Category: Links Dump

Duke’s Cameron Crazies Lose Their Enthusiasm – NYTimes.com There is growing sentiment that Cameron has lost some of its craziness, and there is definitive evidence that it has lost some of its Crazies. About 1,200 seats are earmarked for Duke’s undergraduates, but this season students have filled about 700 a game while classes are in… Continue reading Links for 2012-02-04

Whither The Occupation – Ta-Nehisi Coates – National – The Atlantic “There’s an argument that the process of federal legislation, at this point, is crippled by deep systemic problems. The filibuster is an obvious example. It’s also worth pointing out that there is a space for activism beyond electoral politics. But laws exist for a… Continue reading Links for 2012-02-03

slacktivist » Fine-tuning the keywords on your résumé They don’t warn you about the bewildering, befuddling vertigo that comes with having done everything they say to do, all to no avail, and having no idea what to do next. There you are, willing and eager to wear away whatever leather there still is on your… Continue reading Links for 2012-02-01

Quantum Diaries Science is complex. There’s no getting around that. But it’s essential that everyone engage constructively with it. That’s particularly true of the political and business leaders in Davos, whose decisions on science-based subjects can influence everything from the well being of our children to the future of the planet. It’s vital that those… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-31

BOOK REVIEW: How To Teach Relativity To Your Dog By Chad Orzel – Science News It may sound like a strange setup, but the somewhat kooky concept works well for explaining a field of physics that can sound, well, kooky to the uninitiated. Emmy is the stand-in for the everyman (or everydog) who has never… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-30

slacktivist » Mark Driscoll, John Woolman, Zacchaeus and grace That [Quaker abolitionist John] Woolman was so miraculously persuasive suggests to me that he likely wasn’t as monomaniacally focused on a single subject as the old preacher in the story I shared in the previous post. And the more I think about that story and Woolman’s,… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-26

Ben Franklin’s 200+ Synonyms for “Drunk” – Mental Floss Today we’re celebrating Ben Franklin’s 306th birthday. If you’re celebrating at home, perhaps one of these phrases from The Drinkers Dictionary will come in handy. The lengthy list of expressions meaning “inebriated” was first published by Franklin in the Pennsylvania Gazette on January 6, 1737. Feel… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-20

What I Wish Wikipedia and Others Were Saying About SOPA/PIPA The blackout and other protests today are the result of a long, sustained, full-court press against legislation that’s being pushed through despite widespread opposition. Yet, Lamar Smith and many other members of the U.S. House and Senate have been plowing ahead full-steam. Why? Yes, in… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-19

1 job good, 2 jobs better? § Unqualified Offerings Inspired by FSP’s post on 2-body problems in hiring, i.e. situations where both members of a couple are seeking academic jobs, I’d like to pose some challenges to those of my readers with opinions on academic hiring. This topic is usually considered as a moral issue,… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-17

Swans on Tea » The Scientists’ Dilemma I recently had an interesting discussion with someone who is interested in science, but without training or experience as a scientist. The question was, basically: Why don’t we (scientists) all just lie to each other? i.e. what compels scientists to truthfully share their research results? It’s a fair… Continue reading Links for 2012-01-16