Monthly Archives: July 2010

Research update: Multibody Dynamics Simulator

Posted on 30 July 2010 by josephshoer

When I’m not doing silly things like constructing languages, writing science fiction, or biking through the Great Smokey Mountains, I have a research job in a Cornell spacecraft engineering lab to maintain. Mostly, that stuff doesn’t go on my blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate school, Research, Science | 3 Comments

Planetary Geology: A Detective Game

Posted on 30 July 2010 by josephshoer

…full of unsolved yet soluble mysteries! I’m shamelessly bouncing all you readers over to the Bad Astronomy blog for this post, which is a great outline of the detective process that is planetary geology. It’s also a great illustration of … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Science, Space | Leave a comment

Projecting Space Battle Physics

Posted on 29 July 2010 by josephshoer

When I wrote my original article on the physics of space battles, and the accompanying short story, I made the creative decision to speculate on how space battle technologies and tactics would play out if we built from the present day … Continue reading →

Posted in Concepts, Science, Science Fiction, Space | 13 Comments

I like this “cinematic” trend in video games

Posted on 22 July 2010 by josephshoer

I’ve been a fan of Blizzard Entertainment since their WarCraft II days. I must admit that I’m unusual in that respect – because the thing I liked most was Blizzard’s storylines. Don’t get me wrong, the gameplay was great – … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Movies | 2 Comments

Smoky Mountains Report

Posted on 17 July 2010 by josephshoer

I spent the week of the Fourth of July with my girlfriend’s family in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, right next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have driven through the southeastern United States twice, but never had a chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Photography, Travel | 3 Comments

NASA, High Technology, and Me

Posted on 14 July 2010 by josephshoer

You know why I’m most excited about President Obama’s proposed budget for NASA? High-powered technology research programs. Hey, our space program really ought to be synonymous with high tech! At an industry forum today hosted by NASA’s Office of the … Continue reading →

Posted in NASA, Research | Leave a comment

Science vs Religion on The Daily Show

Posted on 10 July 2010 by josephshoer

Normally, I have great respect for Jon Stewart as an interviewer. On The Daily Show, he knows when to be serious and let his guests say their piece, but he’s also primarily a comedian rather than a journalist and so … Continue reading →

Posted in People, Science, Skepticism | 2 Comments

Constructing Oghuran

Posted on 3 July 2010 by josephshoer

It was many, many years ago when I first read The Lord of the Rings and the Redwall books, and I was always fascinated by the maps in the first few pages of each novel. Ever since then, I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Linguistics, Oghura | 3 Comments