friends that are actually losers. The FWD:RE:FW:: MUST READ!!!!! in the subject line is a pretty big giveaway. Usually they consist of either an obviously photoshopped image of something oMgCrAzY (bonsai kittens anyone? really?) or a heartwarming story that if you don't pass on to at least 10 people, you will never find love. Or happiness. Or that one sock you've been missing for a week. Hovering over my mom's shoulder (as I often do) and watching her go through an unending flow of friend-spam, I finally broke down and started ranting about how ridiculous and obnoxious these emails are- passing along warm&fuzzy stories or shocking images to what purpose? To make gullible old people worry even more about the evils of the world? To enlighten any one who might have needed justonemore Jesus story to finally believe? They're dumb, fake, and a waste of the reader's time and energy. I usually just delete them on the spot, and I suggested she do the same (srsly mom, trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I beat the internet. The end guy was hard.) I even decided to take it a step further, look one up, and prove they were lies.

...Unfortunately, I lose at life.
So uh, in case anyone was wondering, that basketball girl does actually exist. Oops. Now my mom thinks it's funny to say that everything she sees is "so obviously photoshopped" just to mock me. I'm living an xkcd comic, and a cosmically ironic one at that.

On the bright side, new Ratatatatatat! Huzzah!
Get ready kids- their album releases July 8. w00t.

PPS: Speaking of xkcd, who calls RULE 34 on that basketball girl, eh? Anyone? Anyone?

okimdonenow