Typst template for preprints

I’ve posted a couple of times about Typst (some tips to get started, and why I like it over Word and LaTeX). I was happy to see that …



Brodmann was right. Structure and function inform each other.

I saw this post, with this quote: “High-resolution activity maps of PFC did NOT align with cytoarchitecturally defined subregions.” Is this a profound, provocative finding that provides strong evidence for the irrelevance of cytoarchitecture?



Problems with system comparisons

When you publish a paper on a new imaging system, people often want to compare figures of merit. Field-of-view, resolution, speed, etc. They want to know in what ways your system…



It is Snel’s law, not Snell’s law, and actually really Sahl’s law

Maybe you learned that his name was Snell. It wasn’t.

Let me back up. Electromagnetic waves propagate at about 3 x 10^8 meters per second in vacuum. We often call that number “c“. When those waves have frequencies around 400 – 800 terahertz, we call them visible light.

When those waves go through materials like glass,…



Free debunking handbook

This handbook is available for free online. Here’s the link.

There is much evidence that updates to factual beliefs, even if successful, may not translate into attitude or behaviour change….



“Listen to me. I’m unconvincing.” -someone

There are always people who complain loudly that they are unconvincing. They won’t say it that way, though.

Instead, they might blame suppression of speech, or a conspiracy, or people being paid-off, or…



Rigor for everyone

It’s right there in the name of this blog. A double entendre: (1) for experimental apparatus rigs and the people who build them, aka “riggers”; and (2) rigor, an important principle,…



Autonomous vehicles vs. mice vs. bouncy balls

I have a little piece I often reuse, it goes something like this.

We know that visually guided navigation is a hard problem even for state-of-the-art AI because we’re pouring…



DIY synth for circuits and signal processing

I came across this cool minimal synth kit called Labor from Erica synths. It’s great for learning about circuits and signal processing. There are videos online about…



Building a two-photon microscope is easy

One time, years ago, I was asked (by a very nice person and an accomplished scientist) to write a book chapter. I didn’t want to. But I was working with a brilliant postdoc who might…



Entire fields on poor foundations

It has been a long standing interest of mine to better understand (and find ways to address) how entire fields of scientists can lead each other astray– into ideas that…



Snappy looking calcium imaging videos

Want to make your calcium imaging videos look better for presentations? Read on. Or just skip to the recipe section below. First, I’ll discuss the motivation a bit.

One of my refrains…



Accountability is a way to determine truth

Imagine your car won’t start. Your mechanic has a theory: “The battery is dead.” Now, they have several ways to share that theory:

Option 1: Launch a podcast. They passionately…



Precision of evaluation

To what degree of precision can your evaluations of grants, papers, or applicants be quantified—if forced into a single numerical score?

How many bits of resolution can we reasonably expect in…



10 quick start items for Overleaf to Typst

If you have been using Overleaf to write grants and papers, and are thinking of trying Typst, here are some points to get you started. Typst updates live, while you code up a document, and it is much faster than Overleaf. Plus, it has a lot more functionality. Some of Typst will look…