Lazy Linking

Some stuff that may (or may not) Be Of Interest....

"Letting Go: What Should Medicine Do When It Can't Save Your Life"

• If you haven't yet read Atul Gawande's riveting, humane, insightful and magisterial New Yorker piece, do so now. 
• Then read Ed Yong's analysis of Gawande's writing techniques. 

"Are We Phalluses?"

• Jerry Coyne's most excellent response to Phil Plait's much-discussed "Don't Be A Dick" speech. See also: Richard Dawkins' comment on that post, PZ Myers' takedown and Daniel Loxton's spirited defense (featuring references to actual scientific research!!). 

"The Ten Commandments of Science Journalism"

• Excellent.
• "Each time a journalist writes “just a theory” or “only a theory” or “merely a theory” — or insinuates pseudoscience (astrology, parapsychology, acupuncture, etc.) is a scientific theory — I cry. And Carl Sagan rolls over in his grave. And a furious hobgoblin emerges from some deep crevasse to defecate on concepts such as gravity, electromagnetism, plate tectonics, evolution, antibiotic resistance and so on."
  
• Via Ed Yong.

"The Power of Anecdotes"

• Premiere quackery-smacker Ben Goldacre (again) catches the media being irresponsible (again). Cue lesson on the evidentiary status of anecdotes (something I have written about myself).

"The Only Thing the Drug Gangs and Cartels Fear is Legalization"

• Johann Hari: exactly right. There are few things in the world that would yield society as large an immediate gain as the decriminalization of drugs. This is how to do it.

"fMRI in 1000 Words"

• Erm... the title says it all. What do you want from me??

"How Much Proof Do the Global Warming Deniers Need?" 

• Another Hari piece. Despite what some scientifically illiterate people may think, the science is beyond question at this point. 
• Note: Hari attributes the calving of a giant ice island off Petermann Glacier to global warming, but this is  premature. 

"Journal Editor Questions Harvard Researcher's Data"

• The Hauser misconduct case continues to unfold. Bad, very bad.

"Ray Kurzweil Does Not Understand the Brain"

• PZ Myers absolutely nails Kurzweil's silliness. Kurzweil responds (badly) and PZ responds to the response. Steven Novella also wades into the debate.
• Takeaway: Kurzweil doesn't understand the brain. 

"24 Things You Might Be Saying Wrong"

• Finally the difference between farther and further makes sense! Also... please people, don't say "beg the question" when you mean "raise the question". Srsly. 

"Man Shot... But Only Notices Years Later"

• Yes, really. Even more evidence that drinking copious amounts of alcohol is good for you... 

"Malaria, Sea Grapes, and Kidney Stones: A Tale of Parasites Lost"

• The most excellent Carl Zimmer writing excellently about a parasite that decided to forgo a life of crime... 
• Ok, "decided" and "crime". 

"Why I Quit Chiropractic"

• Not only is (straight) chiropractic sheer pseudoscience, some chiropractic schools mercilessly exploit their students (while teaching them to exploit patients).   

"List of Wars Extended by Diplomatic Irregularity"

• Wikipedia in all its glory. 

"Top 100 Fundamentalist Quotes"

• There are some real gems here. I learnt, among other things, that God has a "Holy, Righteous Penis," that apes do not exist, and that women subconsciously want to be hit and told to shut up.