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If There is a Problem with Science Journalists, It's That They Are Losing Their Jobs...But There Is Hope In a New Model

Sometimes I just don't get it. Whether it is climate change, evolution, or vaccination, the more literal minded among science bloggers and pundits typically blame science journalists for breakdowns in public communication. Yet as I discuss in a forthcoming article at Skeptical Inquirer magazine, constantly blaming the media messenger deflects attention away from the fact that scientists and experts themselves make mistakes when it comes to public engagement (or that literal minded bloggers create more heat than understanding). As I often like to point out in talks, research shows that…

Gender Studies, Science Studies, and the Evo-Psych Researchers in Between: Part 2 with Martha McCaughey

Pt. I | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 --- Part 2 with Martha McCaughey, discussing her book The Caveman Mystique, follows below. All entries in the author-meets-blogger series can be found here. WF: How do you see the relationship between the academic fields of gender studies and science studies? And how has that relationship changed in the past two decades? I'm asking for a few reasons, but one of them is that I remember from graduate studies that many of the most persuasive accounts of the politics of science and technology came from feminist scholars. MM: It's a big question, so I'll offer but a start…

Skyscrapers as Farms: "Skyfarming"

Photo: Architectural Design by Rolf Mohr; Modeling and Rendering by Machine Films; Interiors by James Nelms ÂDigital Artist @ Storyboards Online A while back, I posted about apartment buildings that double as farms. New York magazine has a really interesting article about urban skyscrapers that would function as vertical hydroponic farms. I have no idea if this "skyfarming" could work, but the idea that cities, with abundant supplies of grey water (unpotable water that can be used in agriculture), could be the next food basket is tantalizing. It could really revitalize the urban and…

Around the Web: Bandwagons, Skills, Crises, Lectures and more

Before You Jump on the Bandwagon ... (MOOCs) It’s not about skills (hiring the right people and letting them do their job) All is revealed: the real crisis on campus Crafting an Engaging Lecture MOOCs' Missing Pieces MOOCs' Contradictions Publishers Double Down (GSU copyright case) Doing DH versus Doing Digital Digital Textbooks Still Not Catching On With College Students Time to go it alone on Open Access As Students Scatter Online, Colleges Try to Keep Up (email is so 2011) Hats off to Amazon (for cornering a whole bunch of ebook markets) The Plagiarism Perplex MOOCing On Site (site-based…

Around the Web: Irreverant scientists, Bookstores & choices, Myths about women in tech and more

True scientists are irreverent Bookshops, You Have Three Choices The three biggest myths about women in tech On thumb twiddling (how not to run your IR) Why parents help their children lie to Facebook about age: Unintended consequences of the 'Children's Online Privacy Protection Act' Tightening the Net: Intellectual property micro-regimes and peer-to-peer practice in higher education networks The Creepy Librarian Stalker Hypothesis Students Push Their Facebook Use Further Into Course Work Hacking (Higher) Education: An Intro (Some) garbage in, gold out Building the perfect data repository…

It's like they're just begging me to crash it

How can I resist when they name it THE GOD POLL? There are several questions there: Does god exist (currently tied between yes and no)? Is there life after death (roughly tied, with yes in a slight lead)? Do humans have souls (yes is leading, 50%:34%)? Can an atheist be ethical (Yes is way ahead, fortunately)? Is evolution accurate (yes is at 64%, not bad)? Vote on 'em all! I think we have discovered the most pathetic online poll ever. The creator is jacking around the numbers now to whatever he feels like; he has left a comment here to complain; he's playing a little game of sockpuppetry ("…

There's something wrong here

Grrlscientist is pushing another of those online quiz thingies—What's Your Theme Song?—and it was quick and easy, so I took it. Now I'm horribly scarred. Especially compared to my fellow science bloggers, I got a result that disturbs me deeply. I may end up getting kicked off scienceblogs over this. Your Theme Song is Oops I Did It Again by Britney Spears "It might seem like a crush But it doesn't mean that I'm serious" Heartbreaker, superflirt, player... you've been called all of those. You're not that innocent, and you know that you have a super sexy vibe! What's Your Theme Song…

Looking for good educational biology movies

I am teaching my BIO101 again starting this Monday. The class is very small, so the discussions and student presentations will not last very long. Thus, I will have extra time at the end of each lecture. This can be a good time to show some videos. So, if you know of good movies available online or that can be ordered as CDs or VHS tapes, let me know in the comments (check the link for the topics I need to cover). I have a couple of ancient tapes whcih will do in a jiffy, but I am looking for more recent and better stuff. Keep in mind that this is VERY basic biology. Thus, the cool…

Autism cranks going after bloggers

It's time to open up a can of Streisand. The author of the autism blog Neurodiversity, along with many other blogs and other online entities, has been subpoenaed to produce what amounts to her entire life to aid in some frivolous autism suit. The only thing they didn't ask her to do was submit to a speculum exam (don't get any ideas, bastards!). This is truly outrageous. It is a clear attempt by a group of (forgive me, please PP) demented fucking wackaloons to intimidate a humble New Englander who enjoys writing. Time to get the word out! (Hat tip LizDitz) Addendum: Orac and others…

Britain has some wacky beliefs, too

Perhaps my fellow Americans feel a little dismayed at the news of all those young creationist school teachers…well, a recent poll in Britain showed that people have some awfully materialist opinions about god. Only 1% of people think of God as female, with 62% considering God to be male, the online survey conducted earlier this month of 1,050 adults in Britain found. Weird. So god has a penis, and a Y chromosome? Some day, they've got to ask people some other details of god's physical attributes. What shade is his skin color? What color eyes does he have? At his age, does he get regular…

Participate in an experiment - how do you compare to philosophers on solving moral dilemmas?

Eric Schwitzgebel, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, and Fiery Cushman, a psychology post-doc at Harvard, are conducting an online experiment which involves comparing philosophers' and non-philosophers' responses to questions about moral dilemmas. They got plenty of philosophers to do the experiments, but they need more non-philosophers for the comparison group. Their "Moral Sense Test" asks respondents for their takes on various moral dilemmas. They say that people who have taken other versions of this test have found it…

Seed Writing Contest

Seed Magazine and Honeywell are having a writing contest. Unfortunately, for legal reasons, the contest is restricted to US residents over 18. The deadline is July 1st, the length limit is 1200 words and the topic is: What does it mean to be scientifically literate in the 21st century? How do we measure the scientific literacy of a society? How do we boost it? What is the value of this literacy? Who is responsible for fostering it? Several of my SciBlings have blogged their thoughts and ideas about the contest and you should try entering: the first prize is $2500 and the second place wins $…

How Democratic Are You?

If I had to choose between being a democrat or a rethuglican, well, I'd choose democrat, however, I am more of a rational humanist than I am anything else. But just for shits and giggles, I decided to take this quiz, now that the democrats are hanging on to control of the congress by their fingernails. Hopefully they will accomplish something of value rather than being dick-heads by completely shutting down congress as someone else did did a few years ago, just to prove their had bigger political penises than their adversaries. You Are 80% Democrat You have a good deal of donkey running…

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

tags: latte, online quiz What Your Latte Says About You When it comes to what you like, you have your own unique tastes. And people don't really understand them. You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics. Intense and energetic, you aren't completely happy unless you are bouncing off the walls. You're addicted to caffeine. There's no denying it. You are responsible, mature, and truly an adult. You're occasionally playful, but you find it hard to be carefree. You are complex and philosophical, but you are never arrogant. What Does Your Latte Say About You? Okay…

European Bee-eaters

tags: ornithology, birds, avian, National Geographic A dragonfly has no stinger, but a European bee-eater, Merops apiaster, will beat it senseless anyway, the same way it handles its namesake prey. If the fly's wings break off, they are discarded, not eaten. The insect is then devoured as a single morsel, not as a mini-buffet of bite-size bits. Image: JÃ¶zsef L. SzentpÃ©teri/National Geographic online. [larger view]. I mentioned this last week, but I think it deserves a second mention: My contact, an editor at National Geographic, just sent me a link to a story and photoessay that…

Perfect Parking Test

Okay, after I finished writing that last piece of breaking science news, I am ready to relax with some thought-free fun and games for a little while. How about going out to a restaurant for something to eat? Oh, living in NYC as I do, I forgot that some people have to drive a car instead of hopping onto the subway. Of course, driving a car means that you have to park the danged thang, which can pose a problem in and of itself. Can you park a car without crashing it? This little test might interest you; it's a test that gives you 60 seconds to park that little yellow car in the highlighted…

Astro Cat Pics Needed

I need photos of cats. Cute, quirky or feline. Whichever. As long as they are cat only or cat dominated, they are your pictures (you took them and own copyright) and you're willing to let me use them online lightly photoshopped for text and trimming. I'll provide link, acknowledgement or anonymity as desired, but I need a couple of dozen or more photos. So send them in. Please.. UPDATE: thanks everyone. Between commenters and private e-mail I have a rather nice selection. Keep an eye out for your favourite wee beastie appearing in a subtly photoshopped kosmological concept. I'm still…

Use Your Opposable Thumb to Make A Difference: Vote!

How can you resist doing as the Bard of the Internetz asks? She should be first on any list -- GrrlScientist! GrrlScientist! Let no one's vote be lost or miss'd -- GrrlScientist! GrrlScientist! Let one and all her cause assist -- Come join with me; I must insist! Just move your fingers, hands, and wrist -- GrrlScientist! GrrlScientist! Come raise your voice and clench your fist -- GrrlScientist! GrrlScientist! Come march, or strut, or do the twist -- GrrlScientist! GrrlScientist! Her cause is just; you can't resist; Don't let her lose, or I'll be pissed! (I'll stop for now -- you've got the…

Shores of Ancient Sweden

The National Geological Survey of Sweden has put an interactive deglaciation and shoreline displacement model for the country on-line for free. You can download detailed hi-res maps of your favourite parts of Sweden for 0-16 thousand years ago, and a few thousand years into the future! (But only at intervals of whole millennia.) Invaluable for Swedish prehistorians! Above is the area between LÃ¥ngbro and Hjortsberga in VÃ¥rdinge parish, SÃ¶dermanland, where I'm planning some fieldwork, as it looked in 1000 BC according to current knowledge of the shoreline displacement process. I scouted the…

On-Line Mesopotamian Board Game

Reiner Knizia is one of the board-gaming world's greatest celebrities, famous for a long string of hit games. According to the members of Boardgamegeek.com, the best of Knizia's games is Tigris & Euphrates (1997), which is #11 on the site's thousands-strong ranking list. I can't really compare against other Knizia games, but I do know that it's one of my favourites. As you may imagine, I was very happy the other day when I discovered that Boardgamegeek.com actually offers on-line T&E for free, played against real people! The rules are available in many languages on BGG. Let's have…

Piffle on parade

Time is running an online poll to discover "the most influential people of the year" — I'd urge you all to vote for Dawkins, except that when you browse the list you discover it's a collection of pop stars, models, sports figures, and the sparse sprinkling of a few politicians and random others. It's a collection that will depress you with its triviality and banality. Imagine that aliens visited our planet and asked for a meeting with the most influential people on earth, the people most representative of our values, and we sent along a delegation containing Perez Hilton, Kate Moss, Brad Pitt…

Tobias Bondesson Makes and Shoots Finds

Tobias Bondesson has kindly sent me photographs of several interesting finds, taken during our recent fieldwork with the heavy dudes of the Gothenburg Historical Society. With his permission, I've inserted them into the relevant blog entries: Fieldwork in Hov and Vretakloster Fieldwork in Tingstad and Ãstra Husby Fieldwork in Kimstad and Kaga Tobias has also opened my eyes to Nordisk Detektorforum, an on-line discussion forum and image database for (mainly Danish) detectorists. These guys are responsible, keen and hugely knowledgeable. One user, for instance, identified a coin we found as…

Open Access Journal and E-text Repository for Archaeology

On-line Open Access "journals" and e-text repositories are very nice, but archaeology doesn't have any big or commonly used ones yet. This may be about to change with the Italian site Journal of Intercultural and Interdisciplinary Archaeology. At the moment, much of the site is in Italian. Full-text repository searches for the words "Mesolithic", "Mycenaean" and "Merovingian" didn't turn up any hits. "Bronze" scored four hits, "Iron" six. Worse, the material published in the Journal doesn't seem to have been entered into the repository, and I could find no PDF files, only texts hacked up into…

The Most Wanted Particle (Synopsis)

“Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” -Tom Freston Yes, the Universe can be considered the ultimate innovator, taking the fundamental particles and forces of the Universe, and assembling them into the entirety of what we know, interact with and observe today. Illustration credit: NASA / CXC / M.Weiss. But what is it all made out of, at a fundamental level? And how did we figure it all out? ATLAS physicist and University College London professor Jon Butterworth is all set to give a free public lecture (live-streamed, online) tomorrow,…

I'm rated WHAT??!?

Some people were annoyed that I included a link yesterday that led to a silly story that used strippers as an example of good marketing, that also included a photo of a woman in lingerie. It was very mild stuff, and I'm not going to apologize for that; the worst thing at the link was the sexism, and I will say that I do not endorse that at all. Sometimes I will talk about sex here, and although I'm not going to start sprinkling the articles with coarse and exploitive porn, I'm also not going to be shy about the frank talk. Then Cocktail Party Physics had to ruin my self-image as an unabashed…

Don't mess with Tex ...

... tbooks. (get it?) Josh Rosenau, of the National Center for Science Education, has a piece in Seed online: The National Center for Science Education, in Oakland, CA, where I work, has tracked hundreds of attacks on evolution education in 48 states in the last five years. In the last two years alone, 18 bills in 10 states have targeted the teaching of evolution. These bills, like the flawed science standards approved by the Texas Board of Education in March, don't ban evolution outright. But they do authorize teachers to omit evolution or include creationism at their whim. "These bills…

Best. Crossword. Ever.

Be sure to have a look at the crossword puzzle in today's New York Times. It's the bestest, most awesomest crossword ever! Actually, I haven't seen it yet. The Times does not make their crosswords freely available online (is there no end to their treachery?). And it's not so easy to find a print edition of the Times here in Western Virginia. The university library gets it, but some days, like today apparently, they are a little slow getting the paper down to the periodicals room. The way I know it is such a supremely magnificent puzzle is that it was constructed by my cousin Barry. So…

Last Stand of the Orang Utan?

The Guardian is reporting that the Orang Utan "could be virtually extinct within five years after it was discovered that the animal's rainforest habitat is being destroyed even more rapidly than had been predicted." The UN's environment programme report, 'The Last Stand of the Orang Utan: State of Emergency', says natural rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia are being cleared so rapidly that up to 98 per cent may be destroyed by 2022, and the lowland forest strongholds of orang utans much sooner, unless urgent action is taken. This is a full decade earlier than the previous report estimated…

On Stem Cell Bill, The Weekly Standard Argues That Research Claims Are Hyped; New Studies Show "Middle Way" Compromise

As I predicted last week in my column at Skeptical Inquirer Online, opponents of the House stem cell bill are arguing that science advocates have hyped both the promise and the public demand for research, while recent studies show a "middle way" compromise where funding for new embryonic stem cell lines is not needed. Consider, for example, this column by Yuval Levin at the Weekly Standard. Meanwhile, the Bush White House, in a 67 page report strategically framed as "Advancing Stem Cell Science Without Destroying Human Life," argues that the latest adult stem cell studies make embryonic…

All Things E. coli

E. coli is, arguably, the one species that scientists know best. If you type the name "Escherichia coli" into PubMed, the database of the National Library of Medicine, you'll get over a quarter of a million titles of scientific papers. Scientists have sequenced about 30 genomes of different strains of E. coli. It's the microbe of choice for those who want to figure out how to tinker with life. There's one problem with all this attention--how are scientists supposed to make sense of all this data? Scientists have created sites to aggregate E. coli data in one place. The newest and broadest…

Catnip for dogs?

A reader asked if there was an herb equivalent to catnip for dogs. In my search for the answer to that question, I came across many articles claiming that although some dogs will actually respond to catnip, aniseed is to dogs what catnip is to cats. Foxhounds will reportedly follow the scent of anise oil in drag hunting and the artificial rabbit that greyhound dogs chase during racing is laced with anise oil. Although I could not find a peer-reviewed source of information on this topic, there are many anise-flavored doggy treat recipes and products online, which apparently freshen their…

Blair v. Hitchens poll

Tonight, Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens will debate on whether religion is a force for good. I'd love to hear Hitchens on that subject, but Blair? That's almost as comical as having Hitchens debate Bush on the subject. The newspapers are relying on two tools to promote the event. Hype: Together, Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens are two of the great British thinkers on religion. Wait, Blair…isn't he the simpering me-too former prime minister who was our American lackey in the UK? The one who converted to Catholicism, an act that clearly marks him as mentally deficient? Hmmm. Oh, well…

Speaking Science 2.0, Complete (and Replete) With Slides

On June 4, more than 120 people turned out for the Mooney/Nisbet Speaking Science 2.0 talk at the New York Academy of Sciences. The talk is now part of their online content, including an E-briefing summary along with the powerpoint slides synchronized with audio of our presentation. With this tool you can listen to the entire talk or scroll through the labeled sections and slides based on topic. NYAS has allowed free access to this member content by way of the following link. And so now I will again challenge those who criticized some of the original "framing science" ideas to engage with…

Casual Fridays -- what makes a great resume?

There's a lot of advice online about what makes a good resume, and in these tough economic times, getting a job is tougher than ever. So this week, I thought we'd test some different resumes and see which factors are most important in picking a good candidate. You'll be asked to read two resumes very carefully, then answer a few questions evaluating each candidate. I've changed just a few items on each resume, so make sure you read them closely. Then next week we'll see which factors matter the most. Click here to participate As usual, the study has just a few questions, and should only take…

Rumsfeld es un Pendejo

Donald Rumsfeld href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6930197.stm">revealed the identity of the star witness in the Abu Grhaib case. The guy who blew the whistle had been promised anonymity. In 2004, the Bush Administration href="http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/07/bush-admin-may-be-responsible-for.html">blew a Pakistani intelligence operation by revealing sensitive intelligence information. In 2005, there was the Libby-Plame Leak. In April 2006, the Bush Administration blew rel="tag" href="http://corpus-callosum.blogspot.com/2006/04/leaker-in-chief-reduxoffered-…

Portrait of a Reviewer as a Young Man

Science is dynamic. Sometimes this means that science is wrong, sometimes it means that science is messy. Mostly it is very self-correcting, given the current state of knowledge. At any given time the body of science knows a lot, but could be overturned when new evidence comes in. What we produce through all of this, however, at the end of the day, are polished journal articles. Polished journal articles. Every time I think about this disparity, I wonder why different versions of a paper, the referee reports, the author responses, and all editorial reviews aren't part of the scientific…

Why you should let a physicist curate your art show

What do you get when you ask Harvard physicist Lisa Randall to curate an art show? A Los Angeles gallery found out, and Wired has the story. My favorite quote: I asked Mays whether the artists gained an appreciation for physics. "Oh god, yes!" he said. "I've seen them carrying books around about different scientific theories." No! Not artists with books of scientific theories! The world is upside-down! Coverage of the Measure for Measure exhibition is here - it sadly closed last weekend, but there are photos online, and I tracked down a few of the sciart contributors, Meeson Pae Yang (with an…

Would anyone be interested in a Pharyngula chat room?

So I got some email a while back about this free and easy to use web-based chat room service…and heck, it's so simple I thought I'd give it a whirl. Here's a link to a Pharyngula chat room—try it out and let me know how it goes. I'll plan on checking in myself now and then, but don't wait up for me, talk among yourselves. I will definitely plan on popping in at 8pm Central time tonight (Friday), if you really want to yell at me online. We'll see how it goes; I don't know how well it will hold up if ten people are trying to converse at once, and I also notice that there doesn't seem to be any…

Stop it. Just stop it.

OK, I can understand copying Wikipedia and setting up your own special interest wikis all over the place—it's an admission that your goals are too dorky or too stupid to survive outside your own special little incubator—but if you're going to set up your own social networking site, why would you copy MySpace, the ugliest, most awkward, most annoying such site on the planet? It's like declaring that not only do you lack any creativity or imagination, but that you are totally tasteless, too. Behold: His Holy Space. It's like an online ghetto for Christians. Take the cluttered, disorganized look…

Trust and Critical Thinking at Science Online 10

Science Online 10, or as I like to call it, S0t0, is shaping up to be quite the un-conference. Stephanie Zvan has organized a session called Trust and Critical Thinking, with herself PZ Myers, my favorite Radio Talk Show Host Desiree Schell, and Kirsten "Dr. Kiki" Sanford. Oh, and me. Description: Lay audiences often lack the resources (access to studies, background knowledge of fields and methods) to evaluate the trustworthiness of scientific information as another scientist or a journalist might. Are there ways to usefully promote critical thinking about sources and presentation as we…

Singularity Institute Research Challenge

The Singularity Institute is having a fundraising drive right now. Here are the details: ...the Singularity Institute has launched a new challenge campaign. The sponsors, Edwin Evans, Rolf Nelson, Henrik Jonsson, Jason Joachim, and Robert Lecnik, have generously put up $100,000 of matching funds, so that every donation you make until February 28th will be matched dollar for dollar. If the campaign is successful, it will raise a full $200,000 to fund SIAI's 2010 activities. Starting this campaign, we've put more details of our ongoing and potential work online than ever before, so you can…

Fear of the godless

That's what it all boils down to, isn't it? People are afraid of reason, because they know it erodes faith—better to foster ignorance than risk encouraging people to think. Brian Flemming, of The God Who Wasn't There, links to an interesting account of what happened when an 'open-minded' church offered to screen his movie: they only showed two clips and bracketed them with lots of apologetic padding. I think they know what would happen if they let that bomb go off in the minds of their faithful congregants. This stuff is going to get out there, though. Dawkins' series, The Root of All Evil?…

E. coli Evolution Follow-up

I'm back at last from the west coast leg of the Microcosm tour. Portland had a cloudy, melancholy charm, and at Powell's I gave a reading in front of a collection of hand-made black velvet paintings from the nearby Velveteria. When the audience's eyes drifted off of me, I couldn't tell if they were lost in thought or distracted by Jimi Hendrix or a smoking clown. The next day I headed for San Francisco, where I talked to Moira Gunn for her show Tech Nation (link to come). Then I had lunch with Kirsten Sanford, who will be interviewing me on tomorrow's edition of This Week In Science. Then…

Chemical Valley: Who is protecting the residents?

by Ken Ward, Jr., cross-posted from Sustained Outrage: A Gazette Watchdog blog Last August, Kanawha Valley residents lived through the spectacle of their public safety officials practically begging the folks who run the Bayer CropScience chemical plant to tell them what was on fire, and what toxic chemicals residents nearby were being exposed to. Remember the exchange between Metro 911 officials and the plant? âWell, I canât give out any information, like I say, weâll contact you with the, with the proper information,â a plant gate worker who identified himself only as Steve told a 911…

Real Guys Immunize

Last week I went to Philadelphia to a very interesting meeting - a Social Media Summit on Immunization. Sponsored by Immunization Action Coalition, this was a second annual meeting for health-care non-profits, organized (amazingly well, with great attention to detail) by Lisa Randall (and, I am sure, a small army of helpers). Over a day and a half of the meeting there were two simultaneous sessions at each time slot, but I did not have much opportunity to ponder my choices as I was at the front of the room at three sessions, and participated actively in several others. The style was very '…

The Pseudonymity Laboratory: When Authors and Bloggers Collide

Is snarky honest real-time discussion of a paper's conclusions more constructive to the authors and the larger scientific enterprise than formal, reserved, and staid holding forth in the correspondence section of a classic clinical journal? Fact is that this discussion will be over even before the next issue of the journal comes out. A really interesting interplay has been ongoing across the sci/med blogosphere following a commentary last Wednesday by Dr Isis on a NEJM correspondence, entitled, "Shifts to and from Daylight Saving Time and Incidence of Myocardial Infarction." (free full text…

Book Review: A History of Paleontology Illustration

When I wrote my essay on violent interactions between prehistoric monsters in art, I thought I had touched on something intriguing. I penned a proposal for a more focused article on the topic and sent it out to magazines purported to feature articles at the intersection of science and culture. The response I got was almost uniformly the same. Not only were the magazines not interested in dinosaurs, but illustrations of dinosaurs were not art. As M.J.T. Mitchell explained in his interesting (yet deeply flawed) The Last Dinosaur Book, illustrations of prehistoric animals are often seen as "…

Societies and science

John Dupuis asks some provocative questions; I thought I'd take a stab at answering them, and I encourage fellow SciBlings to do likewise. I quite agree with John when he says that the ferment over publishing models disguises a larger question, "the role of scholarly and professional societies in a changing publishing and social networking landscape." My own history with professional societies, I think, bears this out nicely. John asks first: What societies do you belong to? I belong to the American Society for Information Science and Technology. I was a member of the American Library…

The best of 2007, or Orac indulges his inner critic wannabe

Regular readers of this blog may remember that I'm a bit of a music critic wannabe. This pretension began very early in the history of this blog and persisted every year. Usually, sometime around the end of the year or the first day of the new year, I'll compile my list of my favorite CDs of the year. I had planned on doing this for 2007 yesterday, on the last day of the year, but somehow I didn't manage to do it. So, what the heck? Before I get back to the usual medical and scientific topics of this blog tomorrow, I can't resist indulging my college age pretension once again. A word about my…

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