Neuroscience
Eight years ago, I started a blog out of sheer frustration. I decided to call it The Neurocritic. I sent out an anonymous e-mail to some of my friends to describe the project.
[I had forgotten how surprised I should be that the blog has lasted this long.]
At first, I invited others to join. Two people expressed interest in joining the party, and one was issued an account (but never posted). I soon became very proprietary and revoked that account. I had become The Neurocritic.
I didn't think anyone would read the blog. But then a funny thing happened. Several posts that discussed journal articles drew the attention of the authors, who actually commented.
Meanwhile, I tried my best to stay under the radar and hoped that no one would think of me as a real person.
Pretty colorful brains and simplified explanations of human cognition and emotion and personality had became staples of mainstream newspapers and magazines, first in the dying print media and then in purely online news sources and press release farms. Gradually, a backlash grew against studies on the neural correlates of shopping at Macy's. This blog (and others such as Mind Hacks, Neuroskeptic, and Neurobonkers) was mentioned in the same press outlets that ran outlandish opinion pieces about Loving Your iPhone:
Neuroscience: Under Attack (Nov 23, 2012)
Neuroscience Fiction (Dec 2, 2012)
Why ‘neuroskeptics’ see an epidemic of brain baloney (Apr 13, 2013)
This blog reached the height of its popularity in 2012. Then we hit 2013... the year of decline.
What happened?? I'll explore some possible reasons in the next post, and take a glimpse into the future.
- How Do You Celebrate 10 Years Of An Anonymous Blog?
Today, The Neurocritic celebrates ten years as a blog. Given the ongoing use of a pseudonym, how should I commemorate the occasion? 1. Should I finally update my blog template? (“Hey, 2004 wants their Blogger template back”). 2. Should I throw a...
- Meet The Neuro Doubters
Meet the “neuro doubters.” The neuro doubter may like neuroscience but does not like what he or she considers its bastardization by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers. A gaggle of energetic and amusing, mostly anonymous, neuroscience...
- Independent Neuroblogs As Part Of The Science Blogging Ecosystem
Did you know there are at least 85 blogs on neuro/psych topics written by individuals (or small groups) outside of the blog network model? And that you can follow a feed of these blogs in several ways? Independent Neuroblogs, a combined aggregate feed...
- Nominees For The 2009 3qd Prize In Science
3 Quarks Daily 2009 Science Prize: Vote HereFor details of the prize you can look at the announcement here, and to read the nominated posts you can go here for a complete list with links. Voting ends at midnight on June 8, 2009. Four posts from The Neurocritic...
- Dear Reader
Dear Reader, If you are reading this blog and find that there are pop-up ads or framed ads around the edges or in a different format than you see if you were to use the blog's direct URL, then you might be viewing the blog through some cookie-directed...
Neuroscience
Eight Years of Neurocriticism
A Mad Scientist Party Idea, from Party on Purpose.
Eight years ago, I started a blog out of sheer frustration. I decided to call it The Neurocritic. I sent out an anonymous e-mail to some of my friends to describe the project.
subject: unveiling The Neurocritic
I've started a blog to critique the most outrageous claims published in high-profile journals and discussed in the popular press:
http://neurocritic.blogspot.com/
Because The Neurocritic is not a member of the all-powerful Editorial Boards at Science, Natute, or Neuron, The Neurocritic is published under an assumed identity. Your comments are most welcome.
Enjoy the inaugural posting! [we'll see how long it lasts.]
[I had forgotten how surprised I should be that the blog has lasted this long.]
At first, I invited others to join. Two people expressed interest in joining the party, and one was issued an account (but never posted). I soon became very proprietary and revoked that account. I had become The Neurocritic.
I didn't think anyone would read the blog. But then a funny thing happened. Several posts that discussed journal articles drew the attention of the authors, who actually commented.
Meanwhile, I tried my best to stay under the radar and hoped that no one would think of me as a real person.
Pretty colorful brains and simplified explanations of human cognition and emotion and personality had became staples of mainstream newspapers and magazines, first in the dying print media and then in purely online news sources and press release farms. Gradually, a backlash grew against studies on the neural correlates of shopping at Macy's. This blog (and others such as Mind Hacks, Neuroskeptic, and Neurobonkers) was mentioned in the same press outlets that ran outlandish opinion pieces about Loving Your iPhone:
Neuroscience: Under Attack (Nov 23, 2012)
Neuroscience Fiction (Dec 2, 2012)
Why ‘neuroskeptics’ see an epidemic of brain baloney (Apr 13, 2013)
This blog reached the height of its popularity in 2012. Then we hit 2013... the year of decline.
What happened?? I'll explore some possible reasons in the next post, and take a glimpse into the future.
- How Do You Celebrate 10 Years Of An Anonymous Blog?
Today, The Neurocritic celebrates ten years as a blog. Given the ongoing use of a pseudonym, how should I commemorate the occasion? 1. Should I finally update my blog template? (“Hey, 2004 wants their Blogger template back”). 2. Should I throw a...
- Meet The Neuro Doubters
Meet the “neuro doubters.” The neuro doubter may like neuroscience but does not like what he or she considers its bastardization by glib, sometimes ill-informed, popularizers. A gaggle of energetic and amusing, mostly anonymous, neuroscience...
- Independent Neuroblogs As Part Of The Science Blogging Ecosystem
Did you know there are at least 85 blogs on neuro/psych topics written by individuals (or small groups) outside of the blog network model? And that you can follow a feed of these blogs in several ways? Independent Neuroblogs, a combined aggregate feed...
- Nominees For The 2009 3qd Prize In Science
3 Quarks Daily 2009 Science Prize: Vote HereFor details of the prize you can look at the announcement here, and to read the nominated posts you can go here for a complete list with links. Voting ends at midnight on June 8, 2009. Four posts from The Neurocritic...
- Dear Reader
Dear Reader, If you are reading this blog and find that there are pop-up ads or framed ads around the edges or in a different format than you see if you were to use the blog's direct URL, then you might be viewing the blog through some cookie-directed...