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Typically, science journalism covers new studies that have not yet been replicated with very little to indicate that this is really a fairly preliminary result. Sometimes these studies have very small sample sizes. Sometimes they're sponsored by organization that have a vested interest in a particular outcome. Still, the findings get repeated as fact, sometimes to be contradicted later.
This can lead to a general distrust in science, as well as a confused public.
So here's my idea: I'd like to create a labeling system, somewhat similar to the warning labels on video games and so forth, that could be used to provide some context for writings about scientific studies.
-Small sample size
-Medium sample size
-Large sample size
-Potential conflict of interest
-Unreplicated study
-Study replicated: *** Times
Once a system was worked out, I'd pay someone to design icons for the labels. The *s could be replaced with some sort of graphic.
I'd use the system at Technoccult, obviously, but release it to the public so that other bloggers and journalists could use it as well. Publications could put them at the beginning of articles about studies, or incorporate it somewhere into the design to tip readers of easily and prominently as to the status of the study.
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From http://technoccult.net/archives/2011/06/17/labelingrating-system-for-scientific-studies/
Technovelgy has an impressive timeline listing the introduction of various concepts in science fiction. Here’s a taste:
1634 Weightlessness (Kepler) (from Somnium (The Dream) by Johannes Kepler)
1638 Weightlessness (Godwin) – first discovery of concept (from The Man in the Moone by Francis Godwin)
1657 Moon Machine – very early description (from A Voyage to the Moon by Cyrano de Bergerac)
1726 Bio-Energy – produce electricity from organic material (from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)
1726 Laputa – a floating island (from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)
1726 Knowledge Engine – machine-made expertise (from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)
1726 Geometric Modeling – eighteenth century NURBS (from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift)
1828 Stage Balloon (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Henry Loudon)
1828 Steam-Propelled Moving Houses (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Henry Loudon)
1828 Barrels of Air (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Henry Loudon)
1828 Mail-Post Letter-Ball (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Henry Loudon)
1866 Paper Steel (from Robur-the-Conqueror by Jules Verne)
Technovelgy: Timeline of Science Fiction Ideas
(via Boing Boing)
See also: Map of the History of Fantasy and Science Fiction, From Gilgamesh to Battlestar Gallactica
From http://technoccult.net/archives/2011/05/05/sci-fi-history-timeline-of-science-fiction-ideas/
Technoccult BrainSwarm is a brand new experimental project. It’s an idea management system for practically any idea.
Idea management is usually used by corporations looking for customer feedback (Dell’s IdeaStorm and My Starbucks Idea are two examples), or by governments looking for ideas from citizens (such as the White House Open Government Dialogue).
BrainSwarm is a different sort of idea site. It’s not dedicated to generating ideas for any particular government or company. It’s a place for any sort of idea. I hope it can be a launchpad for projects. By posting an idea to BrainSwarm, you can get feedback on an idea, and either find collaborators or just share it and hope someone else picks the idea up.
It’s powered by IdeaScale, which I think is mostly used by government sites. It has a points system, comments and some basic social media integration. If this takes off, I’d be willing to upgrade to a professional account with more features, or possibly work on creating some custom software. Right now I just want to see where this goes.
From http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Technoccult/~3/NHTmZ0ZglTk/
