This seems to me a sharp-eyed take. Obama’s effort to be post-partisan, as it were, is not merely an attempt to split differences or accommodate both sides of an argument. He seeks to change the terms of the argument, just as he did in both the primary and general elections.
Monthly Archives: December 2008
Uncategorized
A highly interesting review of Gladwell’s “Outliers”
by David Dobbs •
Micheal Nielsen gets swiftly to a problem many scientists (and not a few writers) have with Gladwell’s books — and highlights their redeeming factors as well.
Medicine
Rumblings and worries about Obama’s FDA options
by David Dobbs •
As Obama solidifies his teams on science, education, and environment, attention — and not a little worry from the drug industry — is turning toward his hunt for a new FDA commissioner. The WSJ Health Blog reports that the FDA Commissioner Coalition, which is heavy with groups financed by the drug industry, appears increasingly concerned…
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Uncategorized
WIll Smith schools Rubik’s Cube
by David Dobbs •
One more reason to like Will Smith. Hat tip to kottke, who links to some other amazing Rubikiean feats.
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Uncategorized
6 medical myths debunked – just in time for the holidays
by David Dobbs •
Scientificblogging, drawing on apparently credible medical expertise, deflates six common med myths. My wife will love this. I’ve cited #4 to her a million times. 6 Medical Myths Debunked For Christmas: 1. Sugar makes kids hyperactive. 2. Suicides increase over the holidays. 3. Poinsettias are toxic. 4. You lose most of your body heat through…
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Uncategorized
Encouraging sign that government may be going all empirical on us
by David Dobbs •
Atop other Obama appointments, this is one I suspect America’s scientists will welcome. From the Washington Post: Report: Holdren to Lead White House Science Policy By Joel Achenbach President-elect Obama will announce this weekend that he has selected physicist John Holdren, who has devoted much of his career to energy and environmental research, as his…
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Brains and Behavior, Medicine
Free-range chimp research, Christmas tree clusters, gastrectomies, et alia
by David Dobbs •
Other deadlines bar elaboration, but I wanted to draw attention to some worthwhile reading on the science front, mostly of the mind and brain variety
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Brains and Behavior, Uncategorized
Study: Internet addiction a bunch of bunk
by David Dobbs •
“A study just published in the journal CyberPsychology and Behavior has reviewed all of the available scientific studies on internet addiction and found them to be mostly crap. And not just slightly lacking, really pretty awful.”
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Uncategorized
Oops — make that “garters!” Media errors corrected
by David Dobbs •
Via Kottke Regret the Error has released their annual roundup of media errors and corrections for 2008. The absurd corrections are always the best: We have been asked to point out that Stuart Kennedy, of Flat E, 38 Don Street, Aberdeen, who appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court on Monday, had 316 pink, frilly garters confiscated…
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Uncategorized
Zimmer on brain-changing parasites
by David Dobbs •
Good stuff from Zimmer: You go for a swim, and you don’t even notice the tiny worm that burrows into your skin. It slips into a vein and surges along through the blood for a while. Eventually it leaves your blood vessels and starts creeping up your spinal cord. Creep creep creep, it goes, until…
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