Announcements
illconsidered | April 20, 2010Last week I was interviewed by Ki Mae Heussner for an article on ACBNews.com. That article can be viewed here.
Anyone coming here from there via the "How to Talk to a Climate Sceptic" link, it was incomplete, click here.
I think that in the broader scheme of "science says sky is blue, Republicans disagree" journalistic balance, the article does well enough. It is a big topic to cover well as a one off assignment, which this may have been. I did not find any previous work of Ki Mae's in this area.
oracknows | April 8, 2010A fortnight ain't what it used to be. Or at least so it seems. After all, another Skeptics' Circle has appeared yet again, as if by homeopathic magic, to grace the blogosophere with another ode to skepticism and critical thinking. This time around, the 134th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle has appeared at Divisible by Pi. Check it out!
Next up to host will be The Skeptical Teacher, who will bring us the next Skeptics' Circle on April 22.
jstemwedel | April 7, 2010
(Click to embiggen)
Tomorrow, April 8, 2010, Pro-Test for Science will be holding its second rally in Los Angeles in support of humanely conducted, ethical animal research and the people who conduct it. Their first rally last April drew approximately 700 people to the streets to support the scientific research that offers hope to patients (both human and veterinary) and their families.
Speaking of Research has details on tomorrow's rally:
This rally, on the UCLA campus seeks to:
Communicate a better understanding of animal research to the public, its importance to medical progress, and…
thusspakezuska | April 1, 2010So the word on the street is that Greg Laden is taking his eponymous blog and moving on over to the Discover network blogs. He must have had a major, major falling out with PZ because I didn't think he would ever leave SciBlogs as long as PZ is here. Seeing as how Ed Yong recently decamped for Discover, could this mean that GL is now Ed Yong's fanboi????
jstemwedel | April 1, 2010Observant readers will have noticed that three of my last four posts -- the ones sporting the spiffy Research Blogging icon -- were posts discussing peer-reviewed journal articles. This is a substantially higher proportion of writing about the details of scholarly research than I normally feature on this blog.
But I think I've developed a taste for it.
Thus, going forward, I've decided (for the foreseeable future, anyway) to stick to discussions of scholarly research and to set aside freewheeling musings on current events, answers to emailed requests for advice, passing observations of…
oracknows | March 13, 2010My apologies to Romeo Vitelli, but somehow two weeks ago it totally slipped my mind to announce his 131st Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle, which is a fine addition to the Skeptics' Circle canon. Read. Enjoy.
thusspakezuska | February 15, 2010Tomorrow morning Rebecca Skloot will be on WHYY's Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. She will, of course, be talking about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. You can tune in and listen on the web here. Radio Times starts at 10 a.m. EST but Skloot is scheduled for the second hour of the show, at 11 a.m.
She will also be at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia tomorrow evening and I am planning to go.
Of course, it is supposed to start snowing again this evening and throughout tomorrow. Oh, I know, not anything like what we've had in the past week. Just a few inches. Just enough to…
thusspakezuska | February 2, 2010Be sure to catch Fresh Air whenever it airs in your local market to day, or catch the podcast. Rebecca Skloot is on today, talking about her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which, as I hope you know, is released today. And I hope you pre-ordered your copy already. Fresh Air is on at 3 pm and again at 7 pm in Philly - can't wait!
UPDATE: Terry Gross may just be the perfect person to interview Rebecca Skloot, who is wonderfully telling the story of Henrietta Lacks, and of how she came to tell the story of Henrietta Lacks. If you don't get to listen to Fresh Air on the radio,…
oracknows | January 28, 2010Faster than a blink of an eye (well, not really, but it sure seems that way sometimes) another fortnight has flown by, meaning that it's time yet again for another meeting of that venerable blog carnival of critical thinking, the Skeptics' Circle. This time around, we have our first ever veterinarian hosting. I could make jokes about the Skeptics' Circle going to the dogs, but I'll exercise some rare self-restraint and refrain from doing so. (Oh, wait...)
In any case, this time around, the 129th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle is being held over at SkeptVet.
Head on over and check it out.…
oracknows | January 16, 2010...for the 128th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle, being held over at Ionian Enchantment.
It's another great one!
And, as usual, it's never too early to think about submitting your work to the next edition of the Skeptics' Circle, to be held on January 28 at SkeptVet. Hmmm. I wonder if he'll take on some animal woo. In any case, here are the guidelines and the schedule. We're good through February, but could use some more hosts to keep this tradition going.
oracknows | January 1, 20102009 may be over, but there is still one remnant of it that you should immediately check out now, if you haven't already: The 127th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle at Life, The Universe, and One Brow! While Orac is taking it easy today, you can catch up on some of the best end-of-the-year skeptical blogging while contemplating what sort of unreason will assail us in 2010!
Next up on January 14 will be Ionian Enchantment. Bloggers, start sharpening your skeptical pencils (metaphorically speaking, of course) and checking out the guidelines for what the Circle is looking for. Let's start the new…
oracknows | December 28, 2009...is fast approaching, this time to be hosted at Life, The Universe, and One Brow. Let's make 2009 go out in style, skepticism-wise, by submitting the best skeptical blogging to the Circle for one New Year's Eve blowout! Blog-specific instructions can be found here, and general guidelines are here.
thusspakezuska | December 23, 2009Earlier this month, while I was distracted managing mom's transition from assisted living to hospital stay to rehab and preparing to escape for my annual beachy vacation, a new star was added to the Scibling firmament. And she's a shiny one. I'm talking about Sharon Astyk, writer of Casaubon's Book. I like pretty much every single thing she's written over there so far, but I really love this entry. Here's a sample:
A lot of people are dismissive of personal choices and personal actions, and as I argue in _Depletion and Abundance_ it isn't an accident that all the things we decide are…
oracknows | December 17, 2009It's that time yet again. The Skeptics' Circle has returned once again to provide a much needed dose of skepticism to the blogosphere. This time around, the 126th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle is being hosted over at World of Weird Things.
Next up will be Life, The Universe, and One Brow, where the Skeptics' Circle will finish out 2009. Submission instructions can be found here. Guidelines can be found here.
oracknows | December 16, 2009Last week, I marked the occasion of my fifth anniversary in the blogosphere. Yesterday, my blog bud Abel Pharmboy marked his fourth anniversary in the blogosphere. Anyone who makes it past a year, as far as I'm concerned, has passed the test of time and shown himself (or herself) to be in this crazy thing for the long haul; people who have managed to pump out quality material for four years are exceedingly rare.
Like me, Abel has asked his readers to delurk. However, he has been disappointed by the results. Come on, people! Abel deserves more. If you're one of his readers and see this, do me…
illconsidered | December 14, 2009You can hear the interview Paul Huttner of Minesota Public Radio did with me here. My part starts just after minute 7 of Part 2 and is about 6 minutes long. The show page is here.
Listen to Part 1:
and/or part 2:
I hope the association with Real Climate was not over stated, I really am just a link on their site.
illconsidered | December 11, 2009For anyone near the computer on Sunday 6PM CST I will be on Minnesota Public Radio's Jet Streaming program for a very brief interview. After the fact I will link to an MP3 file.
he interview has already been taped and I think it went pretty well, but we will see how it was from the other end of the phone line!
MPR's audio streaming is here.
jstemwedel | December 10, 2009For those of you who have heard me issue calls for dialogue (not debate) on the subject of research with non-human animals -- especially if you're in the Los Angeles area -- I'm pleased to announce that there's an event coming up in February that's aimed at fostering just such a dialogue, in the three-dimensional world. Here's the announcement:
Save the date!
Perspectives on the Science and Ethics of Animal-Based Research
UCLA, Covel Commons, 6pm-8:30pm, February 16th, 2010
With the goal of opening an on-going dialogue between individuals who are in favor or opposed to the use of animals in…
oracknows | December 5, 2009My benevolent overlords at Seed Media Group yesterday announced (to me at least) a surprise new initiative. But, then, I'm always one of the last to find out about these things. In any case, it would appear that we're teaming up with National Geographic to share blog content and various other initiatives. The press release describes what's going on:
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIGITAL MEDIA AND SCIENCEBLOGS.COM FORM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
WASHINGTON / NEW YORK (Dec. 3, 2009)--National Geographic Digital Media (NGDM) and ScienceBlogs.com today announced that they have formed a strategic partnership…
oracknows | December 4, 2009The 125th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle has been posted at Effort Sisyphus. This time around, you have a choice, either the predigested and linear or the more difficult but potentially more satisfying trip down the rabbit hole, never knowing what might pop up. Choose wisely.
Next up to host the Skeptics' Circle two weeks hence is Weird Things. Be sure to join us if you're a regular reader (or even if you're not), and if you're a blogger be sure to submit your best skepticism and critical thinking to the next host!
The 125 Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle has been posted over at Effort…