on Science & Information

Matters General

Random, Unedited Thoughts on the Universe. By which I mean exactly what it looks like I mean.

Putting the "fund" in fundamental science research (9 Jul 2009). Paying for science is never pretty. That should be enough said, but you know me...I go around and up and down and near a rant on it.

The power of doubt in research (2 Feb 2010). I explore how self-doubt can be used for the good, in opposition to thousands of better written books (well, not that much better written) telling you it is the greatest sin. Not only can it be good, but it might just required for good research?

Matters Physical, Astronomical, or Chemical

Thinking about planetary-sun distance in more every-day terms. I.E., briefly: Will our Sun bake us like a potato? (15 Nov 2009). If you were to discuss the massive distances between the Sun and the various planets, in more everyday terms and with "to-scale" models made up of smaller distances, what sort of numbers would you get?

Matters Chronological or Quantum(ish)

Scenes from a Backwards Universe. Where I muse about what works and what is weird with our universe, by showing how it works backwards. Also just a mental exercise in mirth.

A Smart Ass Looks at Alternate Dimensions and Their Impact on the Court System. I play around with the notions of alternate universes.

Matters Biological or Psychological

Actual ways to answer the question: Does Human Flesh Taste Like Pork? (20 May 2009). I mean, we all wonder about this, right? There are ways to find out for sure.

The Truth (and Clarification) of Plastic in Soft-Serve Icecream, Fast Food Shakes, and more (aka somewhat apologies to Alicia) (15 Jun 2009). No, there is no plastic in McDonald's milkshakes. Yes, there are other things to look for.

In response to Niko's "The Impossibility of the Posthuman Event" (17 Dec 2009). My friend Niko pondered on the impossibility of the posthuman event. I'm not sure about the impossibility of the event itself, but I do discuss some barriers to us ever knowing it.

Matters of Information Science

The bits here look specifically at information science. I have more library and librarian related stuff on my "...on Words & Libraries" page.

Some Observations on ASK (7 Jun 2009). Musings and thoughts about Anamolous States of Knowledge. We do not know what we do not know...and this hoses the whole thing, sometimes.

On the Many Ways Language Can Go Wrong (3 Jul 2009). How can language break down? Oh, a lot of ways.

Morning, non sunshine, off to work and an information adage (31 Jul 2009). Only one portion of thise thing relates to this section, but it's a basic summation of the relation of the difficulty in finding information, and it's specificity.

Doug talks crazy talk; aka memes, reality, subjectiveness, being phildickian, information, and more... (15 Sep 2009). I mostly ramble on and on, but I talk about how objective reality and subjective reality are not the same thing, concepts of meme filters, and how you can use the latter to manipulate the middle to recreate the former. If you are evil. Dun dun dunnnnnn.

From zero to five stars in Facebook, applying common sense Information science to a sluggish social networking giant (17 Feb 2010). Facebook is massive. Millions of people use it. So many millions that it is on it's way to approaching the "b" word. We are talking about a country sized population. And, well, really it is almost unusable...let me tell how it is, and why it is, and one way to fix it.