For those who have not gone exploring, I thought you might like to get some idea of what other blogs are part of this project. At this point there are about ten blogs total, but that will likely grow. It starts with a couple of "big boys" in the blogosphere, Chris Mooney and PZ Myers. Mooney is the author of The Republican War on Science and a prominent writer/commentator on science issues in the media. PZ Myers you may know from the Panda's Thumb, but his Pharyngula blog has become huge and gets in the range of 10,000 hits a day. He and I don't get along, as many of you probably know, but I'll say this - when it comes to just the straight science stuff, there are few people more informative and knowledgable. His blog should be read just for the fascinating reports on new findings in science, particularly on his first love, squids. Unfortunately, PZ has not yet made the move over here from his old blog but I'm sure he will soon.
A couple other Panda's Thumb contributors are here as well. Tara Smith, an epidemiologist from the University of Iowa (not Iowa State as first mentioned), has moved her Aetiology blog over to Scienceblogs. She's a specialist in infectious diseases, so if you want to know why you're hacking up chunks of lung her blog would be the place to go. John Lynch of Arizona State has also moved his blog, Stranger Fruit, over here. That's always been a must-read blog on the subject of evolution.
There are a few other recognizable folks. Afarensis, which focuses on anthropology as the name suggests, is here. So are the Gene Expression folks. And there are some I've never seen before but look forward to learning from. Cognitive Daily promises to focus on cognitive science, surely one of the most fascinating scientific fields today. Uncertain Principles is the blog of a young physicist. I've not seen his blog before, but if John Scalzi is a fan that's all I need to know to put it on my list. Lastly, Adventures in Ethics and Science is another blog I'd never seen before but looks interesting. So please go exploring and visit the other ScienceBlogs as I plan to do every day. If you log in to the front page, you'll see all the most recent posts from all of the blogs.
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Thanks for the run-down, Ed! Just one little correction--I'm at U of Iowa, not Iowa State. Same rivalry here as the UM/MSU one I know you're familiar with, so be careful about mixing them up! ;)
Oops, fixed that mistake. For some reason, I always thought you were a Cyclone, not a Hawkeye.
Hey there Ed!
Thanks for the mention. Still unsure whether I will be moving all my blogging over here ... I like to be able to control things more :)
Why don't you get along with PZ? He seems perfectly affable to me. Or is it just politics?
Chance-
There are many reasons we don't get along (it's not just me not getting along with him, it works the other way too). I'm sure we're both affable most of the time and we have many mutual friends as well. But we just really really don't like each other. I'm not inclined to get into the reasons why publicly; I don't see any good coming from that, particularly in light of the fact that we have to work together to some degree toward a common goal. Suffice to say we have very different views on how to go about achieving that goal (and to some degree, our goals may even be in conflict).
Ahh I see. No problem. You prefer the soft peddle approach he prefers going direct.
They each have there adherents and there detractors.
I should also quickly add that each has it's place in the conversation depending on the situation.
Chance-
I think the problem goes much deeper than that. I don't think anyone would ever accuse me of soft peddling anything. I'm as blunt as can be. I give away and Idiot of the Month award, for crying out loud. I have no problem calling a liar a liar or an asshole an asshole. I just think you need to make very sure that you're justified when you do it.
Well, for what it's worth I have both Ed and PZ at the top of my read every day blog list. Forp owerful personalities to clash is not uncommon, I'm just glad you both are out there...
mikey
I was surprised also to hear that you and PZ don't get along; you both seem to hide it well and I have read both of you fairly consistently for a while now. I did searches on both blogs for each other's name and you both seem to link to each other occasionally without animosity or even much criticism that I saw; I may be wrong but I think I actually found Dispatches via Pharyngula long ago.
I think the only thing I saw by you on Dispatches that was even remotely critical of PZ was something to the effect that PZ's aggressive atheism automatically repels certain people to the extent that they won't even consider whether he is correct on whatever evolution vs. ID/creationism point is being discussed, and may reinforce misconceptions that evolution equates with atheism. I almost commented at the time, but didn't because I do agree with that point (even though I think that is a very stupid reason to reject evolution, or any science for that matter). However there are two reasons why I give PZ specifically a pass on that. First, I can only imagine the frustration I'd have in response to the lies and distortions of certain ID proponents if I had spent as many years of my life as well as my full-time occupation focused on biology, especially in the current climate in the US where ID gets far more attention than it merits, and especially when some of the ID arguments require only a high-school level knowledge of basic science to refute. Secondly, although there's no disputing his 'aggressive atheism', I think that his aggressiveness is equaled and many times surpassed by very aggressive theists in the US, and needless to say he's vastly outnumbered by them. If the goal is to attempt to educate people about evolution and ID and win them to your side however, I don't deny that his atheism may push some to the other side and shut their ears.
As Chance said, two different styles. Ed usually dishes it out in proportion to what he gets and escalates the tone in response to an escalation from the other side. If anything, I think in relation, Ed is very patient; I know in the last year I remarked to myself how nice you were being with someone who said that evolution violated the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, a point you've responded to I'd wager countless times.
Definitely a nice new pad you have here Ed; congrats! And I'll try one more time... Go Spartans! (please?)
I am the same, hemlok. The first two things I check when I get home are Pharyngula and Dispatches. :D
I read both blogs, though I read Ed's much more often. PZ tends, in my opinion, to sometimes lean a bit too far to the side of being patronizing. He tends to think that if you don't agree with him, you're an idiot. Perhaps I'm being unfair, and I do enjoy reading his blog. But I've never detected any of that from Ed.
I also read regularly both here and Pharyngula, I obviously like both but I have to say I prefer PZs approach to tackling the fundies. One thing I would agree with though is that he needs to keep the science posts separate from the anti-religion diatribes a little more consistently.
You should both just tell it like you see it (which you do) - it's not like the future of the world depends on any tactical mistakes you may or may not make. There's plenty of scope for all manner of approaches, I would say.
I like PZ's approach in all matters religious simply for the fact he calls a spade a spade in the matter of the vast majority of religious claims. I find him remarkably consistent. Even if I don't agree with him it's often very hard to find fault in his actual arguments.
I think what he says hits a huge river of people just below the surface in the USA, of the 85% or whatever that claim a belief in a religion I suspect at least 40-50%+ have major doubts along through the years. He simply vents them outloud for folks. I personally don't know why he should quiet down simply, as the other poster mentioned, the outspoken religious folks aren't likely to do the same.
And I for one don't think his atheism affects how people respond to evolution, to a fundie maybe, but most(and I'm an science professor, simply don't have enough education in regards to the topic. I've met few who aren't willing to listen and most become really interested when it's properly presented.
I read this blog and PZ's each day. You do a great job Ed. So does PZ. This new format has taken some growing into but I think I like it now. The other blog had a warm fuzzy feeling.:-)