Lexicillin QD

Sci sites become more BoingBoingish

This is a trend I'm tracking where science Web sites, SciAm, Popsci, Popular Mechanics, Wired et al, are beginning to increase their news item cycling, to keep their sites fresh for an online public that have different expectation over the print audience. Staying one step ahead of the rapidly, continually changing internet zeitgeist is a pursuit which requires moment-by-moment awareness of the breaking stories.

Today on BoingBoing.net you see a post, Physics lecture cribbed for TV commercial about an item on SciAm's blog, "Australian actresses are plagiarizing my quantum mechanics lecture to sell printers."

I'm sure SciAm is shooting for the virality (the physics lecturer's site has now crashed) previously only seen when something slashdotted. Now, readers at almost all blogs and online sites are urged to use the various bookmarking services such as digg or del.icio.us that the people can scan the most popular stories on the Web.

New book on neuroprosthetics

As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I wanted to contact the author for an interview. Shattered Nerves is Victor Chase's latest work on neuroprosthetics (although you can't tell that from the cover). Here's Google's treatment of the book.

Victor is a medical writer whose work has included covering computational science from the perspective of a swing dancer, lasers and food dyes.

I'm especially interested in the topics included in this book: biomimetics, functional electrical stimulation, cochlear implants, auditory brainstem implants, etc. Essentially, it's all about restoring normal nerve function lost by damaged neurons with devices that when implanted in the body will provide a long term solution. This involves making sure that the devices don't evoke a foreign body response that could cause excessive scarring and failure of the implant.

I recently had a telephone chat with Victor where we talked about the history of the cochlear implant, and he related his experiences in interviewing subjects for his book.

I'd like to add more to this post, but being on a tight deadline (oh, the life of a busy freelancer), I just wanted make mention of this book, and then cover these topics more in the future. If you click on the link, you can see among the favorable reviewers, Michael Gazzaniga, whose work I've always admired.

SCIENCE IN SOCIETY- Climate Change and Cloning for the Average Joe?

This is part of the series of conferences entitled "Atlantic Transfer - Great Ideas Are Mobile" hosted by ConRuhr. This one is scheduled for tomorrow at the German House at the United Nations Plaza. From their Web site:

New Challenges in Reporting on Science
Science is no longer just for the scientists: A well-informed public is needed, since it is the public's interest that fuels the policy and funding influencing scientific discovery. A dialog between science and popular culture is necessary - but how does one best balance scientific and journalistic practice?

The Atlantic-Transfer Conference on Science Journalism 2006 brings together science and media experts from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss these topics.

Whose Story is it?
Researchers, Reporters and the General Public
The first part of the conference will focus on the tension between researchers and reporters, and the general public's perception of science in society. Especially important is the question of how to maintain scientific integrity and still catch the interest of the public.

The Selling of Science
Politics, Science, and Public Policy:
The second part of the conference will illuminate the interaction between politics and science. Questions such as how scientific discoveries influence politics and how political decisions affect scientific development will be focused on.

The workshop will bring together representatives of the main German media, heads of academic departments and leading American authorities in Science Journalism.