Cafe Scientifique Pittsburgh features...me!
August 28, 2008
I just got my e-mail about the September Cafe Scientifique get-together in Pittsburgh.
It seems I know the speaker!
Cafe Scientifique September 8 Event--20th Century Physics
Decade by Decade
Topic: Twentieth Century Physics Decade By Decade
Speaker: Dr. Fred Bortz, formerly of Carnegie Mellon, author of
many science books for children
When: Monday, September 8, 2008, at 7:00 PM at the Penn Brewery
Hello Friends of Cafe Scientifique Pittsburgh:
Hope you had a great summer--it's back-to-beer-and-science time! (Not necessarily in that order--depending on your preference.) Dr. Fred Bortz, author of Physics: Decade by Decade, will talk to us about a few of the many surprises that twentieth century physics had in store for physicists who thought that most of the important questions had been answered. They fully expected to spend their careers refining theories and making more precise and accurate measurements of universal constants, but thankfully they were wrong. As Dr. Bortz writes:
Instead of tying up a few loose ends, physicists pulled on a few snags and watched the entire theoretical fabric of physics unravel. It would take most of the new century to reweave it.
Please join us for a rousing look at revolutions past, which may just shed some light on revolutions future! We'll be giving away a few of the speaker's books, and will have others for sale. As always, there will be fine food and beer to accompany the talk, and a lot of friendly, interesting people to talk to. Hope to see you there!
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Comments
Videotape Your Speech, Please!
August 31, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 11 weeks ago
Comment id: 31720
Fred--the Pittsburgh community is so lucky you are speaking there! Could you get someone to video your presentation so you could post it on your website and the rest of us could enjoy it?
Barb Oakley
No video, sorry!
August 31, 2008 by Fred Bortz, 1 year 11 weeks ago
Comment id: 31722
Barb,
I appreciate your kind words, but the room setup won't be good for videotaping.
Also, from a marketing perspective, I have more to gain from honoraria for my talk than from sales of a book that is sold primarily to library reference collections.
In other words, this presentation is unlike your BookTV talk for Evil Genes, which has a price point such that on-line viewings are likely to produce sales. I'd be giving away the store, rather than enticing people to buy a good product, by putting a video online.
Invitations to present my talk elsewhere are always welcome, especially if I can combine a chance to speak to college students and faculty with a K-12 school visit or two in the same area.
Right now, I'm seeking "gigs" in connection with upcoming events in Rochester NY on Nov. 8 and King of Prussia PA on Oct. 19-20.
Anyway, thanks for giving me a chance to elaborate and, frankly, to give a more explicit sales pitch for that talk elsewhere.
Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)
Enough Fluff and Stuff
August 29, 2008 by Fred Bortz, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31694
The commenters post about "Stuff,"
But most of their words are just Fluff.
Please come to my talk
(Yes, I'll have books to hawk).
With this poem, let's all say, "Enough!"
Limericiously yours,
"Dr. Fred"
Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)
Stuff is a vague and degrading bit of jabberwocky
August 29, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31691
Please allow me to swat a fly,
My favourite pastime.
A book is only as good as it's reader.
Creative genius flows from a well of well-meaning,
Combined with the freedom to ignore the insults
Of the petty and jealous 'mainstream'.
I am GOD (sorry, DOG) to thee,
Foolish mortal
The elixir is only served to those
Who rise above the bites of flies
And desire with all their wit
To contribute something better than lies.
How did I do? Love me! I am your servant, oh savants
of discovery! Please treat me well and feed me some more
tidbits of delicious, nutritious, satisfying NEW!
Pour vous, naturellement.
Anonymous and the stuff
August 28, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31670
They want to clutter up a place for rational discourse and theory: forums and blogs
Do not listen to anonymous and the stuff.
They do not understand social norms.
But they have the floor -- anonymous postings.
If their posts were important and useful they would have accounts and names.
They do not. But they want you to listen anyway.
Because their opinions and spite are not rational they foist their issues on others and cannot take any sort of criticism - they are the ones who suppress thoughts here!
Eric
Still awaiting your non-anonymous review
August 28, 2008 by Fred Bortz, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31669
Anonymous,
Since you are apparently stalking me across the whole of Science Blog, I am repeating my previous response to you here. I'm sure I speak for others when I say that gratuitous insults are a waste of bandwidth on this blog.
Identify yourself and say something substantial, or just go away.
Previously submitted by Fred Bortz on Wed, 2008-08-27 11:31.
Anonymous,
Please take the time to discover my books, such as Astrobiology in the "Cool Science" series for middle grade readers, and Martian Fossils on Earth? The Story of Meteorite ALH84001, in which the title and every chapter heading are questions, before you accuse me of lacking creativity and not having an open mind.
You will find the same evidence of an open mind throughout Physics: Decade by Decade, and especially in the closing chapter.
After you have looked into my work, you will then be qualified to make comments. Bad reviews don't bother me as long as the reviewer has read my work. Uninformed, ad hominem attacks like yours, however, will not go without a response.
I put my name behind and stand by my work, and can cite evidence in doing so. Do you stand by the insults you are slinging behind the cloak of anonymity?
Fred Bortz -- Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)
Fred Bortz and the stuff
August 28, 2008 by Anonymous, 1 year 12 weeks ago
Comment id: 31667
They want to control the only free-land of science: forums and blogs.
Do not listen to Fred Bortz and the stuff.
They do not understand science.
But they have the god -- mainstream.
If their books were creative then they would be rich.
They are not. But they want to sell their books.
Because the books follow the mainstream and the mainstream is considered to be their god, they try hard to suppress any new thoughts here!