Monthly Archives: August 2009

Geek Child Care

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Uber-geek childcare video: Linux Baby Rocker, found via boingboing's Scripting a PC CD-tray to rock the baby to sleep.

Cute & cool.

Posted in Etc | 2 Comments

Great Things from South Carolina

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

S. Carolina Lt. Gov André Bauer has suddenly subscribed me to his PR list (without asking), and sends me this urgent message:

Lt. Governor to Hold Press Conference Wednesday, August 26.

Lt. Governor André Bauer will issue a major public statement concerning the ongoing investigation of Governor Mark Sanford today at 12:00 pm on the first floor of the Statehouse.

Could it be that Lt. Gov. Bauer (whose web page self-congratulates as “South Carolina's Hardest Working Elected Official”) has some national aspirations?

Posted in Politics: The Party of Sleaze | 1 Comment

Truth Gets Its Boots On

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

From MediaMatters, Debunking The Latest Conservative Health Care Smear: “Death Book For Veterans”

Posted in Health Care | 17 Comments

Can It Really Be that People Are More Credulous Today?

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Boing Boing points to a study showing that the Placebo effect is getting stronger. I take this to mean that people today are more credulous.

Which may explain Fox 'News'? How else to make sense of articles such as today's NYT story on a good man driven to activism by total misinformation,

The Colliers are committed conservatives who have voted Republican in presidential elections since 1980. They receive much of their information from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh’s radio program and Matt Drudge’s Web site.

Posted in Science/Medicine | 7 Comments

We’re Hiring: Build Your Own Dream Team

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

New Dean, new ideas: This year's annual promo message from the Appointments Committee had the usual stuff about wanting to hire great people at the entry level and as laterals. And it also had an unusual wrinkle:

… we especially invite applications from groups of faculty with complementary interests.

That doesn't (necessarily) mean a group of faculty from one institution — on the contrary, the idea is that a group of faculty from different institutions might choose to converge here in order to collaborate.

In short, it's an invitation to build your own dream team. One we can afford as we have twelve new faculty lines — plus some old ones — to fill.

I'm not the relevant committee this year, but I'm happy to act as a conduit for people more comfortable dealing with someone they know. Or folks can write directly to the Chair of the Appointments Committee, Robert Rosen.

Posted in U.Miami | 1 Comment

Batting Practice Will Never Be the Same

Posted on August 24, 2009 by Michael Froomkin

Wait until they teach this High-Speed Robot Hand to throw a curveball.

Posted in Science/Medicine | 3 Comments