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November 14 Interesting comment on OnsagerJust read this comment from an old paper about Ising model... ``In the days of Kepler and Galileo it was fashionable to announce a new scientific through the circulation of a cryptogram which gave the author priority and his colleagues headaches. Onsager is one of the few moderns who operates in this tradition. This paper concerns, among other things, the Onsager formula M=(1-k2)1/8 with k=[sinh(2J1/kT) sinh(2J2/kT)]-1 for the spontaneous magnetization of a two-dimensional Ising ferromagnet. This famous Onsager cryptogram required four years for its decipherment ...'' My feeling is that more and more people are trying this approach now... although I won't feel comfortable if others get headache b/c my presentation of results... thus i'm kind of out of fashion... October 30 Earthquake #?About ten minutes ago. Local intensity ~4? Time difference b/w long./trans. wave: < 1second ? Must be near/shallow source. With a small after shock? (Non-)Official report: http://pasadena.wr.usgs.gov/shake/ca/STORE/X40204628/ciim_stats_1 magnitude: 5.6 distance: ~65km much bigger than my estimate :( Really hope to experience a big one at Berkeley, esp. b/c I don't know whether I'll move with my advisor or not next semester. March 01 Earthquake againIt happend about 30 minutes ago.
Time difference between longitudinal wave and transverse wave is about 1second, thus the center must be close,
intensity is probably 3~5. My feeling is that the amplitude of transverse wave is ~5cm, of course this could be wrong.
Report says the center is only ~15km away, with magnitude 4.2
Small earthquake could be a prelude for big one.
Hopefully I will not miss some great event because of March meeting.
If you can read this you should be assured that I'm still alive.
With best regards. November 20 轶事 - Steve KivelsonOn Wed. April 26, 2006 and Fri. Oct. 27, 2006
Prof. Steven Kilvelson of Stanford University
invited our berkeley condensed matter theory people to visit stanfurd
and enjoy a hot discussion and "free" spicy Hunan dinner.
It is a good chance for to see important figures as S.-C. Zhang and Z.-X. Shen etc.
I also met Li, Rundong as he is currently student of S.-C. Zhang.
In the dinner time, Steve talked a lot about anecdotes, jokes, rumors and so on.
He said every new field in condensed matter gives opportunities
for young theorists to make a notch, because the *nasty old guys*
don't know the new methods needed for new problems.
One postdoc asked "how about High-Tc?"
Steve replied, "the problem with High-Tc is, the nasty old guys still entered (the field)."
Steve said one of his friends once wrote a humorous paper
with acknowledgement to the U.S. Department of Momentum.
made a new 1D scale to calibrate theorists,
which is similar to the famous Landau log scale.
The scale is log(creativity/reliability),
to make it well-defined, they put Phil Anderson at +10, and Halperin at -10.
My advisor said he could be around 0,
I guess I will encounter some singularity:(
Note: I used the standard mis-spelling for Stanford here in Cal.
Which does NOT mean that I have any prejudice toward Stanford university or Stanford people.
Note#2:
I once wondered why it is always the Stanford side invite us not vice versa,
until I heard our senior professor D.-H. Lee said
"The stanford people are so *fat* such that they have trouble spending their money..."
September 15 Strong Arm Robbery around my home and campusA robbery happened two blocks away from my home.
Anyway, I can hear ocassional gun shots in the night,
robbery is not a big deal, as long as robbers do not knock my door.
Following information comes from
March 29 APS March Meeting '06, Baltimore - 最妙的开场白第一次感受the infamous APS March Meeting:
连续5天, 上千人聚在一个convention center里, 从早上8点到下午5点之间的任意时刻都有约40个talk在不同地点同时进行, 除了4个场地专门作45分钟的invited talk, 其它talk长度均只有12分钟, 可以让你充分体会把事情说的简单明了是多么不容易.
由于不会分身术及机票日期限制, 上千个talk只能听十多个,
其中我觉得最妙的开场白如下,
Session: Topological Order and Quantum Computing,
Invited talk 02: by Michael Hermele (此人曾经到Berkeley访问)
After the Session Chair E. Fradkin introduced Michael to the audience,
Michael said with his typical smile,
"It's a great pleasure to be invited to talk in the session of
Topological Order and Quantum Computing,
especially because I HAVEN'T EVER worked in these two fields..."
其实我去那个session的主要目的就是听他的talk.
ps:
居然在会场碰见了renlei, 这哥们又不做talk居然也来开会, 老板还给伙食补助并报销旅费, 我们那里的很多postdoc都是自费来的.
99级PKU alumni聚会renlei去凑热闹还把我也拉去, 众人在jiaxun带领下奔赴一海鲜buffet, 不料jiaxun吃出一条虫子(确认不是半条), 于是jiaxun免费, 其他人的tip也免了. 不过我回hotel后腹中隐约疼了一阵, 以后还是不能吃这种半生不熟的东西.
March 01 Earthquake this morning早上刚下课, 就听一声闷响, 楼板一晃, 以为有重物坠地, 遂继续和classmates讨论.
后来经系安全负责人群发email通知才知道竟然是地震. 本人第一次有感地震的经历实在是太没感觉了!
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc40183688.htm
震中距离6km, 深度8km, 烈度(? local magnitude) 3.4
( 烈度这么小都有感! 历史上大地震震中附近烈度经常可以达到11-12...)
总之, 目前我还活着...
根据预测在二十年内San Francisco Bay Area将有里氏6级以上地震, 希望运气够好能够碰上.
farad
February 17 Joke? - Rejected rejectionFrom the famous Rumor Mill.
Rejected Rejection
(Contributed by Gretchen F. Stoloff) Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee 412A Clarkson Hall Whitson University College Hill, MA 34109 Dear Professor Millington, Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful
consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me an assistant professor position in your department. This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an
unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals. Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous
experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then. Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.
Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen January 28 轶事 - Robert BirgeneauProfessor Robert Birgeneau, the new Chancellor of Berkeley, gave a talk about his research in front of hundreds of students and professors in the physics department.
Before starting science, he said, with smile,
"It's the second physics talk I give at Berkeley. The last one was in 1966.
I gave that talk in hope of finding a job here. But I didn't get the job.
And I still remember those who turned me down.
So you should be careful when you turn down people." - in spring semester 2005
第二次在海外过春节, 正考虑是否应该守岁... 似乎太平洋对岸已经是初一了... January 26 轶事 - Leonard SusskindProfessor Leonard Susskind gave a talk titled "Some Thoughts on Eternal Inflation" in our Oppenheimer Center.
When he said a particular problem is very "urgent",
a seemingly bored graduate student asked, "why is this problem urgent?" He said briefly, "Because I have to know the answer before I die." - in spring semester 2005. |
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