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John, your excellent work certainly isn't going unnoticed!

I thank you not only for originally hosting the workshop, but for continuing to follow up to help it continue it's life online long after the fact. My hypothesis is that because the work entailed here is so cutting edge (and does require some reasonable work on the part of the viewer to watch, read, and cogitate) that your work today is really for the long-tail. I'm sure that there are others, like me, who weren't able to trek to Tennessee for the original, but appreciate that they can relive it online.

I'm sorry some of the videos didn't manage to come out. I'm still distraught over Harte's not being available, though I suppose that his text is a possible stand in.

Sadly, scholarly communication isn't a more sexy profession, but fortunately we have people like you who manage to do it well. I always find myself wishing that I knew 20 more people like you who had the depth and breadth of experience in physics, mathematics, and biology.

If it helps, your influence (both through this workshop and your prior posts) has prompted me to begin delving heavily into <a href="http://cat.boffosocko.com">category theory</a> in the last week, and as a result there are about 20 others who are joining me in studying it over the coming months. I know that Andrew Eckford is also in the same camp.[<a href="https://twitter.com/andreweckford/status/593870544224833538">1</a>][<a href="https://twitter.com/andreweckford/status/593870774655651840">2</a>][<a href="https://twitter.com/andreweckford/status/603705613466673152">3</a>] (Psst.. you might be missing some of the conversation which is taking place on Twitter.)

Thanks, as always, for the effort you've made into these (and many other) fields, which helps pave the way for those following you!

 

Evolution of a Scientific Journal Article Title (from Nature to TMZ)

2 min read

It's interesting to see the evolution of the title put on a story from its publication in a scientific journal to its reportage in a science-based magazine, and then its final form in the broad-based popular press.  

Below is a chronological list of titles that moves from Nature Materials to Quanta Magazine to Wired Magazine and finally ends with TMZ. My hypothesis (or guess, for the TMZ crowd) is that almost everyone could have easily matched the title of the article to the publication. Very telling about the process is that the Wired article is an exact reprint of the Quanta story, the only change was in the title.

Curvature-induced symmetry breaking determines elastic surface patterns

vs.

A Grand Theory of Wrinkles

A collaboration between mechanical engineers and mathematicians has revealed universal rules for how wrinkles form.

vs. 

The Fascinating Math of How Wrinkles Form

vs.

Pruned People -- Guess Who!

 

Okay, I'll admit that the TMZ article, has nothing to do with the original article, but only because it isn't sensational enough to make their publication - perhaps if Yeezy, The Biebs, or Kim K were invloved. You will notice, however, that the article is in fact genuine and actually appeared on TMZ.