All posts by erin

This Is Not Polite Dinner Conversation

Environment, Public Perceptions, Science Policy

Francis and I have been having the most ridiculous conversations over dinner. Apparently we both favor talking about the things you aren’t supposed to talk about like religion, abortion, politics, and even global warming. I guess we are just getting a feel for each other and what we think and believe. Although I have a tendency to provide my opinions about these topics freely, which I suppose thats why getting my own voice out of my reporting was a challenge for me when I first started writing.

But on the topic of global warming, she made a fairly decent argument for why she doesn’t believe in global warming specifically (she does believe in climate change) based on the geologic record of cooling and warming trends, but she is a geologist after all. On the opposing side, I think I also made a good argument in favor of global warming and climate change. In the end it was a respectful parting of opinions, which when you share a small apartment is probably best.

This article in the New York Times reminded me of our global warming conversation, because I think it is another scientific finding that provides evidence in favor of global warming. Extreme heat bleaches coral, and threat is seen by Justin Gillis reports on the mass death of coral reefs due to high water temperatures.

According to the article, with the rising temperatures the coral are far more sensitive, so any other slight disturbance in their environment can send them right over the edge, causing them to lose their color killing the organisms that rely of them. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) scientists believe that 2010 will rival 1998 as the hottest year on record, and probably the most damaging to coral. Not that you can just accept everything NOAA says, but I do think that the article presents a concise and logical argument in favor of a warming trend and its negative affects of coral reefs.

Thats So Nerdcore

Good Writing

I found the article Nerdcore: Hip hop for rhyming geeks from the BBC‘s Jamillah Knowles and Chris Vallance quite entertaining. The article takes a look at a new trend in the hip-hop music scene, self proclaimed nerdy people rapping about the societal struggles that come with being a geek. I’m going to refrain from expressing a staunch opinion on nerdcore rap, but I commend the reporters for chasing down and interesting topic and finding a unique angle with which to talk about the stigma of being a nerd.

I also liked the multimedia components that the reporters incorporated into this story. I think its important to get a picture of what these nerdy rappers look like in addition to hearing their actual rhymes so the video and audio clips to me really made the piece.

On a similar nerdy note, if you’ve never seen the Big Bang Theory on CBS, it is about a young group of professors and researchers (physicists, no less) at a university and it is hilarious.

And Then There Were Ducks

Grad School, My Personal Life
Credit: Erin Podolak

Today I took a walk on the lake front to get some pictures to go with the article on toxins in the lakes that I wrote for my J800 class. I walked for over two hours and gave myself blisters and I ended up mostly taking pictures of ducks.  Good job Erin. 

Although, there is something to be said for simply getting outside and going for a walk. I’ve found that Madison has a lot of good walking trails right near campus that offer you a way to get out and be in semi-natural surroundings without having to go far from the UW campus.

At least they ducks are cute, and I did take a few shots that I can use for my article, mostly warning signs for toxic algae blooms. I’m not sure how I feel about the idea that journalists are supposed to now be able to do all of their own multimedia to accompany their articles. I don’t mind taking pictures because I’ve always liked photography but I definitely couldn’t make some of the graphs and maps that you see accompanying articles. I guess I’ll have to learn to keep up in this business though, and something tells me my ducks certainly won’t cut it.

Book Review: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Book Review, Grad School,

For J669, my literary journalism class, we have to read Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I sat down last night and read it in one shot, it took me about three hours which really wasn’t that bad. Its hard to critique a work like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas because it is so famous, but I do have a few thoughts about it.

fear-loathing-2I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. It was really hard to look at it as a piece of journalism, although I can actually see pretty clearly how the piece is almost like a stream of conscience list of what happened during Thompson’s drug binge in Vegas. I like that he uses a fake name, and that name (Raoul Duke) becomes like a fictional character. I think what made it so hard to take seriously when it was written is that he describes all of his acid trips and subsequent illusions with complete and total seriousness, not really acknowledging that they are just fantasies created by LSD. He also chronicles his paranoia with complete and total certainty, which also gives the piece more of a fiction feel.

Overall I think that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas falls into the realm of journalism because it is a very accurate record of Thompson’s memory of his trip to Vegas. I think its true to his memories, and what isn’t in his memory is apparently on a tape recorder. I think it is what happened during the trip, I just think it rattled cages because it shows such an extreme case of drug use. Its also notable for the fact that he didn’t write either one of the articles he was assigned, the desert race or the drug enforcement meeting.

For anyone who wants to learn more about Hunter S. Thompson I whole heartedly recommend Oscar-Winner Alex Gibney’s documentary film Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and not just because the director is from my hometown. The film tells the story of Thompson’s life from birth, through the peak of his career, to his suicide in 2005. Gibney gets an insider view of Thompson’s funeral, rocket and all. It also has Johnny Depp, which pretty much makes it a win.

Hip Hop Meets Chemistry

Grad School, ,

An interesting article today in the UW paper, “UW-Madison student mixes passions for science, dancing.” The video that accompanies the article is actually pretty awesome, provided you want to see a guy dance hip hop style covered in glowing chemicals, and really who wouldn’t.

The article explains how UW-Madison student Jeffrey Vinokur combined his love for chemistry and dancing to create the act the Dancing Mad Scientist, which finished in the top 100 out of more than 70,000 auditions for the NBC show America’s Got Talent. Vinokur’s hometown is Montvale, New Jersey, so clearly as a Jersey girl myself, it caught my attention.

I think its great that Vinokur is taking his act to schools and helping people get excited about chemistry, but I do have to point out that in the video where he talks about chemiluminescence he never actually explains what it is. He explains how a glow stick works. This is not at all the same thing as explaining WHY certain chemicals glow when you combine them.

If you do want to learn more about chemiluminescence check out this link:
http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Ce-Co/Chemiluminescence.html