Today has got to be another “focus on finding paid employment” day for me, so I’m going to go hide out in my local library for a few hours. In the meantime, go read!

• Because I write more about theoretical physics than energy issues, I get one variety of crackpot commentator more than others: the one who thinks they have shown by simple arguments that Einstein was wrong wrong wrong, or similar. Mark Chu-Carroll takes down another variety of crackpot, the starry-eyed idealist who thinks we can get energy for free, despite the laws of thermodynamics. (Tip of the pendulum to Jennifer Ouellette for sharing this one.) Of course, such a post gives me the opportunity to link again to this.
• Callan Bentley shares a table of words scientists commonly use when talking about climate change, along with better alternatives to use when speaking to the general public or media. I also note that it’s past time for me to add a “climate change” category to my blog (since I’ve been accused of ignoring the issue).
• Still on that subject: the authors of a study on sea levels withdrew their names in protest after Texas officials censored references to climate change. Since Texas particularly is in increased danger from drought (with accompanying wildfires and dust storms) and coastal flooding, this behavior by state officials is not only reprehensible from a scientific viewpoint, but criminally irresponsible. (Here’s more from The Guardian.)

Image of the day: can you guess what the photo at the right actually is?