Five Cool Nerds

These are five of the coolest nerds you've probably never heard of. They are among my personal favorites.

Brian Greene

Theoretical physicist Brian Greene has been instrumental in popularizing elements of string theory and cutting edge physics. A rising celebrity in his own right, he has even appeared as himself on pop-culture television including The Big Bang Theory, in addition to hosting his own educational documentaries on NOVA based on his top-selling books Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Hidden Reality. Professor Greene is a Harvard graduate with a doctorate from Oxford where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He now teaches at Columbia University. All this is in addition to real contributions to understanding mirror symmetry and topology in string theory. You can read more about him on BrianGreene.org.

Cara Santa Maria

Senior science correspondent for The Huffington Post, Cara Louise Santa Maria, is one of most broadly talented journalists around. Former cheerleader, jazz vocalist, model and tattoo enthusiast, Cara has performed advanced research in neuropsychology, has taught biology and psychology and now reports on a wide range of science topics where she has interviewed and been interviewed by scores of celebrities. She has appeared on episodes of Larry King Live, The Young Turks, The Point and StarTalk Radio. This highly intelligent and highly attractive journalist is responsible for introducing the phrase "talk nerdy to me" far and wide across the Internet.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and rising celebrity popularizing astrophysics and science in general to a broad audience. He has also appeared as himself on The Big Bang Theory as well as making appearances on dozens of television and Internet talk shows and multiple NOVA science documentaries. Dr. Tyson graduated from Harvard and got his doctorate in astrophysics from Columbia University. He is widely credited (or blamed depending on whom you ask) for suggesting the redefining of Pluto as a dwarf planet. The coolest thing about Dr. Tyson is that he is one of few physicists to know Superman personally, having appeared as himself in a recent issue of DC Comics’ Action Comics.

Michio Kaku

Science popularizer, Michio Kaku, has authored New York Times best sellers on physics as well as hosting several science documentaries for BBC-TV, the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. Dr. Kaku graduated from Harvard and received his doctorate from UC Berkley. Born in California, Michio Kaku served state-side in the U.S. Army where he completed basic training and advanced individual training.

Bathsheba Grossman

Bathsheba Grossman is an artist promoting the marriage of advanced mathematics, sculpture and technology. Her geometric sculptures are among the best selling on Shapeways.com and are often cited not only as promotion of the idea that math is beautiful but also as prime examples of the viability and success of 3D printing technologies which she uses to generate sculptural works from computer-aided-design (CAD) drawings. Artwork created by Bathseba is viewable and available for purchase at Bathsheba.com.

The Gyroid sculpture by Bathsheba Grossman

Of Leptons And Licorice

Leptons are elementary particles in the universe.(wiki) Elementary particles are not composed of other particles. They are the smallest, most basic – most elementary particles there are. There are many different elementary particles in the Standard Model of modern physics. Leptons and Quarks are Fermions that make up the atoms with which we’re all familiar. There are also bosons, including the Higgs Boson of recent Large Hadron Collider fame (press announcement), and hypothetical particles proposed by supersymmetric theories not yet proven.

I like the leptons because, in addition to muons, taus and the neutrinos, they include the electron, without which our electronic technology and this very blog could not exist. We see electrons in all their splendor during storms in violent outbursts we call lightning; we feel electrons when we walk on shag carpet in wool socks and try to touch a metal doorknob; and we can read electrons (at least indirectly) in the form of data that appears on our computer screens, as in the characters and words of this blog.

No one has ever actually seen a lepton. Arguably, no one ever will. We know they exist from experimental results and profound, complex thought about the nature of our universe. By thinking, observing and measuring that which we can see, we are able to understand that which we cannot see. I believe that is an excellent analogy for the nature of this blog, the purpose of which will be to explore that which I see, know, believe or surmise as well as to showcase that which I love, my passions, interests and creations.

Why licorice? For starters I like licorice – real licorice, not that red stuff. Some doctors even say licorice is good for you. I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere if you look for it, but the truth is somewhat simpler. A grade-school English teacher of mine taught us that “a little alliteration goes a long way.” Besides, “Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts” was already taken.

If I haven’t already bored you silly, welcome to my musings. Hopefully this will be the first of many. This is my first blog entry ever. Can we all say late adopter?

The above image is a digital rendering I created of my interpretation of a water molecule. The full image can be seen on my DeviantArt page at jeremymallin.deviantart.com.