The Chronicle is proud to have among its current Brainstorm roster and illustrious alumni a pioneering group of nimble-minded and sometimes necessarily thick-skinned bloggers. On many readers’ first day back after winter break, we wanted to offer a quick nostalgic glance at 2011′s 10 most-read Brainstorm posts. (Or at least most-clicked. One can only speculate whether David Barash’s first post on the mysteries of the female human nonlactating breast benefited—in garnering roughly several times the average daily readership of all dozen-plus bloggers combined—from its title and phrases such as “buttocks substitutes.”) Along with the day-to-day tribulations of academic life (see Numbers 3 and 10, for instance), a rule of thumb for Brainstormers, it seems, might be the opposite of the old chestnut about discussing sex, politics, and religion.
The editors thank Brainstorm’s readers and salute all our Brainstorm contributors for their wisdom and adventurousness. We look forward to a thought-provoking, rollicking 2012!
Brainstorm’s 2011 Top 10:
1. Evolutionary Mysteries: Breasts, Part 1, by David Barash
2. Farewell, Kindle. Buh-Bye, iPad, by Marc Bousquet
3. Why Your Last Hire Was a Freakin’ Disaster, by Jacques Berlinerblau
4. What UC Davis Pays for Top Talent, by Marc Bousquet
5. Prayer, Menstruation, and the Toronto District School Board, by Michael Ruse
6. 6 Easy–and Not So Easy–Pieces of Advice for Grad Students, by Gina Barreca
7. The Most Important Disease You Probably Never Heard Of, by David Barash
8. Laissez-Faire Earthquake Lessons, by David Barash
9. A Quick Reminder on Paul Krugman and Climates of Hate, by Mark Bauerlein
10. Dissertations vs. Journal Articles for Grad Students, by Michael Ruse
