Chad Orzel
@orzelc.bsky.social
Physicist, professor, author of books about science for non-scientists. Longer-form stuff at https://chadorzel.substack.com/
Veterans Day in the US, which means the annual reminder that the best possible tribute to the sacrifices made by those who serve in the military is to work for a world where we need fewer of them.
November 11, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Veterans Day in the US, which means the annual reminder that the best possible tribute to the sacrifices made by those who serve in the military is to work for a world where we need fewer of them.
Today's minor mystery: What the hell does this bumper sticker mean?
November 11, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Today's minor mystery: What the hell does this bumper sticker mean?
Reposted by Chad Orzel
american health care is fundamentally based on insurance in one form or another and every time it gets tweaked a lot of people reveal that they do not understand or do not support the concept of insurance
Remember that insurance is actually a thing you hope never to use, and then read this critique.
November 10, 2025 at 4:01 PM
american health care is fundamentally based on insurance in one form or another and every time it gets tweaked a lot of people reveal that they do not understand or do not support the concept of insurance
Reposted by Chad Orzel
This is disappointing. The APS merged all of the regional Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) into one conference in Colorado for 2026. This will make attendance for undergraduates a lot more expensive in terms of both money and time. ⚛️ 🎢 👩🔬 #WomenInPhysics
Attendees
Find mentors, explore education and career opportunities and network with and learn from fellow students with varied backgrounds and perspectives in physics.
www.aps.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:24 PM
This is disappointing. The APS merged all of the regional Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) into one conference in Colorado for 2026. This will make attendance for undergraduates a lot more expensive in terms of both money and time. ⚛️ 🎢 👩🔬 #WomenInPhysics
Reposted by Chad Orzel
No Michelin star again for this kitchen
November 10, 2025 at 12:41 PM
No Michelin star again for this kitchen
My Ph.D. advisor was Bill Phillips, who's a terrific person. Alain Aspect, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Eric Cornell, Jean Dalibard, Wolfgang Ketterle, Dan Kleppner (RIP), Norman Ramsey (RIP), and Dave Wineland were also great whenever I interacted with them. AMO physics is full of good folks.
Right, enough of James Watson - who's a senior academic you've met who's been an utter delight?
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
November 10, 2025 at 1:48 AM
My Ph.D. advisor was Bill Phillips, who's a terrific person. Alain Aspect, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Eric Cornell, Jean Dalibard, Wolfgang Ketterle, Dan Kleppner (RIP), Norman Ramsey (RIP), and Dave Wineland were also great whenever I interacted with them. AMO physics is full of good folks.
Reposted by Chad Orzel
This is a fantastic series of posts about subsistence farming and why your ancestors will rise from the grave and smack you if you return to it after they got out.
@bretdevereaux.bsky.social did a fantastic series on that reality recently.
acoup.blog/2025/07/11/c...
acoup.blog/2025/07/11/c...
Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part I: Households
This is the first post in a series discussing the basic contours of life – birth, marriage, labor, subsistence, death – of pre-modern peasants and their families. Prior to the industria…
acoup.blog
November 10, 2025 at 12:17 AM
This is a fantastic series of posts about subsistence farming and why your ancestors will rise from the grave and smack you if you return to it after they got out.
Honestly, this might be even better as a set-up for a movie than if he were an actual police detective: apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Honestly, this might be even better as a set-up for a movie than if he were an actual police detective: apnews.com/article/louv...
Reposted by Chad Orzel
Floating the idea of a Middle Earth TTRPG campaign where you work at the Prancing Pony and your boss has sent you to collect seven dollars from the Black Rider who did seven dollars worth of damage while roughly looking for the Fellowship.
November 8, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Floating the idea of a Middle Earth TTRPG campaign where you work at the Prancing Pony and your boss has sent you to collect seven dollars from the Black Rider who did seven dollars worth of damage while roughly looking for the Fellowship.
Reposted by Chad Orzel
This should not be revelatory!! www.ft.com/content/a27b...
November 9, 2025 at 11:48 AM
This should not be revelatory!! www.ft.com/content/a27b...
Reposted by Chad Orzel
Bluetorial-Jim Watson
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on
media.tenor.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Bluetorial-Jim Watson
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
I met Jim Watson a few times but did not know him well. However, I was greatly influenced by his book “The Double Helix”. He was a complicated human being with some very, very bad features, but some good contributions.
What follows is my personal perspective.
1/41
This story is well done, but I think my reaction to the whole quantum-without-complex-numbers program is summed up by this screenshotted quote www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-t...
November 8, 2025 at 3:05 PM
This story is well done, but I think my reaction to the whole quantum-without-complex-numbers program is summed up by this screenshotted quote www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-t...
Reposted by Chad Orzel
Fascinating interview with Milly Ellis who fed Michael Gambon his lines through an earpiece on film sets as his memory started to fail him.
He didn’t wear it on stage for this very good reason:
www.thetimes.com/culture/thea...
He didn’t wear it on stage for this very good reason:
www.thetimes.com/culture/thea...
November 8, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Fascinating interview with Milly Ellis who fed Michael Gambon his lines through an earpiece on film sets as his memory started to fail him.
He didn’t wear it on stage for this very good reason:
www.thetimes.com/culture/thea...
He didn’t wear it on stage for this very good reason:
www.thetimes.com/culture/thea...
Reposted by Chad Orzel
'Maybe we'll cancel SNAP and 10-20% of all flights through *Thanksgiving* and *Christmas*' is just an insane political position.
You do that and the annual Turkey fryer injuries won't be from turkeys, but from folks attempting to fry whole GOP senators for Thanksgiving.
You do that and the annual Turkey fryer injuries won't be from turkeys, but from folks attempting to fry whole GOP senators for Thanksgiving.
GOP SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: It may be 2026 when we'll come out of the shutdown.
REPORTERS: 😳
KENNEDY: I'm not kidding, you guys. I mean, you see what I see. Okay? This shutdown is going to last a long time. What's going to get us out of it?
REPORTERS: 😳
KENNEDY: I'm not kidding, you guys. I mean, you see what I see. Okay? This shutdown is going to last a long time. What's going to get us out of it?
November 8, 2025 at 5:32 AM
'Maybe we'll cancel SNAP and 10-20% of all flights through *Thanksgiving* and *Christmas*' is just an insane political position.
You do that and the annual Turkey fryer injuries won't be from turkeys, but from folks attempting to fry whole GOP senators for Thanksgiving.
You do that and the annual Turkey fryer injuries won't be from turkeys, but from folks attempting to fry whole GOP senators for Thanksgiving.
Reposted by Chad Orzel
This is a perfect encapsulation of Texas HS football, especially out west.
Coaches meeting at a gas station to do a coin flip to see who makes the playoffs.
(via @lancelahnert on Twitter)
Coaches meeting at a gas station to do a coin flip to see who makes the playoffs.
(via @lancelahnert on Twitter)
November 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM
This is a perfect encapsulation of Texas HS football, especially out west.
Coaches meeting at a gas station to do a coin flip to see who makes the playoffs.
(via @lancelahnert on Twitter)
Coaches meeting at a gas station to do a coin flip to see who makes the playoffs.
(via @lancelahnert on Twitter)
Reposted by Chad Orzel
Friday Night Parker, an occasional series! Book 2: The Man With the Getaway Face.
So this was the book where Parker became *a series*, not just a one-off about a vengeful sociopath. When the book opens, he's staring at his new face in the mirror, which he's just paid a whole lot of money for.
So this was the book where Parker became *a series*, not just a one-off about a vengeful sociopath. When the book opens, he's staring at his new face in the mirror, which he's just paid a whole lot of money for.
November 7, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Friday Night Parker, an occasional series! Book 2: The Man With the Getaway Face.
So this was the book where Parker became *a series*, not just a one-off about a vengeful sociopath. When the book opens, he's staring at his new face in the mirror, which he's just paid a whole lot of money for.
So this was the book where Parker became *a series*, not just a one-off about a vengeful sociopath. When the book opens, he's staring at his new face in the mirror, which he's just paid a whole lot of money for.
Doing a super quick take on the Zeeman effect and spin-orbit coupling today in my quantum class because it would be outrageous to have students pass through without seeing spectroscopic notation at least once.
November 7, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Doing a super quick take on the Zeeman effect and spin-orbit coupling today in my quantum class because it would be outrageous to have students pass through without seeing spectroscopic notation at least once.
Note to Self: It's not enough to boil water and measure out the tea, you need to pour the one over the other.
Going to be a GREAT morning...
Going to be a GREAT morning...
November 7, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Note to Self: It's not enough to boil water and measure out the tea, you need to pour the one over the other.
Going to be a GREAT morning...
Going to be a GREAT morning...
Reposted by Chad Orzel
The arc of history is a foot-long, but it bends towards justice.
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 8:25 PM
The arc of history is a foot-long, but it bends towards justice.
We're coming down to the end of our Fall term which means it's time for me to start thinking about next term and how I'm going to teach Quantum Optics and Quantum Information: open.substack.com/pub/chadorze...
Thinking Out Loud: Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
Notes toward my winter term class
open.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:22 PM
We're coming down to the end of our Fall term which means it's time for me to start thinking about next term and how I'm going to teach Quantum Optics and Quantum Information: open.substack.com/pub/chadorze...
Reposted by Chad Orzel
I suppose my lingering off-year-election vibe is that the Dems got carried forward by a wave of anti-Trump fury at a time when pretty much all of the potential movement for Trump is down.
The economy has room to fall, but not rise. ICE has space for catastrophic failure, but not notable success.
The economy has room to fall, but not rise. ICE has space for catastrophic failure, but not notable success.
November 6, 2025 at 4:18 AM
I suppose my lingering off-year-election vibe is that the Dems got carried forward by a wave of anti-Trump fury at a time when pretty much all of the potential movement for Trump is down.
The economy has room to fall, but not rise. ICE has space for catastrophic failure, but not notable success.
The economy has room to fall, but not rise. ICE has space for catastrophic failure, but not notable success.
Reposted by Chad Orzel
even if something is worth doing, it will be done so badly and corruptly by this administration as to make it a disaster.
I think I’m just broadly against maybe not necessarily all but damn near all dod combat operations under trump
November 6, 2025 at 6:48 AM
even if something is worth doing, it will be done so badly and corruptly by this administration as to make it a disaster.
Reposted by Chad Orzel
The only thing that could possibly be hotter than Italian twins explaining entanglement in Italian is Italian triplets explaining the GHZ state.
Happy to share our TEDx talk where me and my twin @antonioannamele.bsky.social chat about quantum technologies!
(Italian only)
youtu.be/yzXUsDUPt8A?...
(Italian only)
youtu.be/yzXUsDUPt8A?...
Quantum Computer: una possibile rivoluzione | Francesco Anna Mele & Antonio Anna Mele | TEDxPolicoro
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
youtu.be
November 5, 2025 at 10:10 PM
The only thing that could possibly be hotter than Italian twins explaining entanglement in Italian is Italian triplets explaining the GHZ state.
Reposted by Chad Orzel
catwoman didn't vote (felon); joker didn't vote; poison ivy and bane voted mamdani (left-wing); mr. freeze, scarecrow, and harley quinn voted for mamdani (edpol); killer croc, two-face, and clayface voted for cuomo. penguin voted for adams (also on the turkish payroll).
who do you think the Penguin would have voted for in the NY election
November 5, 2025 at 5:59 PM
catwoman didn't vote (felon); joker didn't vote; poison ivy and bane voted mamdani (left-wing); mr. freeze, scarecrow, and harley quinn voted for mamdani (edpol); killer croc, two-face, and clayface voted for cuomo. penguin voted for adams (also on the turkish payroll).
Incredibly, this is only the SECOND hardest "No!" to turn up in my inbox today:
November 5, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Incredibly, this is only the SECOND hardest "No!" to turn up in my inbox today: