jphc-policywonk

[jphc-policywonk]

I'm always glad to see a null finding reported, so I liked this paper (PDF) by Robert Fairlie and Jonathan Robinson about what happened when they gave computers to randomly selected California schoolkids whose families had no computer at home. The short answer is nothing. The slightly longer answer is...

[jphc-policywonk]

'Jurassic Park' is the greatest science story ever told. This is a truth into which I was initiated on my very first viewing, terrified and rapt, a few days after I concluded first grade — after which 'Jurassic Park' held for some time the status not just of Best Science Movie but Best Movie Ever. I have seen it, let us say, more than a few times. This spring, it is enjoying a brief re-release in commemoration of its twentieth anniversary and acknowledgment of the cinematic and commercial marvel of IMAX 3D, into which it has been converted. I could not, of course, pass up the opportunity to see it once again like never before on the big screen, and my youthful assessment of the movie’s greatness has been vindicated.

[jphc-policywonk]

Global climate change will push sea levels higher and higher.

[jphc-policywonk]

The Ecologist looks at the environmental and ecological impacts of the Maine lobster catch, including the push to turn fishing communities into upscale residential communities.

[jphc-policywonk]

The Atlantic has the story on a virtual worm that is being simulated over the Internet.

[jphc-policywonk]

The Guardian has an editorial from a mother who regretted ignoring the vaccination schedule after her child caught whooping cough.

[jphc-policywonk]

The Department of the Army has announced tuition assistance for active and reserve component members has ceased due to sequestration.

[jphc-policywonk]

The internal combustion engine (ICE) continues to power the world over 100 years after it became mainstream. In fact engineers still haven’t found a viable way to better it. Combustion engines comprise a cylinder, within which is housed a piston and connecting rod. The piston is attached to a crank at the bottom, and as it moves up and down in the cylinder, the crank rotates. Importantly, this is how power is transferred to the wheels.

The force driving the piston is created at the top of the cylinder, in the combustion chamber. A combustion engine operates by harnessing the energy of intermittent explosions, lots of them in succession every minute. This converts a tiny drop of fuel into a force that turns the road wheels, driving the car. Most engines run these explosions right on the cusp of them becoming uncontrollable – that’s where maximum power is produced.

Through a series of valves, a fuel and air mix enters this chamber, and is compressed. It is then either ignited (petrol) or spontaneously combusts (diesel); the resultant explosion kicks the piston back down in the cylinder.

(click on the picture to see it as it moves)

[jphc-policywonk]

This is generally true for statistics, too.

It’s tempting.

And true. 

[jphc-policywonk]

Tomorrow’s cover today: on the internet, everything is for hire.

[jphc-policywonk]

Allan Savory looks at how to green the desert and reverse climate change.

[jphc-policywonk]

(Sorry to single you out, Brookings, but your logo is just so pretty.)

We tend not to attract attention when we write about think tanks. That’s not necessarily surprising, since plenty of our readers don’t know what a think tank is or what they do. But one of your editors works at a think tank, and in our nobler moments we like to think of Wonkistan as a think tank in miniature: trying to make complicated ideas intelligible and accessible without sacrificing nuance, and having interesting and revealing conversations along the way.

Harvard fellow Marie Newhouse just launched a new blog entitled “The High Horse,” which examines the ethics and responsibilities associated with the think-tank world. In her inaugural post, she explains why this investigation matters, pointing out that think-tankers have the burden of trying to square academic rigor with relevance:

To be ethical, a think tank scholar must adhere to good epistemic practices regardless of where they lead her.  To be successful, she must generate findings that will interest constituencies in media and government and arrive at conclusions that do not appear to undermine her employer’s overarching institutional commitment to advance the cause of a just and humane society.  In my experience, scholars work very hard to maintain good research practices amid potentially conflicting professional imperatives.  But it is not always an easy task, and widespread reluctance to discuss this challenge can give rise to a sense of isolation that makes it more difficult.

(Wonkistan previously covered the moral dilemmas of think-tank work here.)

[jphc-policywonk]

How GM Makes $1 Billion A Year By Recycling Waste

The automaker generates an eye-popping $1 billion a year reusing or recycling materials that would otherwise be thrown away — everything from scrap steel and paint sludge to cardboard boxes and worn-out tires. It’s an unexpected but welcome revenue stream that comes from rethinking its approach to waste reduction.

Full Story: Forbes

[jphc-policywonk]

The Long Now Blog discusses flood control for long-term sustainability.

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The Washington Post's WonkBlog writes about Amtrak and it's ongoing financial losses.

[jphc-policywonk]

Miami Herald Editorial on Wind Insurance

Frank Artiles writes in the Miami Herald about Florida's approach to wind insurance.

[jphc-policywonk]

Michael J. Fox Foundation Supports Open Research

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research has lobbied Congress and the White House to provide open access to research faster.