Science and Democracy

I read a truly interesting book over the summer, called "The Science of Liberty" by Timothy Ferris, one of the best science writers we have today. The argument he poses is that the development of science is effectively responsible for the creation of American liberal democracy (not meaning the modern interpretation of liberal, which is associated with being a Democrat, but rather the creation of liberty as a basic human right). I wrote about this back in early July, but am pleased to see that others are taking interest in the book.

There is a new Skeptic article in Scientific American. In it, Michael Shermer gives his take on the premise of the book, and I encourage you to take a look at it and find out what you think. It is an interesting topic.

Let the Madness Begin!

Well, we are here, back in ETHS!! Welcome back. I anticipate a fantastic year as we pursue a journey to figure out some physics, and gain insight into how the universe works. This blog will have a variety of thoughts and questions throughout the year for us to ponder. It will have links to 'how to' videos for a large assortment of problems and concepts. From time to time I may request your feedback to certain posts, so we can get a class discussion going. It is important that you have some experience with using blogs since they are likely here to stay. We will do other forums in Moodle from time to time, as well, so we can make good use in sharing information and opinions with each other using a few different technologies. However, you are, of course, welcome and encouraged to leave comments any time you wish. You will need a Google account (by getting gmail, for example, at gmail.com).

Enjoy the first few days, and we'll get to work. I hope you had a wonderful summer, but it will be good to see all of you.

New School Year Almost Upon Us

In just a few weeks, we will be back at it at good ol' ETHS. I hope everyone has had a wonderful, relaxing summer, and is charged up to have some good times in Physics. I am looking forward to seeing everyone very soon.

Take it easy, and incoming seniors, do some work on those college essays now...you'll thank yourself when school is in session and those AP classes are loading you up with work. :-)