In the spirit of Thanksgiving I’d like to give thanks to the many things science, tech, or otherwise that have provided me with a sense of wonderment, a moment of joy, a chuckle, or a LOL over the past year.

• I’m thankful for the rapid development of internet technologies which allow me easy access to a wealth of media (a.k.a distractions) from awesome experimental data to cultural gems like this.
• I’m thankful for the reference books, papers, and tools available on Pubmed, without which hours of toil may have turned into weeks or months.
• I’d like to give thanks to the many science blogs that populate my Google Reader. The science blogosphere is something I’ve found and come to love over the past year. From Aetiology to Mystery Rays from Outer Space (and everyone else in the blog roll!) the content, breadth and discussion continue to impress me day in and day out.
• I’m thankful that many scientists defy the stereotype of being resistant to change by actively taking a role in the adoption of internet technologies not only to alter the way they work or store data, but to advocate a revolution in the way science is communicated. Discussions about Open Notebook Science can only help the scientific process.
• I’m very thankful to those making use of their knowledge and experience to encourage future scientists and dispel myths in order to help educate the public.

Last but not least I’m thankful for my family and friends, especially my blog mates here at Bench Press and I’d like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!

The future of blogging...humans not included

I was taking a look at Engadget earlier today and happened upon this post. That tiny little robot featured next to the laptop is not just a trendy desk accessory, but a full time blogging machine. The NetTansorWeb is Wi-Fi enabled, contains a small camera in its head with which to scout the human race’s weaknesses take pictures of its surroundings and post to a blog with short comments!

At my previous job my department worked with high-throughput machines in a variety of experiments, speeding up compound screening and assay development. Now if only someone could transfer some of the “smarts” the NetTansorWeb seems to have to my qPCR machine. I certainly wouldn’t mind some short comments along with my results. Until then I look forward to seeing what these robots will be blogging about… maybe we can add one to the payroll.

Read more at Bouncing Red Ball.