read this

http://www.lablit.com/article/361

It's the second installment of a four-parter. I guess that means I should direct you to the first installment, but if you want to read that you can navigate to it from the bottom of this page. :)

before anyone beats me to the punch

Stats for my blog.

Average syllables per word: 1.99
% of words with 4+ syllables: 18.9%
Average # of words per sentence: 4.55

Ouch. At least, I know I'm a hypocrite - but I'm proud of the 4.55 words per sentence. :)

words

Scientists like to use big words. They (we) think they sound smarter if their (our) sentences are peppered with numerous 4+ syllable words, usually adjectives they (we) just invented to more accurately modify their field's jargon. For fun, I looked up some stats on the average number of syllables per word in a randomly selected journal article, a leading newspaper, and a random website (not this one, but another blog).

journal article: 1.82
newspaper: 1.75
website: 1.36

Ok, how about percentage of words containing 4+ syllables:

journal article: 12.35%
newspaper: 9.15%
website: 1.6%

I think my point is clear.

(As an aside, the journal article contains 8.62 words per sentence, compared to 3.67 words per sentence in a newspaper. The random website averaged out at 8.2 words per sentence, which I found interesting - though after a moment's thought not too surprising. A newspaper strives to convey the most information in the briefest format possible - just look at the headlines, which tend to the ridiculous because of the need to conserve precious space on the printed page. Blogs are essentially unconcerned with length - or efficient transfer of information - and rarely show signs of editing out verbosity. Curiously, however, journal articles, which should feel similar pressures as newspapers, fail to succumb to the need for brevity, unfortunately.)

We mock Bush and media pundits for using words with extra syllables thrown on at the end, without acknowledging that we do it too.

Take for instance the word dynamical (the use of which brought about my need to rant this morning). When did it become normal to throw this word around instead of the more elegant dynamic? Is 4 syllables better than 3?

Wikipedia states, "The dynamical system concept is a mathematical formalization for any fixed "rule" which describes the time dependence of a point's position in its ambient space."

Who is going to learn what "dynamical systems" are by reading this sentence? No one. It is only for the already initiated.

I also hate when people start sentences with furthermore when further does just fine.

more on the plight of postdocs

In a recent issue of Science, an article appeared highlighting recent announcements of funding opportunities for tenure-track faculty (from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute) and junior graduate students (from the National Science Foundation). While this funding is great news for those just starting out on the academic road and those already established, the article points out that, "For the tens of thousands of young researchers caught in the middle--those who have finished their graduate work but find themselves trapped in other people's labs, unable to escape to establish their own--the current plans offer nothing. The new initiatives neither increase the number of tenure-track or comparable jobs for which postdocs can compete nor offer any alternate framework in which frustrated scientists could pursue careers."

When will the community wake up to these problems?

The article ends by saying, "But the fact that these efforts completely ignore postdocs--and the big-picture dysfunction in the current science-career landscape--ought to serve as a sign of a different kind: that those academic careers will be open to only a small, select minority. The rest would be well advised to seek opportunities elsewhere. And policymakers need to give serious thought to the danger that the increasingly brutal--and for the overwhelming majority, futile--competition to join the tenured, funded elite is very likely persuading our most talented young people to seek careers in fields that offer a better shot at success than science does, to the detriment of the nation's scientific enterprise."

The question remains: how will all these talented postdocs, who see no future for themselves in academia, go about finding jobs in markets they are wholly unfamiliar with?

facebook

Today I think the more friends I have on facebook, the fewer friends I feel like I have in real life.

pictures from our last party

They are spread about the internet. Here's a list of places to find them:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/giantkoi/sets/72157604178512910/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninagray/sets/72157604408007078/
http://picasaweb.google.com/bilja505/NinaSParty?authkey=Z6_BAUxSIUY

I'll add more links as people continue posting stuff.

a few years too late?

Another quiz result:

Which College Major Should You Be?
	Your major should be part Engineering. Logic is your friend. With enough work, you can find a solution to anything... Unless it involves dating or parties.
	Your major should be part Art. You are sensitive, creative, and you don't follow established rules. Unfortunately, you'll have to follow some rules if you ever want that promotion at Starbucks.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

something cool

I admit this constitutes biased plugging, but a website called Schmap selected one of my flickr photos from Italy to include on their site.

http://www.schmap.com/italy/churches/#p=57345&i=57345_4.jpg

I also added a widget from their site on the left.

I haven't played around with the site yet, but it looks intriguing. A very interactive and visual interface to explore the sights of various locales; I also noticed that it has a tool for hotel reservations that links to priceline, which seems nice. I will report back after checking it out more thoroughly for my next couple trips (not that I know where or when those will be).