March 3, 2008
Category: In other news
- Of Two Minds, the much-anticipated merger of Steve Higgins' Omni Brain and Shelley Batts' Retrospectacle, makes its debut today.
- Not Exactly Rocket Science is also up and running here on ScienceBlogs.com.
- If you haven't had a chance to take a look at the relatively new blog Translating Autism, you should definitely check it out too.
- Finally, don't miss this week's edition of Encephalon, capably hosted by the fantastic blog Mind Hacks.
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:04 PM • Comments (0)
October 25, 2007
Category: In other news
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This is the geek equivalent of "when I was your age I used to walk to six miles school barefoot -- in the snow -- uphill both ways!"
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I don't know about that. I've always thought it was pretty bad...
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I'm certain this will lead to cures for world hunger and global warming. Or so my rostral anterior cingulate and amygdala tell me.
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Posted by Dave Munger at 12:21 PM • Comments (0)
October 22, 2007
Category: In other news
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Help Chad come up with a list of the most important skills for scientists
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Key conclusions: Money doesn't make you happy, but happy people end up making more money
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A brilliantly executed brain-themed spoof of educational programming. "Learn" how to conduct your own neuroscience experiments!
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:25 PM • Comments (0)
October 18, 2007
Category: In other news
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Is it possible that most soldiers only rarely use their weapons, even in pitched battle?
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Is it possible that a *more* conspicuous headset will make you look like less of a dork?
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Chris offers the full analysis of a the article we
brought up a while back.
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:24 PM • Comments (0)
October 16, 2007
Category: In other news
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Fellow ScienceBlogger Jonah Lehrer's long-awaited book Proust Was a Neuroscientist is now shipping. Any chance you'll send a copy CogDaily's way, Jonah?
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OmniBrain points out that this "test" that's been circulating around the web is nothing more than 21st century astrology. But it's still cool to try to "see" the figure spinning both ways.
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Excellent, practical advice
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:20 PM • Comments (0)
October 15, 2007
Category: In other news
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The result: Customers overestimate their ability and buy fancier stuff than they need
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Can we *really* hear the difference $7,000 speaker cables make? What about $100 cables?
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Notes on the psychology behind this plan
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I sense a disturbance in the literature about parapsychology
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They may be good for business, but you still shouldn't drop your pants in a lecture hall
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:24 PM • Comments (3)
October 12, 2007
Category: In other news
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The BPR3 icon is in nearly-final form. Make comments over at the BPR3 site.
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I'll resist puns with this one, but Kate has a nice write-up
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Translation into American English: Expensive running shoes aren't worth the money
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The best approach seems to be a child's video game
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What living under a dictatorship does to your mental health
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Some very cool graphics showing how a wikipedia page gets edited over time
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:22 PM • Comments (1)
October 10, 2007
Category: In other news
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The Scientist is holding a contest for the best lab web site. Nominate your favorite!
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I think Cognitive Daily stands as an excellent example of what Kate is talking about here: People really are interested in the details about science.
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It's not as easy as you think!
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This is a case study in the principle that when the government says something, people believe it
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:24 PM • Comments (0)
October 9, 2007
Category: In other news
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I was relieved to see we weren't one of the "worst" sites...
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I'm not picking any favorites, other than to note that fellow ScienceBlogger Shelley Batts is in the running.
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"There is no single place of our brain where we will find an entry with the word hammer followed by a neat dictionary definition of what a hammer is."
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Posted by Dave Munger at 12:21 PM • Comments (0)
October 8, 2007
Category: In other news
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Want to show that most college students have a negative attitude about their life's goals? Ask them while it's raining.
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North Carolina recently started an "education lottery." The New York Times assesses its success.
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A thoughtful article: The Real Mozart Effect and why we should support music education
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If you haven't seen this video yet, here's your chance. A sad day for the rebel alliance. (And a better video than the one on Gizmodo)
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:19 PM • Comments (1)
October 4, 2007
Category: In other news
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I would have killed for one of these in 1977!
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This painkiller targets just pain detectors, and leaves other sensory nerves intact
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Accupuncturists respond identically to poking someone in the mouth with a needle and prodding them with a harmless cotton swab
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:21 PM • Comments (0)
October 3, 2007
Category: In other news
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A great idea, from BPS Research Digest's ongoing series of the best experiments that will never be conducted
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Does being "conscientious" really prevent Alzheimer's?
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Interesting attempt at a controlled study
Posted by Dave Munger at 12:21 PM • Comments (0)
June 22, 2007
Category: In other news
Yesterday was the summer solstice, and the days are getting shorter; but before you go out and enjoy the sun this weekend: Is sunshine good for you?
In other news:
Posted by Aaron Couch at 9:55 AM • Comments (0)
April 4, 2007
Category: In other news
I told you so.
Now it's been confirmed: Daylight saving time doesn't save energy.
In other news:
Posted by Dave Munger at 8:10 AM • Comments (4)
March 16, 2007
Category: In other news • News
I've found a few articles that I've got couple sentences' worth of thoughts about, but not a couple paragraphs, so I'm going to write them all up here. This is sort of halfway between a news and an in other news post.
1. Neuroscience and science writing. Jonah Lehrer argues that it's okay for science writers to use generalizations like "the amygdala is the center of fear and anxiety" when actually all we can say for certain is that region is activated more when people claim they are afraid or anxious, compared to a "resting state." I agree; writers need to take shortcuts sometimes, but an occasional reminder that that's what they're doing is also a good thing.
2. Are journal rankings distorting science? When journals are ranked based on how many other journals cite them, what do you think is going to happen? You got it -- lots more citations. It's actually fascinating to look at old journal articles (say, before 1980) and see how few citations there are. The claim in the linked article is that all this citing is distorting the overall message. I'm not sure we're to that point yet -- after all, citations can be helpful. But clearly at some point over-citing could be a problem. Any suggestions on other ways to determine if a journal is "important"?
3. Jason Rosenhouse on "Spirituality": When asked what it meant to "feel one with nature" or "have a mystical experience" he replied "I think those are really just nonsense phrases people use but that don't really mean anything." I tend to agree, but sometimes I wonder if scientists are ignoring some real phenomena because they've never experienced it themselves.
More below.
Read on »
Posted by Dave Munger at 7:44 AM • Comments (10)
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