August 31, 2008
Category: Climate
This is a rough sketch of the actual path of the eye of hurricane Katrina compared to the current projected path of the eye of hurricane Gustav. Now, this is NOT Gustav's actual path. We don't know what the path is going to be. But...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 5:23 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
A new species of giant clam has been discovered in the Red Sea. Fossils suggest that, about 125,000 years ago, the species Tridacna costata accounted for more than 80% of the area's giant clams. The species may now be critically endangered, researchers report in Current...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 1:23 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Technology
From CNET: There is a new electronic capture device that has been developed primarily for law enforcement, surveillance, and intelligence operations that is also available to the public. It is called the Cellular Seizure Investigation Stick, or CSI Stick as a clever acronym. It is...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 12:22 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
... in regards to its exhibit on Darwin. A creationist visiting the museum objected to phrases regarding evolution on the Darwin Exhibit (Hat Tip: Pharyngula). This led the museum to cover up the offending language. Clearly, the government unit that runs this museum, and the...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:12 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Over the source of several hours before the announcement by John McCain that Sarah Palin was to be his running mate, Palin's Wikipedia entry was heavily edited. The editors included individuals who were simultaneously updating McCain's Wikipedia entry. Apparently, similar activities associated with Biden's selection...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:32 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Climate
There has been enough change in the predictions regarding Gustav to make it worth a fresh look. Bottom line: It is weaker than previously predicted, it is still almost exactly on the same track, and it may be speeding up a little bit. Tropical Storm...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 9:15 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Mike Haubrich is the transparently pseudonymous proprietor of Tangled Up in Blue Guy, which is one of the best blogs on my blogroll. Mike is also Minnesota's Voice of Atheism, as the primary host on the Minnesota Atheist Talk Show (Air America, AM 950, Sunday...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 12:00 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 30, 2008
Category: Climate
Gustav's eye has passed over western Cuba, and remained a category four hurricane the entire time. One gust in Cuba, where Gustav mainly affected the tobacco growing region, as clocked at 204 miles per hour. Miles. Not kilometers. The storm has caused considerable damage there...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:30 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Razib has noted that there is a 15% chance that if McCain/Palin is elected, that Palin will take office based on actuarial data. However, I beg to differ with this given that the presidency is a) known to add years to a person's life, b)...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:05 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Sarah Palin comes in at 4 minutes 20 seconds. Turns out she wants all the Polar Bear to die....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 7:23 PM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I'm with Richard Dawkins on this one: I don't believe that god exists. There is no evidence for this, why believe it. But, if evidence did emerge strongly suggesting the existence of god, this would be the greatest scientific discovery of our time. Well, we...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 5:04 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens - two screenwriters, a physicist, a marine biologist, a philosopher and a science journalist - began working to restore science and innovation to America's political dialogue. They called themselves Science Debate 2008, and they called for...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 4:15 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
The following announcement regarding Sarah Palin is from Move On Dot Org. This is about McCain's running mate. Obviously, in my earlier post I was too quick to judge this woman. It turns out that she is not a bad choice, not a person with...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 3:23 PM • 28 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This may be premature by an hour or two, and if so, I'll update again, but there is enough new information on Gustav to provide an update. Gustav is now a Category Four Hurricane and is bearing down on Cuba. The hurricane will strike the...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 2:39 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 29, 2008
Category: Politics
According to the BBC, John McCain has picked Alaskan Sarah Palin for VEEP....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 1:53 PM • 39 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogging
There is a new book meme, started by Jennifer Oullette, and so far infecting John Lynch and PZ Myers. This is a Pop Science book meme. PZ added a few to Jennifer's list, and I've added a few more. Bold = read. What are we...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 12:10 PM • 11 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
ABC's coverage of this is here Hat Tip: Ed Brayton...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:01 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
.... Or so goes the last sentence in the current National Hurricane Center forecast discussion. This is Gusav. Even though it is only a strong tropical storm, it looks a lot like a hurricane already. This could be a Category IV hurricane in two or...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:26 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Religion
Webster Cook, the Florida student who was physically and politically attacked by forces directly and indirectly allied with the Catholic Church, was impeached and found guilty by the school government of his college. This is according to a source close to Webster, his friend, Benjamin...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 9:33 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
You have probably already heard that some time in the month of September, the millionth comment will be placed on some blog somewhere on the Scienceblogs Dot Com networks. We think the servers can only hold one million comments, so when this happens the whole...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 12:18 AM • 24 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 28, 2008
Category: Politics
Extraordinary speech, Barack. But as Julia said at the end ... "OK, guys, now step slowly away from the stage before it gets cheesy .... oops, too late..." I have the following thoughts. Remember the Friend of Bill hats? Hey, we can re-use them as...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:15 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Other
The MSNBC anchor on Morning Joe keeps asking the Democratic organizers they've got on about the attempts of the Republicans to ridicule the democrats for the setup for Obama's talk tonight. Problem is, she keeps pronouncing it wrong. rih DICK ool Like "ridiculous" shortened but...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 9:09 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 27, 2008
The current track places the storm dead on New Orleans. But this is many, many days in advance so you can't expect this to be accurate. But, this is worth keeping an eye on. Speculation: RNC opens on September 1st. Gustav hits the Gulf Coast...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:55 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogospherics
More on bird self awareness (or not): Does Tweety have a secondary consciousness? Self-awareness in birds, mirror neurons, evolution and the mystery of consciousness. Almost Diamonds is not intolerant, but she is anti-tolerance, which is not the same thing. This post echoes my feelings exactly....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:30 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Four Stone Hearth - Layman Edition is now up at Tangled Up in Blue Guy, and it is an outstanding edition of this multidisciplinary anthropology web carnival....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:48 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Technology
There is a person out there who is trying to reach me to discuss an important issue. She has called a few times, and left messages, and so far I have five phone numbers linked to this name. I've tried calling but so far I've...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 5:06 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogging
A worthy geeky on line comic strip for your inspection. Abtruse Goose....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 2:21 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Minnesota Governor Tim "Falling Bridges" Pawlenty is going to be asked to join the John "The Creep" McCain as his Vice Presidential Running Mate. Mark my words. This is going to happen during the present calendar week, most likely on McCain's birthday, which is Friday....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:17 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
A group of documentary film makers who have previously documented police abuse of demonstrators in other cities has just arrived in Saint Paul. The Saint Paul Police found them, harassed them, and took away their cameras and other equipment.
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:59 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Carnivals
Carnival of Cinema: Episode 89 - The Princess Blog Gene Genie #34: Summertime and the blogging is easy New and Exciting in PLoS ONE Biology in Science Fiction Roundup: August 16 Edition Grand Rounds, Volume 4, #49: The Seven Ages of Man Carnival of the...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:34 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Al Franken
Is it true that everyone in the US knows about this talking fish thing? Billy Bass, or maybe Wally the Walleye? Almost everyone in Minnesota no only knows about this, but owns or at one time owned a billy bass or a wally the Wally....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:21 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogging
But YESSSS! They are moving somewhere good. To the other, growng borg. Watch the video. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be amazed....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 9:33 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Blogging
Blake Stacey is a physics boffin who fooled MIT into giving him a degree and has been wandering the Earth ever since. And he is now a scienceblogger. Here. Welcome Blake! I'm so glad, mainly because white on black does not work on Sb. So...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 9:13 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Ashwin Madia
Ashwin Madia is running for congress in my district. As a Democrat, he'll replace (if elected) a long term Republican who is retiring. I was a delegate for Madia at the local level. I live in one of those gerrymandered districts. It looks like a...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 8:18 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 26, 2008
Category: Politics
With Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, and a zillion other people looking on, Hillary Clinton made clear her support of Obama, re-articulated key Democratic values (especially focusing on health care, education, human rights, workers rights, and the environment), Eulogized the recently dead, and kicked the ass...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 11:10 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Oh wait, that wasn't a campaign ad. Whatever....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:18 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
I know women that are older than suffrage. Mind boggling. Today, Aug. 26, marks the 88th anniversary of the day that the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters, formed when women were first granted...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 8:40 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
But please, avoid Minneapolis, OK? With the Democratic National Convention going on in Denver, and the Republican Convention about to start in Saint Paul, I thought I'd pass on some helpful advice for Republican delegates and others who may be coming to town. This is...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 7:37 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
Hillary speaks tonight. The word on the street is that the Obama people have not seen, and will not seen, this speech. That is actually highly unusual for a convention speech. Maybe she's going to make one last appeal.........
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Posted by Greg Laden at 7:05 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
August 25, 2008
Category: Minnesota
They say Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi. This is why there is a big state park surrounding the lake, a park that preserves some beautiful old forest despite the best efforts of 19th century lumberjacks to cut it down. Amanda next to...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 10:17 PM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
The Olympics (which this blog boycotted) were OK, but the real show starts tonight with the Democratic National Convention. I've been faithfully watching the convention ... all but one (no TV in the jungle) ... since I was born, though the first one I actually...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 7:07 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Politics
FOX is not a news network. Here, they are being shown the door. These protesters are mostly fairly silly, but here I applaud them....
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Posted by Greg Laden at 5:10 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
David Campbell is a life science teacher in Florida who was recently profiled in the New York Times because of his involvement in the debate between Creationism and Evolution. This discussion is being picked up in the Blogosphere, and this is very timely, as this...
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Posted by Greg Laden at 12:35 PM • 66 Comments • 0 TrackBacks