Good Math, Bad Math is the blog of computer scientists Mark Chu-Carroll, and is one of the definite go-to places for math and all things innumerate. It's hosted on ScienceBlogs, and generally tend towards science content rather than skepticism content.
When Mark Chu-Carroll started his blog, he was a regular commenter at Respectful Insolence, and he claims Orac as his blog-father (meaning his main inspiration), so the blog is firmly grounded in skepticism, and he has, among other things, written debunkings of the mathematical claims of the Discovery Institute.
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Skeptic North
Skeptic North is a fairly new (it's been up since August) blog written by Canadian skeptics. On the welcome page, the blog is described thus:
While the blog is new, many (all?) of the contributors have been writing and talking about skepticism for much longer, and have already contributed great hard-hitting stuff to the blog.
Skeptic North is the first Canada-wide blog for skeptics. There are currently many localized, and regional groups that have been doing absolute yeoman's work for several years, but there has been no blog with a truly nation-spanning scope and reach.
This is where we come in.
We've cobbled together a rag-tag team of skeptic misfits from across the country to provide you with a one-stop shopping destination for all things Canadian-skeptic related. We're not limited to just Canadian issues, but if it's a skeptical concern in Canada, we'll be covering it.
While the blog is new, many (all?) of the contributors have been writing and talking about skepticism for much longer, and have already contributed great hard-hitting stuff to the blog.
Bad Astronomy
Bad Astronomy is the blog of Phil Plait, who is an astronomer, the author of two books (Bad Astronomy and Death from the Skies!), and the current president of the JREF.
The Bad Astronomy blog is a spin-off of the book by the same name, and focuses mostly on astronomy related subjects - often the pseudo-scientific ones (e.g. moon landing hoax). Occasionally other skeptic subjects will be thrown in as well.
The blog is hosted at the website of the Discover Magazine
Related links:
Bad Astronomy archive
The Bad Astronomy blog is a spin-off of the book by the same name, and focuses mostly on astronomy related subjects - often the pseudo-scientific ones (e.g. moon landing hoax). Occasionally other skeptic subjects will be thrown in as well.
The blog is hosted at the website of the Discover Magazine
Related links:
Bad Astronomy archive
The Young Australian Skeptics
It's hard to say whether The Young Australian Skeptics is a website or a blog - while the front page is a blog, there is also a forum, and a podcast ("Pseudo Scientists" which I will cover in a later post).
In the end, I'll go with it being both a website and a blog. No rule against a resource belonging to more than one category.
The Young Australian Skeptics, are - as the name says - young, Australian Skeptics, and tend to write about things from a youthful and slightly Australian perspective. They also have a somewhat anti-religious bent.
In the end, I'll go with it being both a website and a blog. No rule against a resource belonging to more than one category.
The Young Australian Skeptics, are - as the name says - young, Australian Skeptics, and tend to write about things from a youthful and slightly Australian perspective. They also have a somewhat anti-religious bent.
PodBlack Cat
Internet skepticism has long been dominated by the US, but in the last couple of years, a large continent of skeptics from other countries have emerged. Especially Australia seems to have become prominent in online skepticism. Much of this is due to people like Kylie Sturgess who runs the blog PodBlack Cat.
Kylie Sturgess is an active participant in the both the online and offline skeptical activities: participating in conferences, giving interviews to podcasts and magazines, arranging Perth's Skeptics in the Pub etc. This is of course reflected in her blog, where she will write about these activities, as well as make comments on the broader trends in the skeptic movement (e.g. sexism in the skeptical movement). Having said that, the blog obviously contains much more than that, and should be a daily read for everybody.
When you're at the blog, notice the Essays and Research page, which takes you to links to "blog entries that are more research-based and essay-length". These are great reads.
Kylie Sturgess is an active participant in the both the online and offline skeptical activities: participating in conferences, giving interviews to podcasts and magazines, arranging Perth's Skeptics in the Pub etc. This is of course reflected in her blog, where she will write about these activities, as well as make comments on the broader trends in the skeptic movement (e.g. sexism in the skeptical movement). Having said that, the blog obviously contains much more than that, and should be a daily read for everybody.
When you're at the blog, notice the Essays and Research page, which takes you to links to "blog entries that are more research-based and essay-length". These are great reads.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
NeuroLogica Blog
NeuroLogica Blog is the blog of Steve Novella, M.D., and is described as "Your Daily Fix of Neuroscience, Skepticism, and Critical Thinking".
Given Steve Novella's background, it's probably unsurprising that the main focus of the his skepticism is related to medical issues, such as anti-vaccination, alternative medicine, and other types of quackery.
Given Steve Novella's background, it's probably unsurprising that the main focus of the his skepticism is related to medical issues, such as anti-vaccination, alternative medicine, and other types of quackery.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bad Science
Bad Science is several things - a book, a column in the Guardian, and Bad Science, all of which are written by Ben Goldacre. The focus of all of these are mostly on bad science reporting and medical issues (Ben Goldacre is a doctor).
Most of the content of the blog is from the Guardian column, and is thus orientated towards issues in the UK. This doesn't mean, however, that the blog isn't worth reading for people outside the UK - the underlying issues are usually global.
Most of the content of the blog is from the Guardian column, and is thus orientated towards issues in the UK. This doesn't mean, however, that the blog isn't worth reading for people outside the UK - the underlying issues are usually global.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Bronze dog
Bronze dog is a skeptic who deals with all sorts of skeptic subjects. He is, however, probably best known for his Doggerel posts, in which he takes on phrases that are "misused, abused, or just plain meaningless."
The Panda's Thumb
The Panda's Thumb can be considered the blogging arm of TalkOrigins.
The main focus of The Panda's Thumb has always been the fight against intelligent design, especially the misinformation spread by the Discovery Institute, but there are also frequently posts about new developments in biology and related fields.
The original cast of The Pandas Thumb reads like a who's who of early life science bloggers. Not all of these people are still active writing at the blog, but it's still a group blog, with multiple contributors.
The main focus of The Panda's Thumb has always been the fight against intelligent design, especially the misinformation spread by the Discovery Institute, but there are also frequently posts about new developments in biology and related fields.
The original cast of The Pandas Thumb reads like a who's who of early life science bloggers. Not all of these people are still active writing at the blog, but it's still a group blog, with multiple contributors.
Grassroots Skeptics
A resource for connecting skeptics with other skeptics in their local area.
Grassroots Skeptics is a quite new resource (from September, 2009), and so far, it seems mostly to be utilized by US skeptics. Hopefully, it will become more global in reach over time.
Two of the three people behind Grassroots Skeptics also blogs at Skepchick.
Grassroots Skeptics is a quite new resource (from September, 2009), and so far, it seems mostly to be utilized by US skeptics. Hopefully, it will become more global in reach over time.
Two of the three people behind Grassroots Skeptics also blogs at Skepchick.
RealClimate
RealClimate is a blog focusing on anthropogenic global warming and issues related to the debate about this. Written by scientists working within the relevant fields, the agenda of the blog is defined thus:
While they clearly state that they won't go into the political or economic implications, they are quite willing to address falsehoods spread by politicians and economists.
Many global warming deniers claim that RealClimate is biased, since the writers have an economical interest in AGW being real - this is of course complete nonsense, and the site is great resource for not only getting to know about the latest research, but also for answering common claims by AGW deniers.
RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science. All posts are signed by the author(s), except ‘group’ posts which are collective efforts from the whole team.
While they clearly state that they won't go into the political or economic implications, they are quite willing to address falsehoods spread by politicians and economists.
Many global warming deniers claim that RealClimate is biased, since the writers have an economical interest in AGW being real - this is of course complete nonsense, and the site is great resource for not only getting to know about the latest research, but also for answering common claims by AGW deniers.
Skeptico
Skeptico is one of the grand old men of skeptic blogging, having been around since February 2005. He gives the following reason for the existence of his blog:
He posts less frequently than most other bloggers, but when he posts, the posts tend to be long, well researched, and well-argued.
Everyone I meet seems to believe in some irrational nonsense. Anti-vaccination myths, alternative medicine, auras, astrology, ghosts, global consciousness, indigo children, psychics, psychokinesis, reincarnation, religion… the list is endless.
The denialists are just as bad. Evolution deniers want to teach “intelligent design” as though it were science. Global warming deniers (irritatingly, calling themselves "skeptics"), claim global warming isn't real, or isn't caused by humans.
Generically, these things are what skeptics call Woo - pseudo-scientific and often anti-scientific ideas - ideas that are irrational and not based on evidence commensurate with the extraordinary nature of the claim.
I started this site as an antidote to all the woo.
He posts less frequently than most other bloggers, but when he posts, the posts tend to be long, well researched, and well-argued.
Skepchick
Skepchick was created by Rebecca Watson, but is the group effort of 18 writers, of which 17 are female.
Skepchick is, as the name indicates, a skeptic site, and deals with all sorts of skepticism.
The Skepchick site is also know for the pin-up calenders; the Skepchick calender and the Skepdude calender.
There has been talk about a Skepchick podcast, but it hasn't yet taken off.
Skepchick is, as the name indicates, a skeptic site, and deals with all sorts of skepticism.
The Skepchick site is also know for the pin-up calenders; the Skepchick calender and the Skepdude calender.
There has been talk about a Skepchick podcast, but it hasn't yet taken off.
Respectful Insolence
Written by a pseudonymous research sturgeon blogger, Orac, Respectful Insolence is one of the top blogs when it comes to skepticism, especially related to pseudo-medicine, such as homeopathy and other types of "alternative medicine". Orac also occasionally writes about Holocaust denial.
Orac has been especially noteworthy in being a vocal participant in first the autism-vaccination debate on the internet and later the fight against the anti-vaccination crowd.
He doesn’t blog much about religion, except when it leads to medical quackery.
Related links:
Archived insolence - the first version of the blog, before it moved to ScienceBlogs
Orac has been especially noteworthy in being a vocal participant in first the autism-vaccination debate on the internet and later the fight against the anti-vaccination crowd.
He doesn’t blog much about religion, except when it leads to medical quackery.
Related links:
Archived insolence - the first version of the blog, before it moved to ScienceBlogs
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Pharyngula
When one talk about science blogs, one cannot get around Pharyngula, which is the flagship blog of the ScienceBlogs, at least when you look at the sheer amount of traffic.
It's run by Dr. P.Z. Myers, a biologist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Myers is a vocal atheist, and is often more known for this aspect of his blogging, but he is also a prolific blogger on the subject of science, though it might not appear so, since the science posts might drown in the sheer amount of blogging he does.
On the front of skepticism, PZ Myers focuses on debunking claims by creationists and the intelligent design crowd, especially those made by the Discovery Institute.
The comment section of Pharyngula is rowdy, and not for the faint-at-heart, but many of the regular commenters are highly knowledgeable on their fields, and it can be a learning experience to read through the comment section, when a scientific conversation is happening.
The finest moment of the Pharyngula commenters was probably when they uncovered plagiarism in a peer-reviewed paper, which seemed to be advocating creationism (a full description of this incident can be found here: Creationism Slips Into a Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Related links:
Pharyngula archives - the content of the original Pharyngula blog, before it moved to ScienceBlogs
It's run by Dr. P.Z. Myers, a biologist and assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Myers is a vocal atheist, and is often more known for this aspect of his blogging, but he is also a prolific blogger on the subject of science, though it might not appear so, since the science posts might drown in the sheer amount of blogging he does.
On the front of skepticism, PZ Myers focuses on debunking claims by creationists and the intelligent design crowd, especially those made by the Discovery Institute.
The comment section of Pharyngula is rowdy, and not for the faint-at-heart, but many of the regular commenters are highly knowledgeable on their fields, and it can be a learning experience to read through the comment section, when a scientific conversation is happening.
The finest moment of the Pharyngula commenters was probably when they uncovered plagiarism in a peer-reviewed paper, which seemed to be advocating creationism (a full description of this incident can be found here: Creationism Slips Into a Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Related links:
Pharyngula archives - the content of the original Pharyngula blog, before it moved to ScienceBlogs
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