Comments on: Accuracy or transparency ?

By: dorigo

dorigo — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:48:42 +0000

Thank you Francisco, input such as yours keeps me going!

Carl, well, sometimes I do have the impression I am ending up writing things I know half as well as many around do. One example was the explanation of convergent or asymptotic series in the calculation of g-2 in the former posts…

Hi Tripitaka, true – that you outline is the main risk in running a blog. And I think I did some damage to myself already in the past, although I have grown a little wiser. In any case there is nothing that really can’t be undone by a sincere apology, if one is willing to give it.

Cheers,
T.

By: Tripitaka

Tripitaka — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:37:29 +0000

I would guess that bloggers are far more likely to offend peers and/or jeapordise future appointments by expressing opinions and value judgments on various matters rather than in making factual errors within their area of expertise. Unless of course the blogger refuses to acknowledge factual errors when they are pointed out, thereby demonstrating to his peers that he is a fool.

A blog without personality is a blog that people are unlikely to visit, but, to the extent a blogger faces professional risks, the risks are likely to arise from letting your personality and views shine through.

By: carlbrannen

carlbrannen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:07:58 +0000

First, there are plenty of famous physicists who have said stuff that turned out to be completely wrong but nevertheless retained their positions as well as their fame. Second, I haven’t noticed any really glaring errors around here, is there something I should have noticed? And third, while somewhere I read that to appear wise, one should keep one’s mouth shut, this is about appearing to be wise, and I doubt you were hired for that.

By: Francisco Barradas-Solas

Francisco Barradas-Solas — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:56:29 +0000

I’m a high-school physics teacher from Spain and I value your blog very much because it helps me in fulfilling my duty (to my students, and my pleasure!) in keeping up to date with research beyond mere popularisations (important as they are) in order to fill the multiple gaps there are (research – teaching, teachers – students…).
For instance, these days you can read and hear in the media about “finding the God particle” and I’m trying to teach my students things such as that you don’t find a new particle in the same way you could bump into a new species in the forest, or to distinguish between media hype and the physicists’ interest in the higgs particle, new physics, the standard model…

Thank you and keep going!