Monthly Archives: January 2012

What is Blog? [28]

Posted on 5 January 2012 by Richard Wintle

I can still remember the first time I found out what a “blog” was. In the early part of this century, in a fit of pique at a former employer, I typed the word “twat” into Google, for want of … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Hello, Occam's Typewriter | Comments Off on What is Blog? [28]

How are your tweetations? [8]

Posted on 5 January 2012 by Frank Norman

A contentious paper came out towards the end of last year in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. That is a reasonably respectable title in its niche field and the author, Gunther Eysenbach, is a respected medical informaticist and e-health … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliometrics etc, Journal publishing | Comments Off on How are your tweetations? [8]

A Few Maxims For The Instruction Of The Over-Educated

Posted on 5 January 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The Western blot – an assay that allows you to separate all the proteins in a sample by size using gel electrophoresis and then detect the presence of a particular protein using an antibody that (hopefully) binds specifically to it … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, science, Silliness | Comments Off on A Few Maxims For The Instruction Of The Over-Educated

The Case for Support

Posted on 4 January 2012 by Stephen

If you are a scientist and you want some money to spend on research, as part of the grant application you have to write a case for support. It has to be good. You need to describe why the problem … Continue reading →

Posted in science, Science & Politics, Science policy, willetts | Comments Off on The Case for Support

On condoms [11]

Posted on 4 January 2012 by rpg

“Why,” I thought as I pulled a cucumber from the salad drawer this morning, “is it that cucumbers always wear condoms?” This is something that’s puzzled me for about twenty years now, ever since one Saturday morning about twenty years … Continue reading →

Posted in condoms, cucumbers, wibbling | Comments Off on On condoms [11]

Nerves? You?

Posted on 4 January 2012 by Athene Donald

A few weeks ago I was asked by my University’s press office to talk urgently to the Daily Mail, where a reporter was wanting some information comparing what life was like for women at Cambridge University in the past and … Continue reading →

Posted in Communicating Science, journalists, media, media training, quote | Comments Off on Nerves? You?

And the readers’ choice favourite comment of 2011 is: [20]

Posted on 3 January 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(Drumroll) Eva for “I’ve dated someone who showed me a powerpoint presentation about his work on the first date. That should have been a sign, but the topic was actually interesting, so it didn’t put me off right there and … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, competition, Meta | Comments Off on And the readers’ choice favourite comment of 2011 is: [20]

In which not much is left to the imagination [16]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

Here’s a sign I snapped during my post-Christmas holiday in Yorkshire. Can you spot what’s wrong with it? It is a classic example of a violation of a rule that fiction writers refer to as “Show, Not Tell”.

Posted in Writing | Comments Off on In which not much is left to the imagination [16]

A fruitful New Year [3]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Frank Norman

In England we don’t have much in the way of colourful New Year traditions. The Scots famously make more of the season, which they call Hogmanay, but in England the traditional choices are: Go out to a pub and get … Continue reading →

Posted in Froth, New Year, Philippines | Comments Off on A fruitful New Year [3]

My best Ph.D. prank [19]

Posted on 2 January 2012 by Steve Caplan

Looking back at 2011, my first year as a blogger and my new affiliation with OT, I find that I have written 96 blogs. That’s probably 96 more than most of you would care to read, so I may try … Continue reading →

Posted in covers, humor, novels, Ph.D., pranks, Research, science, students, voice | Comments Off on My best Ph.D. prank [19]