People: Solving Puzzles with Steve Kahn

Steve Kahn, with an artist's conception of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in the background. (Photo by Lauren Schenkman.)

by Lauren Schenkman

Experimental cosmologist Steve Kahn loves wrestling with the snarls and tangles of a good conundrum—even when he's off the clock.

"I'm an avid fanatic of crossword puzzles," Kahn said, "particularly the hard ones." In the well-known sequence of the New York Times crosswords, he prefers Fridays and Saturdays, puzzles not for the faint of heart.

"What makes them hard is that the clues aren't constraining; they don't uniquely point to an answer," Kahn said. "So you have to keep all these possibilities in your mind at the same time, and find a way that it kind of locks in and shows you the potential answers are correct."

Problems of the most diabolical and vexing sort delight Kahn's scientific palate as well. He even admits to overlooking a question with a potentially more interesting answer for another one that promises more noggin scratching and hair pulling.

"This is overly simplistic, but there are sort of two kinds of scientists," he explained. "One kind is mostly interested in the answers, and the other is more interested in the process. I'm more in the process category." Read more...

Spurious SLAC Today E-mails

by Shawne Workman

Apologies to all who received two false mailings from the SLAC Today e-mail list yesterday. SLAC computing staff have made some changes that should block future occurrences.

Earth Day Events Today

by Shawne Workman

Today is Earth Day 2009. Special events at SLAC will highlight the Department of Energy theme, "New Energy for America." Join the celebration and consider ways to make your energy use leaner, cleaner and more independent of foreign oil.

SLAC will host Earth Day activities in the Panofsky Auditorium Breezeway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers and vendors from companies like Akeena Solar, PG&E, Grainger and Jensen Landscaping will present educational materials and green products—including a smart car. Come before 2 p.m. to enter a raffle for a new cruiser bicycle.

For online tips on green living, see the DOE's special Earth Day home page (during Earth Week 2009 only).

Secretary Chu to Testify for Earth Day Hearing

from a Department of Energy news release

In a special Earth Day hearing today in Washington, DC, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will testify before a joint hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Energy and Environment Subcommittee. The three Cabinet members will discuss the importance of ending our dependence on foreign oil, creating the clean energy jobs of the future and addressing the global climate crisis.

WIS Seminar Today: Vascular Disease

B. William Lewis.

If your legs ever feel tired, achy or restless, you may have venous insufficiency. This highly under-diagnosed and under-treated condition commonly manifests as varicose veins and spider veins. To learn more about its causes and what you can do about it, come to Panofsky Auditorium today from noon to 1 p.m. for "Vascular Disease—Getting Closure on Varicose Veins." The talk is co-sponsored by the Women's Interchange at SLAC and the SLAC chapter of the Red Hat Society.

Physician Douglas Lewis will discuss proper diagnosis and non-surgical approaches to help individuals "get closure" on abnormal leg veins. Lewis is a board certified vascular and interventional radiologist with extensive clinical experience. His talk is free and open to all.

Events (see all | submit)

Today (12:00 p.m.) WIS Seminar: Vascular Disease—Getting Closure on Abnormal Leg Veins
Today (12:30 p.m.) SASS: Andrew Larkoski Presents "Why Supersymmetry is Super"
Today (1:30 p.m.) Theory Seminar: Numerical Tools for QCD Higher-order Predictions

Access (see all)

Undergound Piping Work near Building 28

Announcements
(see all | submit)

Lab Announcements

Community Bulletin Board

Training

Lab Training (calendar | register)

Today (1:00 p.m.) Hazardous Wasste Management Refresher
Apr 23 (8:00 a.m.) Certificate in Supervision: Project Management and Delegation

Upcoming Workshops & Classes (more | register)

CANCELED: Apr 22 (9:00 a.m.) Excel 2007 Level 1
May 6 (1:00 p.m.) Word Transition from Office 2003 to 2007
May 6 (8:30 a.m.) Excel Transition from Office 2003 to 2007

News (submit)

Chu and Solis: Building the American Clean Energy Economy The Buffalo News
Can R2 Gravity Explain Dark Matter? Physorg
Researcher Discover Two Highly Complex Organic Molecules Detected in Space Physorg
Primitive Interstellar Dust Samples Provide Pre-solar Time Capsules Science Daily
World's First Hard X-ray Laser Powers Up ScienceNOW

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View online at http://today.slac.stanford.edu/.

People: Solving Puzzles with Steve Kahn Steve Kahn, with an artist's conception of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in the background. (Photo by Lauren Schenkman.) by Lauren Schenkman Experimental cosmologist Steve Kahn loves wrestling with the snarls and tangles of a good conundrum—even when he's off the clock. "I'm an avid fanatic of crossword puzzles," Kahn said, "particularly the hard ones." In the well-known sequence of the New York Times crosswords, he prefers Fridays and Saturdays, puzzles not for the faint of heart. "What makes them hard is that the clues aren't constraining; they don't uniquely point to an answer," Kahn said. "So you have to keep all these possibilities in your mind at the same time, and find a way that it kind of locks in and shows you the potential answers are correct." Problems of the most diabolical and vexing sort delight Kahn's scientific palate as well. He even admits to overlooking a question with a potentially more interesting answer for another one that promises more noggin scratching and hair pulling. "This is overly simplistic, but there are sort of two kinds of scientists," he explained. "One kind is mostly interested in the answers, and the other is more interested in the process. I'm more in the process category." Read more... Spurious SLAC Today E-mails by Shawne Workman Apologies to all who received two false mailings from the SLAC Today e-mail list yesterday. SLAC computing staff have made some changes that should block future occurrences. Earth Day Events Today by Shawne Workman Today is Earth Day 2009. Special events at SLAC will highlight the Department of Energy theme, "New Energy for America." Join the celebration and consider ways to make your energy use leaner, cleaner and more independent of foreign oil. SLAC will host Earth Day activities in the Panofsky Auditorium Breezeway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers and vendors from companies like Akeena Solar, PG&E, Grainger and Jensen Landscaping will present educational materials and green products—including a smart car. Come before 2 p.m. to enter a raffle for a new cruiser bicycle. For online tips on green living, see the DOE's special Earth Day home page (during Earth Week 2009 only). Secretary Chu to Testify for Earth Day Hearing from a Department of Energy news release In a special Earth Day hearing today in Washington, DC, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will testify before a joint hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Energy and Environment Subcommittee. The three Cabinet members will discuss the importance of ending our dependence on foreign oil, creating the clean energy jobs of the future and addressing the global climate crisis. WIS Seminar Today: Vascular Disease B. William Lewis. If your legs ever feel tired, achy or restless, you may have venous insufficiency. This highly under-diagnosed and under-treated condition commonly manifests as varicose veins and spider veins. To learn more about its causes and what you can do about it, come to Panofsky Auditorium today from noon to 1 p.m. for "Vascular Disease—Getting Closure on Varicose Veins." The talk is co-sponsored by the Women's Interchange at SLAC and the SLAC chapter of the Red Hat Society. Physician Douglas Lewis will discuss proper diagnosis and non-surgical approaches to help individuals "get closure" on abnormal leg veins. Lewis is a board certified vascular and interventional radiologist with extensive clinical experience. His talk is free and open to all.	Events (see all \| submit) Today (12:00 p.m.) WIS Seminar: Vascular Disease—Getting Closure on Abnormal Leg Veins Today (12:30 p.m.) SASS: Andrew Larkoski Presents "Why Supersymmetry is Super" Today (1:30 p.m.) Theory Seminar: Numerical Tools for QCD Higher-order Predictions Access (see all) Undergound Piping Work near Building 28 Announcements (see all \| submit) Lab Announcements Update to New Course for Supervisors - Incident Investigation SMB Summer School 2009 Dates Announced Beware of Sites Advertising Antivirus 2009 Community Bulletin Board Registration Open: Ultrafast X-ray Summer School 2009 Registration Open: SLAC in the LHC Era—Ambitions from the SLUO Community Training Lab Training (calendar \| register) Today (1:00 p.m.) Hazardous Wasste Management Refresher Apr 23 (8:00 a.m.) Certificate in Supervision: Project Management and Delegation Upcoming Workshops & Classes (more \| register) CANCELED: Apr 22 (9:00 a.m.) Excel 2007 Level 1 May 6 (1:00 p.m.) Word Transition from Office 2003 to 2007 May 6 (8:30 a.m.) Excel Transition from Office 2003 to 2007 News (submit) Chu and Solis: Building the American Clean Energy Economy The Buffalo News Can R2 Gravity Explain Dark Matter? Physorg Researcher Discover Two Highly Complex Organic Molecules Detected in Space Physorg Primitive Interstellar Dust Samples Provide Pre-solar Time Capsules Science Daily World's First Hard X-ray Laser Powers Up ScienceNOW
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	Wednesday - April 22, 2009