Sean
@seamsay.xyz
PhD Atomic Physics ⚛️ | RSE | Interested in the overlap of AMO/CM phys, numerical methods, and software dev.
Failing to fight the good fight in reproducible computational science.
When I'm not staring at absorption spectra, I'm mostly bouldering 🧗♂️
He/Him
Failing to fight the good fight in reproducible computational science.
When I'm not staring at absorption spectra, I'm mostly bouldering 🧗♂️
He/Him
Pinned
Sean
@seamsay.xyz
· Nov 26
Since Bluesky doesn't do multiple pinned skeets, I'm gonna pin this one and use it for skeets that I want to have a bit more visibility!
One chapter down, some currently undetermined number of chapters to go!
November 20, 2025 at 9:03 PM
One chapter down, some currently undetermined number of chapters to go!
"transformed with a real fast Fourier transform"
FFS, I sound like a Victorian child bragging about how fast it is...
FFS, I sound like a Victorian child bragging about how fast it is...
October 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
"transformed with a real fast Fourier transform"
FFS, I sound like a Victorian child bragging about how fast it is...
FFS, I sound like a Victorian child bragging about how fast it is...
I wouldn't say technology is uniform, the better you are the more likely you are to get access to sponsorships and therefore money which will enable access to better tech and training.
But you're right that things start to get very complicated, and this model is probably far too simple.
But you're right that things start to get very complicated, and this model is probably far too simple.
October 20, 2025 at 10:03 AM
I wouldn't say technology is uniform, the better you are the more likely you are to get access to sponsorships and therefore money which will enable access to better tech and training.
But you're right that things start to get very complicated, and this model is probably far too simple.
But you're right that things start to get very complicated, and this model is probably far too simple.
Do you mean stronger as in it's happening more nowadays than the past? If so wouldn't that be explained by the fact that as technology, training, etc. gets better our top athletes are getting and further into the tail of the distribution?
October 20, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Do you mean stronger as in it's happening more nowadays than the past? If so wouldn't that be explained by the fact that as technology, training, etc. gets better our top athletes are getting and further into the tail of the distribution?
I guess in a very handwavey sense (i.e. I have no idea whether this holds in practice) you're basically sampling from the tail of a Gaussian and you're not taking many samples, so it doesn't seem unlikely to me that you would end up with the ability gap between 1 & 2 being much higher than 2 & 3.
October 20, 2025 at 9:09 AM
I guess in a very handwavey sense (i.e. I have no idea whether this holds in practice) you're basically sampling from the tail of a Gaussian and you're not taking many samples, so it doesn't seem unlikely to me that you would end up with the ability gap between 1 & 2 being much higher than 2 & 3.
Honestly feels like it's rarer for this not to happen at some point in any given competitive activity.
October 20, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Honestly feels like it's rarer for this not to happen at some point in any given competitive activity.
Micheal Phelps seems like an obvious example, Serena Williams as well maybe? In the competitive AoE2 community The Viper was leagues ahead of everyone for like a decade and now Hera is well on his way to doing the same. Gee Atherton in downhill mountain biking was like this at one point too.
October 20, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Micheal Phelps seems like an obvious example, Serena Williams as well maybe? In the competitive AoE2 community The Viper was leagues ahead of everyone for like a decade and now Hera is well on his way to doing the same. Gee Atherton in downhill mountain biking was like this at one point too.
Are you aware of the out-of-bounds issue with Stockfish 16, BTW? I don't see any issues about it on GitHub, but I'm also not sure whether it's a Lichess issue or a Stockfish issue 🤷♂️ Stockfish 17 works fine though, as a workaround for the time being.
January 18, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Are you aware of the out-of-bounds issue with Stockfish 16, BTW? I don't see any issues about it on GitHub, but I'm also not sure whether it's a Lichess issue or a Stockfish issue 🤷♂️ Stockfish 17 works fine though, as a workaround for the time being.
It ... it happened again...
Whenever I put a YouTube video on for background noise, YouTube will queue up the @hbomberguy.bsky.social video about the Roblox "oof" to play next and I think I've officially spent over 48 hours of my life watching that video now...
January 17, 2025 at 9:30 PM
It ... it happened again...
Reposted by Sean
One of the many bleating air horns in the background of the immigration debate is the open demonstration that the right never actually opposed the logic of affirmative action, just the recipients. waiting with bated breath to see if this changes the op-ed sections of our favorite papers at all
While I can appreciate the excitement that they're already self-cannibalizing, the net result of reactionaries fighting reactionaries will always be more racism. By July, they'll probably be on Rogan explaining why the DOJ will be mandating companies hire a minimum proportion of white workers.
December 28, 2024 at 12:36 PM
One of the many bleating air horns in the background of the immigration debate is the open demonstration that the right never actually opposed the logic of affirmative action, just the recipients. waiting with bated breath to see if this changes the op-ed sections of our favorite papers at all
Reposted by Sean
The main goal of higher education is to teach you how to think about complex stuff. But teaching how to think is hard, and the best way we know how to do it is to present you with a lot of complex stuff. Whether this is Physics, Music, languages etc is largely incidental. Thinking is the point.
This is what's so baffling about so many suggestions for AI in the humanities classroom: they mistake the product for the point. Writing outlines and essays is important not because you need to make outlines and essays but because that's how you learn to think with/through complex ideas.
I'm sure many have said this before but I'm reading a student-facing document about how students might use AI in the classroom (if allowed) and one of the recs is: use AI to make an outline of your reading! But ISN'T MAKING THE OUTLINE how one actually learns?
December 19, 2024 at 8:48 AM
The main goal of higher education is to teach you how to think about complex stuff. But teaching how to think is hard, and the best way we know how to do it is to present you with a lot of complex stuff. Whether this is Physics, Music, languages etc is largely incidental. Thinking is the point.
Reposted by Sean
For those of you who missed it, APS now has a new policy regarding how data should be reported in its journals. Authors must now detail where research data can be accessed. #scholarlypublishing #academia #academicChatter
journals.aps.org/authors/data...
journals.aps.org/authors/data...
Guidelines for Data Availability Statements in <i>Physical Review</i>
journals.aps.org
December 13, 2024 at 1:39 PM
For those of you who missed it, APS now has a new policy regarding how data should be reported in its journals. Authors must now detail where research data can be accessed. #scholarlypublishing #academia #academicChatter
journals.aps.org/authors/data...
journals.aps.org/authors/data...
It's difficult to explain in 300 words, but imagine what happens when you change x very slightly. The base is still negative but the exponent is no longer an even integer, meaning the value is now complex and won't be shown by Desmos. Be interesting to see what this looks like in the complex plane.
December 13, 2024 at 2:00 PM
It's difficult to explain in 300 words, but imagine what happens when you change x very slightly. The base is still negative but the exponent is no longer an even integer, meaning the value is now complex and won't be shown by Desmos. Be interesting to see what this looks like in the complex plane.
You can also be of the opinion that implicit multiplication should have higher precedence than explicit, that's better than fine.
But if you think they should have the same precedence you are wrong.
Sorry, I don't make the rules. We reach them by consensus.
But if you think they should have the same precedence you are wrong.
Sorry, I don't make the rules. We reach them by consensus.
December 12, 2024 at 11:04 PM
You can also be of the opinion that implicit multiplication should have higher precedence than explicit, that's better than fine.
But if you think they should have the same precedence you are wrong.
Sorry, I don't make the rules. We reach them by consensus.
But if you think they should have the same precedence you are wrong.
Sorry, I don't make the rules. We reach them by consensus.
Since the topic has come up 3 times in as many days, I would like to make it clear my position is that "implicit and explicit multiplication should have the same precedence" is an incorrect opinion.
You can be of the opinion that implication multiplication should never be used, that's fine.
You can be of the opinion that implication multiplication should never be used, that's fine.
December 12, 2024 at 11:04 PM
Since the topic has come up 3 times in as many days, I would like to make it clear my position is that "implicit and explicit multiplication should have the same precedence" is an incorrect opinion.
You can be of the opinion that implication multiplication should never be used, that's fine.
You can be of the opinion that implication multiplication should never be used, that's fine.
Reposted by Sean
In a presentation, a male colleague's full name was written, while only the first name was used for a female colleague.
This is not a minor oversight, it's a reflection of systemic sexism. That this happens in academia, among highly educated professionals, is unacceptable. #AcademicSky #Sexism
This is not a minor oversight, it's a reflection of systemic sexism. That this happens in academia, among highly educated professionals, is unacceptable. #AcademicSky #Sexism
December 12, 2024 at 10:05 AM
In a presentation, a male colleague's full name was written, while only the first name was used for a female colleague.
This is not a minor oversight, it's a reflection of systemic sexism. That this happens in academia, among highly educated professionals, is unacceptable. #AcademicSky #Sexism
This is not a minor oversight, it's a reflection of systemic sexism. That this happens in academia, among highly educated professionals, is unacceptable. #AcademicSky #Sexism
Reposted by Sean
December 11, 2024 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by Sean
The Dirac Delta Function
♾️🎢🧮⚛️
♾️🎢🧮⚛️
December 12, 2024 at 1:07 AM
The Dirac Delta Function
♾️🎢🧮⚛️
♾️🎢🧮⚛️
I'm on the bus, so I couldn't do the maths on what realistic pre- and post-collision velocities would be, but hopefully the simpler example demonstrates why you generally wouldn't expect both to be conserved at the same time.
December 12, 2024 at 8:47 AM
I'm on the bus, so I couldn't do the maths on what realistic pre- and post-collision velocities would be, but hopefully the simpler example demonstrates why you generally wouldn't expect both to be conserved at the same time.
So changing the momentum of the individual bodies while still conserving overall momentum, even if no directions change, will not necessarily conserve the overall energy.
December 12, 2024 at 8:43 AM
So changing the momentum of the individual bodies while still conserving overall momentum, even if no directions change, will not necessarily conserve the overall energy.
That but also the squared relationship means that the way the momentum is distributed affects the total energy.
Imagine two 1kg blocks, one at rest and the other with v=10m/s. Here p=10kgm/s and E=50J. If both blocks have v=5m/s in the same direction, p=10kgm/s still but E=25J.
Imagine two 1kg blocks, one at rest and the other with v=10m/s. Here p=10kgm/s and E=50J. If both blocks have v=5m/s in the same direction, p=10kgm/s still but E=25J.
December 12, 2024 at 8:41 AM
That but also the squared relationship means that the way the momentum is distributed affects the total energy.
Imagine two 1kg blocks, one at rest and the other with v=10m/s. Here p=10kgm/s and E=50J. If both blocks have v=5m/s in the same direction, p=10kgm/s still but E=25J.
Imagine two 1kg blocks, one at rest and the other with v=10m/s. Here p=10kgm/s and E=50J. If both blocks have v=5m/s in the same direction, p=10kgm/s still but E=25J.
I actually think there is benefit in having a section of high school physics which is essentially "here are the biggest topics in physics research right now, if you want to understand them go do a physics degree". Though I suspect if you cover them at school they stop being exciting by definition...
December 11, 2024 at 2:31 PM
I actually think there is benefit in having a section of high school physics which is essentially "here are the biggest topics in physics research right now, if you want to understand them go do a physics degree". Though I suspect if you cover them at school they stop being exciting by definition...
Why?! Why would they do this?! The AI version (further up the thread) looks sooo bad!!!
December 11, 2024 at 10:55 AM
Why?! Why would they do this?! The AI version (further up the thread) looks sooo bad!!!
I'm not saying nobody can critique maths education, but you should at least try to understand it first...
December 11, 2024 at 10:35 AM
I'm not saying nobody can critique maths education, but you should at least try to understand it first...
"I have a maths degree and even I can't understand this homework designed for 8 year olds!"
Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, this is because you have a maths degree and aren't being taught like an 8 year old?
Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, this is because you have a maths degree and aren't being taught like an 8 year old?
December 11, 2024 at 10:33 AM
"I have a maths degree and even I can't understand this homework designed for 8 year olds!"
Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, this is because you have a maths degree and aren't being taught like an 8 year old?
Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, this is because you have a maths degree and aren't being taught like an 8 year old?