Author Archives: dave

“Upgraded”

WordPress has upgraded. Why is it that every time I “upgrade,” my old theme no longer works? Now I’m using the standard, generic theme. Nothing wrong with that. But I wish there was some way to get the upgrade process … Continue reading

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links for 2010-09-07

Cognition and the Arts Cognition and the Arts — Greta's new class blog. Should be awesome! (tags: Psychology, Cognitive Sensation and Perception, Art) Sadly, this sums up this year's election quite nicely (tags: Politics, Guvmint) Will anyone not planning on … Continue reading

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What are a journalist’s responsibilities on Twitter?

I’ve never really thought of myself as a journalist. Sure, I write a column for an online magazine, and even get paid for it. But as a columnist, my job is a little different from that of a reporter. I … Continue reading

Posted in Technology | 6 Comments

A first stab at a science blog aggregator

(Cross-posted from ResearchBlogging.org) Soon after my two posts on science blog aggregation, Bora Zivkovic and Anton Zuiker contacted me asking for my input on a site they were thinking about creating. The three of us had similar ideas: Now that … Continue reading

Posted in Technology | 5 Comments

Vacationblogging 2010: Now, with fewer photographs!

I’m sitting on an airplane taking advantage of in-flight wifi as I mull over the past six weeks away from home. We started with a week in Kalaloch, enjoying the beautiful Washington coast. Then we spent a month in Olympia, … Continue reading

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Some thoughts about science blog aggregation

After the shake-up at ScienceBlogs over the past couple of weeks, there’s been a lot of buzz in the social media networks over what to do next. Sure, there are some other burgeoning science blog networks, but none seem to … Continue reading

Posted in Technology | 8 Comments

Leaving ScienceBlogs: What next?

In case you’re not up on the goings-on in the science blogosphere, let me bring you up to date. About two weeks ago, ScienceBlogs made a disastrous decision to sell Pepsi a “nutrition” blog with equal standing to all its … Continue reading

Posted in General, Technology | 3 Comments

Vacationblogging 2010: Kalaloch Summer

You know you’ve arrived in Washington when you look out your airplane window and see this: However, even though we arrived two weeks ago, that was just about the only view I had of Rainier until last Thursday. That’s because … Continue reading

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Resolving (or complicating) the iPhone resolution debate

On Tuesday I posted that the iPhone 4 is nowhere near the capabilities of the human retina. But yesterday over at the Bad Astronomy blog, Phil Plait argued the opposite: Jobs wasn’t falsely advertising the iPhone’s capabilities at all. … … Continue reading

Posted in Psychology, Technology | 3 Comments

Does the “Retina Display” live up to its name?

I’m a pretty big Apple fan. I have Apple computers, an iPhone, an iPod, and an iPad. But yesterday as I watched the coverage of Steve Jobs’ WWDC Keynote, I bristled at the name of the new iPhone 4 display. … Continue reading

Posted in Psychology, Technology | 6 Comments

Is the iPad really that bad?

Maybe I just had low expectations for my iPad. I didn’t think it was going to revolutionize computing, or replace my laptop, phone, and TV set. I didn’t think it was going to have much impact at all on how … Continue reading

Posted in Technology | 3 Comments

Can we use social networking to build better textbooks?

About 7 years ago, I attempted to start a non-profit organization dedicated to producing peer-reviewed open-source textbooks. While the organization received considerable support (and several submissions) from like-minded academics, in the end the project fizzled due to logistics. I had … Continue reading

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Today’s Infographic: The Uncanny Valley of Bathroom Activities

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iPad — First impressions

Hmmm… I wonder how many blog posts with this headline will be written today? The iPad has to be one of the most-anticipated launches in Apple history, and with the possible exception of the iPhone, it’s a device that may … Continue reading

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How I’d fix Kachingle for $110,000

I think Kachingle is a really great idea. In fact, I’m a paying subscriber and my blog The Daily Monthly is a member. Basically, the way their site works is this: Readers pay a $5/month subscription fee that is distributed … Continue reading

Posted in Contraception and abortion, General | 1 Comment

The problem with “literacy”

I’ve always been a little annoyed with people appropriating the word “literacy” for things that have nothing to do with literacy. Literacy derives from the Latin word for “letter,” and refers specifically to the ability to read. The problem I … Continue reading

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More on “Are Animals People”?

My column on Seed this week has attracted some attention across the web. The most interesting comment may have come from DrugMonkey, who simply linked to his 2008 post critical of the idea that animals can have “insight.” Now, in … Continue reading

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The complete kettle washing archive

We move from saving the planet to a subject of much more immediate urgency. A while back I did a little experiment to determine whether it was more energy efficient to heat water on the stovetop or in the microwave. … Continue reading

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Fly less?

Earlier today I put up a post on Twitter asking for suggestions about places to donate money in bulk to counter the carbon emitted due to my travels. One suggestion came from @SFriedScientist: TerraPass is pretty good, founded by a … Continue reading

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Me and my telemarketing friends

So, I get a call from a “toll free number.” What possesses me to answer it, I don’t know. Clearly it’s some sort of telemarketer. Me: Hello. Telemarketer: Hello, may I speak to Margaret Moljer? Okay, it’s definitely a telemarketer, … Continue reading

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