More than everything else, however, the expedition undertaken by Delambre and Méchain in the waning years of the 18th century fundamentally changed what it meant to be a scientist. In fact, it encouraged the invention of the term itself and the very idea of a scientist. “In 1792, Jean-Paul Marat had been the first personContinue reading “Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 2 of 2)”
Tag Archives: Non-Fiction
Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 1 of 2)
Dr. David M. Burns once advised his colleagues to “Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.” This attitude towards success was not always so widespread throughout the scientific community. There was aContinue reading “Measure for Measure: Delambre, Méchain, and the Meter – The Things that Endure (Part 1 of 2)”
Where Do We Come From
In the course of our lives, many of us come to ask ourselves the existential questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Where do I come from? While the answers to the first two questions may come only from within ourselves or from the hand of some higher being, the last question may beContinue reading “Where Do We Come From”
Smashing Pumpkins
I had already decided to break up with David when the pumpkin shaped cupcake appeared on my desk. Ten minutes before the bell rang, I meandered into my classroom and spotted the cake, staring back at me with shiny black candy eyes and a mockingly sweet sugar smile. Ms. Robertson’s sly smirk told me allContinue reading “Smashing Pumpkins”
Inspiration: George Winston’s Simplistic Beauty
Very few of my early musical memories are independent of my parents, who listened to a wide variety of genres, artists, and time periods. Through them I was exposed to Meatloaf, John Denver, Bach, Bread, Stevie Nicks, and a host of other musicians to whom I still listen. Their album library contained the entire worldContinue reading “Inspiration: George Winston’s Simplistic Beauty”