I’ve been engaged in a small conversation on a social network regarding the labeling of food as “genetically modified.” I’ve written specific thoughts about the scientific problems with that labeling recently in this blog [1]. I thought it might be useful to explain here how I got engaged in this […]
Editorial Note (9/1/13): The program “Marketplace” recently looked into Mr. Mills’ claim. They found it to be nonsense. See: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/no-your-phone-doesnt-use-much-electricity-refrigerator. I like that they put the answer right in their headline: NO. Editorial Note (8/23/13): since originally posting the article, a commenter (“Jay”) pointed out that the number I pulled from […]
After owning a Honda Civic since 1998 that was new in 1998 – the only car that persisted in my household after my 2002 marriage to Jodi – Jodi and I decided last year to start saving for a new car. After checking out a Chevy Volt at the Texas […]
Why people think what they think is just as important, if not more so, that what they think. The time when I resume teaching, after a one-semester leave from teaching to focus on research, is rapidly approaching. I’ve started paying closer attention to material that might be useful as supplementary […]
I won’t be posting on Google+ anymore. There are a few reasons why. The first is that I feel about Google+ the same way – if not more – than I felt about Twitter and Facebook: a company should not be the sole vault and arbiter of my data. I […]
Three pin pricks from a vaccination injection before you become sexually active, or the risk of contracting a cancer that will require drugs, radiation, or surgery to control? What would you choose, for yourself or your child? The FUD over the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine has been high, so […]
I saw an article from National Geographic entitled “How much do you really know about science?” The article contains a quiz to test your science knowledge. However, the author of this article makes a typically fatal mistake: mistaking facts about the natural world obtained through the scientific process with the […]
I saw on Facebook today some repeats of a CBS article from Atlanta entitled “Study: 70 Percent Of Americans On Prescription Drugs” [1]. The news article cites this actual scientific article from the Mayo Clinic’s “Mayo Clinic Proceedings,” entitled “Age and Sex Patterns of Drug Prescribing in a Defined American Population” [2]. […]
In our class on the Scientific Method, Profs. Cotton, Scalise, and I talk about “Weasel Words.” [1] These are a form of logical fallacy – specifically, of “equivocation,” wherein a word is used with vague and various definitions, leaving it to the listener to choose the definition that best suits […]
Many people think that alternative medicine – what I call “sham medicine” – is the positive opposite of science-based medicine. Peddlers of sham medicine make all kinds of opposition claims. Claim: Science-based medicine has negative side-effects, whereas sham medicine only cures and never hurts. Claim: Science-based medicine is the domain […]
The bandage comes off today, and I gotta say that “2cm of stitching” is a lot bigger looking than it sounds – but, that said, the surgeon did a nice job on this. Once the swelling on my eyelid is better this is going to heal up nicely. Thanks, Dr. […]
He got it all on the first cut. All stitched up and heading home. My job today: rest and ice to reduce the swelling.