Code for life

Mind the spin

Grant Jacobs • Nov 04, 2009

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

Gluckman on science in small countries, part I

Grant Jacobs • Nov 02, 2009

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

Linking text and visual content

Grant Jacobs • Oct 30, 2009

There are several projects with a general concept of tight linking between the text and visual elements in a document for presenting scientific information. It can often be easier to illustrate a concept with an image. Technically at least, it's a little trickier, for moving or three-dimensional objects. Easily the most successful is video, witness … Read More

Fellatio by Fruit Bats Prolongs Copulation Time

Grant Jacobs • Oct 28, 2009

While searching for something interesting to write about I visited PLoS One, an open-access journal. Right at the top of the list of Most Recent Articles was Fellatio by Fruit Bats Prolongs Copulation Time, which you have to say is something of an attention-getting article title… A quick search reveals that unfortunately Ed Yong, … Read More