Crossposting due to image incompetence

Posted on February 19, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I originally created this post simply as a place to display an image for my Nature Blog, which has a very confusing link and upload process. It’s totally not working out so I’m just going to leave the image here, and paste the text in too so it makes a bit more sense!
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My job as a research development facilitator means that I get to help colleagues write their grants. Lots of them. For very different projects. For example, I’m currently working on 6 different applications to the same competition, including basic, translational and clinical research proposals.

The various PIs and clinicians who I work with often ask me to write all, or part of, the grant’s introduction section. Due to the wide range of projects I cover, this is often on a subject that I’m not all that familiar with. Luckily this is something that I enjoy and am good at, and the more I do it, the more I see a pattern in my literature searches.

The pattern resembles a diamond – starting off at a single focused point, broadening out until I seem to have read half the contents of the library, then narrowing back in to a focused introduction section.

Here’s an illustration of the process (and of why I’m a writer, not an illustrator):

Step 1) I start with a focused review article in the area of interest. I read it, and highlight the primary papers that look relevant.

2) On to PubMed! I widen my scope by printing* and reading the first set of research papers.

3) Each one cites more primary papers that also look relevant.

4) Back to PubMed! More printing and reading!

5) Bloody hell, these papers are citing others that I haven’t even looked at yet. Gotta keep broadening that scope.

6) Back to PubMed! Can’t I just go to the Pub instead?

7) Oh my god, there’s more. Will it never end?

8) Back to PubMed! I’m starting to forget what the surface of my desk looks like. If my reading gets any broader I may as well just pull out the novel that’s calling my name from my gym bag.

9) A theme starts to emerge. Connections are made with papers that I read way back before the dawn of time (i.e. yesterday). I think I’m getting it.

10) Some of these papers actually aren’t as relevant as I thought they were. Better get a bigger recycling bin.

11) More themes! And some of them lead logically into one another! Hip hip hooray, and the sun is even shining. I can write a focused structural plan for my introduction now.

12) This writing stuff is a doddle once you’ve done all the reading and organising.

13) There you go Dr X, a beautifully focused and relevant introduction to your grant’s hypothesis…

…oh, the hypothesis changed today?

Will someone please bring me a new review paper? And a large whisky?

Ta.

1) …

*Yes, the process uses a lot of paper, but I just can’t read properly on screen. I compensate by printing double-sided, recycling absolutely everything, and feeling guilty all the time.

Also seen here. With or without image, depending on when you look and which browser you’re using…

Posted in career, communication, grant wrangling | 12 Comments

Geekiness is catching

Posted on February 18, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My long-suffering husband puts up with a lot of geekiness, including piles of New Scientist magazines all over the house, the occasional drunken rant about creationism, and lots and lots of geeky friends.

For example, he came to join a group of us for after-work drinks on Friday night. The other people there were friends from my last job, all of whom have a science background. We got to talking about the wonderful BioRad PCR ad, and a few of us even sang the best part (“Who’s Your Daddy?”).

Hubby smiled politely.

On to another pub, with other, non-scientific, friends. And Hubby starts a conversation about an article he was just reading in New Scientist. Specifically, “the whacko files” – the ten craziest scientific experiments of all time, from the November 3rd issue (we have a backlog situation).

From the least geeky person in one group, to the geekiest in another…

Resistance is futile; the geek shall inherit the Earth.

Posted in personal, science | 7 Comments

I’d like to thank the Academy…

Posted on February 18, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’m very honoured and humbled to say that several people have awarded me a big E for excellent. Thank you all, I really appreciate it.

When I first started writing this blog I didn’t know if anyone would ever read it. Commenters may have come and gone, but now, a few months in, I’m part of a circle of excellent female science bloggers whose posts are the first things I look for in my Google Reader window every morning.

So here’s a note of appreciation for those who nominated me. You’re all excellent too, for the following reasons!

A Mad Hatter shares my love of viruses, music and books

ScienceGirl shares my love of silliness and fun anecdotes

EcoGeoFemme has a wonderfully varied blog that provokes lots of deep thought and is also an excellent source of fun memes.

And some more of my favourites, in no particular order, who I would also like to nominate as Excellent:

PropterDoc writes the kind of thoughtful posts about science, careers and feminism that I would love to have the patience for.

The Digital Cuttlefish is one of the most talented people on the internet, period, and (I think) the only male on this list!

Wayfarer Scientista writes wonderfully evocative descriptions of a life that is very different from my own and that often makes me yearn for those higher latitudes.

StyleyGeek is just plain hilarious.

MissPrism reminds me of one of my good friends, and has a great blog that sometimes even has silly posts about monkeys. My only complaint is that she doesn’t update it often enough!

Posted in blog roll, meme, meta | 5 Comments

Bonus Friday Primate Party

Posted on February 15, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I wasn’t going to do one today, but I saw this at MissPrism’s place and I just had to post it. It might just have made my day (unless I get any news from my 9 month+1 day pregnant friend later!)

This is much safer for work than yesterday’s effort, as long as no-one minds music…

Edited at 10:18 am – sod the monkeys, my good friend Sally has had a wee boy! Welcome to the world baby Jack, future England rugby captain!

Now that made my day.

Posted in blog roll, monkeys, music, Primate Party, silliness, videos | Comments Off on Bonus Friday Primate Party

Thursday’s Primate Valentine Party

Posted on February 14, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

In honour of Valentine’s Day, this week’s Primate Party is a day early.

That lovely image was from the fine folks at http://icanhascheezburger.com/, which always makes me smile…

New Scientist’s Short Sharp Science blog is also getting in on the action, with posts about gorilla lovin’ and a different kind of Valentine’s Day card – for people who want to anonymously alert former partners to go to an STD clinic. Lovely. (I really have lowered the tone today, haven’t I?)

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day, in whatever way you choose to spend it! Hubby and I are going to a hockey game. Since it’s my birthday on the 16th, we’ve decided to skip the restaurant reservation and flowers panic of Feb 14th and celebrate our two anniversaries instead. The wedding was in August and our first date was in January, so it splits the year up very nicely indeed.

Posted in apes, monkeys, photos, Primate Party, silliness | 7 Comments

Things that cell biologists shouldn’t say in public

Posted on February 13, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(Inspired by a post I just read on Richard Grant’s blog).
Actual conversation in a Glasgow pub during my PhD days:
Me: How’s it going?
Friend: Bad.
Me: How come?
Friend: Another bloody yeast infection.
Me: Another one?! What’s going on?
Friend: Don’t ask me, I wear gloves all the time and it just keeps on happening.
Guy at next table: Snorrrrt cough cough
It suddenly dawns on us that most people don’t think of cell culture problems when they hear the words yeast infection…
Occupational hazard I suppose. Any other good ones out there?

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

I’ll have a grande skinny mocha and a BOOM!

Posted on February 13, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?
So the Starbucks near my office blew up last night. And when I say near, I mean near – as the crow flies it’s probably only about 50 metres or so from my desk, which is in a big glass building…

Photo from the CBC story linked above. My office overlooks the back of the Starbucks building.
It happened at around 2:30 am and it’s a commercial district, so thankfully it looks like no-one was hurt.

The Starbucks junkies amongst my colleagues don’t have to worry though – another one just opened up 2 blocks away.

There’s an outside chance that my office will be closed, but I think they would have mentioned it on the news if my building was damaged (it’s become a bit of a local landmark, and anyone who knows Vancouver now knows exactly where I work. Please don’t stalk me). I’m just glad I’m not on the bus today.

I’ll update this post with photos as they become available…

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Edited at 10.30 am to add photo. My building is open, but the bike room is not (it’s accessed via the back alley between my building and Starbucks), and there are bikes all over the place at the front of our building. No-one can park either.
Posted in Vancouver | 10 Comments

The downside of religious marketing

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Following on from last week’s holy pasta story, here’s some news from the BBC and CBC about a line of religiously themed cosmetics that was pulled from sale in Singapore. Apparently the large Christian population was offended by the “Looking Good for Jesus” product range.

Any unopened bottles of the “Get Tight with Christ” hand and body cream (WTF?!!) must be collectors’ items by now. I might have to go and check eBay.

You couldn’t make this stuff up…

Posted in silliness | 3 Comments

Schizoblogia

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I think I’m developing a split blogging personality.

Getting the new blog going is a bit like starting a new job, and trying to make a good first impression is tough. As Helen Fielding explained in the first Bridget Jones book, people are likely to base their opinion of you on some random strange thing that happens to slip out of your mouth when you’re not paying attention*. I’m therefore on my best behaviour and not deviating from my brief of “you can write about whatever you want, as long as it’s about science”.

In contrast, coming here is like hanging out with non-work friends. It feels more comfortable and relaxed, and I can get away with being goofy and waffling on about monkeys or my favourite novel. I also get to have interesting comment conversations (commversations?), whereas comments seem to be thin on the ground on most Nature Network blogs. This is probably because most people use their real names and are also on their best behaviour. It’s a shame because there are some great blogs over there (current favourites are listed on my blog roll on the right).

I’ve never previously been able to hide my goofiness and weird sense of humour from a new employer for more than a couple of months, so it’ll all be downhill for the new blog pretty soon. Just like at my real job, where I’m now being teased for my pencil theory (see last post). Friday drinks are surely only a few weeks away now.

*I’m paraphrasing from memory here, I don’t have the book with me in Canada but I’ve read it enough times to remember the gist of it.
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ETA: I’ve now successfully lowered the tone over at Nature Network. And getting more comments for it! The two are clearly related.

Posted in blog roll, meta, personal | 2 Comments

Things I’ve learned since my last post

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Cath@VWXYNot?

– Inhaling helium from balloons at a party is still funny when you’re in your thirties.

– It is unfair for the karaoke to end just as you realise this.

– Steak is still tasty when served on a stick.

– The quality of a movie can not be predicted by its opening shot.

(No Country for Old Men and Alien vs. Predator 2 both begin with a shot of a hunter looking at a deer through a rifle sight. One of these two films goes on to be good good movie; the other turns into a bad bad movie*. Guess which is which).

– People will laugh at you when you try to tell them that using wooden pencils is more environmentally friendly than using plastic pens.

(C’mon! Renewable resource, biodegradable / compostable shavings, no toxic ink, minimal end-of-life garbage consisting only of wood, rubber and metal… and yet they still laugh. Maybe it’s because I always carry 3 pencils with me in order to avoid sharpening them mid-meeting).

*Movie classifications, adapted from something I read somewhere a long time ago:

1) Good good movie: something that’s worthy, hyped up, wins or is nominated for lots of awards, and is actually good, e.g. Last King of Scotland, Sideways.
2) Bad good movie: something that’s worthy, hyped up, wins or is nominated for lots of awards, but is actually a bunch of pretentious tosh, e.g. The Piano.
3) Good bad movie: terrible movie with ridiculous story and 2-dimensional characters that’s still immensely enjoyable, e.g. Jurassic Park, Evolution (extra bonus point for containing the often-underrated comic talents of David Duchovny).
4) Bad bad movie: terrible movie with ridiculous story and 2-dimensional characters that’s just awful, e.g. Star Wars episodes 1 and 2. (The other 4 are good bad movies).

Many arguments occur over whether a given “good” movie should be in category 1 or 2. See The English Patient episode of Seinfeld for illustration.

Posted in drunkenness, environment, movie review, personal, silliness | 4 Comments