Monthly Archives: July 2013

Library Day in the Life 2013 – Wednesday

Posted on 24 July 2013 by Frank Norman

Here is my third Day in the Life post this week (see Tuesday’s post, and Monday’s post for some background). I came in first thing to find a few emails from my boss in my inbox.  One was a reply to my request for … Continue reading →

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Tuesday pet peeve: people who don’t know what agnostic means

Posted on 24 July 2013 by Cath@VWXYNot?

The increasing frequency with which I hear scientists misuse the word “agnostic” is starting to annoy me. It’s usually used to mean “I don’t have a strong preference”: for example, “I’m agnostic as to protocol – I could go either … Continue reading →

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Library Day in the Life 2013 – Tuesday

Posted on 23 July 2013 by Frank Norman

Here goes with my second Day in the Life post this week (see Monday’s post for some background). I had planned to get in super-early this morning, but a disturbed night thanks to the thunderstorms put paid to that. I arrived … Continue reading →

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Extra Sensory

Posted on 23 July 2013 by Henry Gee

If you like your popular-science authors to call a spade a spade, and lay out everything as clearly and plainly as possible with no ambiguity and no contradictions, then you’re sure to have a few titles by Brian Clegg on … Continue reading →

Posted in Apparitions, brian clegg, ESP, null hypothesis, psi, Science Is Vital, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Extra Sensory

IUPS Part 1

Posted on 23 July 2013 by Austin

A dispatch from the IUPS conference in Birmingham. I have to admit to some trepidation when it comes to big international mega-conferences like the IUPS (International Union of Physiological Sciences). They have never entirely agreed with me. The first conference … Continue reading →

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Library Day in the Life 2013 – Monday

Posted on 22 July 2013 by Frank Norman

Sadly the Library Day in the Life project has ended. It provided a chance twice a year for librarians round the world to explain what they did each working day for a week.  I took part twice, in 2011 and … Continue reading →

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City bees – the ultimate urban idyll or a middle class guilt trip?

Posted on 22 July 2013 by Philip Strange

Beekeeping in a busy city centre? It doesn’t sound right to me, but there’s a growing trend to put beehives on the vacant roofs of city centre shops and museums. I recently had a chance to find out what’s behind … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, city bees, Exeter, farmers' markets, Fortnum and Mason, Guest posts, honeybees, Palais Garnier, Princesshay, Steven Poole | Comments Off on City bees – the ultimate urban idyll or a middle class guilt trip?

Happy Birthday DC

Posted on 19 July 2013 by Austin

It is a pleasure to wish a Happy Birthday today to my friend Professor David Colquhoun, who, as he reaches the palindromic age of 77, is still fighting the various fights for good science – and reality in general – … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting old, History, Pseudoscience, The Life Scientific, Universities | Comments Off on Happy Birthday DC

Richard Poynder asks: where are we with open access?

Posted on 17 July 2013 by Stephen

This post has been written simply to point you to an interesting series of interviews that Richard Poynder has published on his blog with a range of stakeholders in the open access arena. So far he has mostly interviewed advocates, … Continue reading →

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Conferences, Childcare and Uncomfortable Stereotypes

Posted on 17 July 2013 by Athene Donald

The comment stream on my recent post  about the lack of female invited speakers at conferences was illuminating.  This lack of women on the conference podium appears not to stem simply from women not being invited, according to a recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, gender rejection sensitivity, invited speakers, sexism, Women in science | Comments Off on Conferences, Childcare and Uncomfortable Stereotypes