If Janet says something, we better listen! So, a little introduction is in place:
3 reasons you blog about science:
At the time when the Age of Reason is under assault, every effort must be made to make science accessible and understandable to as many people as possible. I'd like to think of myself as a small part of that effort.
Blogging about politics distracts me from my Dissertation writing. Blogging about science inspires to me to try to finish as soon as possible, go back to the lab and re-join the reseacrh community.
It is generally a good idea to blog, at least sometimes, about something I actually know about, instead of just ranting about politics.
Point at which you would stop blogging:
If my wife threatens a divorce!
1 thing you frequently blog besides science:
It used to be politics (a lot!), but now I write about a lot of other topics, recently most often on education.
4 words that describe your blogging style:
- I know that Grrrlscientist is officially supposed to be the biggest resident blogwhore, but it is really me - I turned it into a science AND art. But I try to compensate by giving a lot of link-love to others. So, community-building style?
- conversational
- personal
- prolific: blogging around the clock!
1 aspect of blogging you find difficult:
Technical stuff! I am a computeridiot. I love Tim - he fixes every glitch in 5 minutes!
5 ScienceBlogs blogs that are new to you:
You really expected me not to know a science blog? I am tracking more than 400 science blogs right now on my Bloglines (so about 10% are on SEED!)! Yet...it did happen. There are three new-to-me blogs on SB right now:
Surprisingly, a neuroblog, Pure Pedantry
A little less surprisingly, since it is not biology, Chemblog
Finally, The Frontal Cortex is just plain new to everyone!
I am looking forward to getting to know them better.
9 blogs you read outside the ScienceBlogs universe:
Gosh - this is hard! I read so many. Check all the blogs that others are mentioning in their responses to this question. Check my old, incomplete blogroll (which I promise I'll update - I'll see if Tim can help me make some kind of nifty pull-down menu for such an enormous blogroll) for some of my favourites, especially the political blogs, edublogs, medblogs, NC blogs and Balkan blogs, but for here and now, I'll try to limit this to 9 science bloggers outside of SB universe who I read daily and who I think should become part of the universe one day in the near future (I am kinda trying to avoid naming the Big Stars you already all know about):
Bee Policy
10000 Birds
Dr.Petra Boynton
Ontogeny
Confessions of a Science Librarian
Well-Timed Period
Cyberspace Rendezvous
HPB etc.
Darren Naish's Tetrapod Zoology
Man, that was hard to cut down to just nine! I could have easily listed ninety!
2 important features of your blogging environment:
My official blogging assistant.
Something brown and edible (chocolate is the 5th food group for me).
6 items you would bring to a meet-up with the other ScienceBloggers:
A unique, not-for-sale Project Exploration T-shirt - I have three of them to choose from! Speaking of conflict of interest....
A digital camera - I want a picture so I can post it and brag on my blog that I have actually met in person all those cool and famous people!
My copies of a few books I love, so Chris Mooney and Carl Zimmer can sign them.
A pen and a little notebook
A couple of bucks for coffee or beer (depending where we meet)
My charm and sense of humor (sorry, I ran out of ideas - I do not want to weigh myself down with unneccessary items)
5 conversations you would have before the end of that meet-up:
Definitely chat about birds and hormones, and gossip about John Wingfield with Grrrlscientist
Gloating about the NCWDSBC (North Carolina World Domination Science Blog Conspiracy) with Abel, Dave and Greta and John (something that may actually happen for real!).
The inevitable conversation about George Lakoff and framing with Chris, Revere and Matt.
Try to see what John REALLY thinks about H.E.H. Patterson's species concept.
(Yeah, I know, we'd all talk about evo-devo with PZ as well.....)
Now go and see how everyone else responded to these questions!
