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Steinbeck and Science July 20, 2010

Posted by sarah in: reviews, science . 2comments

Route of the Sea of Cortez expedition

John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, and though his popularity had waned in the latter stages of his career, he’s been a much-read and well-loved author for many decades. The Nobel committee cited his “sympathetic humour and keen social perception” as the hallmarks of his writing. Steinbeck’s books and stories often deal with war, class, adversity and destitution, and in his lifetime he wrote both fiction and non-fiction; the former frequently based on his real-life experiences as a journalist. But did you know Steinbeck also wrote about science?

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Bad Science April 7, 2010

Posted by sarah in: politics, reviews . 3comments

Over the Easter weekend I finally got round to reading Ben Goldacre‘s Bad Science book, based on his regular Guardian columns and blog detailing all the spectacularly awful ways in which science is hijacked, misrepresented or just screwed up in society. I’m pretty sure most of you reading this blog will have read the book or the column – but just in case you haven’t, please do. But if you’re the kind of person who cares about the simple things in life, like being reasonably honest with people, caring somewhat about their wellbeing, not profiteering too much from their fears or ignorance, and generally not being a dick (m/f), I should warn you: this book will raise your blood pressure.

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Don’t be such a scientist February 3, 2010

Posted by sarah in: science . Add a comment

I just finished reading a book called Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style, by a marine biologist-turned-filmmaker, Randy Olson. Olson quit his research career to go to film school, and is now an established science film director in Hollywood. One of his earliest efforts was this music video about the sex lives of barnacles. In this book, he talks about his experience of being a man of substance in a world of style, and gives advice to scientists on how to communicate research to a wide audience without boring, annoying or patronising them.

For all his good advice, I have to say Olson picked a rather unfortunate title. It’s impossible to buy this book as a gift for someone without seeming, well, rude. Being a scientist, obviously, I did just that for the scientist I share my life with. He wasn’t too impressed (but did finish the book, then placed it on my side of the bed).

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Review: The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders November 12, 2009

Posted by sarah in: astronomy, reviews, science . Add a comment

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Once upon a time in a country far away I was a young girl who loved looking at the stars. I didn’t know any other keen stargazers and the internet was still in its infancy, so I relied on books to help me work out what I was looking at.

These days, sadly, stargazing doesn’t feature very heavily in my life anymore given my light polluted dwellings but my earliest experiences of looking through telescopes did inspire me to get into helping design them myself, as a profession. So I was keen to have a read of one of O’Reilly‘s publications, The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders, by Robert and Barbara Thompson, a copy of which found its way to my desk (h/t to Alasdair).

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Watch Men save the planet March 17, 2009

Posted by sarah in: random, women . 4comments

I saw the film Watchmen last week, the adaption of a classic in the graphic novel genre with the same title by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It’s pretty enjoyable, especially if you’re in the mood for some great visual effects and gore. Lots of blood and bone-crunching. I’ve never been a big comic or graphic novel fan but I decided to read the book and in fact it’s really good! The drawings are beautiful and the writing is very imaginative with lots of depth. So if you want to know what the hype is all about but aren’t a fan of severed limbs and arteries then I recommend the book. I do want to say something about the female characters though.

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