Links for 2010-09-17

http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/debut-author-lessons-10-things-about-signing-books/ Good, solid advice on signing books, some of which I’ve stumbled on myself, others I wish I’d known a year ago. (tags: books publishing blogs) Interference | Flickr – Photo Sharing! An awesome picture of water wave interference involving a waterlogged bee. (tags: pictures physics science waves water)

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A Quick Reputational Poll

In a place I can’t link to, I encountered the somewhat boggling statement that “Nature leans more in the direction of Popular Science than Critically Peer Reviewed [Journal].” Thus, a quick poll: Nature is:online surveys Context is for the weak.

Links for 2010-09-16

What higher education costs § Unqualified Offerings “There’s a lot of talk going around about the cost of higher education.  Let’s look at some numbers in the state university system here, which focuses on undergraduate education.” (tags: academia education economics blogs unqualified-offerings) Do Scientists Have a Special Responsibility to Engage in Political Advocacy? | Age… Continue reading Links for 2010-09-16

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The Inevitable Hiatus

So, I’m looking at the couple-dozen tabs I have open in Chrome for stuff that I think would be worth blogging about, and the slides for this afternoon’s lecture that need revising, and the student poster that needs to be completed before tomorrow, and the committee stuff that I ought to be doing, and the… Continue reading The Inevitable Hiatus

Links for 2010-09-15

Lunch at McDonald’s – The Amateur Gourmet “I won’t be the first food writer to note that McDonald’s makes terrific fries. I’ve read interviews with chefs who try to emulate that crispy exterior and moist interior, that perfectly pleasing balance of salty, savory and sweet. These fries are prevalent around the world for a reason:… Continue reading Links for 2010-09-15

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Why I’m Skeptical About the Changing Fine-Structure Constant

Not long ago, a new preprint on the fine structure constant got a bunch of press, nicely summed up by the Knight Science Journalism Tracker last week. I meant to say something about this last week, but what with it being the first week of classes and all, I didn’t find the time. I still… Continue reading Why I’m Skeptical About the Changing Fine-Structure Constant

Now THAT’S a Noble Cause: Restoring Truthiness

Via Tom, the folks pushing for a Stephen Colbert rally on the Mall in DC (because if a clown like Glen Beck can do it, why not an actual comedian?) have found a uniquely useful way to try to boost their signal: encouraging charitable donations: See, anyone can join a reddit or Facebook group or… Continue reading Now THAT’S a Noble Cause: Restoring Truthiness

Links for 2010-09-14

Geocentrism: Was Galileo Wrong? : Starts With A Bang No. An exhaustive explanation of how we know the Earth goes around the Sun. (tags: science astronomy physics planets blogs starts-with-bang stupid education) Testing, the Chinese Way – NYTimes.com “Professor Cizek, who started his career as a second-grade teacher, said the prevailing philosophy of offering young… Continue reading Links for 2010-09-14

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