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1. shireb+(OP)[view] [source] 2023-08-03 12:08:32
Going to have to start following this Derek Lowe guy. He also had a good balanced bit on room temp superconductor. Well done science reporting without the hyperbole.
replies(5): >>flobos+L >>thenip+v3 >>ethbr0+R5 >>realPt+EG >>kgwgk+z91
2. flobos+L[view] [source] 2023-08-03 12:13:16
>>shireb+(OP)
You’re in for a treat! Check out his “Things I Won't Work With” series.
replies(1): >>jagged+03
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3. jagged+03[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 12:25:08
>>flobos+L
One of the classics, his take on Chlorine Trifluoride (!!!!)

https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/sand-won-t-save-yo...

"It is also hypergolic with such things as cloth, wood, and test engineers, not to mention asbestos, sand, and water --- with which it reacts explosively."

- John D Clark, Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants

replies(2): >>wiredf+Eg >>vander+Fy
4. thenip+v3[view] [source] 2023-08-03 12:27:39
>>shireb+(OP)
Plus he pitched a no hitter for the Red Sox in 2002. What a well rounded guy.
replies(1): >>FeteCo+4T
5. ethbr0+R5[view] [source] 2023-08-03 12:39:23
>>shireb+(OP)
> Well done science reporting without the hyperbole.

He's been doing it for 20 years.

https://www.statnews.com/2016/03/05/derek-lowe-chemist-blogg...

He also had an excellent series on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates during the height of the COVID media insanity. It was one of the few places to get a balanced, informed take on different approaches. Specifically, discussing the uncertainty bounds around results.

Definitely a gifted science communicator. (No small skill, to distill but not pol/dilute!)

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6. wiredf+Eg[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 13:38:39
>>jagged+03
That’s a very interesting book if you have a passing knowledge of chemistry. Findable on the web in pdf form.
replies(3): >>Waffle+yh >>r2_pil+Fl >>rtsil+7O1
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7. Waffle+yh[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 13:41:58
>>wiredf+Eg
That's a good option, though I also enjoyed the audiobook of Ignition! on Audible.
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8. r2_pil+Fl[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 13:59:53
>>wiredf+Eg
Ignition! has also now been reprinted and is well worth the purchase and read.
replies(1): >>wiredf+wx
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9. wiredf+wx[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 14:51:36
>>r2_pil+Fl
Cool, when I read it it was pdf or $300 used copies.
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10. vander+Fy[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 14:57:39
>>jagged+03
After which I recommend continuing with: https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/things-i-won-t-wor...
11. realPt+EG[view] [source] 2023-08-03 15:36:33
>>shireb+(OP)
In case you’ve missed it. His blogposts at Science.org are available here: https://www.science.org/blogs/pipeline

I’ve had it bookmarked for a couple of years. Worth visiting twice or trice a year, or even more frequently.

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12. FeteCo+4T[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 16:32:47
>>thenip+v3
Haha, had to check that one to be sure (two different people).
13. kgwgk+z91[view] [source] 2023-08-03 17:41:57
>>shireb+(OP)
I used to read his blog regularly and his name in the submission title is what caught my attention. It has been removed for some reason - not an improvement in my opinion.
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14. rtsil+7O1[view] [source] [discussion] 2023-08-03 20:49:34
>>wiredf+Eg
I have a rusty, high-school knowledge of chemistry and Ignition made me love it (well, the part of it that is prone to explosion and corrosion). And I confirm, it's available in paper form.
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