Recommended reads #194

A series of photos of from US public lands from photographer Bob Wick, most of which are jawdroppingly gorgeous. And a lot of them are from California.

An interview about time management

The difference between Science Communication and Science Journalism

The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America has published an update to the classic article about How to Get Into Grad School in Eco/Evo Biology. Basically it tells people preparing for grad school how to work within the system. Of course, the folks who have more resources available to them will be better positioned to leverage this effective advice. I think this is a must-read for less experienced folks going through the process, just so you know what you’re dealing with. What we really need, though, is a step-by-step guide to create an equitable and accessible graduate program.

Speaking of which, Code-Switching and Assimilation in STEM Culture: “The scientific community cannot claim it is becoming a diverse and inclusive culture based on numbers alone—not if professionals who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color must leave themselves behind to be part of it.”

So there was a guy in the Catholic Church who got in trouble with them for being gay and using Grindr. This article is about how he got ‘found out’ using commercially available data about what and where his phone was doing, and how little privacy we have.

Why do so few men read books by women? (I’ve been thinking about this for quite a long time, because even though I do make a point of seeking out books by people coming from experiences and perspectives different from my own background, I consistently find myself gravitating towards books written by men. I say ‘gravitating’ because it feels like it’s a passive thing that happens to me, even though I’ve enjoyed the books written by women just as much as those by men, most recently NK Jemisin, Barbara Kingsolver, Jia Tolentino. But when I look at my pile of to-read books, which is precariously and ridiculously high, why am I more likely to reach for the books by men if I don’t make a point to do so otherwise, when I consciously know that I won’t enjoy them more? Do I feel differently about AS Byatt because I know she’s a woman?)

“As a doctor in a COVID unit, I’m running out of ccompassion for the unvaccinated.”

I first heard of the Havana Syndrome this week, and I think it’s very curious.