Day: February 1, 2012

  • The Muppets Meet Murderbot

    The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet
    The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet by Neil deGrasse Tyson

    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    Bought this with an old gift card at the Harvard Coop last week. I’ve long enjoyed Neil deGrasse Tyson’s hosting of NOVA scienceNOW (a show I DVR), as well as his various guest appearances on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, and I had followed the news coverage of Pluto’s demotion by the IAU in 2006.

    This book is a nice overview of Pluto’s discovery and eventual reclassification (as the subtitle indicates), written in Neil’s whimsical style. There are some funny photographs of various astrophysicists, and good coverage of the cultural impact of Pluto’s demotion, such as various editorial cartoons and handwritten letters from elementary schoolchildren. I’m glad the appendices included song lyrics (including one by JoCo!) and the full text of various documents regarding Pluto.

    My only complaint about the book is that I would have liked a little more detail, both in the history and the science, but of course it’s intended to be accessible to a general audience, a task at which it succeeds.

  • Fox Ferocity

    Pike playing with a toy almost as big as he is.

  • Groomed Pike

    Tiny freshly groomed Yorkie sits on a teal couch wearing a monstera bow tie

    I love this little gentleman.

  • The Kale Wanter

    A small black and brown Yorkie stands on a cream rug in front of a brown cupboard begging for the bunch of lacinato kale in hand in the foreground.
  • Puck Mouse

    An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

    A blue and white USB puck mouse sitting on beige carpet

  • Seattle After Dark

    Seattle skyline at night with Space Needle in center, with Christmas lights on top

    We were wandering the neighborhood to see light displays and ended up at Kerry Park’s iconic view.