A Phase Transitions in the New York Times Front-Page Picture Density?

Visually, it seems like it resembles a phase transition (watch how suddenly the density changes), so I expect that one could see that arise in a simple model.

Every single New York Times front page since 1852. Look at the growth of pictures in news.
(h/t Josh Begley). pic.twitter.com/zLxe01U2QX

— Carl Miller (@carljackmiller) November 3, 2017

(Tip of the cap to Sabine Hossenfelder.)

2016 Physics Nobel Prize for Topological States of Matter

The 2016 Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to David J. Thouless, F. Duncan M. Haldane, and J. Michael Kosterlitz "for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter."

So exciting!

(This was a big subject that I remember often being discussed in Caltech's condensed-matter theory group when I was part of it. I am sure that it still is.)

Theoretical condensed-matter physics, statistical mechanics, and topology are the big winners. That's just about a home-team victory this year!

(My preference still would have been chaos being recognized, but I am very happy with this year's result. I also want Michael Berry to get a richly-deserved award for geometric phases.)

Update (10/05/16): Here is an editorial about the (very severe) lack of women who have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. And a couple of weeks ago, a top contender Deborah Jin died way too young, so among other tragedies, now she can't get the Nobel that her work richly merits.

Water Phase Diagram: Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

Clearly, I need to use XKCD's water phase diagram the next time I am teaching statistical physics.

When my students are too loud, I'll tell them to stop, collaborate, and listen.

Also notice the really great pun at the bottom. I really love that!

Pictures of a Bubble Freezing

Here are some pictures of a bubble as it freezes. Awesome!

(Tip of the cap to I Fucking Love Science.)

Congratulations to Dr. Travis Hime!

Mr. Travis Hime has officially become Dr. Travis Hime, as one can see by these signatures.

In fact, Lemming and I had very fortuitous timing in calling to congratulate him this morning. We reached him while he was in an office waiting for an official piece of paper signifying the end of his life as a graduate student. (Hence, the transition from Mr. to Dr., which appears to have been continuous, occurred during our congratulatory phone call.)

So, what are you going to do now? (Have you decided which company you're working for?)

Also, I recently asked Travis about a paper on rf-SQUIDs that looks at phenomena of interesting to me, and it indeed does look like I will be attempting to build on that paper (one of my main collaborators is also really interested in building on that paper, so we are now discussing possible projects). So I'm not going to allow Travis to forget too much about SQUIDs, as I'll certainly be needing to ask him for insights.

Anyway, congrats!