Ultimate proof that evolution is real

If this doesn't convince you we're closely related to the apes, I don't know what will.

Challenge grant haiku

Twenty thousand grants.
Overload the reviewers.
NIH. Turkeys.

Blog on, blog off

I was very disappointed to read about Damn Good Technician being forced to shut down her blog. Apparently her superiors in Big Pharma weren't overly impressed with what she had to say. This event has had others wondering about the prudence of continuing to blog or to outline their personal rules of blogging.

It's got me thinking too. My first post to this blog was on September 22, 2005. In four and a half years I've blathered on about politics, spam, making tenure (or not), teaching, obesity, grants, vending machines, ipods, plagiarism, research, and a plethora of other nonsense. There are plenty of clues sprinkled throughout as to whom I am and where I work. It wouldn't take much to find me.

And so I've been considering shutting things down. After all, who needs the hassle that would follow from my colleagues and superiors figuring out I was blogging about them? Just not worth it.

Thus dear readers, I bid you adieu.









Screw that. I have almost 10,000 hits. You didn't really think I was going stop now did you?

Dear Reference Letter Writer

Thank you so much for your letter of reference for the student who applied to our NSF REU program. It was so very informative. Knowing that the student's favorite activity is reading will truly aid our decision process. So much more than the information we requested, such as their research potential, ability to work with others, or even classroom performance. I can fully understand why you have given them the "strongest possible recommendation."



And of course you clearly understood that no apologies were necessary for sending in your reference letter two months past the deadline.