bcohen | March 14, 2007PRESS CENTER | PRINTABLE BRACKETS
It's on in the, what, Western region? The Science and Technology Studies Region, the Science in Society region, the 'whatever, it's on' region.
Almost unbearable tension to start it off. A lot of people asking how Popper got by Wittgenstein in that play-in game to even set up against Kuhn. All we can say is that there was too much early Wittgenstein, not enough late.* And Popper used his poker masterfully down in the paint.* Exciting game. I think that's a lot of folks are keyed up about the play-in games in the last few years.
But like Dave, I won't…
worldsfair | March 14, 2007PRESS CENTER | PRINTABLE BRACKETS
Gates have just opened and it looks like a pretty good throng of fans are piling into their respective arenas. We won't comment too much on these match ups for now, since we are more interested in what the fans think. For now, we can only imagine that the plant folks would be pretty pissed off, with only Photosynthesis* making the cut, and what's with the lack of ecology?*
Anyway, too late for that now. Basically, we're here to see how the fans can liven things up a bit. You know - that thing where there's that intangible advantage when the crowd is…
worldsfair | March 13, 2007CLICKABLE MAP OF TOURNAMENT HERE OR CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOWPrintable brackets available here (pdf)(THIS PAGE WILL HAVE UP TO DATE COVERAGE - LAST EDIT, APRIL 30th)- - -
(March 12th)
Grand opening. Introductory remarks. Brackets revealed. (link at World's Fair)
(March 14th)
Arenas will open for fans across all four regions (Fans, speak up!)
OCTOPUS bracket - 1st round (link at World's Fair).
MORTAR AND PESTLE bracket - 1st round (link at Adventures in Ethics and Science).
CHAIR bracket - 1st round (link at World's Fair).
ORBIT bracket - 1st round. (link at Uncertain Principles).
(March 15th…
worldsfair | March 13, 2007So, on Sunday and Monday, I had the privilege of hanging out with Dr. Shiva. And she was an absolute joy to host, and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see students come away both enthused and provoked by the interaction.
In case, you're not in the know, Dr. Shiva is:
"is a physicist, ecologist, activist, editor, and author of many books. In India she has established Navdanya, a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights. She directs the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy.
She is one of the leaders of the International Forum on…
bcohen | March 13, 2007I'm usually solicited to review new work in giant squid-graphic design crossover studies. It gets tiring, and I try to slough them off to my better graduate students, but such is the life of a giant squid-graphic designer crossover expert. With "Animals of the Ocean, In Particular The Giant Squid" -- the third Volume, this one's No. 164 of 307 in the Haggis-on-Whey World of Unbelievable Brilliance Series -- I've had the misfortune of yet another run-in with that cagey Doris Haggis-on-Whey. I'm not the first.
The secret: it's not exactly true.Readers of this site will recall our previous…
bcohen | March 12, 2007CLICK HERE FOR UP TO DATE COVERAGE AT THE PRESS CENTER(Download Bracket) PDF | JPG
BEN: Welcome, Ladies and Gentleman to the 2007 SCIENCE SPRING SHOWDOWN - the thinking person's ccomplement to the NCAA tournament! Sponsored by the fine folks at ScienceBlogs Basic Concepts. That's right people, it's the dance, and we're here at the World's Fair bringing this to you live. We're about ready to give you that first exclusive look at the 2007 brackets. Over to you Dave.
DAVE: Sure thing Ben. The conference tournaments are now officially complete. Yes, the selection committee has made all the…
worldsfair | March 9, 2007So, as mentioned previously, I got the chance to hang out with Chris Mooney this past week, and gracious as he is, he also took time to meet and greet a few of the local gang of science scouts. Anyway, his visit was great as a number of interesting topics were broached both in casual conservation as well as the public panels that he was involved in.
A big theme that seemed to be reoccuring was the issue of public relations, branding, and the role of overall aesthetics in getting folks to notice things - um big things like the issue of global warming or general scientific literacy for…
worldsfair | March 9, 2007So, apologies again for the recent lack of posts. There's been a number of things going on of late, including getting a chance to meet fellow Scienceblogger, Chris Mooney, as well as being in full wedding planner mode for an upcoming visit by Dr. Vandana Shiva.
To get back into the swing of things, let's first start with a link elsewhere. Is it science porn? I don't know - although the thought of these pin-ups gracing the locker rooms of laboratories across the planet is strangely appealing to me.
This is the second pin-up from the SCQ and in keeping with a "skin" theme, it's on our…
bcohen | March 7, 2007Environmental justice and the local conditions of energy production facilities: some of the most significant reasons to be concerned about the recent enthusiasm for new nuclear power facilities.
Oil production and distribution in non-western locales is environmentally destructive. Why do we think nuclear facilities in non-western locales will be any better?
"Oil leaves its mark in Okrika, from a company umbrella to a trail of pipelines coiling through town. Since oil started flowing, most communities have seen living standards fall, betraying the hope that oil once brought to Nigeria…
bcohen | March 7, 2007The local announcer for my NPR station always claims that our area "has" 26 degrees or "had" 44 degrees yesterday, or "will have" 53 degrees tomorrow. This leaves me with two things I don't understand:
1) How can I possess degrees Fahrenheit?
2) Why does this always nag at me?
On the first, I know I can't and don't actually possess those degrees. My town won't "have" 44 degrees today. I experience them, or I note that the temperature in the air corresponds to that amount on a measurement scale. But I do not now have, nor have I ever had, any number of degrees Fahrenheit (named of…
bcohen | March 5, 2007This is "a new website that brings together images and viewpoints to create insights into science and culture." Sounds like Seed, no? It's what Scienceblogs is/are about.
This page, on the dilemma of science in the public -- the "fine line between intellectualism and elitism" -- is really fascinating. The site authors "examine how the message [of science] changes as it moves from the scientific to the popular arena. We also look at the medium, at how technology facilitates engagement with science. Finally, the motive is scrutinised: why popular science is not part of a dumbing down process…
worldsfair | March 1, 2007Well, actually, Kate my wife is Welsh, but whatever.
In any event, I know how to say a few things in the Welsh tongue which is not such an easy thing to do. Although, it can come in handy when one wants to mess with the heads of Welsh children.
For instance: I once memorized a Welsh nursery rhyme, and used it often in small teahouses and pubs across North Wales. Although this feat was primarily used to get free drinks, I remember, on one particular occasion, watching the face of a child who was just mesmorized by the wierdness of a Chinese fellow from Canada, singing a Welsh nursery rhyme…
worldsfair | February 28, 2007Well, looky here now...
With the strength of the Science Scout initiative behind it, our little Truth experiment has finally hit front page google real estate.
That's right, people, we're hovering at a pretty nice ranking. What ranking is that you ask? Ta da.
Freaking number seven!
Which, of course, means that the number one spot is finally (and literally) within sight. And those who feel that people who support nonsense such as intelligent design, skepticism in global warming, etc, need to be further put in their place with a google worthy version of the truth - well hopefully, will…
bcohen | February 27, 2007"The rapid expansion of renewable energy in Germany means there is no need to renege on the government's agreement to phase out nuclear power," reports Reuters today.
This is how things always happen for me. I was getting ready for class, and doing some searches to show the students how to use databases for their research. In doing so, I came upon a report from Reuters, put out just today, about the very subject just discussed in a post yesterday about wind energy in Germany.
At Factiva, one can find the article "Germany says renewables growth faster than planned." (I can't find it at…
worldsfair | February 27, 2007So basically, I've been hearing stuff about some new game show that pits adults against the sort of knowledge that a child in Grade 5 should know. It sounds like a pretty interesting concept, and has gotten me thinking about kids and science information generally.
Anyway with this in mind, today, I thought we could play around with a piece of free software that enables folks to look at three dimensional structures of a varety of biologically relevant molecules.
Because kids like video games right? And what could be more challenging to young inquiring hands than navigating the structure…
bcohen | February 26, 2007China, the new great polluters. With their tremendous industrialization comes tremendous pollution. But what is the relationship between their shifting political system and the possibilities for a more ecologically sensible pattern of development (assuming that phrase is internally logical, "ecologically sensible pattern of development")?
Here is an interview from last Fall with Dale Wen, Chinese Native, Cal Tech PhD, and author of China Copes with Globalization: a Mixed Review, published by the International Forum on Globalization.
The interview touches on GMOs, western lifestyles in…
bcohen | February 26, 2007The recent AAAS meeting, as has been well-blogged about, was on the theme of sustainability. In parallel, there were a series of sustainability related articles in the accompanying issue of Science that week (9 February 2007). One that caught my eye was about the growth increase in wind power in Europe over the past ten years.
(sources [top to bottom]: European Union; P. Runci, PNL; Gallagher et al., Ann. Rwv. Environ. Resour. 3 193 [2006])
Germany had negligible amounts in 1995; they now have close to 50,000 MW from wind "installed."
Daniel Clery writes:
Concern about carbon emissions and…
worldsfair | February 26, 2007
Well, finally a science song that kicks ass!
This one has been humbly adopted as the Science Scout's anthem. It's called "Increase the N," and comes courtesy from a local Vancouver band called HEFE. Click here for their myspace account, and check out the song on their embedded player.
Why, "Increase the N?"
Because science is all about making sure, building consensus, and honing the truth - you can't do that without doing the experiment enough times to convince yourself and others of what you see.
Oh and the bit about mass-spec? Check out the lyrics below if you're not convinced.,…
worldsfair | February 22, 2007
So:
The Police is starting their tour in Vancouver on May 28th and May 30th, and even though I'm more or less still a fan of Sting, I've just got to say that watching Stewart Copeland play those polyrhythmic drum beats at the Grammys was pretty impressive. Here, take a look yourself:
But how do drummers do that crazy syncopated, wierd off-phase stuff? Is there any biology behind this skill? Turns out there is.
In particular, if you PUBMED the term "polyrhythmic", you'll come across several publications, several of which look at off-phase motor skills, and a few, even, that looked at…
bcohen | February 21, 2007Proteus is a film about the 19th century biologist and artist Ernest Haeckel. It's almost a few years old now, and has already worked its way through the blogosphere. But, given Dave's interest in Haeckel and the recent uptick in Haeckel-talk at the blogs, let me bring it up again.
Haeckel and his assistant, 1866 (no, not a still from the making of Deadwood)Slate had a beautiful slideshow of Haeckel's images a while back. The Panda's Thumb made note of it. Haeckel's famous for his amazing artistic abilities, and the unbelievable wealth of imagery he left us (well, and being tagged with…