Archive for 2012
Commenting code
I was digging through some old code this morning when I came across this snippet from what was clearly not a good day of data analysis: I may want to check comments more carefully when I share code.
Science-ese (slight understatement edition)
From Sambaraju et al. 2011: Abundant availability of host trees due to altered disturbance regimes has facilitated an unprecedented, landscape-wide outbreak of this pest in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, during the past decade. Translation: ALL THE TREES ARE DEAD. ALL OF THEM.
Tuesday Shoesday: Space station footwear
Music for folding laundry and watching the sun come up
Dealing with rejection
A few years ago, I applied for and received a really prestigious fellowship. I had to turn it down because they don’t let you take it out of the country (GRRR). But I didn’t give up. I took that application, made it even better, and applied for a similar fellowship in my new country. I […]
Science-ese
From a description of methods for testing pollen viability: It is postulated that membranes change from a continuous state when hydrated to a discontinuous state when dried. As pollen moisture content is reduced, membrane structure alters; in effect, becoming more porous Translation: Pollen membranes crack when they dry out.