Author Archives: David Maddison

Truth versus firehoses of falsehoods

Posted on 30 March 2023 by David Maddison

As a result of one of my more traumatic experiences as a graduate student, I became familiar with Knoll’s Law of Media Accuracy, “Everything you read in the newspaper is absolutely true, except for that rare story of which you … Continue reading →

Posted in Fieldwork, Revising Bembidiina | Tagged | Leave a comment

Prior and Current Ignorance: Struggles with Bayesian analyses

Posted on 9 March 2023 by David Maddison

Many years ago I dressed up for Halloween with a piece of paper taped to my rear with “Pr” on it, in one hand holding a small crowbar, and in the other an engagement ring in a small box (see … Continue reading →

Posted in Phylogenetics | 1 Comment

Who are those people?

Posted on 4 May 2022 by David Maddison

In 2019, I went to Vancouver, Canada, to spend some time with family. While there, I went into a funky little store called Urban Source. It’s a great place that has all sorts of odds and ends that might be … Continue reading →

Posted in fun stuff, Musings | 4 Comments

Pointing and Pinning Block v6

Posted on 21 September 2021 by David Maddison

I’ve finally revised the 3D design of pointing and pinning block mentioned in my previous post. This new version of the block has the standard holes of a pinning block (in the center of each level) as well as holes … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellany, Morphological Techniques | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Permanent male genitalic mini-preps

Posted on 3 February 2021 by David Maddison

For many insects, examination of the genital structures is vital to understand species diversity. The genitalia of each species are often distinct, and species can be easier to distinguish using genitalia than other morphological traits. In carabid beetles, male genitalia … Continue reading →

Posted in Morphological Techniques, Revising Bembidiina | 1 Comment

Development of the Dicaelus purpuratus drawing

Posted on 1 February 2021 by David Maddison

In 2006, for George Ball’s 80th birthday, I presented him with a drawing of Dicaelus purpuratus. This was the species that captivated his attention and eventually led to his doing a PhD on the carabid beetle tribe Licinini, of which … Continue reading →

Posted in Scientific Illustrations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ten years later: the Lionepha paper is out

Posted on 3 April 2020 by David Maddison

In September of 2009, I arrived in Oregon, excited to begin my new position at Oregon State University. I was also excited to live near Marys Peak, as the top of Marys Peak was the locality of capture of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Fieldwork, Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Tree of Life Web Project: 25 years online

Posted on 16 November 2019 by David Maddison

On 16 November 1994, we first made public the prototype version of the Tree of Life Web Project. At that time, it was a series of static web pages, with trees made out of text characters, created by a special … Continue reading →

Posted in Tree of Life | 1 Comment

In Memory of George

Posted on 2 May 2019 by David Maddison

As the ship rolls gently upon the waves, I look east toward the Tasman Sea, The relentless surges swallowing time, As they have for millions of years, Through turn after turn of the Milky Way, Beneath and beyond the waves, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

George Eugene Ball

Posted on 13 January 2019 by David Maddison

25 September 1926 – 12 January 2019 There are those amongst us who, through their words and actions, radiate strength, courage, compassion, and generosity, causing a positive ripple to spread across the communities they touch, increasing the good in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments