There’s a link in today’s links dump to a post from Pictures of Numbers, a rarely-updated blog on the visual presentation of data (via Swans On Tea, I think). There’s some really good stuff there about how to make graphs that are easy to read and interpret. I would like to dissent mildly from one… Continue reading Think Before You Plot
links for 2008-11-17
Information Processing: Central limit theorem and securitization: how to build a CDO "[T]he mathematical concepts related to the current financial crisis leave over 95 percent of our population completely baffled. If your Ivy League education didn’t prepare you to understand the following, please ask for your money back." (tags: economics math statistics blogs) Pictures of… Continue reading links for 2008-11-17
Strain to SEE
When I’m in the right mood, I’m a sucker for really awful sci-fi movies. For example, Saturday night I stayed up far too late to watch the end of the tv-movie version of The Andromeda Strain, based on the book by the prolific and recently deceased Luddite Fiction writer Michael Crichton. It’s been twenty-plus years… Continue reading Strain to SEE
links for 2008-11-16
How the subprime good guys give home loans to poor people, strengthen communities, and still make a profit. – By Daniel Gross – Slate Magazine "Since 2003, this for-profit firm based in Orange County–home to busted subprime behemoths such as Ameriquest–has issued $220 million worth of mortgages in the Golden State’s subprime killing fields. More… Continue reading links for 2008-11-16
Me On TV (On the Internet)
As mentioned briefly the other day, I recorded a Bloggingheads.tv Science Saturday conversation with Jennifer Ouellette on Thursday. The full diavlog has now been posted, and I can embed it here: This was the first time I’ve done one of these, and it was an interesting experience.
… and the Network You Rode In On
Yesterday afternoon, SteelyKid and I dozed off in the living room recliner. When I woke up, it had been three hours since she last ate, roughly her usual between-feedings interval, but she was still sound asleep on my lap. Kate was due home in half an hour or so, though, so I wasn’t sure whether… Continue reading … and the Network You Rode In On
Baby Science: Still No Pattern
We filled up the last sheet on the legal pad we’ve been using as a baby-feeding log, which reminded me that it’s been a while since I updated this: Again, this is the feeding pattern for SteelyKid, with darker colors indicating longer duration. Bottle feedings are arbitrarily assigned to 20 minutes for 4 oz of… Continue reading Baby Science: Still No Pattern
Headlines from the Future: Extrasolar Planets Edition
I got a great “Living in the future” kick out of the headline on the New York Times story about Thursday’s big astronomical announcement: First Pictures Taken of Extrasolar Planets. The phrasing of the headline conjures images of pictures of clouds swirling on distant gas giants; alas, the reality is a little more mundane: In… Continue reading Headlines from the Future: Extrasolar Planets Edition
Seminar Series: When Should They Be?
It’s seminar week over at Female Science Professor, and today she’s polling her readers as to the best day and time for seminars. Our departmental colloquia are generally held on Thursdays at lunchtime. We provide pizza and soda as an enticement for students (which doesn’t work as well as you might think), and have the… Continue reading Seminar Series: When Should They Be?
links for 2008-11-14
Dw. Dunphy On… Bob Mould | Popdose A series of creative peaks that never translated into sales. Copper Blue remains an amazing album, though. (tags: music review blogs) scottberkun.com » Do we suck at the basics? "The longer I’m on this planet, the more I think the problem with everything is someone’s failure to get… Continue reading links for 2008-11-14