Lee Phillips
@badphysicist.bsky.social
Physicist and writer.
https://lee-phillips.org/
https://lee-phillips.org/
In my chapter on solar energy in the book¹ “Managing Global Warming” I used Ray Kurzeil’s attempt to predict future photovoltaic usage as an example of naive and faulty use of math to make bad predictions.
[1] elsevier.com/books/managi...
[1] elsevier.com/books/managi...
Managing Global Warming
Managing Global Warming: An Interface of Technology and Human Issues discusses the causes of global warming, the options available to solve global war
elsevier.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:23 PM
In my chapter on solar energy in the book¹ “Managing Global Warming” I used Ray Kurzeil’s attempt to predict future photovoltaic usage as an example of naive and faulty use of math to make bad predictions.
[1] elsevier.com/books/managi...
[1] elsevier.com/books/managi...
Emmy Noether laid the basis for the Standard Model working without pay because she was a woman: amzn.to/3YZZB4W.
Here is the obituary of the Mary Gaillard, who wielded the Standard Model, also often working without pay:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/s... (archive.li/e6ugQ).
Here is the obituary of the Mary Gaillard, who wielded the Standard Model, also often working without pay:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/s... (archive.li/e6ugQ).
Einstein's Tutor: The Story of Emmy Noether and the Invention of Modern Physics
Emmy Noether's mathematical genius enabled Einstein to bring his General Theory of Relativity–the basis of our current theory of gravity–to fruition. On a larger scale, what came to be known as “Noeth...
amzn.to
January 23, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Emmy Noether laid the basis for the Standard Model working without pay because she was a woman: amzn.to/3YZZB4W.
Here is the obituary of the Mary Gaillard, who wielded the Standard Model, also often working without pay:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/s... (archive.li/e6ugQ).
Here is the obituary of the Mary Gaillard, who wielded the Standard Model, also often working without pay:
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/s... (archive.li/e6ugQ).
Reposted by Lee Phillips
Shamelessly plugging this little Noether toy model. (Never managed to generalize it to momentum or angular momentum, though.) https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.10557
Energy conservation in explicit solutions as a simple illustration of Noether's theorem
Noether's theorem is widely regarded as one of the most elegant results in theoretical physics. The article presents two simple examples that can be used to demonstrate the basic idea behind Noether's...
arxiv.org
January 22, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Shamelessly plugging this little Noether toy model. (Never managed to generalize it to momentum or angular momentum, though.) https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.10557
Reposted by Lee Phillips
‘Terrible things are happening outside… Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return… to find their families gone.’
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy arriving home, say school officials
Superintendent says Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway and sent to Texas
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:43 AM
‘Terrible things are happening outside… Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return… to find their families gone.’
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
January 22, 2026 at 9:40 PM
My first patch for dwm:
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
Dwm is a tiling window manager for #Linux, in about 2000 lines of C. You customize it by modifying the source. It’s fun!
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
Dwm is a tiling window manager for #Linux, in about 2000 lines of C. You customize it by modifying the source. It’s fun!
dwm - dynamic window manager | suckless.org software that sucks less
dwm.suckless.org
January 22, 2026 at 4:24 PM
My first patch for dwm:
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
Dwm is a tiling window manager for #Linux, in about 2000 lines of C. You customize it by modifying the source. It’s fun!
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
Dwm is a tiling window manager for #Linux, in about 2000 lines of C. You customize it by modifying the source. It’s fun!
github.com/bgreenwell/doxx:
A new terminal program providing a lovely display of .docx files. It’s great to be able to read these files without firing up a GUI monstrosity such as LibreOffice. Its only defect is the inclusion of an option for “AI” summaries of the document.
A new terminal program providing a lovely display of .docx files. It’s great to be able to read these files without firing up a GUI monstrosity such as LibreOffice. Its only defect is the inclusion of an option for “AI” summaries of the document.
GitHub - bgreenwell/doxx: Expose the contents of .docx files without leaving your terminal. Fast, safe, and smart — no Office required!
Expose the contents of .docx files without leaving your terminal. Fast, safe, and smart — no Office required! - bgreenwell/doxx
github.com
January 22, 2026 at 1:36 PM
github.com/bgreenwell/doxx:
A new terminal program providing a lovely display of .docx files. It’s great to be able to read these files without firing up a GUI monstrosity such as LibreOffice. Its only defect is the inclusion of an option for “AI” summaries of the document.
A new terminal program providing a lovely display of .docx files. It’s great to be able to read these files without firing up a GUI monstrosity such as LibreOffice. Its only defect is the inclusion of an option for “AI” summaries of the document.
“Practical Julia” is designed to teach scientists how to use the best language for science, with chapters on #physics, #mathematics, #biology, #statistics, and more.
amzn.to/3Jn1QdR
A review: lwn.net/Articles/966...
#julialang
amzn.to/3Jn1QdR
A review: lwn.net/Articles/966...
#julialang
Practical Julia: A Hands-On Introduction for Scientific Minds
Practical Julia: A Hands-On Introduction for Scientific Minds: 9781718502765: Computer Science Books @ Amazon.com
amzn.to
January 22, 2026 at 4:25 AM
“Practical Julia” is designed to teach scientists how to use the best language for science, with chapters on #physics, #mathematics, #biology, #statistics, and more.
amzn.to/3Jn1QdR
A review: lwn.net/Articles/966...
#julialang
amzn.to/3Jn1QdR
A review: lwn.net/Articles/966...
#julialang
Astrophysicist @AstroKatie says that “Noether’s Theorem is to theoretical #physics what natural selection is to #biology.”
Find out what this theorem is and discover the inspiring and tragic life of the woman behind it: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
Find out what this theorem is and discover the inspiring and tragic life of the woman behind it: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
Einstein's Tutor: The Story of Emmy Noether and the Invention of Modern Physics
Emmy Noether's mathematical genius enabled Einstein to bring his General Theory of Relativity–the basis of our current theory of gravity–to fruition. On a larger scale, what came to be known as “Noeth...
amzn.to
January 11, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Astrophysicist @AstroKatie says that “Noether’s Theorem is to theoretical #physics what natural selection is to #biology.”
Find out what this theorem is and discover the inspiring and tragic life of the woman behind it: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
Find out what this theorem is and discover the inspiring and tragic life of the woman behind it: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
Need your #code to be faster but don’t want to use Fortran or C? Learn #Julia, the modern language for #HPC, with a quality book. Here are some options:
lee-phillips.org/amazonJuliaB...
#julialang - its speed and friendly syntax is taking it beyond #science to #finance and other areas.
lee-phillips.org/amazonJuliaB...
#julialang - its speed and friendly syntax is taking it beyond #science to #finance and other areas.
Rankings of Julia books on Amazon
lee-phillips.org
January 10, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Need your #code to be faster but don’t want to use Fortran or C? Learn #Julia, the modern language for #HPC, with a quality book. Here are some options:
lee-phillips.org/amazonJuliaB...
#julialang - its speed and friendly syntax is taking it beyond #science to #finance and other areas.
lee-phillips.org/amazonJuliaB...
#julialang - its speed and friendly syntax is taking it beyond #science to #finance and other areas.
Charlotte Zwerin’s 1988 documentary, “Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser,” is out on a new Blu-ray¹. I used to own a laserdisc² of this fascinating, revelatory and disturbing film³.
1 amazon.com/Thelonious-S...
2 filmstories.co.uk/features/las...
3 criterion.com/films/33809-...
#music #jazz
1 amazon.com/Thelonious-S...
2 filmstories.co.uk/features/las...
3 criterion.com/films/33809-...
#music #jazz
Amazon.com: Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser (The Criterion Collection) [Bluray] : Thelonious Monk, Charlotte Zwerin: Movies & TV
Amazon.com: Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser (The Criterion Collection) [Bluray] : Thelonious Monk, Charlotte Zwerin: Movies & TV
amazon.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Charlotte Zwerin’s 1988 documentary, “Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser,” is out on a new Blu-ray¹. I used to own a laserdisc² of this fascinating, revelatory and disturbing film³.
1 amazon.com/Thelonious-S...
2 filmstories.co.uk/features/las...
3 criterion.com/films/33809-...
#music #jazz
1 amazon.com/Thelonious-S...
2 filmstories.co.uk/features/las...
3 criterion.com/films/33809-...
#music #jazz
American Scientist: “Some of the most elegant science communication in the book unfolds as Phillips walks us through what symmetry means in Noether’s theorem.”
americanscientist.org/article/hidd...
Learn about the hidden #history of #physics: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
americanscientist.org/article/hidd...
Learn about the hidden #history of #physics: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
Hidden Genius
EINSTEIN’S TUTOR: The Story of Emmy Noether and the Invention of Modern Physics. Lee Phillips. 368 pp. PublicAffairs, 2024. $30.00.
americanscientist.org
January 9, 2026 at 11:26 PM
American Scientist: “Some of the most elegant science communication in the book unfolds as Phillips walks us through what symmetry means in Noether’s theorem.”
americanscientist.org/article/hidd...
Learn about the hidden #history of #physics: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
americanscientist.org/article/hidd...
Learn about the hidden #history of #physics: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
My chat at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, with Dr. Anwar Dunbar: t.co/vrxqsTP44c
We talk about #writing #books, #science #education, #physics, and stuff.
We talk about #writing #books, #science #education, #physics, and stuff.
https://bigwordsarepowerful.com/2025/03/my-interview-with-dr-lee-phillips-regarding-his-science-career-science-writing-and-telling-science-stories
t.co
January 9, 2026 at 7:57 PM
My chat at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, with Dr. Anwar Dunbar: t.co/vrxqsTP44c
We talk about #writing #books, #science #education, #physics, and stuff.
We talk about #writing #books, #science #education, #physics, and stuff.
Great idea. While you’re waiting for Emmy the Vampire Slayer, maybe you’ll have better luck with my book: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
(It’s not that you’re dumb (probably), it’s that these ideas can be hard to explain. But people tell me I did a good job there.)
(It’s not that you’re dumb (probably), it’s that these ideas can be hard to explain. But people tell me I did a good job there.)
January 9, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Great idea. While you’re waiting for Emmy the Vampire Slayer, maybe you’ll have better luck with my book: amzn.to/3YZZB4W
(It’s not that you’re dumb (probably), it’s that these ideas can be hard to explain. But people tell me I did a good job there.)
(It’s not that you’re dumb (probably), it’s that these ideas can be hard to explain. But people tell me I did a good job there.)
Magnification Shape Styling in Lens Insets in Julia
lee-phillips.org/customlens/
#julialang #physics #mathematics #visualization
lee-phillips.org/customlens/
#julialang #physics #mathematics #visualization
Magnification Shape Styling in Lens Insets in Julia
lee-phillips.org
January 9, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Magnification Shape Styling in Lens Insets in Julia
lee-phillips.org/customlens/
#julialang #physics #mathematics #visualization
lee-phillips.org/customlens/
#julialang #physics #mathematics #visualization
My first patch for dwm:
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
#linux
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
#linux
dwm - dynamic window manager | suckless.org software that sucks less
dwm.suckless.org
January 9, 2026 at 1:58 AM
My first patch for dwm:
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
#linux
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
#linux
Show HN: Tylax – A bidirectional LaTeX to Typst converter in Rust | Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Emmy Noether established the foundation of modern physics, yet she is still routinely overlooked:
lee-phillips.org/notweyl
lee-phillips.org/notweyl
Emmy Noether Can’t Get a Break
lee-phillips.org
January 8, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Emmy Noether established the foundation of modern physics, yet she is still routinely overlooked:
lee-phillips.org/notweyl
lee-phillips.org/notweyl
You can use Typst today even if you need to produce a LaTeX manuscript:
lee-phillips.org/typstfilters/
#typt #latex #physics #mathematics #computerscience #science
lee-phillips.org/typstfilters/
#typt #latex #physics #mathematics #computerscience #science
Using Typst Today: When You Need LaTeX
lee-phillips.org
January 8, 2026 at 2:51 AM
You can use Typst today even if you need to produce a LaTeX manuscript:
lee-phillips.org/typstfilters/
#typt #latex #physics #mathematics #computerscience #science
lee-phillips.org/typstfilters/
#typt #latex #physics #mathematics #computerscience #science
“New horizons for Julia”:
My article about #Julialang and new directions for the language. I talk about new tooling for installation, compilation to small binaries, and more. Julia is simply the best and most fun language for #science and #engineering.
t.co/azLBxkd49C
My article about #Julialang and new directions for the language. I talk about new tooling for installation, compilation to small binaries, and more. Julia is simply the best and most fun language for #science and #engineering.
t.co/azLBxkd49C
https://lwn.net/Articles/1006117/
t.co
January 7, 2026 at 9:55 PM
“New horizons for Julia”:
My article about #Julialang and new directions for the language. I talk about new tooling for installation, compilation to small binaries, and more. Julia is simply the best and most fun language for #science and #engineering.
t.co/azLBxkd49C
My article about #Julialang and new directions for the language. I talk about new tooling for installation, compilation to small binaries, and more. Julia is simply the best and most fun language for #science and #engineering.
t.co/azLBxkd49C
“Among world’s top researchers 10% publish at unrealistic levels, analysis finds”:
chemistryworld.com/news/among-w...
I know from working in a government lab how pervasive this kind of plagiarism is. I’m glad to see that some are taking a systematic look at the problem.
#science
chemistryworld.com/news/among-w...
I know from working in a government lab how pervasive this kind of plagiarism is. I’m glad to see that some are taking a systematic look at the problem.
#science
Among world’s top researchers 10% publish at unrealistic levels, analysis finds
About 20,000 of the most cited researchers have 'implausibly high' publication and new co-author rates
chemistryworld.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:03 PM
“Among world’s top researchers 10% publish at unrealistic levels, analysis finds”:
chemistryworld.com/news/among-w...
I know from working in a government lab how pervasive this kind of plagiarism is. I’m glad to see that some are taking a systematic look at the problem.
#science
chemistryworld.com/news/among-w...
I know from working in a government lab how pervasive this kind of plagiarism is. I’m glad to see that some are taking a systematic look at the problem.
#science
Reposted by Lee Phillips
It moves! We can watch as the Kepler supernova remnant changes over a quarter of century in X-rays from Chandra. #aas247
chandra.si.edu/photo/2026/k...
chandra.si.edu/photo/2026/k...
January 6, 2026 at 9:23 PM
It moves! We can watch as the Kepler supernova remnant changes over a quarter of century in X-rays from Chandra. #aas247
chandra.si.edu/photo/2026/k...
chandra.si.edu/photo/2026/k...
My first patch for dwm:
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
dwm - dynamic window manager | suckless.org software that sucks less
dwm.suckless.org
January 6, 2026 at 9:55 PM
My first patch for dwm:
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
dwm.suckless.org/patches/bsta...
Updates and combines the bottomstack patch and the stackmfact patch.
“We've quietly been using Julia at our hedge fund for ~4 years. It has saved us a lot of money.”
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4311...
#julialang #science #programming #finance
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4311...
#julialang #science #programming #finance
New horizons for Julia | Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com
January 6, 2026 at 7:13 PM
“We've quietly been using Julia at our hedge fund for ~4 years. It has saved us a lot of money.”
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4311...
#julialang #science #programming #finance
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4311...
#julialang #science #programming #finance