Code for life

Fees or deposits for undergraduate university degree courses?

Grant Jacobs • Nov 06, 2009

• courses,
• degrees,
• politics,
• Science policy,
• universities

When the government moved to "full-cost" course fees for undergraduate university courses, I felt it was an heavy-handed solution and wondered if a deposit scheme might have been a wiser starting point. (For any readers wandering in from overseas, I'm speaking of New Zealand (NZ) universities, but my general thoughts may still be worth considering?) … Read More

World air traffic flow

Grant Jacobs • Nov 06, 2009

• air flights,
• Travel,
• video

Air traffic flow around the world for 24 hours: (Video of 24-hour traffic flow on earth.) I don’t know about you, but looking at the USA and Europe at peak times is kind-of scary. This video reminds me of being in the larger international airports watching them fire off ‘plane after … Read More

In Memoriam-Sir Don Beaven

Grant Jacobs • Nov 05, 2009

• news,
• obituary,
• Sir Don Beaven

I rarely buy my hometown paper, The Christchurch Press, but on seeing the front page of today’s edition I realised that yesterday’s fire in Little Akaloa, near Christchurch, was at the bach of Sir Don Beaven. He has since been confirmed that he died in the fire. Sir Don was a local hero, his bust stands in … Read More

Mind the spin

Grant Jacobs • Nov 04, 2009

• media,
• science communication

It's bad enough when journalists–intentionally or not–spin a scientific result, it's really not good when a commercial interest does and it makes me cringe when the scientists' own statements or the university's press release does. Read More

World’s largest bacteria

Grant Jacobs • Nov 03, 2009

• largest bacteria,
• Namibia,
• Proteobacterium,
• puzzle,
• Thiomargarita namibiensis

The photo in my picture puzzle shows several white blobs above next to a fruit fly: We usually think of bacteria as microbes, things that we need to peer down a microscope to see. Well, those white blobs are bacteria big enough to see with your own eyes. Read More

When is a scientific paper political campaigning?

Grant Jacobs • Nov 03, 2009

• media,
• news,
• science communication

When media and politicians make it that way? Just after I posted about scientific advisors last night I became aware of a huge fuss in the blogosphere and media over the sacking of Professor David Nutt, the Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in the UK (i.e. a government science advisor), … Read More

Gluckman on science in small countries, part I

Grant Jacobs • Nov 02, 2009

• politics,
• Science policy

Anyone for a NZ Science Party to make politicians face evidence? Reading from the website for the Office of the Prime Minister's Science Advisory Committee I found myself agreeing with many of the points in Sir Peter Gluckman's speech to the Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, on Monday 14 September 2009. (Sir Peter Gluckman is … Read More

Picture puzzle

Grant Jacobs • Nov 02, 2009

• puzzle

What you do think the white blobs to the top left of the fly's head are? Let me know your guess in the comments. Read More

Observing neurons and 1960s sci-fi geeks

Grant Jacobs • Oct 31, 2009

• brain imaging,
• Neuroscience,
• photos,
• sci-fi

A lot of biology is observation, looking at subject matter using one technique or other. New techniques and equipment such as specialised microscopes like the new microscope at the University of Otago's Centre for Neuroendocrinology are critical for progress in biology. Read More

Book excerpt – Losing the faces of your wife and children

Grant Jacobs • Oct 30, 2009

• Disability,
• faces,
• Neuroscience

Using an allusion to a gallery of portraits on the wall, Jonathon Cole describes how John Hull lost his visual memories of frequent companions before those of people he hadn't met since going blind: … Read More