Science and (culture, politics, policy, media)
Kevin Vranes has a phud in Physical Ocean- ography and Cli- matology. He now studies sci- ence policy and politics at the CSTPR. (More in the about.)
email: kevin {/at/} nosenada.org
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March 31, 2006
Category: Friday Politics
Three items for this Friday's politics column, in order from short to long: It must be tough to be a Representative. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, (D-GA) forgot to wear her lapel pin ID'ing her as a duly elected representative of the...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 12:28 PM • 2 Comments
March 30, 2006
Category: Science+culture
Geez. Far be it for me to have to explain to y'all Roger Jr., but this RealClimate post and the comments is has drawn has my mouth agape. I think Gavin mostly gets it, even if every single commenter fails...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 10:14 PM • 7 Comments
Category: Climate change • Science+culture
[Subtitle: get over your tribalism instincts already] Part I of a continuing series Isn't it ironic? Sb 's Thursday frontpage is filled with notices about the 31st meeting of the Skeptic's Circle. Orac says, "...time for the most dedicated skeptics...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 5:26 PM • 16 Comments
Category: Totally random
This definitely isn't my shtick either, but I'm pretty sure I just spied Apolo walking down Pearl St. in Boulder. It wouldn't be that far of a stretch as I think he lives/trains in Colorado Springs at the USOTC. I...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 3:53 PM • 2 Comments
Category: Blogs
This usually isn't my shtick, but I figure there's a market niche out there waiting for some readers. So without further ado, if you're interested in the bloggamusings of a recent Lamont-Doherty graduate climate scientist struggling with the transition from half a decade of life in NYC to the snowy coldassedness of a postdoc in Fairbanks, Alaska, click here and godspeed. (It's seriously good so far...)
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 2:02 PM • 0 Comments
Category: Science coverage
I pointed out the seven-part series on Thomas Butler (former plague researcher at Texas Tech who got busted for losing some plague vials) in the CPD here. Now episodes three, four, and five are out. Well worth your time....
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 11:06 AM • 0 Comments
March 29, 2006
Category: Academia • Sports+science
I have blogged a couple of times (link) on Carl Wieman leaving the U of Colorado, and the last post generated some interest in the comments. So today I thought I'd pass along an interesting op-ed published in the Colorado...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 12:34 PM • 7 Comments
March 28, 2006
Category: Science coverage
The Cleveland Plain Dealer is running a very compelling (at least so far) seven-part series written by John Mangels on the case of Dr. Thomas Butler, the infectious disease researcher at Texas Tech who was railroaded after losing some Black...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 12:33 AM • 0 Comments
March 27, 2006
Category: Sports+science
After UConn went down in an entirely predictable loss to George Mason (ok, fine, while I had them losing in the E8, it was to UNC, not GM), I was in fine position to win the Sb pool and retain...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 2:53 PM • 2 Comments
March 26, 2006
Category: Totally random
...depending on how I answered #2. I also answered NO to #7 and #10, although being in Sb might make those answers YES? I'll justify the NO by saying : for #7: I didn't choose the TLD name for #10:...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 1:42 PM • 2 Comments
March 24, 2006
Category: Friday Politics
For those of you tracking the national races running up to 2006, you already know that the D's see a big opportunity in Montana to dislodge U.S. Senator Conrad Burns. Burns has been weak for a while, even before the Abramoff suicide bomb blew up and splattered blood on Burns because he was standing too close.
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 5:22 PM • 0 Comments
Category: Climate change
You just can't beat Richard Alley. He is all professor frink, which makes him even more my hands-down favorite climate scientist. If we were doing a Frink-Scientist last-man-standing bracket, Alley would be my Villanova. (and for about half of you,...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 1:22 PM • 3 Comments
March 23, 2006
Category: Natural hazards/disasters
So for all my Bay Area peeps, I'll be returning in high style for this conference. The highlight of the trip is undoubtedly going to be the 5:12 AM commemoration at Lotta's Fountain on 3rd and Market. The tradition has...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 12:04 PM • 2 Comments
March 22, 2006
Category: Science+Congress
Senator Nelson's big beef appears to be over offshore oil drilling and his perception that Kempthorne won't have any qualms about drilling crude off Florida's white, sandy swaths of luxury. Of course, Senator Domenici (R-NM), with no beaches to worry about back home but a role to play as Chair of the Energy Committee, plans to try every trick in his big black bag to get Kempthorne through and start drilling ASAP.
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 3:01 PM • 0 Comments
Category: Natural hazards/disasters
This is how close we live to Boulder Creek: If I took a three-quarters swing with my lob wedge on a range ball from my front door, I'd fly the creek. For you non-golfers, that's about 2.2 chains, 4.57 x...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 11:35 AM • 5 Comments
March 21, 2006
Category: Sports+science
Now that I'm reading Surowiecki's The Wisdom of Crowds, I've been thinking that his ideas should be applicable to March Madness. I'm only a little bit into the book, but the basic idea laid out in the preface/intro/chapter 1 is...
Posted by Kevin Vranes at 4:27 PM • 9 Comments
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