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Retreat to the library

Posted on 23 November 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(I’ve been back from Puerto Rico for a couple of weeks now, but for some reason I’d got it into my head that I had to write a “What I Did On My Vacation” post before I could write anything else, and I was having a hard time coming up with a creative non-chronological way to describe my wonderful holiday (all I’ve got s Continue reading →

Posted in career, education, food glorious food, personal, Silliness, Vancouver | Comments Off on Retreat to the library

An age-old question

Posted on 22 November 2012 by Steve Caplan

Let me start out by saying “!#%%$#@!!–I’ve been scooped!” It’s bad enough that it happens in science, but for a blog?

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Posted in education, Marco Rubio, Republicans, Research, science, young earth creationists | Comments Off on An age-old question

Interpretation

Posted on 22 November 2012 by Henry Gee

It wasn’t just a Presidential Election. When they went to the polls earlier this month, Americans in various nooks and corners around the U. S. and A. voted on a number of propositions, notwithstanding inasmuch as which gay marriage would be allowed, as would the consumption of marijuana. Continue reading →

Posted in bible, bishops, church of england, gnosis, Greek, Hebrew, kill the heretic!, kneidlach, Leviticus, marduk, matzo balls, Politicrox, synod, tiamat, Timothy, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Interpretation

Middle-earth is here

Posted on 20 November 2012 by Henry Gee

Just a quick note of housekeeping to tell you about the page I’ve added to serve as a landing strip for anyone interested in the revised eBook edition of my tome The Science of Middle-earth.

It’s been out in print since 2004, but never before available for an eReader. The chance to get it into the Kindle store – where it’ll Continue reading →

Posted in hobbit, lord of the rings, science, the silmarillion, tolkien, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Middle-earth is here

Let’s hear it for Thomas Newcomen!

Posted on 20 November 2012 by Philip Strange

I first heard of Thomas Newcomen soon after we moved to the West Country. I’d been looking around for the names of famous scientists from Devon and quickly came across Newcomen. I was surprised to find out that a man from the small riverside town of Dartmouth was responsible for inventing steam power. In the recesses of my memory I had always assoc Continue reading →

Posted in dartmouth, Guest posts, james watt, newcomen, steam power, thomas newcomen | Comments Off on Let’s hear it for Thomas Newcomen!

In which I prepare to be terminated – again

Posted on 20 November 2012 by Jennifer Rohn

The afternoons are darkening, the leaves are scattering to the ground — and the usual seasonal missive from HR has arrived in my inbox.

They need my clothes, my boots and my motorcycle

Actually, although I’m on rolling 3-monthly contracts, I haven’t received this kind of notice in writing since I started nearly ten months ago. Eac Continue reading →

Posted in careers, staring into the abyss | Comments Off on In which I prepare to be terminated – again

On self-promotion, funding and energy ant!

Posted on 20 November 2012 by Sylvia McLain

In any UK-funded science grant application you have to write a bit about yourself and how great you are. Most people I know find this bit really hard; a few really don’t – I know some people who seem to like this bit. You have to write about much wonderful research you have done in the past, how many times each of your highly-excepti Continue reading →

Posted in Science Funding, self promotion in science, US government | Comments Off on On self-promotion, funding and energy ant!

Dulce et Decorum est … NOT

Posted on 19 November 2012 by Henry Gee

Whenever I poke my head above the parapet and claim that the anti-Israeli posturing one sees on the Left is thinly disguised antisemitism (a contention that has overwhelming evidence to support it) I am always treated to the unedifying spectacle of some oh-so-self-righteous academic or another, clenching their buttocks portentously and proclaiming Continue reading →

Posted in antisemitism, BBC bias, Hamas, Israel, Jeremy Bowen, Politicrox, Steve Bell, the Guardian, what we need are fluffy kittens | Comments Off on Dulce et Decorum est … NOT

To Blog or Not to Blog

Posted on 18 November 2012 by Athene Donald

The challenge of using social media as a way to overcome the frequent invisibility of women in science was at the heart of the recent #SoLo12 Women In Science session organised by Seirian Sumner and Nathalie Pettorelli (see the Storify here). Their aim for the session was to discuss how social media could help bring women out of the shadows; the co Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Good Thinking Society Science Blog Prize, social media, SoLo12, Women in science | Comments Off on To Blog or Not to Blog

Three new observations about crowdfunding

Posted on 17 November 2012 by Eva Amsen

Since I wrote my previous post, I’ve been to SpotOn London, where I attended a session about crowdfunding. One of the panelists was Ethan Perlstein, who is still raising funds for his lab. One of the other panelists was Cindy Wu, co-founder of Microryza, who Skyped in from the US. You can watch the entire session here if you have an hour to spare.

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Posted in funding | Comments Off on Three new observations about crowdfunding