Considering my eclectic web-based reading habits and my broad interests in the science world, I’ll be posting an occasional roundup of  interesting science-y tidbits I’ve been consuming recently. Welcome to a glimpse into my webby world.

• Science career reality check: Chemjobber keeps regular tabs on the chemistry employment scene. On Tuesday, CJ offered a reality check to a recent article in Chemical & Engineering News. The good news: a departing NIH program director, John Schwab, sees the value in broader education for chemists instead of the deep specialization in, say, organic synthesis. The bad news: he seems to see hot prospects for chemists in journalism, law and policy careers. As a chemist-turned-journalist, I’ve said this more than once: this career track isn’t easier. I just happen to be having more fun than I did in the lab.
• Doping, lies and personal reflection: Last week on The Last Word on Nothing, my colleague and friend, Christie Aschwanden contributed a rich guest post about Tyler Hamilton and the bicycle doping scandal. She offers a layered personal perspective: she rode with Hamilton in college and has reported extensively on doping.
• Not quite LOLcats: Emily Anthes responds to a sly Slate slideshow about “cats of war” with her own tidbit about a short-lived cat that the CIA rigged up as a listening device in 1961. Check it out at Wonderland.
• All about authorship: Steve Silberman assembled a tremendous post: tips on writing a book from 23 authors. Great stuff in there: a great idea and a crowdsourced gift. If you could provide a universal hyperlink from a classic book to a blog post, this one calls for a link from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.

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