Monthly Archives: April 2011

Hockey pool: final results!

Posted on 11 April 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Let’s start with an overview of the whole season’s results, NOT INCLUDING the final week’s: Weeks 1 – 27 Lavaland led the pool from week 13 onwards, but could she fend off a strong challenge from Ricardipus? And did anything … Continue reading →

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Real Life Barbie Dolls

Posted on 10 April 2011 by Athene Donald

Have you come across the T shirts with the encouraging words I’m too PRETTY to do MATH blazoned across them in cute pink lettering? No, nor had I until they were brought to my attention by a member of the … Continue reading →

Posted in advertising, Barbie dolls, Equality, London Mathematical Society, math anxiety, Mumsnet, Science Culture, stereotyping | Comments Off on Real Life Barbie Dolls

Tzores

Posted on 9 April 2011 by Henry Gee

Things aren’t going entirely to plan. An irritating niggle is threatening my grand erection with flaccidity, but it’ll be sorted out – eventually. Mrs Crox locked herself out of her office, which occasioned some drama. And when I opened the … Continue reading →

Posted in canis croxorum, Cromer, dog, Domesticrox, Football, landscape, no coach parties, portents of DOOM | Comments Off on Tzores

Movement and Music

Posted on 9 April 2011 by Stephen

What the hell is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey about? I’m sure I don’t know. I’m really, really sure I don’t know. At least, I think I am.

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Occam’s Thermometer

Posted on 7 April 2011 by Steve Caplan

Way back when I was an Occam’s Typewriter Irregular—that is to say, before Henry supplied me with his magic evolution-enhanced pellets—I wrote a blog about critical thinking and children. Now as a Regular—thanks to the Gee pellets—I would like to … Continue reading →

Posted in bacteria, growing bugs, humor, incubator, Occam's Razor, Occam's Thermometer, Occam's Typewriter, Occam's underwear, plates, Research, science, simplest model, students, trouble-shooting | Comments Off on Occam’s Thermometer

More on Wikipedia

Posted on 7 April 2011 by Frank Norman

Just a quick follow-up to my recent post about Wikipedia. Wikipedia has been in the news recently, with the BBC highlighting Cancer Research UK’s Wikipedia activity and the Guardian editorialising on the survey that the Wikimedia Foundation is running. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science | Comments Off on More on Wikipedia

Charles Darwin’s Grandfather

Posted on 7 April 2011 by Athene Donald

My friends know that Erasmus Darwin is one of my heroes. Much less well known than his grandson Charles, and whose work is of course far more ephemeral, nevertheless he is a true Renaissance Man – or more strictly an … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, Desmond King-Hele, Erasmus Darwin, History of Science, Jenny Uglow, Lichfield, Loves of the Plants, the Lunar Society | Comments Off on Charles Darwin’s Grandfather

On peer review, part 451 (b)

Posted on 7 April 2011 by rpg

I had a conversation on twitter last night with m’learned friend Nige, who runs the most ethical small business I know of. He pointed me at this blog post by Richard Smith at the BMJ, What is post publication peer … Continue reading →

Posted in day job, Literature, Nonsense, peer review, The stupid, it burns | Comments Off on On peer review, part 451 (b)

Next time you’re ranting about your latest grant review…

Posted on 6 April 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

…spare a thought for your colleagues in Bulgaria. I had to read the fifth paragraph of this Nature News piece two or three times to make sure I’d fully understood the depth of the (alleged) problems at the Bulgarian National … Continue reading →

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Paging Doctor Clueless!

Posted on 5 April 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

A story from way back in the mists of time… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A good friend of mine had an absolutely terrible time during her PhD, worse than anyone I know: her two co-supervisors had a fight and stopped talking to each … Continue reading →

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