Our blogs
- Adventures in Wonderland by Richard Wintle
- Athene Donald's Blog by Athene Donald
- Blogging by Candlelight by Erika Cule
- Confessions by Richard P Grant
- Deep Thoughts and Silliness by Bob O'Hara
- Mind the Gap by Jenny Rohn
- Nicola Spaldin's Blog by Nicola Spaldin
- No Comment by Steve Caplan
- Not ranting – honestly by Austin Elliott
- Reciprocal Space by Stephen Curry
- The End of the Pier Show by Henry Gee
- Trading Knowledge by Frank Norman
- The Occam's Typewriter Irregulars by Guest Bloggers
OT Cloud
- academia
- Apparitions
- book review
- Books
- Canada
- career
- careers
- Communicating Science
- communication
- Cromer
- Domestic bliss
- Domesticrox
- education
- Equality
- Gardening
- Guest posts
- History
- Hobbies
- humor
- Lablit
- Music
- nature
- Open Access
- personal
- Photography
- photos
- Politicrox
- Politics
- Research
- science
- Science & Politics
- Science-fiction
- Science Culture
- Science Funding
- Science Is Vital
- Scientific Life
- Silliness
- students
- technology
- The profession of science
- travel
- Uncategorized
- Women in science
- Writing
- Writing & Reading
Category Archives: reviews
Anxious Times
I can still remember anxiously waiting for my first paper to appear. It must have been in 1976, because I know I had submitted the paper under my married name, although at the time the wedding was still some weeks … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in bookshops, Communicating Science, criticism, Not just for the boys, reviews, Science Culture
Comments Off on Anxious Times
Brief Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry–a novel by Bonnie Garmus
I can hardly keep up with the reading pace of some of my Occam’s Typewriter colleagues (looking at you, Dr. Gee—and I loved the Richard Osman recommendations!), but I have had the pleasure of reading a number of really good … Continue reading Continue reading
Posted in Bonnie Garmus, book review, inequality, Lessons in Chemistry, misogyny, Research, reviews, science, Women in science
Comments Off on Brief Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry–a novel by Bonnie Garmus
Does it pass the smell-test? Review of “The DNA of you and me”
Moving into 2020, I realize that this is now my 10th year of blogging, a sport that I never really signed up for. In 2010, my daughter was 13 years old; now she is preparing for a series of interviews … Continue reading
Posted in Andrea Rothman, author, fiction, lab, Lablit, novel, olfatory, postdoc, Research, reviews, science, sense of smell, smell test, student, The DNA of you and me
Comments Off on Does it pass the smell-test? Review of “The DNA of you and me”
Important Takeaways from “The Discovery of Insulin” for Today’s Scientists
Back in 2013 I visited the University of Toronto for a seminar and was given a very special gift by my gracious hosts: a copy of “The Discovery of Insulin” by Michael Bliss, which tells the fascinating story of the … Continue reading
Posted in Banting, basic science, Best, book review, Collip, discovery, insulin, Macleod, Michael Bliss, pancreas, Research, reviews, science, takeaway, Toronto
Comments Off on Important Takeaways from “The Discovery of Insulin” for Today’s Scientists
Lost and Wanted—A review of a new LabLit novel
Having recently finished the novel Lost and Wanted by Nell Freudenberger, I peeked at a smattering of the many reviews written about this novel, each claiming Lost and Wantedfor its own select cause: feminism/gender equality, race issues, friendship issues, parent-child issues … Continue reading
Even scientists have birthdays
What do you get for a scientist who has everything? Except, perhaps, all the grants and papers he wants….
Posted in Birthdays, grants, humor, manuscripts, peer review, Research, reviews, science, scientists
Comments Off on Even scientists have birthdays
Podcath part III: sci-fi audio drama edition
Radio drama is making a big comeback in the form of podcasts, with plenty of high quality science fiction to choose from. Here are some of my favourites. I’ve been a science fiction fan since I first read John Wyndham’s … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, reviews, Silliness, technology, why I love the internet
Comments Off on Podcath part III: sci-fi audio drama edition
Birthdays on the brother blog
Contemplating Birthdays on the Beach This week, I reviewed Having a Birthday as part of Ant Cule’s project antcule.reviews, (Subtitle: An Extremely Subjective View of Being A Human). For the uninitiated, Ant and I collaborated on this blog post about … Continue reading
Posted in Birthday, cross-post, Fun, Life, reviews
Comments Off on Birthdays on the brother blog
Who the hell will tell me who my father really was?!
This angry question, uttered repeatedly by the protagonist of Bualem Sansal‘s courageous and thought-provoking novel, translated into English as “The German Mujahid,” has been permanently etched in my brain. The story follows the day-to-day chaos in the life of Malrich, … Continue reading
Posted in Algeria, Bualem Sansal, genocide, Holocaust, housing projects, Islamic fundamentalism, mass murder, Paris, reviews, The German Mujahid
Comments Off on Who the hell will tell me who my father really was?!
Are scientists becoming an endangered species? The way we live–now
What spurred me to put pen-to-paper, if that phrase has any remaining meaning, was reading about the recent proposals at the US National Institutes of Health to again revamp the grant review system. The previous revamp, just several years ago, … Continue reading
Posted in endangered species, grant review, grants, peer review, Research, reviews, science, scientists, survival, the way we live now
Comments Off on Are scientists becoming an endangered species? The way we live–now
