Announcements
illconsidered | July 30, 2010This is not a reference to the recent three decades of rapidly increasing global temperatures, rather it is a reference to an aniversary of the first appearance of the term "global warming" in the peer reviewed literature. The paper was by Wally Broeker and titled "Are we on the brink of a pronounced global warming?"
Real Climate has an interesting post on the details of this paper. The short version is that despite numerous considerations in the paper that have played out differently than hypothesized, the overall prediction of temperature by the end of the 20th century was remarkably…
illconsidered | July 26, 2010I am a skeptic.
Not a climate skeptic, not in the sense of the improperly commandeered word we use in the climate debates. In my experience they know little of real skepticism as a general rule. But me, I really do dislike taking assertions on their face if I don't have all the facts and I really do try to form my own opinions, especially about people.
So I have tried very hard to reserve judgement on Judith Curry and her emerging role in the climate blogosphere despite reading some pretty damning reviews of her blog performances from voices in my own "camp". My first awareness of her is…
oracknows | July 20, 2010...remember that the following three domains will always point to where I am:
http://www.respectfulinsolence.net
http://www.respectfulinsolence.org
http://www.respectfulinsolence.com
Also remember that, should anything happen, I still have my old Blogspot blog Respectful Insolence, which can be reactivated at a moment's notice, as I did last year when an attempt at a software upgrade at ScienceBlogs took longer than anticipated.
The fastest way to find out what's going on, though, is probably my Twitter account:
http://twitter.com/oracknows
And, don't forget, I also have my other super secret…
jstemwedel | July 20, 2010Today Americans for Medical Progress has announced two recipients for academic year 2010-2011 of the Michael D. Hayre Fellowship in Public Outreach, designed to inspire and motivate the next generation of research advocates. This year, I'm especially wowed by their project.
From the AMP press release:
Two Ph.D. candidates in neuroscience have been selected by Americans for Medical Progress as the 2010-11 Michael D. Hayre Fellows in Public Outreach.  Elizabeth Burnett and Scott Dobrin are in the Neuroscience Program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North…
illconsidered | July 16, 2010Just a quick plug aimed at any readers in the Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Monte Sereno, Los Gatos or South Almaden areas of California: http://www.brianforwater.org/
oracknows | July 10, 2010My wife and I had a pleasant evening with a handful of our readers last night, but I'm aware that there are more of you here who might not have run into us at the hotel bar. What I proposed doing yesterday still stands. The panel discussion on alternative medicine "professions" in which I'm participating happens to be right before lunch. After it's over I'll try to hang out and make myself visible and, depending on how many show up, we can try to get a table together for lunch.
oracknows | July 9, 2010My wife and I are here at TAM8, and so far things have been a blast. The Science-Based Medicine Workshops yesterday went quite well, and I'm told that my talk actually wasn't half-bad. In the meantime, after the serious misstep of Pepsigeddon, which has claimed some of my fellow ScienceBloggers, ScienceBlogs finally did the right thing and got rid of the PepsiCo blog. All is well. Well, not quite, but at least all doesn't suck the way it did for a couple of days.
In the meantime, there is the Amazing Meeting. I've been informed that I actually have fans. I know, I know, it's really hard to…
sb admin | July 8, 2010After hosting blogs for four years, it's about time I started my own. So, welcome!
Let me begin with a bit about me and what I believe.
I believe that science has the unique potential to improve the state of the world. I think this potential is being hindered today by a lack of science literacy around the world and by the largely closed and restricted nature of the world's scientific information. Two connected topics (ie. Science Literacy and Open Science) that I care passionately about and will delve deep into on this blog. I also believe that science can be more than a subject; it can be a…
ably | July 8, 2010After hosting blogs for four years, it's about time I started my own. So, welcome!
Let me begin with a bit about me and what I believe.
I believe that science has the unique potential to improve the state of the world. I think this potential is being hindered today by a lack of science literacy around the world and by the largely closed and restricted nature of the world's scientific information. Two connected topics (ie. Science Literacy and Open Science) that I care passionately about and will delve deep into on this blog. I also believe that science can be more than a subject; it can be a…
oracknows | July 7, 2010After the annoying kerfuffle that erupted last night over our Seed Overlords' most unfortunate decision to let a corporate blog breach the firewall between content and advertising, it's a good thing that I can go and hang out with fellow skeptics, chill, and think about things a few days. Yes, I'm going to TAM8. By the time this posts, hopefully I'll be in the air on my way to Vegas to hang with around 1,000 skeptical rogues, give a talk at the Science-Based Medicine workshop, and participate in a panel discussion.
A perfect antidote for what's going on at Sb. Who else is going? Don't forget…
jhalper | July 1, 2010TThe Institute's Prof. Ruth Arnon was elected President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and the Humanities (IASH) last week - the first woman ever elected to the post. We spoke with her briefly:
You have held a number of leadership positions over the years. How is this one different?
My previous posts were mostly appointments; the president of the IASH is chosen by the entire body (of 100 elected members; 55 in the natural sciences and 45 in the humanities). I've served as vice president for the last six years. My name was brought forward by the search committee, but their recommendation…
jhalper | June 30, 2010According to the yearly survey in The Scientist, the Weizmann Institute is the second best place to work in international academia. Over the past few years, the Institute has twice taken the number one slot; this is the third time it has been rated number two. Congratulations to the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, which ranked first this year, and to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which also made the top ten.
oracknows | June 29, 2010I wish it were otherwise, but not all that many reporters "get it" when it comes to science and quackery. Fortunately, Chicago Tribune reporter Trine Tsouderos does. She's shown it multiple times over the last year with stories about the autism "biomed" movement and Boyd Haley's trying to pass off an industrial chelator as a dietary supplement.
It just so happens that she's going to be taking part in a live web chat Thursday, July 1, at noon CDT (that's Chicago time). The topic is going to be alternative treatments for autism, pegged to her story last week about OSR#1 and Haley. The chat will…
oracknows | May 26, 2010As I've pointed out numerous times this week, anti-vaccine loons, led by Generation Rescue and a "health freedom" group, have organized an anti-vaccine rally in Grant Park in Chicago from 3 PM to 5 PM CDT. Anti-vaccine martyr Andrew Wakefield himself will be the keynote speaker, and there will even be very bad music promoting the anti-vaccine message. The rally, with its wonderfully Orwellian title, The American Rally for Personal Rights, will be pure crankery on display.
Those supporting science-based medicine plan, led by Skepchick Elyse Anders, to be there to promote science over the…
oracknows | May 17, 2010Yesterday was a sad day indeed, as a blogger that I've been following almost since I myself started blogging has decided to close up shop:
It's been a long time coming but the time has come. Effect Measure is closing up shop, after 5 and a half years, 3 million visits and 5.1 million page views of some 3500. You commented on them some 37,000 times. It's been a grand ride but to all things there is a season. It's time to simplify my life and while my family has had me all along, at times science got short shrift. Now my time is getting short and I want to turn my attention to my research, the…
illconsidered | May 16, 2010Lord Viscount Monckton of Benchley, it turns out, really is a "swivel-eyed maniac". Or at least it is a fair thing to say.
Some month's ago, George Monbiot wrote a bog post about our good friend Monckton that said Monckton has claimed, among other things:
⢠he has read the treaty that will be signed at Copenhagen next week. That's quite a feat of clairvoyance.
⢠The treaty says that "a world government is going to be created".
⢠Greenpeace is "about to impose a communist world government on the world" and President Obama, who sympathises with that aim, will sign up to it.
Monckton made a…
illconsidered | May 7, 2010Science has published a letter with 250 signatories protesting the recent and extreme attacks on scientists, climate scientists in particular. I agree with Michael, this letter should not be behind a paywall. I think the fact that it is, is disturbingly revealing of the disadvantage science has in the PR arenas.
It is very well done, though to be honest I wish they had not pushed the creationist button and had instead used an entirely different example of well established science to make their point. As scientifically non-controvesial as the age of the earth is, we need to reach even those…
illconsidered | April 30, 2010I always marvel at the scientist-government conspiracy theories the more wacky members of the climate denial machine toss around so confidently.
How do they fit this into their world view?
In papers sent to UVA April 23, Cuccinelli's office commands the university to produce a sweeping swath of documents relating to Mann's receipt of nearly half a million dollars in state grant-funded climate research conducted while Mann-- now director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State-- was at UVA between 1999 and 2005.
...
Among the documents Cuccinelli demands are any and all emailed or…
illconsidered | April 21, 2010A nice site about our blue planet's blueness, The Reef Tank, asked to repost a recent ocean related article of mine and did so here.
Always worth checking them out!