Alright, there really is no humble way of putting this. My new book [*blush*], having been trailed as “imminent” for several months, is now officially available. In all good booksellers, as they say (and they actually do say this). I’ll be… Read More ›
Metaphors are powerful tools. Similes are like tools. And tools are — well, tools are just tools. Now, of the three statements just made, only the last (‘tools are tools’) is truly indisputable. And yet for many people it will… Read More ›
It’s early January. That time when other people’s New Year’s resolutions mean that you get lots of emails. About really important stuff that you simply must deal with, like, immediately. These folks need a reply because they only have stamina for… Read More ›
Today, I had my head examined. Well, part of my head. Okay then, my eyes. I had an eye test. The usual results transpired. My macular degeneration continues to degenerate my maculae, and I need to get new lenses. And… Read More ›
Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Here are some tweets… Yes, fans’ favourite Adam Rutherford makes a highly reasonable observation on The Guardian‘s use of media frames to pitch us the theory of special relativity. He’s right, you know. It is just unfair… Read More ›
I am pleased to announce the establishment of the World Certifying Body for the Certification of Certified Healthologists, or WCBCCH. We’re seeking to recognise the rise of public interest in all things healthological, evidenced by cutting-edge media reporting of health-related science… Read More ›
It’s akin to the Sokal hoax of our digital age, with a touch of Frankenstein in there too, and possibly some monkeys with typewriters. Two major publishers, Springer and IEEE, have identified over 120 papers that made it through their peer-review process but… Read More ›
Well, for geek pet owners at any rate… Although it must be pointed out that said Science Diet does not appear to be up to much:
I’m on a bus, ploughing its way through an excessive headwind as yet another Atlantic storm blasts us to colour-coded distress (we are Code Red now; there are no more colours left). But even in distress, we have clever scientifically… Read More ›
Infographics are all the rage at the moment. Here’s a nice one from the folks at Twisted Doodles: Feel free to add to the list yourself.
So here’s something to get the pulse racing. And that’s all there is to it. Sorry if it means absolutely nothing. Despite a tidal wave of news coverage, the only newsworthy element here is that the manufacturers of this so-called “smart… Read More ›
It turns out that Lucozade Sport doesn’t hydrate and fuel better than water after all. In the UK, our old friends the ASA have finally told them to quit saying so in their celebrity-laden ads. I guess it always did… Read More ›
I’ve been playing a lot of Snakes and Ladders these past few days. I know it’s a game of pure chance, but I feel I’ve been getting quite good at it. I find this type of graphic helpful: Basically, it… Read More ›
Say hello to Ippo. No, not the Japanese manga boxer (after whom he’s no doubt named), but this little fella: He’s a zonkey. Or a zebroid. Or a zorse. Or a zony. Or a zemule. Or a zebonkey. Or even a zebronkey. Or a zebadonk. Or a donkra…. Read More ›
This is a very cool publicity campaign, using — dare I say it — scientific literacy in an effort to raise awareness about some rare genetic disorders (full disclosure-time: my own family has one of them). Basically, next Friday’s date — 15/11/13 — neatly… Read More ›
It’s a small world. One that requires some joined up thinking. We need to see the contours among the shadows, to extract the signal from the noise, to construct synchrony from the chaos. You know what I mean. We need… Read More ›
I am totally on holidays right now. I even have a beard. However, I still function at an intellectual level (for all intents and purposes). Here are two minor updates regarding ongoing media coverage of this blog/blogger-with-beard. Yesterday, The Guardian’s… Read More ›
