Time Warp

The left column of this graphic contains pictures of famous really smart guys. Can you figure out which photo from the right column belongs with each of those scientists?

You get extra credit if you can describe their contributions to humanity's understanding of the universe, and double good extra bonus credit if you can explain any of it so that someone like me can understand it.

Oh, and another 20 points goes to anyone who can identify which scientist is related to the guy in the center of the photo to the right.

If you've known me for any length of time, you've probably figured out that I like and admire scientists. I never seriously considered becoming one, probably because I have the attention span of an ephemeropteran, and thanks to childhood television influences, could never hear the word "beaker" without thinking of that guy from Supercar. But I certainly do enjoy hanging out with science geeks, and am fortunate enough to work with a group of them who are willing to talk slowly and use cartoons to explain stuff to me.

Thanks to these fellows, I learn something new almost every single day. I doubt that I'll ever understand why one slow driver can screw up traffic for miles and miles, or why anyone watches those obnoxious celebrity chef shows, or why U2 ever got a recording contract...but I'm sure learning all sorts of cool stuff about plasma energy control for thin-film deposition. Oh, if I won the PowerBall jackpot I'd retire in a heartbeat--you can count on that, but as long as I have to work for a living, my current job is a pretty sweet place to be.

I'm always tired by the time I get out of the office, though. My intent is to go out to the pond for a swim on Monday and Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, but last night I was too hungry and sleepy to talk myself into it. The "hungry" part was especially troubling, since I knew that my fridge was devoid of fruits and veggies; and I'm supposed to be on this cholesterol-lowering health kick. So despite my fatigue, I stopped off at the grocery store on the way home to stock up on fresh food for the rest of the week.

Here's what's really weird, though -- as I was selecting fruit from the produce section, I got it into my head that I shouldn't buy too much since the week was almost over. I was convinced that it was Wednesday for some reason, and I did my shopping accordingly.

Do you ever have a temporal disconnect like that? I believe I even went to bed thinking that I'd wake up on Thursday morning, and needed to be making plans for weekend bike rides. Of course, when I did wake up this morning, I realized exactly what day it was and immediately regretted that I didn't pick up a few more apples during last night's shopping trip. Oh well. The store is right next to where I live, so I can always zip over there again if I need to.

But it does kinda bug me that I got so out of synch. Perhaps the brain cells that are filling up with plasma physics information are ones that used to process the passage of time, but are now otherwise occupied. What's next? Forgetting to wear pants?

We'll see. In the meantime, I plan to take advantage of every educational opportunity I get, and intend to asborb whatever science knowledge my work buddies will bestow...even if it costs me my chronological senses. So if you see me wandering around aimlessly, just gently remind me what day it is and I'll probably resume functionality. If not, then just try to make sure I don't miss my next swim practice. Everything else is expendable...but not swimming.

As always, thanks for all your support. Have a great day!