The Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media » Far from the Peer-Reviewed Journal,Scientists Confront How-Tos of Op-Eds "So how can scientists strategically convey their messages to a broad audience without losing the nuances of their field? " (tags: science politics writing journalism) Christmas, please, but hold the treacle: 42 holiday entertainments that don’t… Continue reading links for 2008-12-23
Recent Reading
I was up late watching my Giants play the Carolina Panthers (they won in OT– now you see the importance of Brandon Jacobs), and today is a Baby Day, so I have no deep thoughts to blog. So here are some quick comments on recent reading: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson. This is… Continue reading Recent Reading
links for 2008-12-22
Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy / Blog posts / How to talk to writers "Writers are people, and they were people before they were writers. They change light bulbs and buy groceries just like everyone else. Really. Because they’re people, they vary. Some of them are jerks, but many of them are very interesting… Continue reading links for 2008-12-22
Sending People vs. Sending Money
Steve Po-Chedley, a recent Union graduate and physics major, is spending the better part of a year in Uganda, as part of a new program set up by the college. As part of the program, he’s maintaining a blog, and recently posted some reflections on his work to date. The most interesting part is where… Continue reading Sending People vs. Sending Money
Ask Mister Language Person
A minor but extremely annoying language peeve: The straps that one uses to steer horses are called reins. The period of time during which some sort of ruler holds authority is a reign. Thus, when one wishes to reassert control over something that is running unchecked, one would “rein it in.” The time during which… Continue reading Ask Mister Language Person
links for 2008-12-21
Sciencewomen : Thoughts on my AGU experience Don’t tell my university administrators, but sharing my latest science results is only a tiny fraction of the reason to go to a conference like AGU. Even hearing the latest and greatest science is not the entire reason. This is a lesson that is taking me a long… Continue reading links for 2008-12-21
Little Touches Make a Big Difference
I’ve complained previously about the idiotic positioning of the radio antenna on my car, which has nearly cost me an eye a couple of times, when I needed to hack ice off the windshield. Today brought up another example of really small design flaws that make a big difference. Last night’s storm dropped about a… Continue reading Little Touches Make a Big Difference
Intellectual Ignorance Knows No Bounds
I’ve said a number of harsh things here about the bad attitude of people who consider themselve Intellectuals toward math and science. After reading this New Yorker discussion about a Young Adult novel, I may need to change my stance a bit. It’s not that they’re better than expected when it comes to math and… Continue reading Intellectual Ignorance Knows No Bounds
links for 2008-12-20
EzraKlein Archive | The American Prospect It’s possible there are other solutions than EFCA. But it needs to be solved, one way or the other. EFCA has its problems, but pretending that it’s somehow a perversion of workplace democracy as compared to a world in which 25 percent of organizing campaigns see a worker fired… Continue reading links for 2008-12-20
The National Academy of Sciences Wants You
…to answer a two-minute web survey asking about what scientific issues are most important to you. The blurb announcing it is: What topics in science, engineering, and medicine matter most to you? The National Academies are interested in developing useful and engaging print and web-based educational materials on the topics that you’d like to learn… Continue reading The National Academy of Sciences Wants You