Rodeo night

NY Times on death of Abdul Ahad Momand, Only Afghan to Fly in Space (I'm briefly quoted in this). (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/w...

The in-house medievalist bumped me on my way to the kitchen. I threw myself on the floor, writhed in agony, and demanded a martini 🍸 GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL!

While disappointing, it's not surprising. The effort to force redistricting didn't seem well planned and thought out. Colorado is increasingly a blue state and the three judges were all appointed by Dems.

Can't spell lunatic without Luna... via @nsarchive.bsky.social

via @nsarchive.bsky.social = Luna (FL, R) will use the hearing to incite panic about vaccines...her preoccupation with the perceived dangers of vaccines citing “declassified CIA files” that revealed a “chilling blueprint to manipulate Americans’ minds through covert drugging with vaccines.”

Am I the only one creeped out by the United guy?

If you're keeping a checklist... www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlF...

Yes, we have no hadrons.

So very sorry to read this...the wildfires here have reddened the sky and dropped ash hundreds of miles away. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/u...

today in "the social construction of truth" www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/b...

"They don't make 'em like they used to!" "Yeah? Here's why." Government regulations are good. www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_r5...

BREAKING: Max Planck invented a time machine and lives amongst us. www.science.org/content/arti...

Come be my colleague! American University's History Department is searching for a tenure-track assistant professor of science, tech and society. I am chair of the search and pleased to answer any questions either on here or email (grao at american) american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...

It's been a week => two new book projects approved and moving forward, a co-edited collection on "habitability" with @upittpress.bsky.social and a solo effort with @yalepress.bsky.social. Some teaser images...

No. Next question...

Today in "nanotechnology" www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/t...

SO tired of these takes on the humanities...the statement "I use AI all day. Indeed, AI helped to write this essay" didn't help. www.chronicle.com/article/why-...

“I’ve faced a lot of adversity,” Vanilla Ice said. “Probably more than any person to ever play a record or become a musician.” www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

Found - my youth.

Then vs. now

Scientific American was one of the instruments that got me interested in science as a pre-teen. I can remember my parents buying me the occasional issue after Sunday church...I didn't understand the content - it was pitched above me - but the thing is, I WANTED TO.

Almost lifelike...

Ohhhhh....those vandals.

While such competetions are largely symbolic, they point to an ebbing US science and technology system. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/t...

Bearly containing myself... From a bear encounter website: "bear spray is a powerful aerosol made from the same compound that makes hot peppers “hot.” It doesn’t work like bug repellent — so don’t spray your tent, clothes or yourself."

When A.I. re-designs the bicycle...

(FYI: Not my image...)

Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...

The national park experience, degraded by the current admin: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/t...

Absolute f*ckers.

Any undergraduate who has paid attention in a world history class understands the importance of chokepoints - Dutch @ Melaka, Venice @ Adriatic + Red Sea et al.

One of my favorite new historical actors – Frederic Halford, a.k.a. “detached badger”

Ah, so that's what US-Australian cooperation looks like.

I've had the good fortune to see several works by James Turrell; this one sounds amazing: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/a...

@kschake.bsky.social on who is to blame for the terrible US-Iran deal..."impossible to hide that the outcome of this war is an American defeat of historic proportions." www.aei.org/foreign-and-...

Want some summer reading? How about a "book about books about computing"?? I have a new book out via @mitpress.bsky.social Details at: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255348... #HistSci #Computing #History #Books 🗃️

My assessment of who’s to blame for the Iran debacle: foremost the President, but also the Secretaries of State and Defense and the National Security Advisor, all of whom failed at their central obligations. www.aei.org/foreign-and-...

So long Slick Six.... #SpaceCoast www.noozhawk.com/demolition-l...

Delighted to see that the Fort Collins police department has discontinued its use of Flock cameras.

Serious "Best in Show" dog announcer vibes from the Fox color commentators

The Cheese and the Worms had nothing to do with what I was studying in the 1990s and yet it was a powerful and influential book for me...as was the whole idea of microhistory and its power. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/b...

brown dwarves and "hot Jupiters"

Sci-fi and the “tyranny of the M Class Planet”...

Gearing up for our two-day history of science workshop in Fort Collins on habitability, extreme environments, and the limits of life. Thanks for CIFAR for funding us :)

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; in practice, there is.

I've never understood the Cult of Jeep - why would you drive a known unreliable vehicle into remote places - and now I understand it even less. www.wsj.com/business/aut...

UPDATE: Weather Stays Trump's Name

What a life in art...RIP

So, prosecuting fraudster Tina Peters, right?