Dean Astumian, OFS
@deanast.bsky.social
Secular Franciscan, follower of Jesus and St. Francis, physicist interested in operating principles of synthetic and biological molecular machines, and non-equilibrium chemistry, wine, hiking, travel, social justice.
"In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls." Chamberlin's dedicatory speech, Oct. 3, 1899 Gettysburg. Here is the Chamberlain we need:
November 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
"In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls." Chamberlin's dedicatory speech, Oct. 3, 1899 Gettysburg. Here is the Chamberlain we need:
Doesn't the horror at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue count?
November 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Doesn't the horror at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue count?
America - where kings are not our cup of tea!
October 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM
America - where kings are not our cup of tea!
Republicans when asked to defend their own evil policies:
October 17, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Republicans when asked to defend their own evil policies:
No, Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, and in other news, this guy did not win the Nobel Physics Prize, but he doubtless received more votes than Trump did for the Peace Prize. Credit to "Keeping up Appearances" for the character of Arnslo, and Chaikin and Lubensky for the book.
October 10, 2025 at 11:54 AM
No, Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, and in other news, this guy did not win the Nobel Physics Prize, but he doubtless received more votes than Trump did for the Peace Prize. Credit to "Keeping up Appearances" for the character of Arnslo, and Chaikin and Lubensky for the book.
NY Times headline that is an out and out lie. It claims a spending bill would need bipartisan support to pass - that is not true, the Republicans could pass it on their own. They control both the Senate and the House. Any implication that the Democrats contributed to the shutdown is false.
October 1, 2025 at 10:54 AM
NY Times headline that is an out and out lie. It claims a spending bill would need bipartisan support to pass - that is not true, the Republicans could pass it on their own. They control both the Senate and the House. Any implication that the Democrats contributed to the shutdown is false.
I came this close to being raptored:
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I came this close to being raptored:
Channeling this guy, and we know what happened to him:
September 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Channeling this guy, and we know what happened to him:
I hate to admit it but when I see our flag I feel sadness and disgust now. It represents a country where a plurality of voters accept, and even adulate, a felon, sexual assailant, and child (and flag) molester in the vain and foolish hope he could lower the price of consumer goods.
August 25, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I hate to admit it but when I see our flag I feel sadness and disgust now. It represents a country where a plurality of voters accept, and even adulate, a felon, sexual assailant, and child (and flag) molester in the vain and foolish hope he could lower the price of consumer goods.
This about summarizes the state of the world:
August 23, 2025 at 9:28 PM
This about summarizes the state of the world:
This is on the Nobel Prize web site:
August 18, 2025 at 1:52 PM
This is on the Nobel Prize web site:
we had rock'em sock'em robots when I was a kid:
August 17, 2025 at 4:16 PM
we had rock'em sock'em robots when I was a kid:
Here is a clip that raises so many questions
August 1, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Here is a clip that raises so many questions
Could help but think of Escher's waterfall emptying into itself, constructed of three Penrose triangles - a so-called impossible object. Peace and all good on your Itinerarium!
July 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Could help but think of Escher's waterfall emptying into itself, constructed of three Penrose triangles - a so-called impossible object. Peace and all good on your Itinerarium!
A beautiful example of kinetic asymmetry - cleavage of the balls in the front and back of the mobile ring is thermodynamically equivalent, but cleavage of the front ring (on the right) is much faster - energy input combined with structural asymmetry by which one reaction is faster than another.
June 10, 2025 at 7:17 PM
A beautiful example of kinetic asymmetry - cleavage of the balls in the front and back of the mobile ring is thermodynamically equivalent, but cleavage of the front ring (on the right) is much faster - energy input combined with structural asymmetry by which one reaction is faster than another.
One could certainly play this oaf in some gambling game involving periodic vs. time independent events
June 3, 2025 at 5:41 PM
One could certainly play this oaf in some gambling game involving periodic vs. time independent events
It isn't rational to blame the Dem's for not communicating with those who voted for this.
May 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
It isn't rational to blame the Dem's for not communicating with those who voted for this.
Here are to images of a big beautiful Bill, one actually eradicated a deficit and established a surplus, the other will be responsible for the largest deficit in US history and result in the destruction of countless lives.
May 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Here are to images of a big beautiful Bill, one actually eradicated a deficit and established a surplus, the other will be responsible for the largest deficit in US history and result in the destruction of countless lives.
The only way to eliminate our deficit and create a government surplus is with this big beautiful Bill:
May 22, 2025 at 9:12 AM
The only way to eliminate our deficit and create a government surplus is with this big beautiful Bill:
Beautiful kinetic analysis - indeed a lovely example of Le Chatlier at work. To turn this into a machine for endergonic synthesis it seems one could figure out a way to pump the transition between 1e and 1d in Figure 2c - raise and lower IV in unison with the barrier between IV and V.
May 13, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Beautiful kinetic analysis - indeed a lovely example of Le Chatlier at work. To turn this into a machine for endergonic synthesis it seems one could figure out a way to pump the transition between 1e and 1d in Figure 2c - raise and lower IV in unison with the barrier between IV and V.
From my American Express, very glad for the two cents:
April 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM
From my American Express, very glad for the two cents:
Attributed to German General Cholitz. Could this be appropriate for the current situation?
March 6, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Attributed to German General Cholitz. Could this be appropriate for the current situation?