Long-time readers of this grand site, which is probably most of you by now, understand there are a few things which continually peeve the Czar. One of these is bad science reporting. Nearly every story of even slight scientific interest hits the mass media with oversimplifications, nonsense filler, or just plain awful mistakes.

Take a 40-page scientific paper. Read only the abstract at the top. Try to reduce that to ten sentences. Provide a link to Wikipedia. Tie it into a popular movie or television show. Done.

Why? Actually Borepatch takes on this question with an analysis of a few different popular science topics (ranging from The Titanic to Global Climate Change) to see how the way scientific information is being reported to the public is responsible for the public’s struggle to understand or accept or reject popular science.

Short, pithy, well-quoted, and worth 1.2 minutes of your time.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.