JohnRennie.net

Some of my articles and essays for various publications can be found by following the links below.

IEEE SPECTRUM

• “The Social Era of the Web Starts Now” (June 2011). An introduction to IEEE Spectrum’s special report on the rise of the new social web.
• “Ray Kurzweil’s Slippery Futurism” (December 2010). The National Medal of Technology recipient has a reputation as a stunningly prescient tech visionary, which is part of why his predictions of a coming Singularity carry so much credibility. But an examination of his track record to date suggests that his prophecies aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

• SA Perspectives: “Okay, We Give Up” (April 2005). A satirical response to anti-scientific criticisms.
• “Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Integrity Displayed” (April 9, 2008) and “Six Things in Expelled That Ben Stein Doesn’t Want You to Know…” (with Steve Mirsky). Takedowns of the deplorable antievolution film. A related podcast interview is here.
• “15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense” (July 2002) (SciAm archive preview). Debunking some of the most common false arguments against evolution science.
• “Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense” (Nov. 30, 2009). Refutations of some common false arguments against climate change concerns. A related podcast interview is here.
• “A Response to Lomborg’s Rebuttal” (April 15, 2002). My lengthy refutation of Bjorn Lomborg’s own lengthy dismissal of the critical article “Misleading Math about the Earth” (Jan. 2002).
• “The Cold Odds against Columbia” (Feb. 7, 2003). My commentary on the senselessness of the Columbia shuttle disaster.
• “My Moon Landing” (July 2009). My farewell essay for Scientific American.
• “See No Evil” (May 2009). An essay: Primates can be dangerous, especially the human ones.
• “Qatar to get cord-blood bank, thanks to Virgin’s Branson” (March 17, 2009). News story from Doha.
• “Dennis Flanagan, a Proud ‘Renaissance Hack’” (Jan. 25, 2005). Obituary for one of the founders of the modern Scientific American.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

• “The Ice That Burns: Are Methane Hydrates the Next Big Resource?”, Txchnologist (May 27, 2011). A look at the potential for methane hydrates to become a commercially significant source of natural gas in the future.
• “Time for change in science journalism?”, The Guardian online (January 26, 2011), www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/26/science-online-2011-journalism-blogs. My argument that professional science journalism needs to become less dependent on journal press releases.
• “Should there be less science news?”, Association of British Science Writers web site (Nov. 16, 2009). A debate with Jenny Leonard, editor of Futurity.com.
• “Fossils of Early Man: The Finds and the News,” The New York Times (June 25, 1996). Review of an exhibit on human evolution at the American Museum of Natural History.