As the faculty started down the steps into the area where the families and friends of the Class of 2009 were seated, somebody in the crowd yelled “Thanks for passing most of our kids!” that may be my new favorite audience comment. Last night, it was looking as though we might need to go to… Continue reading Graduation Day
Month: June 2009
My Life Is Weird
1) If you search Amazon for my name, you get four results: the book-in-production, two books where I’m mentioned in the acknowledgments, and a fourth book where I am apparently cited as a source for the “assume a spherical cow” joke. 2) Weirdly, I have a fan site, of sorts. I have no idea who’s… Continue reading My Life Is Weird
links for 2009-06-13
slacktivist: TF: Skip verse 10 "Be sure to use the King James Version when you bring up Luke 17:34 — "In that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left" — and then argue that a literal interpretation suggests that precisely 50 percent… Continue reading links for 2009-06-13
Book Promotion Ideas
Tom Levenson has another post up in his ongoing series about the writing and publishing process of his new book, this one about generating publicity. At this point, he’s gone past what I’ve experienced so far, but this is fortuitously timed, as I got a note from my editor yesterday saying that the bound galleys… Continue reading Book Promotion Ideas
Festive Science
There’s a nice write-up about the World Science Festival in the New York Times today: The second annual World Science Festival, a five-day extravaganza of performances, debates, celebrations and demonstrations, including an all-day street fair on Sunday in Washington Square Park, began with a star-studded gala tribute to the Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson at… Continue reading Festive Science
We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Badges, But We Do Have Some
Dave Ng has recently upgraded the Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique site, which provides a variety of achievement badges for members to claim and post. I’m not a big one for extra graphics on the blog (they delay the loading of the cute baby pictures), but if you’re… Continue reading We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Badges, But We Do Have Some
links for 2009-06-12
Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive « alex.moskalyuk "50 scientifically proven ways constitute 50 chapters of the book, longest of which take 7 pages. The authors take the position that persuasion is a science, not art, hence with the right approach anybody can become the master in the skill of persuasion. So, what… Continue reading links for 2009-06-12
Hugo Nominees: Longer Short Fiction
A little while ago, I griped about the Short Story nominees for this year’s Hugo Awards. I’ve now finished the nominees in the Novella and Novelette categories, so I thought I’d comment on them as well. As a general matter, I’d just about be willing to contribute money toward a fund to buy supporting memberships… Continue reading Hugo Nominees: Longer Short Fiction
Thursday Baby Blogging 061109
You get Baby Blogging early today, because I have a ton of grading to finish today, and don’t have time for bloggy things. This week, SteelyKid shows off two new-ish skills: She can stand up, and she’s strong enough to lift a bison! Look out, world…
links for 2009-06-11
Random musings of Lizard Bench Mango – an affirmation? "When I am struggling with something, I sometimes think ‘Damn this is hard for me. I wonder if I am stupid,’ and then I remember I have a degree in astrophysics from Cal Tech; I must not be stupid." (tags: psychology silly academia)