Well, I’m on the road again. Three days after getting back from a marathon holiday trip, I hopped back on a plane and headed to Texas for a grant-related workshop. At least the plane out was pretty empty — I had a row to myself, which I used to lay down and catch up on some sleep!
Suffice to say, I probably won’t be posting heavily for a few days while at the meeting, and things will be relatively light through the end of the month, as I’m trying to finish my book draft.
In the meantime, I’ve made it to the big time thanks to my role as topical editor for ResearchBlogging.org! Dave Munger has published an interview with all of the topical editors in Seed Magazine this month; if you’re interested in my views on how I pick “editor’s selections”, and what I see in the near future for research-related blogging, take a look!
Update: I just gave my talk at the workshop, and once again my yearly irrational fear of being lynched failed to come true, so I consider the day a “win”.
Skulls in the Stars 
I don’t fear getting lynched after giving a talk — just getting a question from somebody who knows more about the subject than I do. And on a related note, I gave two talks yesterday, one on optimization techniques and genetic algorithms and the second on network theory. It’s astonishing how much more relaxed I felt after they were done and the questions fielded, even though they were fun lectures to deliver.
Now, to prepare for that session I’m supposed to co-moderate at ScienceOnline 2010 . . . as well as more important conference-related matters. Namely, which episodes of The Prisoner should I pack, and which cosplay outfits should I bring? I mean, it’s normal to attend science-communication conferences as The Next Carl Sagan, cyberpunk Gregory House, L from Death Note and/or Gendo Ikari from Evangelion, right? Right?
If we watch these with any Prisoner newbies, such as my wife, we’ll probably want to have Arrival and A,B and C; otherwise, use your discretion!
*crickets chirping*