Category: Links Dump

Gender gap in physics exams reduced by simple writing exercises, says CU-Boulder study “Women are underrepresented and on average perform more poorly than men in introductory physics. But a recent study finds that this gap arises predominantly from differential preparation prior to college and psychological factors, rather than differences in ability. And the effects of… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-26

Surviving the World – Lesson 811 – Thanksgiving Parenting “Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to evaluate how well you have done as a parent…” (tags: comics internet silly holiday) John Scalzi – Saying Thanksgiving Grace, the Science-fictional Way – Filmcritic.com Feature “We also thank you for once again not allowing our technology to… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-25

From the Editor’s Desk: Quantifying Outreach to the Cult of Science | Deep Sea News “Science needs a reality check too. It has tried to exist in an academic vacuum for much of its existence. The OCD nature science needs behavioral therapy, to be forced to confront its discomfort of engaging with non-scientists. Science also… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-24

Confessions of a Community College Dean: The Sick Kid Shuffle “This weekend The Girl got hit by a nasty stomach bug, so nobody got much sleep and our Sunday plans were discombobulated. It brought back memories of those times when TW still worked outside the house, and we had to do the Sick Kid Shuffle.… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-23

Are you a highly skilled worker? (Blog) – physicsworld.com “But what’s this? Kostya’s only got 75 “attribute points” (not counting the 10 each for speaking English and having £800), and he needs 80 to qualify as a highly skilled worker. Bad luck, Kostya! Better go do your Nobel-prize-winning research somewhere else! Yes, as it turns… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-22

Friday Night Videos!: The Hits of 1990 | Popdose “Aerosmith – Janie’s Got A Gun: With this video and Madonna’s “Oh Father,” director David Fincher was cornering the market on music videos about child abusers. Also note the prominent use of dudes in hats before backlighting, presaging Det. Somerset in Seven.  Also note Steven Tyler’s… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-21

A presumption of guilt makes people angry : Thoughts from Kansas “The virtual strip searches and actual pat-downs now performed by TSA are not selective. Everyone is treated like a terrorist. The pat-down is the same one given to a suspect being arrested, and the strip search is even more invasive. Every air passenger is… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-20

Physics Buzz: It’ll make you laugh; it’ll make you cry. It’s…Science!!! A friend once told me that she never watches the Discovery Channel because she feels some sort of obligation to pay attention and retain the information being presented. I can see where she’s coming from; science can be intimidating. But my message is simple:… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-19

Confessions of a Community College Dean: Mini-Me “Fans of cheesy-bad movies will remember Mini-me as Dr. Evil’s sidekick/mascot in the Austin Powers movies. Dr. Evil had his share of great lines (“the Diet Coke of evil”), but his true awfulness shone forth in his creation of Mini-Me. Mini-me was exactly how he sounds — a… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-18

Confessions of a Community College Dean: Business or Town? “Tenured Radical’s thoughtful post on elite presidential salaries got me thinking about the “run the college like a business” canard. Most of the people who use that phrase, whether approvingly or damningly, haven’t personally worked in a college that was actually a business. I have —… Continue reading Links for 2010-11-17