Many Mines students feel as if they are walking into Mordor as they trudge on in their studies. Unlike most students, Kevyn Young enjoys the engineering life and motivates himself by being involved on campus. He keeps a balance by enjoying his life outside of school while still maintaining his studies in an efficient manner. To find out his secrets, “The Oredigger” sat down with Young for this week’s “Geek of the Week.”
The question, “What is science?” in addition to being philosophically interesting, has important practical and social implications. For example, the National Science Foundation reports that, in 2003, at least 25% of Americans believe that astrology is a true theory.[1] A 2012 Gallup Poll reports that 46% of Americans believe that creationism is a true theory.[2] Given that one acts based upon what one believes, it is reasonable to assume that some Americans act in accordance with astrology or creationism. The consequences of these actions range from silly (only associating with ‘Virgos’) to serious (devaluing scientific exploration in the name of religious dogmatism). Astrology and creationism are widely regarded as non-scientific (or, “pseudo-science”) by the scientifically literate. So, how do scientifically literate individuals make judgments about what is, and what is not, a science? What rational criteria can be proposed that would demarcate, say, physics, astronomy, biology, etc.—the disciplines that we agree are sciences—from pseudo-sciences like astrology and creationism? It turns out that the task of deriving demarcation criteria is difficult: under a bit of rational scrutiny, seemingly satisfactory demarcation criteria turn out to be unsatisfactory. Let’s look at some plausible candidates:
Zombie movies seem to always be hit or miss. “Warm Bodies” although it includes the classical apocalyptic zombie world where there are a few human survivors and numerous “corpses,” is one of the most unique movies ever. Analogies to Romeo and Juliet abound between “R” and “Julie” and their forbidden love.
Lyman Hulen sat in the Golden jail this week in 1914, charged with bigamy. The case appeared fairly open and shut, as Hulen confessed to having married two women at once. However, it was complicated when Bertha Hulen “came to Golden…and after a short conversation…denied that he is now or ever has been her husband.” The other Mrs. Hulen was not feeling so gracious, and was “anxious to have the charge pressed.” Golden police contended Hulen was guilty, and Mrs. Hulen was making a futile attempt to clear him.
Star Wars purists might be interested to hear that in 2013, Lego released an expansion set for the 2012 Jabba’s Palace set. The history of Lego’s development of Jabba’s Palace provides insight into the release of the 2012 revised set and the 2013 Rancor Pit expansion set.
The Lady Orediggers (11-9, 8-6 RMAC) welcomed the Colorado Mesa Mavericks (18-0, 14-0 RMAC) to Golden on Friday looking to knock off the number four team in the country.
The Colorado School of Mines men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams were in action Friday and Saturday at the New Mexico Classic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both distance medley relay teams recorded NCAA Division II provisional times in the meet.
The Colorado School of Mines men’s basketball team squared off against the Colorado Mesa Mavericks on Friday night in Lockridge Arena. The Orediggers, down by as much as 17 in the first half, clawed their way out of that hole and forced the Mavericks into overtime.
In a game that vindicated basketball coaches everywhere preaching free throw shooting, the Mines men’s basketball team jumped out in front of Western State Colorado University early then held the Mountaineers at arms length to hang on for a 94-85 win Saturday at Lockridge Arena.
Noticed any odd sun-spots lately or have a weird looking mole on the back. It is always a safe bet to get those odd skin anomalies checked by a professional. Dr. Stan Hill, a local dermatologist, gave an informative lecture to the campus community about what all types of skin cancer can look like and how dangerous they can be.