Category Archives: Science

Scrivener and Writing Technical Manuscripts

I’m working on a technical science manuscript. Most science types default to MSWord, or OpenOffice, and LaTeX for technical writing. I don’t like any of those.

There’s this writing software out there called Scrivener. I was introduced to Scrivener after winning my first NaNoWriMo in November of 2011. Primarily, Scrivener is marketed toward writers of fiction, or of books, but it has application well beyond that. I can tell you that I use it for almost all of my writing, if what I’m working on is more than 1,000 words long.Continue reading “Scrivener and Writing Technical Manuscripts”

Professional Meetings and Exercise – Why Dancing Matters

I’m currently in Calgary attending the Advances in Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications (ASITA) meeting. This, like all professional meetings, is a challenge for people who like to work out daily. There just isn’t enough hours in the day, it seems, to attend the various parts of the meeting and get a good workout in.Continue reading “Professional Meetings and Exercise – Why Dancing Matters”

On the Necessity of Specialist Meetings – #ASITA2013

I am writing this from a classroom at the University of Calgary, where I’m attending a conference called ASITA (Advances in Stable Isotope Techniques and Applications). I’ve been tweeting about it here (Apparently, though, I’m the only one tweeting. Maybe others will join next year.)

Continue reading “On the Necessity of Specialist Meetings – #ASITA2013”

The Mystery of the Delta Value – Why ‰ isn’t Parts Per Thousand

I’m about to gripe. But it’s a science gripe. It’s a technical gripe. It’s about stable isotopes. If you aren’t interested in stable isotopes, I suggest you tune out now.

There’s this thing in stable isotopes, especially the so-called ‘light’ isotopes like hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. It’s called the ‘delta’ value. When we say what the stable isotopic measurement of something is, we say ‘the delta value is blah-blah-blah.’ The value is always in the units of permil (‰).

“δ13C of warm-season grasses is -14‰.”Continue reading “The Mystery of the Delta Value – Why ‰ isn’t Parts Per Thousand”