We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges, But We Do Have Some

Dave Ng has recently upgraded the Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique site, which provides a variety of achievement badges for members to claim and post. I'm not a big one for extra graphics on the blog (they delay the loading of the cute baby pictures), but if you're into goofy stuff, they've got some fun options.

For the record, the badges I can claim include:

They've got a bunch of other new developments, too (Twitter and Facebook, etc.). So if you're looking for a fun, low-impact Friday morning time-waster, you could do a lot worse.

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You may recall a couple years ago when the Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique started issuing badges. Now, the Science Scouts have a spiffy new webpage and many new badges ... and there are rumors (or should I say rumours) that actual, physical badges,…
Those wild and crazy guys over at SCQ have come up with the Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique, an organization of which I am proud to be a member. Maybe the physique bit is a stretch, but what the heck. Members are: not opposed to alcohol. fond of IPCC…
The guys over at the World's Fair have created an Order of Science Scouts, for those who find themselves longing for merit badges to display on their blogs. Such as, for example, this one: The "has frozen stuff just to see what happens" badge (LEVEL III) In which the recipient has frozen something…
tags: blogosphere, meme, science badges meme Okay, my good readers, ScienceScouts has updated their badge page, so I thought I'd start a little meme where we all compare badges, sort of like an advanced form of navel-gazing, except for scientists and other geeks. Below the fold, I've listed which…

Yeah, can't say I find the graphics too compelling either.

I guess I qualify for

I Blog About Science (No, really)
Has Frozen Stuff Just to See What Happens (Level III) (Plenty of liquid nitrogen in the lab next to where I graduated)
Experienced with Electrical Shock (Level III) (You can have fun with an aquarium, believe me. Not to mention electric fences.)
The âIâve done science with no conceivable practical applicationâ badge. (Harharhar).
The âsomewhat confused as to what scientific field I actually belong toâ badge.
The âworldâs foremost expert on an obscure subjectâ badge. (Antigravitation, anybody?)
The âIâve set fire to stuffâ badge (LEVEL I). (Well, who hasn't)
The âhas done science whilst under the influenceâ badge.
The âI somehow convinced someone to part with a lot of money for scienceâ badge (LEVEL II). (Though I then had to decline it, two times, does that count?)

I third the comment about less-than-compelling graphics.

My badges:
The "I've somehow convinced someone to part with a lot of money for science" (Level I) badge (small NSF grant)
The "Science deprives me of my bed" (Level III) badge (five weeks in Fairbanks in the middle of winter for a rocket campaign)
The "Astronaut" (Level II) badge (have worked with space flight hardware, including installing it on the spacecraft)
The "Non-explainer" (Level I) badge (Mom doesn't try to understand what I do for a living)
The "I build robots" (Level II) badge (modern space flight hardware qualifies)
The "I AM actually a freaking rocket scientist" badge (see above)
The "I've set fire to stuff" (Level I) badge
The "I'm into telescopes astro" (Level I) badge
The "Somewhat confused as to what scientific field I actually belong to" badge [(astro)(geo)physics, or something like that]
The "Experienced with electrical shock" (Level III) badge (inevitable if you play often enough with high voltage)
The "Has frozen stuff just to see what happens" (Level III) badge (had a summer job in a lab that used liquid nitrogen)

By Eric Lund (not verified) on 12 Jun 2009 #permalink