talks etc.

The Surfer's Guide to the Universe: In the Domain of Waves

First presented at the International Big History Conference August 3, 2012


Synopsis: This talk reports on the development of a Little Big History of waves. The project is based on my 90-minute stage presentation called The Surfer’s Guide to the Universe which explores the nature of waves as a fundamental component of the universe. In the Surfer’s Guide we trace waves back to their source, all the while, referring to the great equations of physics.

Excerpt: Whether or not we surf, we live in the domain of waves. I know this because in between the sets of waves, a surfer has time to ponder them. As a scientist, I have calculated wave functions, amplitudes, and periods, while as a surfer, I have simply felt their thrill, power and pummelings. In this project I tell a "little big history" of the wave as contemplated by a scientist and surfer. It is a performance imbued with quantum physics and photons, meteorology, music, and marine geology. I'll carve a line that reconciles conceptual knowledge with the lived-experience of waves. It is science, but not above the inevitable poetic "stoke" that comes with experiencing a wave on its terms; wet.

"The goal of this lecture is to instill an audience of young art students with a deeper meaning to their art using the cosmic narrative. Thus, my task here (according to the arguments and conceptual framework of my PhD dissertation) is to... more

""The Surfer's Guide to the Universe is a traveling, public lecture series that combines multimedia science visualizations, storytelling, and musical collaboration, to create immersive, emotionally rich and transformative phenomenological... more

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""The Surfer’s Guide to the Universe: In the Domain of Waves explores waves as fundamental aspect of the universe The Surfer’s Guide to the Universe: In the Domain of Waves - This facet of the PhD is primarily a curriculum development... more






"Some Preliminary Findings: We can only visualize solutions to big problems if we can see the big picture. Big History provides the biggest possible perspective and thus serves as an excellent framework upon which to hang visualizations.... more

Coming Soon...

Deep Time

Emergence