Code for life

Before getting back to science pieces, I'd like to join fellow sciblings Petter Griffith and Mike Kilpatrick in expressing disappointment over TVNZ's encouragement of the services of their "TV psychic" for the family of missing toddler Aisling Symes. Entertainment often plays on fantasies, asking viewers to temporarily accept some clearly fictional plot devices. There's … Read More

Internationally there has been much fuss about Barack Obama being awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Before passing your judgement, though, it may help to remember that the award committee aren't dumb and that it might be useful to first read what the Peace Prize is awarded for to try understand their thinking. My reading of … Read More

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Time-waster alert: stunning photographs, free screen-savers and wallpapers. Read More

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Victorian Popularizers of Science: Designing Nature for new audiences by Bernard Lightman … Read More

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Recently a very readable perspective article Real Lives and White Lies in the Funding of Scientific Research was published in the scientific journal, PLoS Biology (PLoS = Public Library of Science), by senior scientist Peter Lawrence FRS. (I mean senior in the sense of achievements, notwithstanding that his first publication was in 1965.) Peter's concern … Read More

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Quick post: There has been an 8.3 earthquake near Samoa. See: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/2916140/Deaths-after-8-3-quake-tsunami-hit-Samoa Best wishes to anyone in Samoa, or with family or friends there. Read More

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Currently I'm reading sections of Investigating science communication in the information age: implications for public engagement and popular media. In chapter 4.1, Making science newsworthy: exploring the conventions of science journalism, Stuart Allan cites journalist W. T. Stead who wrote in 1906 (see page  152): In editing a newspaper, never employ an expert to write a popular article on his own subject, better … Read More

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Welcome to Code for Life. I hope you get something out of my modest efforts to educate and entertain. The material below can also be found in the ’About’ page. I’m popping it in here by way of introduction. What’s with the name of the blog? Code4Life was a name I considered for my consultancy,  … Read More

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