Frank's Pandora
Archive for 2007
Atonement
We see what we want to see, we believe what we want to believe, and we pay for both for the rest of our lives. The ‘fanciful’ Briony, as her sister Cecilia characterises her, lets her gift for imagination run amock when she accuses her sister’s true love Robbie of assault, leading to his imprisonment. [...]
Best wishes for the holiday season
…with a traditional Irish blessing: May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been the foresight to know where you’re going and the insight to know when you’re going too far.
Can science blogs save science journalism?
This discussion makes for a very interesting read. For most scientists and journalists alike, the process of communication about science to a wider audience is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. What particularly surprises me in this discussion is that Cole, a profesor of journalism, thinks the audience should become more science literate and that [...]
Watson Loses Cold Spring Harbor Post
The downfall of a legend… Turns out Nobelists are human after all.
Role model
Scientists very often have the stigma of being dull, old, grey men labelled on them. One of the ways in which we can show the general public and especially the young public that science isn’t (necessarily) boring and that not every scientist is by definition dull (although I know plenty who can put you to [...]
Down under
Hanging off the earth by the soles of my feet, I have arrived in Melbourne, Australia. For me this is the first time I’ve ever crossed the Equator and landed on the Southern Hemisphere, and much to my relief I haven’t fallen of the earth. Reason for my visit is the Fifth World Conference of [...]
Singapore slung
As we descended through a thick pack of clouds, the airplane shook violently due to the thunderstorm below. The night was pitch dark but sometimes the black clouds became visible as thunderbolts moved from cloud to cloud. This morning at 6 am local time I arrived in Singapore for three days of R&R before I [...]
AC Grayling
The Guardian’s science team posts a fantastic podcast every week, a fine display of science journalistic skill. This week they celebrate their one year anniversary with an excellent interview with philosopher A.C. Grayling. Well worth a listen, with some very interesting insights into God, creationism and the attraction of pseudoscience.
Sustainable endings
And so it ended, the 2007 version of the AAAS in San Francisco. Recovering from a jetlag from hell, I have fond memories of the people I met and the talks I listened to. Most impressive were the three plenary lecture speakers that honoured the meeting with their presence. First up was Larry Page, co-founder [...]
Science in San Francisco
San Francisco is sizzling with science. Today marks the start of the 2007 version of the annual meeting of the AAAS, the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Last year the meeting was held in St. Louis, this year I’m happy to be attending in a very warm San Francisco. The oddly toasty weather [...]
© 2010 Frank's Pandora. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Wordpress. Designed by 