E.M. Schultz
@elliotmschultz.bsky.social
Former National Park Ranger, current Historian of Science, and occasionally an amateur(ish) photographer.
If I were to describe my job incredibly poorly? I write eulogies for federal buildings slated for decontamination and decommissioning.
If I were to describe my job incredibly poorly? I write eulogies for federal buildings slated for decontamination and decommissioning.
Eighty years ago - close to Alamogordo, New Mexico - humanity realized twenty eight months of work. Engineering a device to squeeze metal so hard that it will fight the fundamental forces of the universe to not be in that state.
Three weeks and 3 days later, it would be used over Nagasaki.
Three weeks and 3 days later, it would be used over Nagasaki.
July 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Eighty years ago - close to Alamogordo, New Mexico - humanity realized twenty eight months of work. Engineering a device to squeeze metal so hard that it will fight the fundamental forces of the universe to not be in that state.
Three weeks and 3 days later, it would be used over Nagasaki.
Three weeks and 3 days later, it would be used over Nagasaki.
Huh... it's almost as if alienating people who want to buy your stuff, firing people without knowing about any of the work they do, and acting like a cargo cult version of government isn't a recipe for economic growth and stability.
Who would've thunk it?
www.atlantafed.org/cqer/researc...
Who would've thunk it?
www.atlantafed.org/cqer/researc...
GDPNow
Provides a
www.atlantafed.org
March 1, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Huh... it's almost as if alienating people who want to buy your stuff, firing people without knowing about any of the work they do, and acting like a cargo cult version of government isn't a recipe for economic growth and stability.
Who would've thunk it?
www.atlantafed.org/cqer/researc...
Who would've thunk it?
www.atlantafed.org/cqer/researc...
Russia is the nation-state equivalent of trailer trash. One and a half cities of unwarranted and undeserved self importance masquerading as a cultural force.
A culture so bereft of thought and originality that their best ideas were outright stolen from other, better, states and peoples.
A culture so bereft of thought and originality that their best ideas were outright stolen from other, better, states and peoples.
March 1, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Russia is the nation-state equivalent of trailer trash. One and a half cities of unwarranted and undeserved self importance masquerading as a cultural force.
A culture so bereft of thought and originality that their best ideas were outright stolen from other, better, states and peoples.
A culture so bereft of thought and originality that their best ideas were outright stolen from other, better, states and peoples.
Regarding today's news between the U.S. and Ukraine, I'm haunted by this quote:
"It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition."
-FADM Andrew Cunningham, 1941
"It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition."
-FADM Andrew Cunningham, 1941
February 28, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Regarding today's news between the U.S. and Ukraine, I'm haunted by this quote:
"It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition."
-FADM Andrew Cunningham, 1941
"It takes the Navy three years to build a ship. It will take three hundred years to build a new tradition."
-FADM Andrew Cunningham, 1941
ArtI.S9.C8.4:
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
February 20, 2025 at 4:31 AM
ArtI.S9.C8.4:
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
"No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."
If foreign aid and education were net negatives in terms of returns on investment, then China would be quickly divesting from its Belt and Road initiative.
But they aren't.
But they aren't.
February 7, 2025 at 2:53 AM
If foreign aid and education were net negatives in terms of returns on investment, then China would be quickly divesting from its Belt and Road initiative.
But they aren't.
But they aren't.
After a mentally disastrous November of 2016, I kept a firm promise to myself and my friends. That rule, which I've kept to since December 2016, is to drink only in the company of friends. I haven't had a drink alone in 8 years.
But the current state of things? God damn do I ever want one.
But the current state of things? God damn do I ever want one.
February 2, 2025 at 12:17 AM
After a mentally disastrous November of 2016, I kept a firm promise to myself and my friends. That rule, which I've kept to since December 2016, is to drink only in the company of friends. I haven't had a drink alone in 8 years.
But the current state of things? God damn do I ever want one.
But the current state of things? God damn do I ever want one.
In 11 days, the administration has done their damndest to kneecap the U.S.'s scientific and technical advantages.
If I were an antagonistic foreign power, I'd be scrambling to offer priority visas, research grants, and guaranteed employment to poach as many researchers I could get my hands on.
If I were an antagonistic foreign power, I'd be scrambling to offer priority visas, research grants, and guaranteed employment to poach as many researchers I could get my hands on.
February 1, 2025 at 1:06 AM
In 11 days, the administration has done their damndest to kneecap the U.S.'s scientific and technical advantages.
If I were an antagonistic foreign power, I'd be scrambling to offer priority visas, research grants, and guaranteed employment to poach as many researchers I could get my hands on.
If I were an antagonistic foreign power, I'd be scrambling to offer priority visas, research grants, and guaranteed employment to poach as many researchers I could get my hands on.
Six years ago I visited Vienna for only a day and a half. By accident, I came across the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial.
Zum Gedenken an die mehr als 65 000 österreichischen
Juden, die in der Zeit von 1938 bis 1945 von den
Nationalsozialisten ermordet wurden.
Do not ever forget, especially now.
Zum Gedenken an die mehr als 65 000 österreichischen
Juden, die in der Zeit von 1938 bis 1945 von den
Nationalsozialisten ermordet wurden.
Do not ever forget, especially now.
January 28, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Six years ago I visited Vienna for only a day and a half. By accident, I came across the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial.
Zum Gedenken an die mehr als 65 000 österreichischen
Juden, die in der Zeit von 1938 bis 1945 von den
Nationalsozialisten ermordet wurden.
Do not ever forget, especially now.
Zum Gedenken an die mehr als 65 000 österreichischen
Juden, die in der Zeit von 1938 bis 1945 von den
Nationalsozialisten ermordet wurden.
Do not ever forget, especially now.
If you're going to follow Gandhi's principles to win people over to your cause, make sure your opposition is on the verge of bankruptcy and their base of support has been absolutely depleted from two of the deadliest wars in human history spaced 30 years apart.
January 24, 2025 at 8:28 PM
If you're going to follow Gandhi's principles to win people over to your cause, make sure your opposition is on the verge of bankruptcy and their base of support has been absolutely depleted from two of the deadliest wars in human history spaced 30 years apart.
Regardless of whether the story is true or myth, the origin of the Nobel Prize is a good parable. When Alfred Nobel was confronted with criticism, he made one of the most prestigious prizes on the planet.
When wealthy people are criticized today, they get pouty and act like toddlers.
When wealthy people are criticized today, they get pouty and act like toddlers.
January 22, 2025 at 6:26 AM
Regardless of whether the story is true or myth, the origin of the Nobel Prize is a good parable. When Alfred Nobel was confronted with criticism, he made one of the most prestigious prizes on the planet.
When wealthy people are criticized today, they get pouty and act like toddlers.
When wealthy people are criticized today, they get pouty and act like toddlers.
It is incredible what can and will be achieved by sociopaths when cynical opportunism, zealotry, and profound cowardice collide.
January 19, 2025 at 8:27 PM
It is incredible what can and will be achieved by sociopaths when cynical opportunism, zealotry, and profound cowardice collide.
Totally topical, but I can never forgive Tom Brokaw for popularizing the term "The Greatest Generation".
For a quarter century it has been a rallying cry and cudgel - hijacked by their coddled, immature, children to belittle and ignore the struggles of their own children and grandchildren.
For a quarter century it has been a rallying cry and cudgel - hijacked by their coddled, immature, children to belittle and ignore the struggles of their own children and grandchildren.
January 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Totally topical, but I can never forgive Tom Brokaw for popularizing the term "The Greatest Generation".
For a quarter century it has been a rallying cry and cudgel - hijacked by their coddled, immature, children to belittle and ignore the struggles of their own children and grandchildren.
For a quarter century it has been a rallying cry and cudgel - hijacked by their coddled, immature, children to belittle and ignore the struggles of their own children and grandchildren.
Damn, I had dinner there with my mom on Friday. And the serious lack of restaurant options in Los Alamos will make this loss - even if it's temporary - especially hard.
ladailypost.com/lafd-extingu...
ladailypost.com/lafd-extingu...
LAFD Extinguishes Fire At Los Alamos Cantina/Pyramid Cafe
ladailypost.com
January 13, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Damn, I had dinner there with my mom on Friday. And the serious lack of restaurant options in Los Alamos will make this loss - even if it's temporary - especially hard.
ladailypost.com/lafd-extingu...
ladailypost.com/lafd-extingu...
I sympathize with Los Angeles. Thirteen and a half years ago, thousands of us in Los Alamos had to flee an unprecedented inferno.
Nothing gives you pause like watching a land you love turned to ash. And few things more angering than people saying the drought which scoured the land is a hoax. 1/
Nothing gives you pause like watching a land you love turned to ash. And few things more angering than people saying the drought which scoured the land is a hoax. 1/
January 10, 2025 at 8:06 AM
I sympathize with Los Angeles. Thirteen and a half years ago, thousands of us in Los Alamos had to flee an unprecedented inferno.
Nothing gives you pause like watching a land you love turned to ash. And few things more angering than people saying the drought which scoured the land is a hoax. 1/
Nothing gives you pause like watching a land you love turned to ash. And few things more angering than people saying the drought which scoured the land is a hoax. 1/
It's been years since I've visited Tsankawi Pueblo. And did it ever let me know how it felt about my absence.
As the sun dropped, the wind and the grit yelled at me. Not out of anger or malice, but annoyance. Annoyance that, while no longer wearing the green and gray, I don't visit often. 1/
As the sun dropped, the wind and the grit yelled at me. Not out of anger or malice, but annoyance. Annoyance that, while no longer wearing the green and gray, I don't visit often. 1/
January 5, 2025 at 4:36 AM
It's been years since I've visited Tsankawi Pueblo. And did it ever let me know how it felt about my absence.
As the sun dropped, the wind and the grit yelled at me. Not out of anger or malice, but annoyance. Annoyance that, while no longer wearing the green and gray, I don't visit often. 1/
As the sun dropped, the wind and the grit yelled at me. Not out of anger or malice, but annoyance. Annoyance that, while no longer wearing the green and gray, I don't visit often. 1/
Cats. They can be difficult muses to photograph, but always fun from a technical perspective.
January 5, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Cats. They can be difficult muses to photograph, but always fun from a technical perspective.
New camera, who this?
January 3, 2025 at 6:13 AM
New camera, who this?
I do wish I could be a little more open with my opinions.
But I fully acknowledge the tenuousness of my current situation. I work in a regulatory environment that - despite the arguments by the public to the contrary - is brittle and could easily be classified as an unnecessary legal impediment.
But I fully acknowledge the tenuousness of my current situation. I work in a regulatory environment that - despite the arguments by the public to the contrary - is brittle and could easily be classified as an unnecessary legal impediment.
December 13, 2024 at 5:53 PM
I do wish I could be a little more open with my opinions.
But I fully acknowledge the tenuousness of my current situation. I work in a regulatory environment that - despite the arguments by the public to the contrary - is brittle and could easily be classified as an unnecessary legal impediment.
But I fully acknowledge the tenuousness of my current situation. I work in a regulatory environment that - despite the arguments by the public to the contrary - is brittle and could easily be classified as an unnecessary legal impediment.
With Time's "Person of the Year", remember these other Cold War (pre-'92) luminaries and their impact:
Joseph Stalin: 1939, 1942
Nikita Khrushchev: 1957
Richard Nixon: 1971, 1972
Henry Kissinger: 1972
Deng Xiaoping: 1978, 1985
Ruhollah Khomeini: 1979
Ronald Reagan: 1980, 1983
Yuri Andropov: 1983
Joseph Stalin: 1939, 1942
Nikita Khrushchev: 1957
Richard Nixon: 1971, 1972
Henry Kissinger: 1972
Deng Xiaoping: 1978, 1985
Ruhollah Khomeini: 1979
Ronald Reagan: 1980, 1983
Yuri Andropov: 1983
December 12, 2024 at 4:38 PM
With Time's "Person of the Year", remember these other Cold War (pre-'92) luminaries and their impact:
Joseph Stalin: 1939, 1942
Nikita Khrushchev: 1957
Richard Nixon: 1971, 1972
Henry Kissinger: 1972
Deng Xiaoping: 1978, 1985
Ruhollah Khomeini: 1979
Ronald Reagan: 1980, 1983
Yuri Andropov: 1983
Joseph Stalin: 1939, 1942
Nikita Khrushchev: 1957
Richard Nixon: 1971, 1972
Henry Kissinger: 1972
Deng Xiaoping: 1978, 1985
Ruhollah Khomeini: 1979
Ronald Reagan: 1980, 1983
Yuri Andropov: 1983
Cat photography.
Expectations (after lots of patience) and reality.
Expectations (after lots of patience) and reality.
December 9, 2024 at 2:28 AM
Cat photography.
Expectations (after lots of patience) and reality.
Expectations (after lots of patience) and reality.
I've been out of the house so much over the past week that Clyde decided he needed to be extra silly. So he decided to flop around on top of my bookcase while I played some original X-COM.
December 8, 2024 at 7:20 AM
I've been out of the house so much over the past week that Clyde decided he needed to be extra silly. So he decided to flop around on top of my bookcase while I played some original X-COM.
While it might not change much in the present, I wonder if computer scientists and programmers need their own professional oaths.
A "Hippocratic Oath" or "Obligation of an Engineer" does not stop egregious behavior outright, but it does give students an appreciation of their societal impact.
A "Hippocratic Oath" or "Obligation of an Engineer" does not stop egregious behavior outright, but it does give students an appreciation of their societal impact.
December 7, 2024 at 5:27 PM
While it might not change much in the present, I wonder if computer scientists and programmers need their own professional oaths.
A "Hippocratic Oath" or "Obligation of an Engineer" does not stop egregious behavior outright, but it does give students an appreciation of their societal impact.
A "Hippocratic Oath" or "Obligation of an Engineer" does not stop egregious behavior outright, but it does give students an appreciation of their societal impact.
I want to wean off Amazon, but there's a hitch: we need more small-scale retail in Los Alamos.
We have a single grocer that dominates at least 80% of all sales.
There are no places to buy home goods, furniture, clothing, or electronics.
The closest stores for that stuff? An 80 mile round trip.
We have a single grocer that dominates at least 80% of all sales.
There are no places to buy home goods, furniture, clothing, or electronics.
The closest stores for that stuff? An 80 mile round trip.
December 5, 2024 at 12:28 AM
I want to wean off Amazon, but there's a hitch: we need more small-scale retail in Los Alamos.
We have a single grocer that dominates at least 80% of all sales.
There are no places to buy home goods, furniture, clothing, or electronics.
The closest stores for that stuff? An 80 mile round trip.
We have a single grocer that dominates at least 80% of all sales.
There are no places to buy home goods, furniture, clothing, or electronics.
The closest stores for that stuff? An 80 mile round trip.
This holiday weekend wasn't the worst I've ever had. The clear winners are the 2 times I had the flu, and handling 1,200 tourists at Bandelier back in 2015.
But my immediate family is moving 1,400 miles away in a month's time. My mother, who's staying, is lonely but doesn't want to meet people.
But my immediate family is moving 1,400 miles away in a month's time. My mother, who's staying, is lonely but doesn't want to meet people.
December 3, 2024 at 3:11 AM
This holiday weekend wasn't the worst I've ever had. The clear winners are the 2 times I had the flu, and handling 1,200 tourists at Bandelier back in 2015.
But my immediate family is moving 1,400 miles away in a month's time. My mother, who's staying, is lonely but doesn't want to meet people.
But my immediate family is moving 1,400 miles away in a month's time. My mother, who's staying, is lonely but doesn't want to meet people.