Janet D. Stemwedel
Janet D. Stemwedel (whose nom de blog is Dr. Free-Ride) is an associate professor of philosophy at San Jose State University. Before becoming a philosopher, she earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry.
jstemwedel
Posts by this author
October 4, 2006
Following up on my earlier post on Roger D. Kornberg's Nobel Prize in Chemistry, I want to call your attention to this comment from the esteemed Pinko Punko:
Well, in the press conf. Dr. Kornberg stated he absolutely and first and formost views himself as a chemist, and his training (Ph.D.) was…
October 4, 2006
As Bora noted, this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Roger D. Kornberg for a piece of research (the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription) that strikes lots of folks as being within the bounds of biology rather than chemistry.
I can't do an elaborate discourse on this (as I have…
October 3, 2006
Since, as I mentioned, my mom worked with data from COBE, and thus, was in a position to cross paths with newly-minted Nobel Laureates John Mather and George Smoot, I shook her down for some information about the pair.
Disclaimer: I suspect Mom exaggerates more in her anecdotes about her…
October 3, 2006
Chad broke the story, at least in the ScienceBlogs galaxy, but I wanted to add my own "Woo-hoo!" for John C. Mather and George F. Smoot, who have won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics.
I didn't want this one to go unnoted, as my mom worked to analyze piles of COBE data and, during this period of her…
October 2, 2006
I started out thinking I was writing this as an open letter to my students, but it turns out I'm talking to you all, too.
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I have very strong feelings about what the point of a college education should be. Maybe you do, too. It's entirely possible that we would disagree about this issue,…
October 2, 2006
Disclaimer: Plagiarism is bad. A quick search for "plagiarism" on this blog will demonstrate that I've taken a clear stand against plagiarism.
That said, if one were, hypothetically, planning a little online-copy-and-paste plagiarism, and if one's instructor has earned a Ph.D., in Philosophy, from…
October 2, 2006
It's Monday, it's cold and overcast, and I'm grading papers. As it turns out, these are perfect conditions to make me grumpy.
Rather than wallow in it, though, I've decided to be proactive about trying to head off future grumpiness. My philosophy of science classes are about to embark on some…
October 2, 2006
There are some recent carnivals of note that I should mention:
*Skeptics' Circle 44 at Salto sobrius.
*Carnival of the Godless 50, also at Salto sobrius.
*Teaching Carnival #13 at A Blog Around the Clock.
As well, if you have a hankering for SAT-style essays, you'll want to check out the results of…
September 29, 2006
I want to commend to you a pair of posts that strike me as calls to action. Both relate to the oft-discussed "pipeline problem" in the sciences. And, I take it that both authors are interested in making science (and especially academic science) a less hostile environment not just for women, but…
September 29, 2006
The elder Free-Ride offspring has been learning about forces ("pushes and pulls") in second grade science class. Meanwhile, at home both the sprogs found a new favorite film, The Way Things Go. It's about 30 minutes of nearly continuous Rube Goldberg machinery. There are a few visible cuts in…
September 28, 2006
Elder offspring: Hey, that's a cool chili pepper necklace.
Dr. Free-Ride: Do you know that I've had this necklace for about ten years and you are the first person who didn't think it was a carrot?
Elder offspring: A carrot? That doesn't look like a carrot!
Dr. Free-Ride: I didn't think so,…
September 27, 2006
I can't remember a time I have had a more severe jones for a spinach salad than the last few days. The perfect balance of crisp and earthy and creamy, whose eating would be not merely a mechanical refueling of my body, but a transcendant experience -- is that too much to ask?
Well, during a…
September 22, 2006
In a comment on the last post, zwa asks:
I'm curious about your vegetarianism (as one myself) and whether your kids are. If yes, did they choose it, if no did you try to convince them?
My kids are vegetarians, and have been since birth -- so they didn't choose it. I have imposed it on them in a…
September 22, 2006
Younger offspring padded in and climbed into bed with us at 5:58 this morning. In a rare show of solidarity (or alertness), younger offspring was the one to hit the "snooze" button when the alarm went off at 6:00.
Dr. Free-Ride: Good morning.
Younger offspring: Why do you say it's morning?
Dr.…
September 20, 2006
In Tripoli, Libya, five nurses and a physician are in danger of being executed by firing squad if the international scientific community doesn't raise its voice.
As reported by Nature:
The six are charged with deliberately infecting more than 400 children with HIV at the al-Fateh Hospital in…
September 19, 2006
Avast, it be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and we've seized this blog from that landlubber Stemwedel! We've run up a new flag (designed by that pirate's pirate Pough), and Cap'n Free-Ride is drivin' this ship now.
But, me hearties, ye know that there's honor among pirates, don't ye?
Hie…
September 18, 2006
I'm revisiting a topic I posted about half a year ago: once you have a Ph.D., what are your job options beyond a faculty job or a research position?
The last post was more about what one could do with a science major or masters degree. It didn't necessarily exclude non-standard things to do with a…
September 18, 2006
The entries have been gathered, the aspects of geekiness quantified, and the composite scores calculated.
While computer-love made a positive contribution in the nerd index, the development of knowledge in other venues (and frequently, in multiple areas for the same nerd) was factored in as well…
September 15, 2006
There's been a marked difference of opinion between two of my fellow ScienceBloggers about what ought to be done about the "pipeline problem" in physics.
Chad suggests that there may be a substantial problem with high school level physics instruction, given that "[e]ven if high school classes are…
September 15, 2006
No, it's not a cage-match between syngnathids and cephalopods. Rather, the Free-Ride offspring consider the relative merits of each. It's kind of like weighing whether you'd rather be able to fly or become invisible.
From Seahorses and Sea Dragons
* * * * *
Elder offspring: I like the sea…
September 13, 2006
Welcome to the meeting of the 43rd Skeptics' Circle! Good logic and critical thinking never hurt anyone, but bad logic, gullibility, and uncritical acceptance of questionable claims causes distress to small, furry animals. I'm not kidding! As proof, please consider the above picture (provided…
September 12, 2006
I wanted to remind all the nerds (a term I use to encompass as well geeks, poindexters, dweebs, and those in allied fields) that you'll need to nerd things up by Sunday evening if you want to be considered for the final nerd-off rankings. The time remaining to represent is ticking down.
And that…
September 12, 2006
I actually have a longish post I'm working on (about whistleblowing), plus a bazillion submissions for the upcoming Skeptics' Circle to sort through, but between teaching and grading and coaching and making lunches, well, there are a bunch of important tidbits that will fall through the cracks…
September 10, 2006
Today, at a local outpost of a large chain bookstore, the sprogs and I endeavored to spend some gift cards. Since this is a chain which does not make book-locator terminals available to browsing customers, we were waiting at the customer service desk.
Patron ahead of us in line: I'm looking for…
September 9, 2006
("A strong mind in a nerdy body", from the Latin, five years of which also contributes to my nerd cred.)
There's this stereotype that the really brainy kids have some difficulty moving around the physical world successfully. Sometimes it holds true, I am sad to report.
In junior high, my physical…
September 9, 2006
The latest "Ask a ScienceBlogger" question is:
What's up with organic foods? What are the main arguments for buying organic? Is it supposed to be better for me, or better for the planet, or what? Are organics, in any sense, worth the higher price?
It's true that I live in California (in the San…
September 9, 2006
Although it would seem that some suspiciously hott ScienceBloggers think they have enough data to call a winner in the nerd-off, it's not over yet.
There are more nerds poised to represent. (Not just ScienceBloggers, either. I'm curious to see whether anyone at Cosmic Variance will throw down.)…
September 9, 2006
The next meeting of the Skeptics' Circle will be happening right here on Thursday, September 14.
You can send links to your posts about pseudo-science, quackery, tales of the paranormal, urban (or suburban, or rural) legends, and critical thinking to me. I'd appreciate getting the submissions by…
September 8, 2006
Elder offspring: The dung beetle rocks!
Dr. Free-Ride: The dung beetle rolls!
Elder offspring's eyes roll.
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The sprogs finally watched Microcosmos -- which, of course, prompted a second, and third, and fourth viewing in close succession. (They may be young, but that doesn't mean they'…
September 7, 2006
It's been cool to see my ScienceBlogs sisters Sandy, Shelley, and Tara represent in our little nerd-off. I'm inclined to say this offers at least some evidence that women can get as geeky as the geekiest men. Sadly, there seem still to be many people -- including people selling stuff -- who just…