Of those who just saw their first total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, many described to me having a feeling of greater connection to humanity and a broader perspective about how we’re all on this tiny blue marble together. This eclipse (my third) reminded me of that, but also that nothing is perfect in life, but that doesn’t make our limited time here any less precious.
I certainly didn’t notice any news about the global transformer shortage until there was a possibility we would need a new one on the pole outside our house and wouldn’t be able to get it. Demand is exploding for this critical piece of basic technology, but supply will be a limiting factor in how quickly we can bring new renewable energy projects online worldwide.
For some of us, science is like a religion, but the battle between science and religion has been raging for centuries. Hawai’i’s Mauna Kea is sacred ground, but it is also the site of several research telescopes. This situation reveals many difficult questions to ponder, including justifying the cost of scientific progress and determining who gets to make those decisions.
The thing that started this whole road trip was my desire to see my first annular eclipse. Distinct from a total solar eclipse, this “ring of fire” is a strange sight to behold – and that’s coming from someone who travels to see total solar eclipses. Over the years I’ve learned some lessons about what to do (and not) in order to get a good view.
One of the two primary goals of our science road trip was to see the Trinity test site, where the first nuclear bomb was detonated. There’s no guarantee of getting in, which is why some enthusiastic travelers line up in their cars the night before. I believe this was the first occasion in my life that I waited in line overnight for anything.
Culture shapes us, and then we shape culture. The intervening time in between those things runs on the order of 30 years, which is often an explanation for reboots, revivals, and remakes of popular culture. The influence of the 1960s on the 1990s, and the 1990s on me was apparently very strong, which I realized this past fall when traveling in the Southwest.
It’s been a long year, and I was feeling too burned out for resolutions (of which I usually make at least 10). But what if I made a resolution to have more fun… and backed it up with my own data on how to do that… and employed a color-coded spreadsheet? I’m embarking on something I’ve never done before: committing to one single resolution.
Once we come to terms with the fact that we have a limited amount of time on this earth, the decisions we make become incredibly meaningful. I was likely an English major in a very close parallel universe, as the insights in this week’s digital detox update reference JRR Tolkien, Robert Frost, and others from my bookshelf to explore a seemingly simple directive: don’t click like.
The thought of me providing life advice to other people strikes me as hilarious and pointless since I have always felt so aimless myself. I will admit, though, that the circuitous path that has led me to where I am has given me some perspective and helped me find things I love, and I was honored to share that at my alma mater this spring.
This spring I was asked to give a keynote speech at my alma mater and tell a group of physics students about the last fifteen years of my life since graduation. I was flattered, of course, but also baffled because when I was in school, my grades were not the best and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.