by Len Fisher | 2 Jul 2015 | Stray Thoughts, Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
Stanford philosopher John Perry was awarded a spoof IgNobel Prize for his theory of “structured procrastination.” It took the organizers fifteen years to get round to awarding him the prize, but finally happened in 2011. Now I am getting around to writing about.... 
by Len Fisher | 2 Jun 2015 | Mini Stories from Science, Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
Today (June 2nd) is the 102nd anniversary of Robert Millikan’s publication of his measurements of the charge of the electron. But he had a competitor – the congenial Viennese physicist Felix Ehrenhaft, a frequent host to Einstein and others. So how come Millikan got a... 
by Len Fisher | 4 May 2015 | Food & Gastronomy: Media and Writing, Stray Thoughts, Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
Some years ago I presented a radio programme for BBC Radio 4 on the design of the perfect sports bra. One of our problems in preparing the programme was to work out the appropriate cup dimensions, which I was doing surreptitiously while talking to my producer by... 
by Len Fisher | 21 Apr 2015 | News, Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
Two scientists from the University of Washington in Seattle have come up with a simple, but revolutionary idea: that all scientific articles should be accompanied by lay summaries accessible to the interested non-scientist (http://www.pnas.org/content/112/12/3585). I... by Len Fisher | 21 Feb 2015 | Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
The most effective way of teaching and communicating science that I know is to take students, listeners and viewers behind the scenes to share WHY scientists ask the questions that they do and HOW they go about looking for answers. Unfortunately, many teachers and... by Len Fisher | 13 Jul 2014 | Planning for Life's Crises: Media and Writing, Think Like a Scientist: Media and Writing
Ockham’s Razor, ABC Radio In Australia the topic of fairness is often discussed. For example we ask questions whether it’s fair to raise the retirement age, we question whether our electoral system is fair, whether it’s fair to allow racial abuse for...