JLC Turns Three!

Original Art Credit: Jon Lam (@tyrannos00r)

Wow, everyone. I feel so honored and humbled that you visit my tiny little corner of the Internet sometimes.

Thank you for your continued support and online interactions.

And now, some Salient Factoids from Year 3!
(Year 1 recap | Year 2 recap)

Stats:

Pageviews: 724,000+
Total Posts: 458
Total Tweets (ongoing): 16,900+
Blog Carnivals: 1 #RealTimeChem

(Could it be that ChemCarnivals have dropped out of favor? Or am I just not playing along like I should be?)

Podcasts (4): Collapsed Wavefunction's Bad Science in the Movies, Chemjobber's Start-up Adventure, Calcium Redux, Plagiarism Roundtable

(I still owe you guys those chemical pronunciations...I haven't forgotten!)

Elsewhere: Carrie Arnold of Science Careers asked me about grad school. Still pinch-hitting at Food Matters. I spoke with reporters from Nautilus and Chemistry World, but I've not yet seen their stories.

R.I.P. The Haystack, my first blogging home.

Recurring Themes: Cool reactions (hydrogenation, peroxides, Pauson-Khand, cyclobutanones, ghostly copper); start-ups, #MegaPharma, faculty moves, corrections, #chemjobs, activism, stock photo WWWTP?, book reviews, cool structures

JLC Turns Two!

Credit: Nat Geo

(I won't be here to update on July 15, so I'm a bit early!)

Once again, my heartfelt thanks go out to each and every person who clicked here over the past 363 days.

This past year's been full of ups and downs, as #phdlife in start-ups often is. Blogging keeps me both excited about and engaged in science communication...and provides a welcome respite when things at work get too crazy. 

Of note, 2013 has seen an explosion in new chemblogging talent. I'm stoked to watch our combined efforts start to get real recognition in the wider world and in the general public.

Salient Factoids from Year 2:
(Year 1 recap)

Stats:
Pageviews: 276,000+
Posts: 218
Total Tweets (ongoing): 11,700+
Blog Carnivals (7): #ChemSummer and #FoodChem (hosted by CENtral Science), #KCNBirthday (hosted by BRSM), #ChemCoach, #ChemMovieCarnival, #BRSMBlogParty, #RealTimeChem

Podcasts: 14 (Thanks to Matt, CJ, Dr. Rb, Ethan, and Deb!)
Stu, you're in the queue...

Elsewhere: Blog Syn (5), The Haystack (2), Chemistry Blog (2), Chemjobber (1), Sceptical Chymist (2)
(*July 2012 - July 2013. Want a guest post, or want to guest post? Email me at seearroh_AT_gmail_DOT_com)

Recurring Themes: Reproducibility, Pop Culture Chemistry, Plagiarism, WWWTP?, Food Chemistry, Catalysis, Blog Philosophy, Wordle, Chemophobia, Tech Funding, Enthusiasm, Cool Structures, Faculty Moves, Football, Surveys, Star Trek, Friday Fun, Hand-drawn

From the Vault: Scientific Humor, Shameless Plugs

I've been dying to use this photo.
Source: Nichelle Nichols

Holidays give you a chance to relax and reflect. Here in the States, we set aside time at the end of May to remember those who've served in our armed forces, past and present. Thanks to them, I'm able to bring you this glance back on my official 13-month blogging anniversary. (Well, 2 days late, but who's counting? Wait, you are? Nuts.)


Yes, back on April 26, 2011, Chemjobber was kind enough to lend me a little space to get this whole 'writting 4 de internetz' thing moving along. Over at The Haystack, Car1`men and Lisa didn't balk when I suggested that my first guest post involve Michael Jordan and Back to the Future. Paul didn't mind me poking a little fun at Wender's expense, and somewhere in July 2011, I had the crazy notion to hang out my own shingle.

Fast forward to late May 2012 - what a ride! I've met a bunch of new friends through Twitter and commenting on other blogs. I've been fortunate enough to appear at, and post on, sites I could have only dreamed of a year ago.

But, best of all? It's been a lot of fun!


To parrot the Ig Nobels slogan, I hope to make you laugh, then make you think. CJ and I goofed around with inflated yields in methods papers. When Breslow published his latest origin-of-life tract, it grew new life in the chemblogosphere as #spacedinos. How about art? Off-the-cuff projects included messing around with #arseniclife, pushing drawing memes, stitching together Easter eggs, "rosetta stone" chemical scribbles, and the 'Leaning Tower of Septa.'

'Olympicene,' viewed by STM.
Just in time for London 2012!
Source: IBM Zurich | U. Warwick

Wordplay? We got you covered. How about cute pharma diminutives? Mobile phone games, the Big Pharma Apocalypse, new chemistry portmanteaux, or silly chemical names? I also love finding molecular inspiration out in the wide world, whether it be on gas stations, at concerts, or imposing iron gates. I've even mused about taking this show on the road, once or twice.

I know I promised not to say anything yet, I'm grateful every day that interesting, excited, friendly readers - like you folks - stop by for awhile. I'll keep writing 'em, if you keep coming back.