Category: Links Dump

Why Public Employees Are The New Welfare Queens | The New Republic “To what extent is the problem that the retirement benefits for unionized public sector workers have become too generous? And to what extent is the problem that retirement benefits for everybody else have become too stingy? I would suggest it’s more the latter… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-10

Young Engineer Uses Webcam, Laser to Build Budget 3-D Scanner | Gadget Lab | Wired.com “Using little more than a webcam and a laser, a young engineer has built a cheap 3D scanner that dovetails perfectly with the Makerbot and other desktop fabricators. It could be used as part of a copying system that would… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-09

Turn or go straight? Quick! : Dot Physics This is a classic problem. You are in a car heading straight towards a wall. Should you try to stop or should you try to turn to avoid the wall? Bonus question: what if the wall is not really wide so you don’t have to turn 90… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-06

Judge Walker’s decision to overturn Prop 8 is factual, well-reasoned, and powerful. – By Dahlia Lithwick – Slate Magazine “It’s hard to read Judge Walker’s opinion without sensing that what really won out today was science, methodology, and hard work. Had the proponents of Prop 8 made even a minimal effort to put on a… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-05

The Virtuosi: Steak Dinner “I recently got a new digital meat thermometer. My plan was to slowly cook the steak until the internal temperature got to be about 140 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven at 200 degrees, take it out, wrap in tin foil, crank the oven to 500 degrees, stick it back in, and… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-04

Scientopia A new non-profit science blog collective, including several people who left ScienceBlogs in Sodamageddon. (tags: science blogs internet academia) Experimental Error: Don’t Try This at Home – Science Careers – Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Faculty, Postdoc jobs on Science Careers “So if you’re Doktor Kaboom!, Professor Ker-Splat, or Nobel Laureate “I Didn’t Think It Would Blow… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-03

Busted Explanations for Karate Breaking | Rennie’s Last Nerve “Martial arts are my hobby and explaining science is my job, so the recent appearance of “How karate chops break concrete blocks” on io9.com naturally caught my eye. Unfortunately, not only did it fall far short of my hopes of offering a lucid explanation, it parroted… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-02

Kwiat Quantum Information Group The quantum physics version of “24.” Can Professor Paul Kwiat save his research group from striking grad students, visiting sponsors, broken lasers and a missing password without violating the University of Illinois ethics regulations? (tags: physics academia silly video television quantum) Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy / Blog posts /… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-01

slacktivist: If you can make it there “Newcomers are often insecure, and a debt of gratitude can make anyone feel a bit awkward, so I try my best to be patient with some of the sillier things often said by those from the American “heartland” about supposed “East Coast elites” in general and New York… Continue reading Links for 2010-07-31

Getting young scientists into the science teacher pipeline: IU News Room: Indiana University “Producing science teachers who can keep up with rapidly advancing fields and can also inspire students is not an easy task. With a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis… Continue reading Links for 2010-07-30