Janet asks “Where do scientists learn to write?” Well, actually, being a good academic, she asks many more questions than that: Do scientists need to write well? If so, in what contexts and for what audiences? If not, why not? Where do scientists really learn to write? What kinds of experiences shape their writing? Are… Continue reading Where Do Scientists Learn to Write?
Month: February 2007
True Lab Stories: Death of a Laser
So, what’s the deal with last night’s silly obituary? Basically, the main laser in my experiment died because I’m a jackass. More specifically, the laser in question is a diode laser, similar to the kind found in CD and DVD players. These are broadly tunable, available in a wide range of powers and wavelengths, and… Continue reading True Lab Stories: Death of a Laser
New Developments in Inscrutable Chemistry
Eurekalert has a press release from Yale proclaiming that: Chemists at Yale have done what Mother Nature chose not to — make a protein-like molecule out of non-natural building blocks, according to a report featured early online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Nature uses alpha-amino acid building blocks to assemble the proteins… Continue reading New Developments in Inscrutable Chemistry
Idle Photo Conversion Question
Between trip planning and thinking about Boskone, I’ve been thinking a fair bit about Japan recently. I took a whole bunch of pictures when I was there, with a camera borrowed from my parents, and looking at them now, my first thought is “Boy, I could make these look really good in GIMP…” Of course,… Continue reading Idle Photo Conversion Question
Requiescat in Pace
SDL 5401-G1, October 2001- February 6, 2007 SDL 5401-G1 (“Sid” to friends) died today of static shock, after five years of service in a grating-locked diode laser system. He had survived three lab floods, and more than a dozen power outages, but succombed to electric shock following a mishap with a Tesla coil. He is… Continue reading Requiescat in Pace
This Is a Dog
We were away for the weekend, so I’m a day behind in reading the Sunday Times. This week’s magazine section has a story about the controversy over “hybrid” dogs: Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association, told me, “You’re going to have a real battle here” between hybrid dog breeders and “the… Continue reading This Is a Dog
My Boskone Schedule
For the half-dozen people who care, my Boskone panel schedule for this year, with a few comments. I don’t know for sure that this is the final final version– I might get added to something else– but it’s probably pretty close.
Pound Foolish
President Bush’s budget request for next year has been released. Surprising approximately no-one who has followed current events over the last seven years, it’s a mixed bag for science: President Bush rolled out a 2008 spending plan Monday that disappointed advocates for scientific research, even as it called for hefty increases for several key programs… Continue reading Pound Foolish
Seventeen is the Mystical Number
Cognitive Daily proves it scientifically. I love it when life imitates Brust.
Go, Gary K. Wolfe!
The new issue of Locus arrived just before we left, so I spent some time reading reviews and commentary on the SF field over the weekend. It’s actually a pretty good issue– the retro-review of Isaac Asimov is interesting, and while the John Barnes interview doesn’t ask the important question (“How can the same person… Continue reading Go, Gary K. Wolfe!