links for 2009-04-09 : Uncertain Principles

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"Uncertain Principles" features the miscellaneous ramblings of a physicist at a small liberal arts college. Physics, politics, pop culture, and occasional conversations with his dog.

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links for 2009-04-09

Category: Links Dump
Posted on: April 9, 2009 5:00 AM, by Chad Orzel

The physics of why bicyclists hate stop signs - Hard Drive

"In their essay "Why Bicyclists Hate Stop Signs," University of California physics professor Joel Fajans and Access transportation journal editor Melanie Curry write that requiring cyclists to follow the same complete-stop rules as motorists defies science. "While car drivers simply sigh at the delay" of a stop sign, they write, "bicyclists have a whole lot more at stake when they reach a stop sign.""

(tags: science environment politics bike)
What Does This Generation Think it Means to be a “Scientist”?

"I agree with Alberts that there appears to be a paradigm shift out there, a generational change in the science world. It’s not merely that science grad students and postdocs don’t want to grow up to become their professors or advisers; it’s also that in many cases, they simply can’t. The academic opportunities just aren’t there; there has been a marked constriction of opportunity in the ivory towers. Furthermore, many students don’t see a life of academic specialization as the best way to employ their scientific talents. They recognize that specialization’s disadvantages go hand in hand with its advantages. They want to do something more, to bring science to the rest of America."

(tags: science academia jobs)

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Comments

Fuck 'em. They want to be treated like peds when it suits them, and like actual motor vehicles when that's to their advantage too. I fucking hate cyclists for the most part at this point. Either follow the existing traffic laws or get off the fucking thing and walk, but don't expect me to read your mind about whether I should expect you to behave like a ped or a vehicle at any given moment.

Posted by: Jamie Bowden | April 9, 2009 10:42 AM

Wow. As a bike commuter, folks like Jamie scare me. I follow the rules because it makes it much less likely that I'll be run over. The biggest issue on any type of commute seems to be paying attention - riding and driving defensively.

The second link is really interesting. The first signs I saw of this phenomenon where when I was a postdoc in the early 90s. None (and I mean none) of the graduate students I was working with wanted to pursue academic careers. Some went into contract research, a couple went into patent law, and at least one went into telecom. All were studying molecular spectroscopy as graduate students.

Posted by: Brian | April 9, 2009 11:38 AM