State of the Blog
jgoldman | August 22, 2010Here's your weekly round-up of fun and fascinating:
To start with, I did a 6-part series on numerical cognition and the development of math skills, here and at Child's Play:
1. The Developmental Origins of Numerical Cognition
2. What is Dyscalculia? How Does It Develop?
3. Developmental Dyscalculia Explained: Strategy, Memory, Attention
4. Numbers on the Brain: Neurobiology of Mathematics
For an evolutionary perspective, there were the two companion pieces this week here:
5. What Are The Origins of Large Number Representation?
6. The Origins of Small Number Representation
Science
From Lucas…
jgoldman | August 20, 2010Two important notes for today - the full link round-up, as per usual, will come over the weekend.
First, the meta-aggregator to end all aggregators. Go check out scienceblogging.org - a fantastic tool built by Anton Zuiker, Blogfather Bora, and Dave Munger. It's not perfect, but the whole thing was put together in just the last few days. So go check it out, and leave suggestions and recommendations on the site blog. Read about its origins and philosophy here.
Second, the first edition of the Carnal Carnival is up at A Blog Around The Clock, and the theme is poop. Also, make sure you're…
jgoldman | August 15, 2010Science and Science Writing
Colin Schultz has committed science blogging! Science bloggers link more often to original research than do mainstream journalists. Not surprising, but good to know there's empirical research.
Hannah Waters of Culturing Science ponders the place of young science writers in the broader science writing ecosystem.
And in response, some good reminders about the business of blogging for n00b bloggers or journos. (via @edyong209)
As usual, another great piece from Bora in which he considers the relative benefits and consequences of being a part of a blogging cooperative…
jgoldman | August 8, 2010Science and Science Writing
You've checked out the new blog, Child's Play, I'm writing with Melody Dye over at Scientopia, right? She started us off with an *awesome* series on delay of gratification and the cookie task (start here).
Apparently monkeys hate flying squirrels. And I hate the deck of this article. As long as we're all hating something, I suppose.
Why are male whales humping eachother?
From New Scientist: Why are dogs and their owners so much alike?
Via blog bff Andi Kuszewski of the Rogue Neuron blog: The Psychopathology of Heroism
Can squid fly? by Ferris Jabr.
Want more squid…
jgoldman | August 5, 2010Apparently, Mike the Mad Biologist thinks that I have a blog of substance. Or something like that.
This appears to be a meme that Bora started, with two rules:
1. Sum up your blogging motivation, philosophy and experience in exactly 10 words.
2. Tag 10 other blogs to perpetuate the meme. (Only ten? This will be hard!)
Okay, here we go.
In ten words:
Write often. Read lots. Engage. Where is my blogging helmet?
Tag; you're it (blog linked left, twitter linked right):
The Dog Zombie
Gene Expression - Razib Khan
Cephalove - Mike Lisieski
Skulls in the Stars - Dr. Skyskull
Southern Fried Science…
jgoldman | August 2, 2010What a crazy month July has been! First with PepsiGate (also here, here, and here), then once things started to quiet down a bit, we were hit with the NY Times Magazine nonsense.
But today I have some pretty exciting news. You may have heard about a new blog collective that has been formed called Scientopia. It's founding membership consists of a number of Scienceblogs refugees, but also a lot of other awesome science bloggers from around the sciblogosphere. I was invited to join this collective. And while I've clearly not planned on leaving Scienceblogs, this seemed like an exciting new…
jgoldman | August 1, 2010I humbly present, once again, the quasi-weekly linkfest. Enjoy!
First, a reminder: Submit awesome science blogging for Open Lab! I encourage you not to be shy about submitting your own stuff!
Also, are you following me on twitter? Lots of shenanigans going on over there, and lots of good links, too.
Starting with the Science:
Did you catch my Research Blogging editor's selections this week?
Science journalist Bill Lascher (twitter, blog) is now doing some freelance writing about the environment for High Country News, on their "A Just West" blog. Interesting stuff. I know Bill from when he was…
jgoldman | July 30, 2010Virginia Heffernan wrote a piece in today's NY Times Magazine. She writes:
Science blogging, apparently, is a form of redundant and effortfully incendiary rhetoric that draws bad-faith moral authority from the word "science" and from occasional invocations of "peer-reviewed" thises and thats.
and
Does everyone take for granted now that science sites are where graduate students, researchers, doctors and the "skeptical community" go not to interpret data or review experiments but to chip off one-liners, promote their books and jeer at smokers, fat people and churchgoers?
It's just not that…
jgoldman | July 23, 2010Did you know that Scienceblogs has a vision statement? It might be hard to find. You have to scroll alllllllll the way down to the very bottom of any page on the network, and click About Scienceblogs.
Here is what it says:
Science is driving our conversation unlike ever before.
From climate change to intelligent design, HIV/AIDS to stem cells, science education to space exploration, science is figuring prominently in our discussions of politics, religion, philosophy, business and the arts. New insights and discoveries in neuroscience, theoretical physics and genetics are revolutionizing our…
jgoldman | July 23, 2010So this year, super science blogger Ben Young Landis was supposed to be guest editor for Open Lab, but alas, he has gotten a new job and will be moving and will no longer be able. So that meant that series editor Bora, aka the Blogfather, aka Papa Smurf, needed a new editor.
And he picked ME!
So I am very happy to announce that I'll be editor for Open Lab 2010, which I am very excited about, especially because I know it means I will be up to my eyeballs in awesome science writing. And you know, because now I have something to do with my hours and hours of free time :-)
If you aren't yet…
jgoldman | July 20, 2010There's been lots of talk lately about the future of science blogging, in general, and the purpose and nature of blogging communities or networks, more specifically. If you haven't read Bora's post, you should. Even if you aren't specifically interested in SCIENCE blogging, as it relates to new media in general.
From the outset I will state that I still am unsure about my future at scienceblogs. When I do make a decision, it will be carefully considered, and I will be confident in my decision. I have not been around long enough to feel fed-up with things here. Though I can also see that those…
jgoldman | July 8, 2010Well, well, well. After spending the day dismantling and rebuilding my lab (which, to my slight surprise, was actually super fun), I return to some good news (relative to the bad news that's been flying around here over the last couple days).
1. The Pepsi blog has been shuttered. Here's the official notice from SEED/SB founder and CEO, Adam Bly. Note that he asks for comments and seems to be reading them. Head on over and participate in the conversation.
2. Carl Zimmer and Dr. Skyskull are both maintaining lists of where to find those who left. (Thanks, dudes!)
3. Aforementioned founder and…
jgoldman | July 7, 2010Dudes, I don't even drink soda. Of any kind. Ever.
Seriously, though, I'm saddened by the loss of several of my sciblings. Many of them are individuals who I consider role models, and look up to. Dr. Skyskull is attempting to keep a list of new locations for them, here, and I've been adding links to responses to this debacle on the bottom of yesterday's post - I'm sure I've missed a few, though. Several other sciblings of mine are taking the wait-and-see approach that I advocated yesterday.
To their credit, SEED and Scienceblogs are making some of the requested changes. You'll notice that…
jgoldman | July 6, 2010If you've been around Scienceblogs today, or on Twitter, you may have noticed that there appears to be a new blog around these parts.
On behalf of the team here at ScienceBlogs, I'd like to welcome you to Food Frontiers, a new project presented by PepsiCo. As part of this partnership, we'll hear from a wide range of experts on how the company is developing products rooted in rigorous, science-based nutrition standards to offer consumers more wholesome and enjoyable foods and beverages. The focus will be on innovations in science, nutrition and health policy. In addition to learning more about…
jgoldman | July 2, 2010Looks like Drugmonkey has re-instated the who are you and why are you looking at me meme. Having only participated as a reader of Scienceblogs the last few years, I'm excited to be on the other side of the table this time.
For some background, Ed Yong initially started this game a few years ago, and it caught on pretty quickly among the other sciblings (and then, other science bloggers as well).
I particularly like the questions that Janet is asking this year, so I'll go ahead and blatantly plagiarize (and modify) some of hers. Please respond to any combination of these questions below in the…
jgoldman | July 2, 2010There was so much good stuff this past week or two. Here's a round-up:
Dave Munger's column in Seed Magazine, regarding self-report data, features the blogcast I did with Travis a few weeks ago.
Seventh graders draw pictures of scientists. Then they meet some scientists. And draw new pictures.
Some more from the NY Times on the status of whales with respect to whether or not they should be given "human rights." I've written about this before.
And from Scientific American, is whaling really the biggest threat to whales?
Really fantastic article in The Guardian about Jane Goodall, who has now…
jgoldman | June 22, 2010Lots of new things to tell you about.
First, SB has reinvigorated the ScienceBlogs Book Club. The first book being discussed is "Inside the Outbreaks: The Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service" by Mark Pendergrast, who is participating in the book club himself, and already has a post up.
Second, exciting news from SB headquarters:
We here at ScienceBlogs are pleased to announce that beginning today, we will be helping to spark the next generation of research communications by introducing new blogs to our network from the world's top scientific institutions. The…
jgoldman | June 18, 2010
Figure 1: Another gem from the good folks at Fake Science.
Here is this week's round-up of particularly awesome reading material:
Reflections on the Gulf Oil Spill. Want to know why BP (and, well, the entire gulf coast cleanup effort) is doing it wrong? Christie Wilcox has an awesome post. This is a must read. Also, my friends at Southern Fried Science have put together a list of blogs and tweeps to check out for oil spill coverage of the highest quality.
Also, via Southern Fried Science: why marine mammals aren't so cute and cuddly. How did I miss this in April when it was published?
Do you…
jgoldman | June 11, 2010The editors at 3 Quarks Daily have made their decisions and somehow chose ME as one of their nine finalists.
I've got some very stiff competition - no surprise of course, as these are some of the best science writers on the web, and some of the very people I try to emulate! Thanks to everyone who nominated me, everyone who voted, and the editors at 3QD. Now, it's all up to Richard Dawkins.
Here are links to all nine finalists:
Cosmic Variance: Free Energy and the Meaning of Life
My Growing Passion: The Evolution of Chloroplasts
Not Exactly Rocket Science: Gut bacteria in Japanese people…
jgoldman | June 10, 2010I knew the time would eventually come that I'd have to institute a comment policy.
Here it is. A copy can also be found on the CONTACT page.
The Comment Policy:
I don't like to moderate my comments so don't make me. I have better things to do.
This blog is not a democracy; it's a benevolent dictatorship. If I want to delete
a comment, I shall do so, and may do so without explanation. If I edit a comment, I will
always make this abundantly clear.
Use common sense and common courtesy. Unless specified as an "open comment thread," I prefer that comments are kept focused and on-topic. Please…