Clamping down on science communication

The sacking of NIWA scientist Jim Salinger has been getting wide coverage in New Zealand (see Niwa sacks Jim Salinger; Niwa sacks top scientist; Niwa sacks top scientist; and Face of NIWA sacked for talking to media). It was also  noticed overseas (see eg.,  Permission to Speak, Sir?! Top NZ climate scientist is fired, for not asking!;  Top New Zealand climate scientist sacked for talking to media; and  Pharyngula: News from the other side of the world).

See also Hot Topic, Sound of silence, for a local comment on the sacking.

All round, it makes New Zealand’s Crown research Institutes look silly and bureaucratic.

NZ Blog ranks – April ’09

This presents another attempt to rate NZ blogs. Again I used the methods described in Ranking methods for NZ blogs. Besides an overall aggregate rating using 11 statistical measures I have also provided aggregate ranks for three criteria:

Ranking statistics	Linking statistics	RSS feed subscriptions
Alexa Rank	Alexa Links	Google Reader
Alexa NZ Rank	Google Blog Links	Bloglines
Technorati Rank	Google Web links
Google Page Rank	Yahoo Links
	All the Web Links

The new feature is that I have included Bloglines subscription numbers in the RSS subscription ratings (Thanks to homepaddock for requesting this and david w for helping me work out how to get the data).

NZ Bloggers Badge

Checking out blogs for my blog ranking exercise I came across this idea for a NZ Bloggers badge.

I wonder if it will catch on?

Have a look at New Zealand Bloggers Badge – Copy and Share!

Middle east conflict in the NZ blogosphere?

Well, it seems that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sparked a local war in New Zealand’s blogosphere! It all started with his speech at the UN Conference on Racism in Geneva. This attacked Zionism as a form of racism and precipitated a walkout by many delegates.

PZ needs an iPod

For all those who know and love PZ Myers and his blog Pharyngula. He’s put his name in for the chance to win a prize of an iPod (see I’d really like to win an iPod Touch). Go there and help him by clicking on the link.

Really, he just trying to piss off that creationist Eric Hovind who is offering the iPod as a prize for the most click throughs to his post: Creation Minute is an exciting series hosted by Eric Hovind that explores the creation worldview using cutting-edge visual effects and digital technology. Each episode challenges the evolution theory and gives evidence of the Bible’s historical and scientific accuracy.

Hovind is of course trying to publicise his creationist site. But just imagine – Pharyngula gets so many hits it’s quite likely that most click throughs will come from there. And Hovind will be obliged to pass on the iPod (loaded with creationist videos) to Myers! That will hurt! – But as Myers points out  Hovind’s morals are such that he is unlikely to fulfil his undertaking in this case.

You never know, in all the confusion precipitated by Myers winning the most click throughs, and Hovind’s refusal to countenance handing over the prize to him, he might just hand it over to someone else like me without thinking. So click on the link above – but also go on the Pharyngula and click there too.

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Where is Galileo?

There is a lot going on this year to engage those of us interested in science. The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book “The Origin of Species” is being celebrated throughout the world.

It would be very easy to get “all Darwined out” because there is just so much available. New books, lectures, TV documentaries, etc. However, there is just so much variety in what is available. OK, there has been a lot of biographical information – but even this has provided new insights. Modern biographies also provide more interest because of new findings and new approaches. These days biographies are less reticent about dealing with negative features of a person’s life or personality.

But this year much of the material has concentrated on different aspects. The influence of Darwin’s ideas on society, the conflict with religion, Darwin’s contribution in the context of the evolution of science and society at his time, recent findings in evolutionary science and  modern scientific controversies in evolutionary science. And the seemingly ever present political struggles or “conflict of cultures.”

So the Darwin celebrations have provided a great opportunity for discussion of scientific ideas and philosophies.

Belief not the same as truth

Going through some of notes (scraps of paper all over the place) I came across these jottings:

“To believe in something because it’s true does not come naturally to people.”

and

“Subordination of belief to what is true is not natural to people.”

Perhaps you recognise this problem?

I think I noted them down while reading Dan Agin’s book: Junk Science recently.  It’s a great book (although I think he is a bit hard on evolutionary psychology). I certainly ended up feeling very angry with the huge negative influence anti-science groups and beliefs have on humanity.

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With God, anything can be permitted?

Recently in Afghanistan we had the sight of two sets of protesters opposing each other but both chanting “God is great.” (See Women protesting at ‘pro-rape’ law attacked by Afghan men and video: Afghan women protest against marriage law). Obviously both the women who were opposing new legislation limiting their sexual and human rights, and the men who were supporting the legislation (and opposing the sexual and human rights of women), thought they had their “God on their side.”

Where did we come from?

Anyone interested in this question (and aren’t most of us) could not do better than watch the videos coming out of the Origins symposium. With a mission statement of “Exploring Questions at the Edge of Knowledge: From the Universe to Humanity” this has got to be fascinating.

Add to this the high calibre of the participants. These include names like Lawrence Krauss, Steven Weinberg, Brian Greene, Stephen Hawking, Andrei Linde, Richard Dawkins, Alan Guth, David Gross, Alex Vilenkin, Peter Ward, Steven Pinker, VS Ramachandran, Paul Davies, Patricia Churchland, AC Grayling, J. Craig Venter, Frank Wilczek, and many more.

The Symposium Sessions include:

1. The Universe, Multiverse, Physical Laws
2. The Galaxies, Planets, Life
3. Origin of species, Evolution, Human Origins
4. Consciousness, Complex Cognition, Language to Culture, Cooperation, Morality and Institutions.

The Science Network is currently uploading videos – pretty efficient seeing the Symposium occurred over April 3 – 6. Currently five videos are online (introductions and panel on “How Far Can we go Back?”)

I know what I will be watching over the next week or so.

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Hitchens in the lions’ den

I have never seen debates as a way of improving understanding. They are basically a sport – producing more heat than light. Michael Ruse once commented that he found he was a good debater because he could crack jokes. This just underlines that debates are about techniques, personality, turns of phrase, etc., not about facts.

Similarly the current preoccupation with the religion/atheism debates and who “won” them (eg. Craig v Hitchens: Dissecting the Debate UPDATE 2). Frankly I think a panel or one on one discussion is  a far better way of producing understanding. Richard Dawkins has recently been promoting this discussion format (eg. Lawrence Krauss – Richard Dawkins discussion).

However, for those wanting to treat the whole god debate as a spectator sport I can recommend this video for a bit of fun. Christopher Hitchens was invited to participate in a debate with four Christian apologists (five if the chairman, who participated freely is included). And in front of a motivated Christian audience. The subject: Does the God of Christianity exist, and what difference does it make?). Christopher Hitchens debated Lee Strobel, Douglas Wilson, William Lane Craig and Jim Denison at the Christian Book Expo in Dallas Texas during March. The discussion was “moderated” by  Christianity Today’s Stan Guthrie

It was a bit like a one against five tag wrestling match. And Hitchens clearly showed them all up. But, as several speakers admitted, Hitchens was brave to take up the challenge.

He certainly comes across as fearless. One can’t help but admire his skills.

Enjoy.

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