Hawthorne Effect
I was listening last week to the “More or Less” podcast with Tim Harford, which by the way is one of my favourite Radio 4 programmes and I highly recommend it. In the programme they… Read More »Hawthorne Effect
Science
Physicists create ‘molecules’ of light
This is a re-blog from PhysicsWorld Physicists create ‘molecules’ of light Physicists make photons interact The first “molecules” made from two photons have been created by physicists in the US. Their experiment involves firing pairs… Read More »Physicists create ‘molecules’ of light
Cilantro: This herb can purify water too
This is a re-blog from TIME. Cilantro: This herb can purify water too By Alexandra Sifferlin, TIME.com Because cilantro isn’t an essential crop, using it as a purifier won’t take away from people’s food needs in… Read More »Cilantro: This herb can purify water too
Electromagnetism redefined?
I have finally had some time to catch up with the brand new Observer Tech Monthly magazine, a very welcomed addition to the fine Guardian and Observer newspapers. So, there I was, reading about Paul… Read More »Electromagnetism redefined?
Léon Foucault celebrated in a Google Doodle
If you encountered a pendulum going round in the Google page this morning it is because the Google Doodle is celebrating the birthday of Jean Bernard Léon Foucault, a French physicist and inventor of a… Read More »Léon Foucault celebrated in a Google Doodle
Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues
I was talking to some students the other day (actually… a couple of months ago… ahem…), they had some questions about some problems on linear algebra and after a short while it became clear that… Read More »Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues
Mad or Economist…
Kenneth Boulding, President Kennedy’s environmental adviser said something about this: “Anyone who believes in indefinite growth in anything physical, on a physically finite planet, is either mad – or an economist.”
Wages are the opportunity cost of leisure
Wages are the opportunity cost of leisure. The higher the wage rate, the more hours of leisure a worker will forego and the more hours of labour he will supply.
We don’t make choices…
We don’t make choices based on our internal preferences. Instead, we have a gut feeling about what it is we want, and go through a process of justification and rationalisation in order to manipulate our… Read More »We don’t make choices…
Backwards and Forwards in Time
Time flies, time is money, time is a wise counsellor, time is relative, time is… very hard to define. Paraphrasing St Augustine I can say that I know what time is if no one asks… Read More »Backwards and Forwards in Time