Category Archives: General Science

Business, General Science, Health, Media Criticism, Science And Society, Technology and Society

Craig Venter

February 23, 2017 Rand Simberg 2 Comments

…is trying to decode death. Though, in reading, it’s more complicated than the headline. I heard him speak at a space conference a few years ago, interesting guy. And I’m fascinated by the hostility from his fellow scientists.

Education, General Science, Mathematics, Science And Society, Technology and Society

Historical Physics

February 23, 2017 Rand Simberg 8 Comments

Why do we spend so much time teaching it?

To me, understanding how we developed the knowledge is key to understanding the science itself.

Business, Education, General Science, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Technology and Society

Perverse Incentives In Academia

February 18, 2017 Rand Simberg 5 Comments

This is sort of a disaster, particularly in the context of the student-loan mess.

Here's the horrifying key table from the paper Siddhartha Roy co-authored on perverse incentives in academia. #AAASmtg pic.twitter.com/sdrUlPmXs7

— Mike 48% Tⓐylor (@MikeTaylor) February 18, 2017

General Science, Science And Society, Technology and Society

Wooly Mammoth

February 16, 2017 Rand Simberg 13 Comments

Is it on the verge of resurrection? That would be pretty cool. I wonder if they’d be as smart as elephants?

Business, Economics, General Science, Mathematics, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Technology and Society

A Taxonomy Of Uncertainty

February 15, 2017 Rand Simberg 6 Comments

This is a beautiful taxonomy. The root of a great deal of suffering is people believing their field is level 3, when it's actually level 4. pic.twitter.com/8yg2sRocNL

— Will Wilson (@WAWilsonIV) February 15, 2017

Climate science is currently somewhere between levels 4 and 5, but many (particularly ignorant adherents of the climate religion) think that it’s at 2 or 1.

General, General Science, Technology and Society

A Patient Photographer

February 13, 2017 Rand Simberg 9 Comments

This is an amazing shot.

Business, Economics, General Science, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Technology and Society

“Climategate II”

February 6, 2017 Rand Simberg 36 Comments

I hate the phrase “Climategate” (I prefer “Climaquiddick”) but it seems to have stuck. In any event, I don’t know whether or not this is true, but if it were to be, it would surprise me not at all.

[Monday-evening update]

Judith Curry has the latest on the foofaraw.

[Bumped]