“Don’t forget your mask.” I haven’t been in a place where people are actually expected to gather since March 6. I have so much to remember as I re-enter the world. I have to remember to get all my keys. Where are all my keys? My car keys are on my dresser. One of my… Continue reading A Journey Closer to the Hot Zone (C+66)
Category: Current Events
Où est Lafayette?
For want of a photo-op for the President, the U.S. Attorney General ordered the forceful clearing of Lafayette Square last night ahead of curfew. This was all apparently so the President could awkwardly clutch a Bible and stand in front of a church. [1] Setting aside all the obvious things that are wrong with this… Continue reading Où est Lafayette?
Eating the Seed Corn: Science Policy Links for the week of April 9-14, 2017
Signs and portents abound in rhetoric from the current executive branch of the United States. Science, the only known way of establishing reliable information about the natural world, should be essential as a part of policy decision making. I try to highlight places where science and science-related agencies in the US have abandoned policy making… Continue reading Eating the Seed Corn: Science Policy Links for the week of April 9-14, 2017
Signs and Portents: Starving the Limb
On Tuesday, February 28, President Donald Trump gave his first address to a bicameral meeting of Congress. While not a “State of the Union” address – a President in office only 5 weeks is in no shape to discuss the state of the union over which they preside – this marks a moment when the… Continue reading Signs and Portents: Starving the Limb
US Presidential Candidates on Science and Policy – Innovation
Scientific American recently published the responses they received from many US President Candidates regarding questions on science and scientific matters. In this post, I apply the skills we expect from the practice of good argument and scientific thinking to assess the questions and the responses. Let’s focus on the “Innovation” question for this round.
Ritter on Writing
I very much enjoyed this interview by Eric Danton with musician Josh Ritter. I was impressed by his perspective on being a writer, especially in moments of personal crisis. Referring to the end of his marriage, Ritter says, “This was an important moment for me, it was a big moment in my life, and I… Continue reading Ritter on Writing
Sign the petition: no platform for anti-vaccination message on American Airlines
American Airlines is planning to run an anti-vaccination message from the Australian Vaccination Network, AVN. AVN is a mis-leadingly named organization that promotes the discredited link between vaccines and autism, among other anti-scientific nonsense. They claim there is scientific debate about the dangers of vaccines (there is no such debate) and also claim [1] that… Continue reading Sign the petition: no platform for anti-vaccination message on American Airlines
My personal favorite science moments of 2011
There is too much interesting science that happens in a single year. No one person can capture it in a single article. I choose to focus on the things that align with my own personal interests, and provide information about them so you can learn more. They are in no specific order, except that I… Continue reading My personal favorite science moments of 2011
The Tebow Distribution
Author’s Note: in the Dec. 18 game against the Patriots, the Broncos lost spectacularly. Chance giveth, and chance taketh away. I still stick to my punchline: based on the data, the Broncos are statistically behind their own curve… The first I heard of Tim Tebow, starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos, was last night on… Continue reading The Tebow Distribution