Andrew Thaler

Weekly does of TED – Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs

February 11, 2011February 17, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

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This is a major departure from the type TED talks we usually post, but it touches on many themes I think about all the time. We talk a lot about regulations, safety protocols, and best practices. But regulations and protocols are not always the best, safest, or most humane methods available and the people actually … Read More “Weekly does of TED – Mike Rowe celebrates dirty jobs” »

SFS Gear Reviews: When the current changes, you have to adapt – Digipower Universal Travel Adapter

February 10, 2011February 10, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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For a prolonged tour in the field, the little things matter just as much as the big things. And nothing is smaller or more easily forgettable than the lowly travel adapter. I picked mine up in an airport somewhere in Japan as an afterthought, like many travelers, once I got to my destination and realized I had no way to charge up my netbook.

The travel adapter seems inconsequential, but choosing the wrong one can be fatal. I got lucky, because the only one in stock turned out to be a workhorse, but horror stories abound of the unsuspecting graduate student plugging their vital equipment into a suspect outlet and frying a computer, blowing a critical sensor, or setting their shack on fire. Electricity is not to be taken lightly.

Reader Survey Closed

February 7, 2011February 7, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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A big thanks to everyone who filled out the readers’ survey. We’ll pick and inform the winners tonight and have a full write-up of the survey results later this week.

Finding Melville’s Whale – Moby Dick (Chapter 41)

February 6, 2011February 6, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

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After reading some of the reviews from our Readers’ Survey, many people list these among their favorite posts, while many others consider them their least favorite. So, we’ve decided to change the posting schedule for Finding Melville’s Whale. From now on, one or two new entries will appear every Sunday, instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays. We … Read More “Finding Melville’s Whale – Moby Dick (Chapter 41)” »

Weekly dose of TED – Barbara Block: Tagging tuna in the deep ocean

February 4, 2011February 4, 2011 Andrew Thaler 1 Comment

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Tuna are rather magnificent fish. Do you still eat tuna? Why or why not? Do you draw a line at different species?

A couple of tips when requesting papers

February 2, 2011February 3, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Science

As search algorithms are getting better and better, some scientific papers are getting more difficult to access. Journal subscriptions are expensive and many institutions are foregoing all but the highest impact journals. For those working outside of academia, only open access journals are a viable option. I’m fortunate that my university subscribes to most scientific journals, which means that many of my colleagues will drop me an e-mail, tweet, or phone call along the lines of “Hey, I don’t have access to this article. Can you send me a copy?”

The answer is, without hesitation, always yes. Science can only progress when we have access to the literature. At this point, I’m fielding 4 or 5 paper requests per week, and I imagine many other scientists are doing the same. Most of the time the requests are simple and straight forward. Sometimes they’re so cryptic that it takes another round of e-mails before I even know it’s a paper request. I thought it would be helpful to compile a short list of advice for how to make it all just a little easier.

One more week to take the Reader Survey!

January 28, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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Thank you to everyone who has responded to our survey. There’s still a chance to win some free books or great big piles of swag! To sweeten the deal, we’re going to add one more prize to the list. One lucky winner, randomly drawn from or pile of surveys, will win an autographed copy of … Read More “One more week to take the Reader Survey!” »

Biodiversity Wednesday: The Sea of Cortes

January 26, 2011January 25, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

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The Sea of Cortes (commonly referred to as the Gulf of California) lies between the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico. Glorified in Steinbeck’s narrative The Log from the Sea of Cortes, detailing his adventures with Ed Ricketts during a six-week collecting trip, the region is rich in both history and biodiversity. The sea is formed by the separation of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The East Pacific Rise runs through the Sea of Cortes and continues north to become the San Andreas Fault. The Colorado River empties into the sea at the Colorado River Delta.

Conservation and the Concept of Species in a Biodiversity Crisis (Part 1)

January 24, 2011January 23, 2011 Andrew Thaler 2 Comments

Conservation, Science

In The Mass Extinction of Scientists Who Study Species, Dr. Craig McClain argues that we are loosing a fundamental unit of biological science – the Taxonomist. He’s right, of course. Taxonomy is a shrinking field. Entire phyla sit, unstudied, as the expertise necessary to understand them retires and expires. With few to train the next generation of taxonomists, the field could slowly vanish. Molecular tools are supplanting traditional taxonomy (once described to me as “the ability to identify hundreds of species of centimeter-long worms by counting ass-hairs under a microscope”) as the de rigueur method for identifying organisms.

I do not disagree with Craig. Losing skilled taxonomists is tragic for the biological sciences. Unlike many leading the charge in support of taxonomy, I did not benefit from a rigorous taxonomic study in my early career. I fall into the same camp as Dr. Holly Bik, relying primarily on molecules, not morphology, to draw the distinctions between my samples. I never identified species by counting the ass-hairs on a worm, and my education is poorer for it.

First-night Watch and Midnight, Forecastle (Finding Melville’s Whale Chapters 39 and 40)

January 23, 2011January 23, 2011 Andrew Thaler

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After reading some of the reviews from our Readers’ Survey, many people list these among their favorite posts, while many others consider them their least favorite. So, we’ve decided to change the posting schedule for Finding Melville’s Whale. From now on, one or two new entries will appear every Sunday, instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays. We hope you will continue reading along with us as we dive deeper in Melville’s masterpiece.