Evolving Thoughts: Happy new year

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John Wilkins is an aged, eternal student, who thinks philosophy of biology is at least as interesting as politics or sport and twice as important. He has a PhD from the University of Melbourne and a position as a ~~Postdoctoral Fellow~~ Sessional Lecturer at the University of Queensland, in Australia. After a varied career, involving factories, gardening, civil service, publishing, graphics, public relations but not, unfortunately for the CV, driving a truck, John finally completed his thesis on species concepts in 2004, which he has worked into two books. Species Definitions: A Sourcebook (Peter Lang) will come out in 2008; Species: A History of an Idea (University of California Press) will appear, it is hoped, in early 2009. He is also interested in cultural evolution, philosophy of religion, Macintosh computers and his kids.

If anyone knows of a tenurable, or even medium term, job in philosophy of biology, let me know. Have library, will travel. The contract ran out ...

This blog is designed to host any random thoughts that happen to be passing through my forebrain at a given moment. So there will be errors...

Books I'm reading

Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution and Christianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design (New Histories of Science, Technology, and Medicine)

Foundations of Systematics and Biogeography

Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings: Piecewise Approximations to Reality

Adaptive Thinking: Rationality in the Real World (Evolution and Cognition Series)

Conceptual Issues in Evolutionary Biology, 3rd Edition (Bradford Books)

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« Judging experiments | Main | NYE: the aftermath »

Happy new year

Category: Administrative
Posted on: December 31, 2007 9:00 AM, by John S. Wilkins

It is midnight on January 1 here in Australia. There's a loud party next door (young folks, heh). So I hope you all have a good year and thanks for reading me in 2007.

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Comments

Happy New Year to you too! And I'm looking forward to reading you again in 2008.

Cheers,
^_^J.

Posted by: gyokusai | December 31, 2007 9:25 AM

Happy new year :)

Posted by: greg | December 31, 2007 9:29 AM

Happy New Year from stateside, where we are still living in the past.

And thanks for writing for us!

Posted by: Mike Haubrich, FCD | December 31, 2007 9:32 AM

Happy new years too..

Posted by: feromon | December 31, 2007 9:38 AM

As a strict adherent of the natural astronomical calendar my New Year started on the 22nd of December so I'm way ahead of you but Happy New Year all the same and keep up the good blogging. Remember you have a hungry audience out there waiting to be educated, enlightened and entertained by your Evolving Thoughts!

Posted by: Thony C. | December 31, 2007 9:46 AM

Go bang on the neighbor's door and tell them to quiet down! If you do it right and you're lucky, they'll invite you in!

Happy New Year!

Posted by: John Pieret | December 31, 2007 9:46 AM

Damn! You got there before us!

But happy new year anyway!

Bob

Posted by: Bob O'H | December 31, 2007 10:34 AM

Don't worry, Bob. We're still on the leading edge of the Atlantic.

Posted by: Lassi Hippeläinen | December 31, 2007 12:15 PM

Happy new year.Regards..

Posted by: John | December 31, 2007 12:29 PM

#10

Happy New Year to You as well!
Dave Briggs :~)

Posted by: Dave Briggs | December 31, 2007 1:19 PM

#11

Well a couple of hours to go till New Year arrives here.

John, look forward to reading your musings in 2008.

Have a happy year

Posted by: Chris' Wills | December 31, 2007 1:52 PM

#12

So, if I understand you correctly, I am currently living in two years simultaneously, thanks to you and some kind of quantum weirdo unreality thing. My favorite movie line _is_ "I'm a quantum mechanic".

A hundred quatloos to anyone who knows what that's from (no looking it up).

Posted by: Susan Silberstein | December 31, 2007 2:17 PM

#13

"I'm a quantum mechanic".
A hundred quatloos to anyone who knows what that's from (no looking it up).

At first I thought it was Heisenberg now I'm not certain. Was it maybe SchrÃ¶dinger's cat?

Posted by: Thony C. | December 31, 2007 2:53 PM

#14

Whatever you do, don't tell us how it ends. I'm hoping for a surprise twist at midnight.

Posted by: PZ Myers | December 31, 2007 3:01 PM

#15

Happy new year too.

Posted by: greg | December 31, 2007 6:28 PM

#16

Happy New Year John. We'll have a celebratory coffee when we get back to work.

Cheers

Posted by: KiwiInOz | December 31, 2007 8:40 PM

#17

Okay, my offer is now 200 quatloos, to be awarded Tuesday morning (for various values of Tuesday).

Posted by: Susan Silberstein | December 31, 2007 9:30 PM

#18

Buckaroo Banzai?

Posted by: John S. Wilkins | December 31, 2007 11:13 PM

#19

My favorite movie line _is_ "I'm a quantum mechanic".

GRIMY PERSON (looking under hood of ageing starship) "Sorry, guv'nor, but yer Singularity Drive is totally knackered. It's leakin' 'Awking radiation all over the bleedin' shop. I can't be certain without strippin' it down but yer 'Eisenberg Compensator looks like it's on its last legs. As for that Schrodinger Catalytic Converter, there's no way of tellin' if it's still 'olding superposed states without openin' it up and yer lookin' at a good 'alf days work just for that. Other thing is they 'aven't made quanta of that size since they went metric so I'll 'ave to see what I can get from scrap. All in all, I'd say you're lookin' at a good five 'undred quatloos for the whole job and that's assumin' I can get the parts."

Posted by: Ian H Spedding FCD | January 1, 2008 2:23 AM

#20

Oh, and Apple Nude Ear!

Posted by: Ian H Spedding FCD | January 1, 2008 2:24 AM

#21

Virtual fake disappointed look, science fiction movie fans. "I'm a quantum mechanic" is from _Forbidden Planet_.

Posted by: Susan Silberstein | January 1, 2008 12:20 PM

#22

Feliz año nuevo Señor Wilkins.

Posted by: Brian English | January 1, 2008 7:12 PM

#23

Yes indeed, happy new year to Wilkins and all his admirers (I am of course one myself).

I look forward to many more fascinating posts from our favourite biological philosopher (philosophical biologist?)

Goodbye 2007 - you did one good thing at least - you got rid of John Howard.

Posted by: John Monfries | January 1, 2008 8:29 PM

#24

I can't take full credit, of course. Others helped.

Posted by: John S. Wilkins | January 1, 2008 8:34 PM

#25

"As for that Schrodinger Catalytic Converter, there's no way of tellin' if it's still 'olding superposed states without openin' it up and yer lookin' at a good 'alf days work just for that."

Open it up? Surely you jest!
You open up one of those babies and look inside, and it collapses.

Posted by: Porlock Junior | January 3, 2008 3:09 AM

#26

Happy (belated) new year, John. I'm a new reader in 2007, but I sure am enjoying the heck out of your blog. Looking forward to the coming year.

Posted by: Size | January 6, 2008 11:47 AM

#27

Happy and healty new year !

Posted by: john | January 9, 2008 7:23 PM