Linkfest
jstemwedel | February 5, 2008
The Questionable Authority : Blogging About Peer-Reviewed Research at the Discovery Institute.
Who knew Casey Luskin would swipe an icon an represent himself as living up to a standard he was clearly dodging? (Anyone who's been paying attention, of course.)
(tags: integrity)
Is this post following our guidelines? | BPR3
The Bloggers for Peer-Reviewed Research Reporting community weighs in as to whether Casey Luskin (who lifted the BPR3 icon) followed their guidelines.
(tags: integrity community)
jstemwedel | February 3, 2008
Christina's LIS Rant: Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose
What's at stake in deciding whether to blog under a pseudonym or under your real name?
(tags: blogosphere)
Hope for Pandora: Double Dipping
What's worse than mouth bacteria? Hand bacteria. (Do you know where those hands have been?)
(tags: medicine food)
The Republic of T. » 1,900 Years of Salmonella
Why the FDA and food labeling laws are insufficient to keep us safe from food poisoning.
(tags: food politics)
jstemwedel | February 2, 2008
Good Math, Bad Math : Idiot Math Professors, Fractions, and the Fun of Math
What good is it to master the mechanics of arithmetic if you don't understand it?
(tags: education math)
jstemwedel | January 30, 2008
Laelaps : I don't quite get the same impression...
The science blogosphere may not be so "bloggy" as other quarters (at least, given one stereotype of blogginess).
(tags: blogosphere)
The Voltage Gate : Defining Bloggers by Medium
Maybe not being stereotypically "bloggy" is a good thing (not just for our readers, but so we don't undercut the science "brand").
(tags: blogosphere)
Cocktail Party Physics: burn, baby, burn
The original CSI: good science. Spontaneous human combustion: not so much.
(tags: television)
Respectful Insolence: Irresponsible anti-vaccination idiocy about autism…
jstemwedel | January 12, 2008
The Republic of T. » Blog-Related Stress Disorder
An interesting discussion about how what we think we need to do for our readers or our connection to the blogosphere can create stress for us and impinge on our non-virtual lives.
(tags: blogosphere)
As a Favor to Me, Do This Favor For Ben « Tiny Cat Pants
Why might women be less interested than men in fields like math or computer science? Someone really interested in the answer has to look at some of the crap girls put up with.
(tags: teaching-and-learning gender science)
The Republic of T. » Finally, The Myth of a Flat Blogosphere…
jstemwedel | January 10, 2008
Creek Running North » If there is hope, it dies with the trolls
Excellent discussion about responsibilities within comment threads -- potentially useful for my Science Blogging Conference session.
(tags: blogosphere communication)
The Missing Link
Monthly history of science podcasts! Cool beans!
(tags: history-of-science)
jstemwedel | January 9, 2008
see jane in the academy: one by one.
An interesting addition to the tenure dossier: a public talk on one's research.
(tags: academia tenure)
Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog: "As a profession, is philosophy in a better or worse state than it was in 1997?"
I think the philosophers quoted have interestingly different ideas of what constitutes the well-being of a profession.
(tags: philosophy academia)
A Philosophy Job Market Blog: Lately There Ain't Been Much Work, On Account of the Economy
How hard *was* the job market in philosophy 10 years ago? (And did they really have to walk to the…
jstemwedel | January 8, 2008
Matt Thurling on the concept of science.TV « Pimm - Partial immortalization
"Science" seems to mean very things to scientists and non-scientists, which complicates the project of communicating about science.
(tags: science-communication)
Recognition and Alleviation of Distress in Laboratory Animals
Available to pre-order, or to read for free online. Looks like good empirical research to guide humane use of animals in research.
(tags: research-with-animals)
Periodic Tabloid » The Great Debate?
Chemical Heritage Foundation president Tom Tritton posts his science policy questions to the…
laelaps | October 15, 2007Welcome to the 10th edition of Oekologie, the best of what the blogosphere has to offer when it comes to the eponymous area of natural science. This edition is particularly special, however, in that it falls on Blog Action Day, so be sure to visit the event's main page to peruse the best of today's environmentally-focused posts.
Agriculture
Diversity is not only important to natural ecosystems, but it can be invaluable to agriculture as well. Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog fills us in on why it's better to encourage variety when you're growing rice.
If you're interested in organic growing…
jstemwedel | August 1, 2007As a quick follow-up to yesterday's post about the suit filed against UCSF, I thought I'd point out some resources relevant to the federal regulations (in the U.S.) governing the use of animals in scientific research.
These are the regulations currently in place -- whether you think they do too little to protect the welfare of animals or too much to restrict scientific research, they're the rules of the game. If the feds are not satisfied that they are being met, the feds are within their rights to withdraw federal funding from the institution that is out of compliance.
The text of the…
jstemwedel | June 26, 2007I want to share some of the items I've been reading elsewhere. Some of them strike me as having a very "summertime" feel to them, while others are just about the non-seasonal issues that are part of life.
At Cocktail Party Physics, there's a truly excellent post on rollercoasters, including some history behind the coolest way to make your stomach drop. (Last time I took the sprogs to The Tech, they had a station where you could design your own rollercoaster ride, putting together loops, corkscrews, and straight rises and falls, then experience it on a simulator. It frustrated the sprogs,…
jstemwedel | June 12, 2007I haven't abandoned you, dear readers, I've just been attending to some tasks in the three-dimensional world. In the meantime, I want to recommend some great posts on other blogs. While some may leave you feeling reasonably good about doings in the world of science, I'm afraid others may break your heart. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read them.
At ChemBark, Paul Bracher muses on the ethics of doing science on someone else's dime. He notes that when the context in which you're doing the science is academic, your obligations extend to students as well as the entity funding your research…
jstemwedel | May 31, 2007The Society of Women Engineers is hosting an event on June 3rd that may be of interest to girls (or their parents) in the Twin Cities area:
On June 3rd, hundreds of girls in St. Paul, Minnesota will attend an event hosted by SWE called, "Wow! That's Engineering!" Through hands-on activities, girls will learn how solar power works, the wonders of deep sea diving, and even develop their own lip-gloss. Most importantly, they'll realize that engineering is not just about working behind a computer; it's about making a difference in the world.
This looks to be aimed at middle school and high…
jstemwedel | March 12, 2007... especially if you've just lost an hour to an unseasonably early Daylight Savings (can I blame the groundhog for this?), here are some attractive time sinks:
Pick a bracket. Maybe you've already picked your bracket for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Even ScienceBloggers partake in such diversions, myself included. (This year, all my picks were determined by coin toss.) But basketball isn't your only Spring spectator sport option. Check out the 2007 Science Spring Showdown at The World's Fair. Grab a bracket and start making your picks. The match-ups to watch in the first…
jstemwedel | February 14, 2007Yes, Valentine's Day is in the top three Hallmark holidays of the year. No, it is not a holiday actually created by Hallmark, despite what half a dozen people have independently asserted to me in the last 48 hours. I am appalled that the commercialization of this holiday has people keeping score on who loves the most (and who is most loved) on the basis of overpriced flowers, jewelry, and chocolate.*
The rampant commercialism of the day notwithstanding, this seems like as good a time as any to share some love:
Love of science: Although Zuska's Joy of Science course has already kicked off,…
jstemwedel | December 23, 2006If you're grabbing some quick blog-reading amongst your other goings on, I have a few posts to recommend.
At Wampum -- you know, the fine blog that runs the Koufax awards-- Mary Beth faces down a holiday with tight resources:
A few hours ago, my eldest asked me when we were going to go pick up our Christmas tree. I couldn't do anything but mumble some rather incoherent, "I'm not sure we're going to be able to have a tree this year." Trees, lights, trimmings, all cost money, and while Eric's now gainfully employed, we don't expect to see a check this week. I've picked out a few books to wrap…
jstemwedel | December 6, 2006It started when someone asked Dr. B. for advice about starting a Ph.D. program with three kids in tow. Since then, the question has been bouncing around the academic blogosphere, with posts you should read at Academom and Geeky Mom. Although this is absolutely the worst time in the semester for me to fire on all cyliders with this one, regular readers know that I've shared my own experiences in this area, so I can't stay completely out of it.
A brief recap of the current conversation:
Dr. B. notes the many ways graduate programs set things up that are easier for the childless than the child…
jstemwedel | December 5, 2006You know how I was sick last week? I was all responsible and stuff, drinking lots of green tea and getting to sleep early and all, and over the weekend I actually felt reasonably healthy for like a day and a half. And now? I seem to have caught another nasty cold.
Which is to explain that this post may reflect my current state of not partaking as fully of consciousness as I generally like to. Also, in the interests of your own health, you should avoid licking the screen while reading this.
*Belle Waring has been sick, too, and it sounds like her bug is nastier than the one I have now,…
jstemwedel | November 9, 2006I want to blog, but I'm trying to catch up with grading and grant-writing and such in the aftermath of the PSA. I won't offer a detailed list of excuses like some bloggers I could name. (However, I will say that I'm going to check WebMD to see if intracranial bleeding is a normal reaction to a seminar paper that discusses elan vital.)
Luckily for you, there are a great many blog carnivals which have posted recent editions, including:
Teaching Carnival #15 at New Kid on the Hallway
Philosophers' Carnival #38 at The Splintered Mind
Skeptics' Circle #47 at Polite Company
Tangled Bank # at…
jstemwedel | October 24, 2006There is a bunch of interesting stuff to read on the subject of teaching, learning, and being part of an academic department right now. Here are a few links I think deserve your attention:
Inside Higher Ed reports on a new study (PDF) whose results suggest that married grad students may do better than single grad students at completing their Ph.D.s, publishing while in school, and landing tenure-track jobs. Interestingly, the advantage is greater for married male graduate students than for married female graduate students, and domestic partnership seem to confer less advantage here than…