Is it a bird? Is it a planet? Is it a failed star? Its GJ 758 B. Princeton researcher Michael McElwain, a fellow in Princeton's astrophysics department, was part of a team that captured a picture of a large object, either a planet or a failed star, orbiting a star similar to our own sun. This is the first time such an image has been captured.
We haven't found a sister solar system, however. The planet or failed star here is actually 10 to 40 times the mass of Jupiter and is as far away from its star as Neptune is from our sun.
The pictures were taken in May and August at the Hawaii-based Subaru Telescope. So, what did you do over your summer vacation?
Friday, December 4, 2009
With a name like GJ 758 B
1,000-Point Challenge
So I first got word of the 1,000-Point Challenge from an e-mail sent out to the Princeton University Band (which I’m not really a part of, but I promise to return the flute to you guys). Basically you have to do 1,000 minutes of exercise in five weeks, which equates to 200 minutes per week or about half an hour every day. I’ve always been meaning to exercise but never really got around to it, but with such prizes as a T-shirt, pedometer or water bottle, how could I resist? I’m going for the T-shirt, because it’d be cool to walk around with “I did the 1,000-Point Challenge” emblazoned across my back, and 1,000 is just an awe-inspiring number.
It started Monday, Nov. 16, and runs until Sunday, Dec. 20. (That's the week before Thanksgiving break until the end of the year.) I sort of came late in the game though, filling in my first entry on Sunday, Nov. 22. Thanks to my good friend Katie and the promise of a T-shirt, I ventured outside the gates to take a run through a trail around Lake Carnegie. It was remarkably refreshing, as we got to run past trees holding up brilliant yellow leaves and jump over puddles on the ground as if they were hurdles. Sweaty and ruddy-cheeked, I went down to Stevens Fitness Center to get 60 minutes signed off.
The next day was spent down in Stevens: 30 minutes on the elliptical, five on the treadmill until I got bored, and the rest of the hour doing random workouts and stretches. Already distraction was getting the better of me, and I was exercising only to fill up time. Two hours down, 880 minutes to go in four weeks.
Then the week of Thanksgiving break hit. I think I got in a good amount of anti-exercise.
With the third week of the 1,000-Point Challenge upon me and little to show for it, I went to badminton practice yesterday for the first time in more than a month. I came in for the last hour and then spent the next half hour crashing Sympoh practice. Yes, doing handstands against a wall counts: 210 minutes down, 790 minutes to go in two and half weeks. At this rate, I need to exercise a little more than 300 minutes per week, which isn’t bad considering that it’s only about five hours a week, but which is bad considering how I’ve been doing 84 minutes a week on average.
As much as I would love to run outside more, the onset of rain is a bit of an inconvenience. But I’ve never been one to go to the gym and run on treadmills, as I hate the feeling of running and going nowhere. How’s a sedentary person to complete the 1,000-Point Challenge? I’d love to hear about what you guys are doing, or how far you’ve gotten, and what incentive is motivating you to do 1,000 minutes worth of cardio and squats.
Link: http://www.princeton.edu/campusrec/stephens-fitness-center/special-events/HF-Ev-Web-1000PointII.pdf
Gay marriage legislation proposed in New Jersey
State Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) just announced that New Jersey will be the latest state to vote on whether to legalize gay marriage. Not coincidentally, the decision comes less than a month after Republican Chris Christie, who has vowed not to sign the bill, was elected governor, and two months before he will take office.
With this appointment, prepare yourself for the latest battle of the bands --- Anscombe v. LGBT Center --- as both groups, known for their outspoken activism, are virtually guaranteed to begin postering, e-mailing, web-updating and Facebook-inviting to their hearts' content.
Given the cliched apathy of the campus, though, it will be interesting to see how many Princeton students know, much less care, about taking an active stance in the issue. Such a nationally significant issue carries the potential to reach down to all levels of society. Even in our Orange Bubble, professors like the philosophy department's Kwame Anthony Appiah are centered in the ideological maelstrom, and every year undergraduate students exercise their prerogative to marry whom they choose.
But the number of Princeton students who engage politically in New Jersey is startlingly low. One only has to look at the recent Borough Council race of Mendy Fisch '11 to see the exception that proves the rule. Because let's face it, in the wake of weekly problem sets, papers and exams, who has the time to, well, pay attention to the news, much less act on it.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
A Simple Course Enrollment Strategy
Today was course registration day for juniors, and with Princeton FML newly landed, you'd think that that site's just gonna be absolutely flooded by comments about kinda feeling you gotta haul that ass out of the bed at 7 in the morning. Or probably a few minutes before, just so you have enough time to wipe the crud out of your eyes and actually be able to see the site crashing.
SCORE, boi, why you trippin' like that? You think 'cause you trickin', you get it just like that?
Wait a minute.
So why was there was one, and only one, SCORE post on Princeton FML as of, what, 9:06-ish p.m.? There were things on the usual academic gripes, shirt-sleeve weather in December, finding out your insurance just ain't gonna cover that wild night when you had to be PMCed, pretending that bottle of yellow liquid by your bed is lemon-lime Powerade when it's some other kind of man-juice and accidentally calling President Tilghman a dude --- hey there, Shirley Dawg, wazzup? But only one SCORE post. Why?
I think it's because some juniors have simply begun to figure out one of those great secrets of life at Princeton: You just don't have to wake up that early to get into classes you want to get into.
I tried this strategy out this morning, after I woke up at 7:24, and said, "Oh my gosh, I'm late for this shit, but fuggetaboutit, whatever, I'mma back to sleep." So I wake up again at 10 a.m., and everyone who had tried to do SCORE was either off to class or back to a broken sleep. That meant no one was clogging up the tubes. For the first time here at Princeton, I registered for classes in two minutes. No kidding. There was zero hanging, zero worry, just smooth sailing.
Of course, that strategy's not good for people trying to take small classes. It also epic fails if you want that lab day or precept for a humongo-tastic class. But if your class isn't popular or if it doesn't post course limits, like that Harry Potter class they're teaching, well, don't sweat it. Last I heard this afternoon, 324 people were in that class, and sophomores and freshmen haven't even enrolled yet. Princeton Chapel, do I see you as the only classroom large enough for the Harry Potter class? The Gothic architecture there will fit the course nicely, don't you think?
Wake up later, do us and yourself a favor by not overloading SCORE, and just sleep. Hey, it's Princeton.
IvyGate died
IvyGate, the blog that in the past has chronicled the foibles and follies of the young and over-educated (read: Ivy League students and recent graduates), has been noticeably dormant in the past month. The last post, from IvyGate editor Adam Clark Estes, appealed to blog readers to write entries for the blog. Since that post, which Estes wrote on Nov. 18, there have been no further posts.
Tales of the Ivy League that rose to fame on IvyGate include the saga of Yale abortion artist Aliza Shvarts, Yale self-promoter Alexsy Vayner and sex-crazed Columbia grad student Angela Rasmussen.
The blog will be sorely missed.
GoCrossCampus 2009 ends in tie
Remember GoCrossCampus, the Risk-style game that 902 Princeton students and alumni participated in a few years ago? Well I do. After more than a month of mindless following of the Princeton commander’s orders, I was as disappointed as anyone that our efforts were in vain. I took comfort in the fact Yale and Cornell, the two frontrunners, would knock each other’s brains out at some point later in the game.
Well, guess what? I can officially declare Yale and Cornell cowards. After a month and half, the game ended in a disappointing tie right before Thanksgiving break. See this link for final results.
On a brighter note, not wasting time checking the status during the game’s last week might have also saved my physics grade.
Bollywood and Princeton
"Princeton expects a lot of its professors."
This is how Anthony Grafton began his article on the changing expectations of professors at Princeton, including running "departments and programs, doing original research, and other activities that make for a 'busy life.' "
He probably would not have imagined "screenwriting for Bollywood films" in his list. But history professor Gyan Prakash is doing exactly that. Prakash is rumored to be writing a script for a Bollywood trilogy being directed by critically acclaimed Anurag Kashyap and likely to be produced by Danny Boyle, of "Slumdog Millionaire" fame. "Bombay Velvet," set to be released in 2011, is reportedly a thriller based in 1940s-60s Mumbai (or Bombay, as it was then called). It is set to star Bollywood heartthrobs Sharukh Khan, John Abraham (!) and Aamir Khan. According to icelebz.com, the announcement for the film comes after Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed encouraged Boyle and other filmmakers to "explore the finer and deeper things that India has to offer, instead of focusing primarily on poverty and crime."
Image: John Abraham (l.) and Shahrukh Khan
A new candidate enters the video ad fray
First it was Mike Yaroshefsky '12 with a Monty Python-themed video that came out Monday. Now a new candidate has hit the digital airwaves. This time around, it's presidential candidate Jack Altman '11 with the video below:
The Daily Peurinseutonieon hits Korea!
Ohmy News featured the 'Prince’ in an article that appears to be about university newspapers. Not having a Korean-speaking person around, I resorted to Google Translate. This proved to be revealing ---enlightening even --- of what the ‘Prince’ is about. Here are some highlights (and commentary).
“…do not trust their classmates as a sanctuary covering higher learning in the domestic hakbosa might possess many advantages."
Google Translate is right: Classmates stop trusting you once you join the ‘Prince’ staff. Princeton students, sadly, also don’t think the ‘Prince’ is a “sanctuary covering higher learning in the domestic.”
"Daily peurinseutonieon" create a passion-filled interviews to the press of the United States, Princeton University have looked at that particular secret.”
We’re glad Google Translate has a different perception of the "Daily peurinseutonieon" than the many commentators who don’t believe we “create” and contribute “passion-filled interviews to the press of the United States.”
We do, however, aim to look into Princeton University’s “particular secret(s).”
"The Daily peurinseutonieon" editor in chief of the 133rd listen to Matty”
As staffers, we do listen to Matt, as the editor-in-chief. Sadly, I don’t think any of us are on a “Matty” basis with him yet.
“…monitor the handsome young man just pointed 'The Daily peurinseutonieon' Matty, editor of West 133rd Mori Ireland (23. History major) is.”
This picture caption might reveal the source of Matt’s endearing nickname — the writer seems to have taken a liking to him, referring to him as a “handsome young man.”
“Princeton University in the newspaper newsroom desperate (?) Filled with young people.”
Sure, editors spend a lot of time in the newsroom. I never thought of any of them as “desperate,” though. But then again, I’m also not on a “Matty” basis with Matt.
“ 'Daily peurinseutonieon' conditions of free coverage during the 133 years of history, University of reporters earlier mandeuleoon is the result of sweat. Therefore the selection and training of journalists was hot and intense.”
Apparently, the history of the 'Prince' is a result of “sweat,” and journalist training is “hot and intense.” Added to a newsroom filled with “desperate” young people, it sounds more like a description of Diamond magazine.
“Being a journalist has a unique meaning. Editorial editor Josephine Wolfe (21, math majors), which thrilled my heart to throw a word.”
I never knew Josephine was so poetic, but Google Translate seems to be more on the know when it comes to the editors so...
“In short, a short editorial editor, Josephine Wolfe hakbosa Republic of Korea told reporters affectionate heart. 'Hard to go!' "
Her short stature never struck me as a characteristic that stood out — though we all know and love her affectionate heart — but that may just be because she’s taller I am. Maybe it was an endearing term as well though, since whatever it is she told, it was told with an “affectionate heart.” She must have thrown those words at him, as it seems to “thrill [her] heart.”
“Digging for the truth in a difficult environment, we silently University Press. As soon as possible 'free and independent' people are newspaper 'The Daily peuriseutonieon' like the wings of truth pyeolchigil look forward to it.”
The ‘Prince’ newsroom is a “difficult environment” in which to dig “for the truth.” I’m glad Ohmy News took on the challenge. And yes, the "The Daily peuriseutonieon" is “the wings of truth,” so “look forward to it.”
USG presidential candidate promises PONY RIDES
Look fast, or you'll miss it. But, oh yes, it's there. Freeze the video at 2:42, and what will you see? A campaign promise for PONY RIDES on campus.
No lie.
USG presidential candidate Mike Yaroshefsky '12 launched a spiffy new website and video Monday as he kicked off his week-long campaign for the student government's top job. In it, Yaro makes more than two dozen campaign promises on what he'll work to achieve over the coming year.
Obviously there is only one promise that matters. Bring on the ponies.
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