Category Archives: publishing

If George R.R. Martin was a scientist

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

SPOILER ALERT! I’ve tried to be as general as possible, but there may be some very minor spoilers in this post for people who aren’t as far through the A Song of Ice and Fire series as I am (I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, career, communication, embarrassing fan girl, furry friends, publishing, science, silliness, snow | 37 Comments

Could this be…

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Cath@VWXYNot?

…the most useless list of spellcheck suggestions of all time? (I’m sure a tamarind genome sequence is in the works, somewhere…) …the worst possible weather in which to be running around collecting grant signatures from PIs in three different buildings? … Continue reading →

Posted in career, drunkenness, English language, idiocy, photos, publishing, science, screenshots, silliness, snow, technology, Vancouver | 8 Comments

Bucket List and 2012 Resolutions

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Bucket List The plan is to add at least one new item every time I tick one off! Write at least one book (and get it published) Run for political office (and preferably win) Own a boat large enough to … Continue reading →

Posted in apes, Canada, career, Climate change, environment, freelancing, furry friends, kayaking, nature, personal, politics, publishing, snow, sport, travel, UK | 24 Comments

Weight, watt?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

From an automatic pre-send spell check of an email I sent today, asking a PI for guidance on some subfield-specific terminology: Very helpful. In other news, I learned today that my online life is benefiting my career: years of experience … Continue reading →

Posted in career, English language, grant wrangling, idiocy, meta, publishing, science, screenshots, silliness, technology | 20 Comments

RBO Lab Meeting

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Our lab manager mentioned that some journals are starting to ask for certification to prove that the cell lines described in submitted manuscripts have tested negative for mycoplasma contamination during the course of the study (for the uninitiated, mycoplasma are … Continue reading →

Posted in publishing, science, technology | 25 Comments

In praise of bike room buddies and other secret societies

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

“I just found out who you are!” announced my buddy-whose-name-I-don’t-know. “There’s a photo of you on the alumni wall of my lab! You have different hair and a different name, but it’s definitely you!” This conversation took place in the … Continue reading →

Posted in career, cycling, personal, publishing | 35 Comments

Portable document FAIL

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Provisional PDF of a paper in press from my postdoc lab: Are they editing papers with marker pens now?! Pretty damn foolish…

Posted in original research, publishing, science, technology | 7 Comments

How to impress your friendly local manuscript editor

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Treat them as an inferior until you need something from them. This will make them incredibly grateful for your sudden interest in them when you… …hand over a “close to final” manuscript that MUST be proofed and edited BY TOMORROW, … Continue reading →

Posted in career, English language, publishing, science | 30 Comments

In teh Grauniad

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

When I was about 15, our local paper ran a special schools edition. They approached English teachers around the city, asking them to contribute pieces written by local students, and my teacher picked an essay I’d written. The essay was … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, education, family, original research, personal, publishing, science, the media, UK | 13 Comments

Nascent tweet sequences visualise peer review at LOLcat resolution

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

There’s never a dull moment. Earlier today, I read a paper from Nature titled “Nascent transcript sequencing visualizes transcription at nucleotide resolution*”. The paper describes a very cool new technique that allows you to see gene transcript sequences as they … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, furry friends, original research, publishing, science, silliness, technology | 56 Comments