GrrlScientist, trendsetter that she is, took the Simpsons Personality Quiz. Thought I, “Gee, that looks like fun.”
I totally didn’t see this coming:
Author Archives: admin
Friday Sprog Blogging: animal art
Despite the younger offspring’s unwillingness to provide details last week, it would seem that they really were studying turtles. This rendering was made with leaves and other plant matter. Also, I learned from the younger offspring that the “tummy” part of a turtle’s shell (not shown) is called the plastron.
Friday Sprog Blogging: rainy season edition
A conversation during the early-morning “power snuggle”, during which all four members of the Free-Ride family stay under the covers pretending they don’t have to get up, like, five minutes ago:
Elder offspring: Did you hear that loud thunder last night?
Younger offspring: (pouting) I didn’t hear it!
I wonder how to interpret the claim …
Overheard walking back from class:
Someone at ScienceBlogs has a birthday…
What do you get the biologist who blogs everything for his birthday? Probably something better than this — but it will have to do.
Science and sexism.
It’s Blog Against Sexism Day.
There are those inclined to think that sexism is no longer an issue in science. Yes, it’s horrible that in the past women were kept from pursuing science and barred from science jobs. But now, the doors are wide open and anyone who wants to can be a scientist.
Things are surely better than they used to be. But it is not yet the case that a woman’s entry to science is just as easy and unproblematic as a man’s.
A few items from the grading bunker
… which is where I’ve been lately. (But I think of you all often, amidst the stacks of essays.) Once you’re a blogger, the mind starts collecting bloggable issues like Post-It Notes. Here are the stickies I’ve accumulated in the past few days:
Why economics bugs me.
I had a bit of an epiphany this weekend about economics. More accurately, I had an epiphany about why it is that economics rubs me the wrong way as often as it does.
Let me get the disclaimer out of the way up front: I’m not bugged by all economists. I’m probably not bothered by all economic theory or claims flowing from it. Heck, there’s a good chance, in the village of ScienceBlogs, that I am the village idiot as far as economics goes, and that what bothers me is misuse of economics rather than economics itself.
That said, I am still bothered.
Chemistry sets and homeland security.
Y’all know that I’m an advocate of kids being able to get their science on. It’s great when they can do this is school, under the guidance of knowledgable and enthusiastic teachers. But sometimes the teachers are … not so knowledgable, or not so enthusiastic. Even when they are both, sometimes there are not enough school hours a week for kids to get the science they crave — especially the hands-on exploration.
According to Boing Boing, certain avenues of extra-curricular science exploration have just gotten harder to pursue. As posted today on Boing Boing:
US bans sale of chemicals to hobbyists without $1K license