There was an excellent essay in Science last month by William Press, the multitalented president of the AAAS, titled What’s So Special About Science (And How Much Should We Spend on It?), on… …the mystery of why society is willing to support an endeavor as abstract and altruistic as basic scientific research and an enterprise as … Continue reading Cheap Kiwi scientists
I had hoped to write Part III of “Readings in Biophysics,” on popular-science books, this evening, but I haven’t found time. Appropriately, though, I just received an email from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science , which focuses on helping scientists communicate with the public. It announces a new challenge they’re putting forth: answering … Continue reading Next up: painting flames on my car
There’s been an flurry of papers and essays in the past few years on scientific studies being wrong, arguing that the number of incorrect conclusions is disturbingly large, and symptomatic of poor practice, misplaced incentives, and other factors. Perhaps the most widely seen views on this theme graced the cover of The Economist a … Continue reading If I keep writing, maybe this post will become significant
I am adding And subtracting I’m controlling And composing — Kraftwerk, “Pocket Calculator” I often tell students that computer programming is like drawing — learning and practicing it opens up new ways of seeing the world, and new ways of creatively giving shape to ideas. I’ve long thought that everyone should be able to program, … Continue reading I liked programming before it was cool
The Eighteenth Elephant 