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All your blog are belong to us

Posted on 24 July 2012 by rpg

Almost, but not quite unrelated, to the Winchester Science Festival this last weekend,

Occam's Crew

Occam’s Typewriter will be able to make an exciting announcement soon. Possibly next week.

Stay tuned!

Posted in Meta | Tagged | 9 Comments

Your Invitation to the Open Access Debate

Posted on 24 July 2012 by Stephen

I said the open access debate had been torrid. And it continues apace in the wake of last week’s announcements from the UK government and RCUK, the organisation that represents the common interests of Britain’s Research Councils.

This week at the Guardian, Paul Ayris, the director of library services at University College London, has ta Continue reading →

Posted in Guardian, Open Access | Comments Off on Your Invitation to the Open Access Debate

Tsundoku

Posted on 23 July 2012 by Henry Gee

Thanks to a meme on Facebook (which I discovered courtesy of a Mr A. S. of London) I have discovered a Japanese word that could and should be appropriated into what King Alfred called Englisc. That word is tsundoku and its definition is as follows:

(n. Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Cromer, Domesticrox, panjandrum, reading, Science-fiction, secondhand books, teeth, Writing & Reading, ylang-ylang | Comments Off on Tsundoku

More Than Just Gender

Posted on 22 July 2012 by Athene Donald

Last week I attended an evening at the Royal Society, badged as a discussion between Vince Cable and the RS President Paul Nurse on ‘UK Research: building bridges, building prosperity’. In fact it wasn’t really a discussion at all, so much as set speeches which contained no new policies just well chosen words. It also involved an introduction  by A Continue reading →

Posted in conference speakers, Equality, ethnicity, Royal Society, socio-economic status, tokenism, Women in science | Comments Off on More Than Just Gender

Should I buy a lottery ticket?

Posted on 22 July 2012 by Steve Caplan

I’m not a gambler, but every once in a while a weird coincidence strikes–sometimes so weird that I wonder about my “luck,” and with such a rare and unusual event unfolding, whether it would be more likely for me to win the lottery. Of course, it helps if you buy a ticket.

At the beginning of the week, I was minding my own bu Continue reading →

Posted in coincidence, humor, invitations, lottery, Research, science, seminars, Strange but true | Comments Off on Should I buy a lottery ticket?

Creationists – Serpents in Eden

Posted on 21 July 2012 by Henry Gee

I’m working my way through an edit of The Beowulf Effect, or whatever it’s going to be called, after it came back with a lot of helpful comments from referees (I know, I know, taste of my own medicine.)

While I’m doing that, I should add that some of the points I’ve made in the book amplify and extend those in my earlier tom Continue reading →

Posted in creationism, evolution, Science Is Vital, Writing & Reading | Comments Off on Creationists – Serpents in Eden

Semantics

Posted on 21 July 2012 by Steve Caplan

On my way to pick up some sushi and maki rolls from a nearby restaurant, I encountered this intriguing sign:

lose 21 lbs

So, as a scientist, I first thought “Why 21 pounds?” Why not 12, or 15, or 17 and 3/4? But in looking more carefully at the sign, I realized that the important question–scientifically–is… for how long will I ne Continue reading →

Posted in fast, humor, pounds, silly, weight | Comments Off on Semantics

Flying through the Crick

Posted on 20 July 2012 by Frank Norman

Quick update to my post about the Crick Institute building site.

The Crick has now released a fly-through video animation to show what the interior of the building will look like. It is just 4 minutes long, and includes some views from the exterior too.

Continue reading →
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Ask The Blogosphere – how can we help trainees with their studentship & fellowship applications?

Posted on 20 July 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I mentioned in a recent post that part of my job is going to involve specialising in something that I’d previously listed as a long-term career goal. As you’ve probably already guessed from this post’s title, I’m now ready (with permission from above!) to not only tell you what I’m up to, but also to ask for your crowd Continue reading →

Posted in career, education, grant wrangling, science | Comments Off on Ask The Blogosphere – how can we help trainees with their studentship & fellowship applications?

Another collection of essays

Posted on 19 July 2012 by Frank Norman

Last year I gave a shameless plug for the Mill Hill Essays that I produce each year.  Here is another plug, for the latest collection – Mill Hill Essays 2011-12. The printed booklets have been distributed (free to libraries and other deserving homes) and I have put all the essays online. Here is a quick summary of this year’s offering: Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Mill Hill Essays, Reading recommendations | Comments Off on Another collection of essays