Links Dump
drorzel | April 6, 2011
The Blog : How to Get Your Book Published in 6 (Painful) Steps : Sam Harris
"The process of getting a nonfiction book published by a mainstream publisher--as distinct from an academic press, or a smaller, independent publisher--is quite straightforward. This is not to say that most people understand this process, or that success is likely, but there is very little uncertainty about how an aspiring author must engage the machinery of publishing. Here is the process in 6 steps:"
(tags: publishing writing business blogs advice)
drorzel | April 5, 2011
Surviving the World - Lesson 921 - Offense
I'm offended.
(tags: comics surviving-world pictures culture silly)
The birth of electromagnetism (1820) | Skulls in the Stars
"It is oddly fitting that the birth of electromagnetism, and an entirely new direction in physics, started with the tiniest twitch of a compass needle. In the year 1820, Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted (1777-1851) observed the twitch of said compass needle in the presence of an electric current, providing the first definite evidence of a link between electricity and magnetism that would set the tone for much of…
drorzel | April 3, 2011
Jonah Lehrer on Problems With SATs, GREs, the NFL Combine and Other Performance Tests | Head Case - WSJ.com
"We live in a society obsessed with maximum performance. Think of exams like the SAT and the GRE. Though these tests take only a few hours, they're supposed to give schools and companies a snapshot of an individual's abiding talents.
Or consider the NFL Scouting Combine, in which players entering the draft perform short physical and mental tasks, such as the 40-yard dash. The Combine is meant to measure physical ability; that's why teams take the results so seriously.
It's easy to…
drorzel | April 1, 2011
How to Get Tenure at Almost Every Other Research University | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine
A useful counterpoint to Sean's post about tenure at top-tier research universities.
(tags: academia jobs blogs science physics cosmic-variance)
A Lament for Diana Wynne Jones « Bookselling with Granger
"One of the pillars of bookselling is to answer this question: If you like X, you will probably enjoy reading Y or Z too. Hence the first, though not actualized in-store yet (that would come at the turn of the millennium) thought of If you like Harry Potter, try these fantasies. And the one…
drorzel | March 31, 2011
COLUMN -- American workers got what they deserved - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel
"So you're an American employee. Maybe you make car parts. Maybe you're an engineer or designer. Maybe you're an accountant, store clerk or tradesman. Whatever you do, you're probably stupid or lazy. Yes, I wrote it, and I mean it. You are either stupid or lazy. Maybe both.
Now, I'm not referring to your work ethic or job performance. No, most of you are competent and devoted to your profession or vocation. I'm addressing the way you view economics and employment. I'm challenging your gumption to advocate…
drorzel | March 30, 2011
No Cox please, we're British... « In the Dark
"The problem with Wonders of the Universe is betrayed by its title. The word "wonders" suggests that the Universe is wonder-ful, or even, in a word which has cropped up in the series a few times, "awesome". No authentic British person would ever use the word "awesome" without being paid a lot of money to do so. It just doesn't ring true.
I reckon it doesn't do to be too impressed by anything as a matter of fact (especially if its accompanied by awful music), but there is a particularly good reason for not being taken in by all this talk about "…
drorzel | March 29, 2011
Nascence at Tobias Buckell Online
"New York Times Bestseller Tobias S. Buckell has published 45 short stories in various magazines and anthologies. But in the process of learning how to sell those 45, he wrote over 100 short stories that failed in a variety of ways while learning the craft.
In Nascence, he reprints 17 failed stories written from 1996-2004 and details some of the major failings of the stories that led him to abandon them, and what he learned from those failures moving forward."
(tags: writing books stories education buckell publishing)
the adventure begins... | burgers here…
drorzel | March 28, 2011
Crankitude: A Quick Glossary. In the Pipeline:
"I get probably more than my share of come-ons for various wonder-healing potions. For some reason, people see that I talk about drug discovery and think that I'm sure to be interested in homeopathic wonder water, magnetic healotronic belt buckles, or what have you. I am not. Well, at least not in the usual way that they're presented, as Great New Discoveries that I can order right now, first month's supply is free, and so on."
(tags: science medicine kooks in-the-pipeline chemistry blogs)
The fraudulent invention debunkifier
"Debunking…
drorzel | March 26, 2011
little chief honeybee.: Life's Too Short for the Wrong Job
One of the cleverest ad campaigns ever.
(tags: advertising world pictures culture blogs)
drorzel | March 25, 2011
Smaller government, smaller dreams, smaller people | slacktivist
"Consider this account of the rebuilding and re-engineering of Galveston. Consider the scope and audacity of the project -- the cost, the labor, the years it took. Does any American city, or America itself, still have the courage, vision or capacity to attempt such a thing? I don't know. I doubt it.
We seem to have become a small-minded people obsessed with smaller government, smaller visions, smaller aspirations -- a crimped, cramped people from whom it seems unimaginable to expect or ask for this kind of hard work and…
drorzel | March 24, 2011
The Procrastination Flowchart
You Are Here
(tags: internet pictures silly)
Award-winning journalism job post | a few tasteful snaps
"We want to add some talent to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune investigative team. Every serious candidate should have a proven track record of conceiving, reporting and writing stellar investigative pieces that provoke change. However, our ideal candidate has also cursed out an editor, had spokespeople hang up on them in anger and threatened to resign at least once because some fool wanted to screw around with their perfect lede."
(tags: journalism jobs internet…
drorzel | March 23, 2011
News: Tabloid Science - Inside Higher Ed
"The Sex Life of the Screwworm -- a silly subject for federally funded research, no?
Some members of Congress thought so: they singled out the project about 30 years ago as the nation's top symbol of wasteful spending -- and later apologized when, upon further review, they realized the research was actually incredibly useful. Now, at a time when Congressional scrutiny of science spending (supposedly silly and otherwise) is rising, the other side of the debate is reviving the symbol of the screwworm to bring attention to its cause, through a method…
drorzel | March 22, 2011
How Josef Oehmen's advice on Fukushima went viral - opinion - 21 March 2011 - New Scientist
"So who exactly is Josef Oehmen and why did he write about the nuclear accidents in Japan? Oehmen agreed to tell New Scientist his side of the story - and it suggests that a minimum of research by the mainstream journalists who quoted his essay could have established much earlier that it was not the definitive account they thought it was."
(tags: science energy physics nuclear media journalism blogs internet culture world)
Confessions of a Community College Dean: Ask the Administrator: Switching to…
drorzel | March 21, 2011
Awesome new physics blogs « Quantum Progress
Because you need more things to read.
(tags: blogs science physics internet)
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
A foolproof strategy for making money, that I am sadly far too ethical to use.
(tags: science physics quantum comics smbc)
Radiation Dose Chart
But... but... but... When do I get to panic?
(tags: xkcd comics internet physics environment medicine science)
drorzel | March 19, 2011
Chimping and Other Photo Tips - NYTimes.com
"Last week, for my birthday, a friend bought me an amazing gift: a private photo lesson, taught by a professional. I know a lot about photography, and I've come a long way, but I'm not a pro. Tom Bear, on the other hand, is the ultimate pro; his shots have graced many a magazine cover. And during my afternoon shooting with him, I learned a ton. I thought I'd share with you some of his tips."
(tags: pictures blogs technology nytimes)
drorzel | March 18, 2011
The Virtuosi: Physics Challenge Award Show
"So before we officially announce our winner, let's backtrack and build up some suspense. The challenge was to come up with a bunch of MacGyveresque experiments to determine as closely as possible the standard second, meter and kilogram using only the materials handy to you on a desert [3] island.
Just about every response we got successfully answered the question, so we had to base our final result on robustness and uncertainties. We also tended to favor those that did not rest on precise knowledge of one's own height, weight, etc (though there…
drorzel | March 17, 2011
What we know, and don't know, about Japan's reactors
"In response to the confusion, speculation and apprehension surrounding the rapidly unfolding events at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the aftermath of last week's earthquake and tsunami, a panel of MIT nuclear engineering, public health and risk assessment specialists convened on Tuesday to explain how the reactors work, what we know about what has taken place there so far, and how to put the risks to the population in proper perspective.
In introducing the panel discussion, Richard Lester, head of the MIT Department of…
drorzel | March 16, 2011
Who Benefits Most From Attending Top Colleges? - Innovations - The Chronicle of Higher Education
"Now [Stacy] Dale, a senior researcher with Mathematica Policy Research, and [Alan] Krueger, a professor at Princeton University, are back with an extension of their earlier research, examining earnings over a longer period of time, looking also at a second more recent cohort of students and using a new database for earnings. They find that neither average school SAT nor tuition cost affects earnings on average, but that certain groups--black and Hispanic students and those with parents with less…
drorzel | March 15, 2011
Which Traits Predict Success? (The Importance of Grit) | Wired Science | Wired.com
"For a long time, talent seemed to be about inheritance, about the blessed set of genes that gave rise to some particular skill. Einstein had the physics gene, Beethoven had the symphony gene, and Tiger Woods (at least until his car crash) had the golf swing gene. The corollary, of course, is that you and I can't become chess grandmasters, or composers, or golf pros, simply because we don't have the necessary anatomy. Endless hours of hard work won't compensate for our biological limitations. When fate was…
drorzel | March 14, 2011
Why I am not worried about Japan's nuclear reactors. | Morgsatlarge - blogorific.
"Now, where does that leave us?
* The plant is safe now and will stay safe.
* Japan is looking at an INES Level 4 Accident: Nuclear accident with local consequences. That is bad for the company that owns the plant, but not for anyone else.
* Some radiation was released when the pressure vessel was vented. All radioactive isotopes from the activated steam have gone (decayed). A very small amount of Cesium was released, as well as Iodine. If you were sitting on top of the plants' chimney when they…