I almost forgot something that I need to do today, so no lengthy and detailed blogging this morning. Instead, a quick poll regarding Neil Gaiman’s suggestion of giving kids scary books for Halloween: Neil Gaiman suggests giving kids scary books for Halloween. What do you think?online surveys Halloween is a classic holiday, which means you’re… Continue reading Poll: Halloween Books
Author: Chad Orzel
Links for 2010-10-25
Hugo Nominees: Introduction | Tor.com | Science fiction and fantasy | Blog posts “I haven’t, of course, read every single book nominated for the Hugos since 1953. (What have I been doing with my time?) If I haven’t read it, I shall say so, and I shall say why. Otherwise I shall talk briefly about… Continue reading Links for 2010-10-25
The Problem With Innate Differences
In yesterday’s post about the experience of science, I mentioned that I had both a specific complaint about the article by Alexandra Jellicoe (which I explained in the post) and a general complaint about the class in which the article falls. I want to attempt to explain the latter problem, partly because I think it… Continue reading The Problem With Innate Differences
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog Around the World
Between my long-ago high-school French and Google Translate, I can tell that this is a good review of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog. It does note, though, that reading the book requires knowledge of English to understand it, which is a problem. And, as far as I know, French translation rights haven’t been… Continue reading How to Teach Physics to Your Dog Around the World
Links for 2010-10-24
Hey, Tea Partiers, this wine’s for you! – By Mike Steinberger – Slate Magazine “In response to the advent of the Tea Party movement, some people have demanded to know where all these deficit hawks and defenders of the Constitution were during the Bush years. I have a different question: “Where’s the Madeira?” If the… Continue reading Links for 2010-10-24
Short Story Club: “The Cage,” by A. M. Dellamonica
This week’s Short Story Club entry is a Tor.com story, “The Cage” by A. M. Dellamonica. This is a story about a general contractor and the Most Adorable Werewolf Pupppy Ever. In the world of the story, supernatural monsters are “out,” known to the general public (though I don’t think it mentions anything other than… Continue reading Short Story Club: “The Cage,” by A. M. Dellamonica
Science Is Solitary?
Some time back, I took issue with an article about “masculine” and “feminine” approaches to science that struck me as a little off. The author of the original post, Alexandra Jellicoe, has a new post on the same topic that she pointed out in comments to my original post. I have two major problems with… Continue reading Science Is Solitary?
Musical Poll: Remix This!
On the way in to work, I heard yet another example of the deplorable trend of taking the vocal tracks of slow songs– in this case, “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” by Vampire Weekend– and replacing the musical backing with a 120 beats-per-minute dance beat that sounds like it was generated by a high-end… Continue reading Musical Poll: Remix This!
DonorsChoose Payoff: Where Do Ideas Come From?
As promised, an answer to a question from a donor to this year’s DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge. Sarah asks: Chad, can I get a post about how you (or scientists in general) come up with ideas for experiments? You’ve covered some of the gory detail with the lab info posts, but I think it would be… Continue reading DonorsChoose Payoff: Where Do Ideas Come From?
Links for 2010-10-22
US LHC Blog » I’ve Invented a New Theory, What Do I Do Now? Surprisingly, “Start a kooky-looking webpage, and make a million dollars” isn’t one of the options. Probably an oversight. (tags: physics theory experiment lhc-blogs science blogs particles) …My heart’s in Accra » The ley lines of globalization “To use Maersk’s calculator, you… Continue reading Links for 2010-10-22