There is a new and important article by Kathy Sierra available, that we should all read.
Science
Webcomic OTD: Beliefs vs Evidence
It’s a while since I branched out to new webcomics. Any recommendations?
All those people giving Lego the benefit of the doubt?
The news has come in that the “female scientists” Lego set, produced after a huge grassroots campaign and petition from parents who wanted more variety in female minifigs, will only exist as a limited edition set. Despite selling out almost immediately, it will not be released as a standard line.
Life at 9: discussion thread
Here we are at Life at Nine already. How quickly they grow up! The ABC’s documentary series tracking the growth and development of a sample cross-section of Australian children only appears every two years. The two episodes of this edition are designated ‘Independence’ and ‘Creativity’.
Today in ‘You can’t make this sh*t up’ because no one would believe you’
A nurse-midwife with anti-contraception religious views sues a Family Planning Clinic that declined to hire her.
Science outreach and when glorifying heroes can alienate prospects
When science heroes have a documented history of treating some kinds of people badly, their glorification by science fans can be alienating for members of the groups those heroes treated badly.
[I]t is dangerous to rest your scientific outreach efforts on scientific heroes. […] Science outreach doesn’t just deliver messages about what science knows or about the processes by which that knowledge is built. Science outreach also delivers messages about what kind of people scientists are (and about what kinds of people can be scientists).
Quicklink: Autism not just a boy thing
Virginia Hughes analyses The Sexual Politics of Autism in her National Geographic blog; a meaty overview with lots of juicy links.
Today in someone is wrong on the internet
This is quite a radical proposal to deal with throat cancers caused by the a couple of strains of the HPV virus.
Solstice Whimsy: Megalithic Mini-gardening
Happy June Solstice! Merry Yule/Litha to those who celebrate the circling of the seasons. This solstice whimsy post features an example from the hobby world of miniature gardens: behold the Teacup Stonehenge! Please share any bits and pieces you have come across recently that have surprised, delighted, intrigued or otherwise positively engaged you.
Quote Of The Day: Think Of All The Supervillains
I love the Bad Chart Thursday posts on Skepchick, which mock various exercises in unjustifed extrapolation from datasets compromised by unacknowledged confounding factors or otherwise lacking rigor. This quote comes from the latest: