terrasig
Posts by this author
January 20, 2009
It'll be a few days before I can get together posts on this past weekend's ScienceOnline'09 conference in frigid North Carolina. The Friday Fermentable Live! was a terrific success and it already looks like there are seven posts out there (for example, Eva Amsen on her Nature Networks blog,…
January 18, 2009
Just as I was starting to put together a few posts about my experiences at this weekend's ScienceOnline'09 soirée, I get a Tweet from Pam Spaulding that openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson didn't appear on HBO's inaugural coverage today and, at least for Kenny Yum of Canada's National Post…
January 16, 2009
The best coverage of the science behind the apparent "bird-strike" cause of yesterday's USAirways miracle on the Hudson can be found at Scientific American online:
It basically comes down to the physics equation for kinetic energy: Energy is proportional to mass times velocity squared. The velocity…
January 15, 2009
Let me just start off this post by thanking Mark and Chris Hoofnagle for inviting PalMD to join them at denialism blog. Through Orac, I had followed Pal at his White Coat Underground and was delighted when the Hoof-gents invited PalMD to a bigger forum in their ScienceBlogs digs.
PalMD has now…
January 14, 2009
Well, PalMD and I have been working tirelessly on putting together a plan of discussion for the upcoming ScienceOnline'09 session on Anonymity and Pseudonymity - Building Reputation Online. Over the last several months, we have had a tremendous outpouring of comments on our own blogs and numerous…
January 13, 2009
I just started receiving a bunch of Google referral hits from readers searching for a story about the US Federal Trade Commission apparently taking regulatory action against a church that is selling supplements claimed to exhibit anti-cancer activities.
The article in question, "Tyrannical FTC…
January 12, 2009
Bora/Coturnix has a nice post up this morning on science and nature things to do around the Research Triangle area for those of you coming to the area and staying before and/or after.
While Bora resides in Chapel Hill, I take personal pride in singing the praises of Durham, the sometimes-maligned…
January 11, 2009
Hey, y'all who are coming to ScienceOnline'09 this coming Fri through Sat: I need a final count on those coming to the Saturday dinner buffet by mid-morning tomorrow (Mon, 12 Jan).
Please, please, please sign up on the wiki tonight or tomorrow morning:
http://www.scienceonline09.com/index.php/…
January 11, 2009
Regular readers may note that ScienceBlogs.com has been off the air for the installation and upgrade of our blogging platform, MovableType. So while I finally learned how to use the old one after being here two-and-a-half years, I am now starting over. Hence, this first post being completely…
January 9, 2009
Wishing I was in Hogtown last night and today.
However, my joy and delight is not for Tim Tebow or any of those other youngsters.
Mine is for George Edmondson, Jr.
What a fabulous way to send out Mr. Two-Bits.
We love you George - thanks being an integral part of my Gator experience.
Photo…
January 8, 2009
With tears in my eyes and my head bowed in deep respect, I share with you the account of Kevin Leitch's vasectomy via Twitter:
http://twitter.com/kevleitch
Kev is an autism and manic depression advocate in West Midlands, UK, who blogs at LeftBrainRightBrain and was one of my earliest followers on…
January 7, 2009
Just another quick note reflecting further on my 8-minute gut reaction yesterday to word that Sanjay Gupta might be nominated as Surgeon General in the Obama administration.
I still contend he's a great communicator but realize that the "both sides of the story" aspect of journalism has made some…
January 6, 2009
PharmGirl just sent me this tip after I got out of a meeting but I see that some bloggers have already weighed in about Obama's apparent selection of Dr Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General.
PalMD was briefly positive but PZ is concerned that Gupta is merely a talking head or placeholder and an…
January 4, 2009
In preparing for the ScienceOnline'09 session on Gender in Science - Online and Offline, one planned discussion point will be how to enlist allies representing the dominant power structure to enhance equality and diversity in the STEM disciplines. No one ally can do it all but a combination of…
January 4, 2009
I should really save this new item for next week's Friday Fermentable but I was too excited walking back from picking up the NYT and local fishwrapper from the cold, rainy driveway this morning.
Beer enthusiast, brewer, and public policy wiz, Sean Wilson, is staring back at me on the front page of…
January 3, 2009
I absolutely love the Scientiae blog carnival, established originally by and for women in the STEM blogosphere (but has occasionally accepted the blatherings of us with Y chromosomes).
What I enjoy most about this carnival is that the host puts out a call for posts on a specific, usually…
January 2, 2009
Let's face it, after the holidays I'm not terribly interested in drinking any beer or wine for the next two weeks.
However, two weeks from today will mark the beginning of ScienceOnline'09, the online science communications unconference being held in our little ol' neck-o-the-woods. Being as how I…
January 2, 2009
Regular readers know that I am a big fan of the Wall Street Journal Health Blog. While the WSJ is often most associated by us lefties with its conservative op-ed page, the Journal has consistently maintained a high standard for science and medical reporter (which I hope continues under Rupert…
January 1, 2009
I don't know about you folks but I am just spent. I did tons of background reading for a couple of upcoming blog posts but I just couldn't put fingers to keyboard today.
So let me just wish each and every one of you all the best for a happy and healthy New Year.
Professionally, I wish you get…
December 31, 2008
I just sent out an e-mail to a bunch of friends asking what they were doing this New Year's Eve.
We'll be at home in the City of Medicine drinking a bottle of 1997 Grongnet "Special Club" Champagne. Then I'll try to do a 8K trail run being held tomorrow at Duke Forest. Feel free to join me - I'll…
December 30, 2008
I see you - I've been there.
You're sitting in the lab the day before New Year's Eve looking at what you've done over the last year - or last six years - and thinking about how you're ever going to turn this postdoc or extended grad school period into some gainful career. The economy is for hell…
December 30, 2008
Even at this incredibly slow time of the year for blog traffic, we hit about 250% of our average readership yesterday with search engines finding our post on Allergan's new eyelash enhancing cosmeceutical, Latisse.
Lots of folks wanting to know where to buy Latisse - Allergan stock anyone?
(Aside…
December 28, 2008
The tagline is from Elaine D'Farley at Self magazine talking about the FDA's then-pending approval of Allergan's Latisse™ for cosmetic growth of longer, thicker eyelashes treatment of hypotrichosis of the eyelashes. While not expected until early 2009, Jacob Goldstein at the WSJ Health Blog clued…
December 28, 2008
Blame Isis:
Figure 1: New Balance 908 trail shoes with my Polar S1 footpod (to go with my four-year-old Polar RS200).
And don't give me grief about my Smartwool Light Hiking Socks - best trail running sock on the planet.
December 26, 2008
For as good of an attitude as I normally seem to have on the blog, I just simply don't do well with the end-of-the-year holidays (but condolences should be sent instead to my dear friend who suffered a true loss earlier this morning). While it may take some therapy to truly understand my blahs…
December 24, 2008
Okay, Dear Reader, I know you are tired of my ranting about Key West no matter how much I try to make it a focus of natural product therapeutics. So, with your indulgence, I need to make two serious awards to acknowledge the warmth and kindness of the good souls of Key West. Two people went above…
December 23, 2008
In our last few hours bidding farewell to the Conch Republic, we stopped at the Southernmost Point marker. Regular commenter and blogger leigh (the path forward) reminded us to "get a picture of the family pharmboy at the southernmost point marker, that's classic cheesy fun." Well, dear leigh, we…
December 21, 2008
I wrote at length the other day about my visit and talk at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, noting that Duke students and their Key West High School mentees would be presenting the results of their 2008 projects yesterday afternoon. Well, we were sadly flying out about the time…
December 21, 2008
Click on the photo to find out where we spotted these little miracles of nature.
And nary a PLoS T-shirt among them.
December 19, 2008
As I mentioned in my intro post to our week in Key West, I was definitely going to make a visit to the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden. We took the then-PharmToddler there in November 2003 when this gem was just being relaunched after decades of negligence. According to Georgia…