Rather than demo another new technology, Tom Wujec reaches back to one of our earliest but most ingenious devices — the astrolabe. With thousands of uses, from telling time to mapping the night sky, this old tech reminds us that the ancient can be as brilliant as the brand-new.

Wed – 15:40: No snow yet. Wed – 15:55: Flurries, a little wind. Wed – 17:01: Roads are being glazed, numerous accidents reported. Wed – 18:08: Going out to check out the weather, buy ingredients for hot dish. And replacement cookies : ( Wed – 19:30 (32F): Ack…. I lost an entry. I’ll reconstruct it…

Here in Minnesota, we don’t get much snow. Minnesotans THINK they get lots of snow, because Minnesota is thought of as a wintry state. But the snowfall here is moderate, not great, in a typical year. If Minnesota were snowy, and Minnesotans could handle that, it would be hard to explain the 400 or so…

The eternal question … answered.

Following our discussion of Twilight a while back, I thought it would be a good idea to get together a bunch of vampires to see what they had to say about it. The conversation got off topic the moment it started, but I did get it recorded with my flip:

While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed sudden explosions of dragonflies at certain times of year. He explains how he carefully tracked the path of a plain, little dragonfly called the globe skimmer, only to discover that it had the longest migratory journey of any insect in the world.

You might need a refresher on what to do …

Its time for the Miss Informer of the Year Award!!!!!

Senate Democrats won a crucial test vote on President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, putting them on track for passage before Christmas of the historic legislation to remake the nation’s medical system and cover 30 million uninsured. All 58 Democrats and the Senate’s two independents held together early Monday against unanimous Republican opposition, providing the…

Fellow bloggers: You might find this resource to be very useful. I know I will.

A form of comment moderation has been turned on. This is an experiment. If your comment is held in moderation don’t take it personally. Just be patient. I’ll be checking the moderation tank frequently.

Nelson, D-Neb., said he made his decision after winning fresh concessions to limit the availability of abortions in insurance sold in newly created exchanges, as well as tens of million in federal Medicaid funds for his home state. source

Asking Clarifying Questions about Evolution and Religion Rare gorilla subspecies photographed More animals swallowing strange stuff. Artichoke-Crab Spread, which is a good thing to swallow. MS Windows Takes Browser Hostage!!!

Let me go bloggy on you for a moment ….

Right-wing media have highlighted recent snowfall during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, often suggesting that the winter storm is evidence that climate change is, in Rush Limbaugh’s words, “a fraud.” source Oh, have you joined my new (and first, and only) facebook group? … Chris Matthews: Stop Asking Pat Buchanan…

In about an hour, turn on your intertubes!!! Lisa Hammet will talk to us about pathogens, viruses, probiotics, antibiotics… if it’s too small to be seen without a microscope, it’s up for discussion. Details here

You’ve gotta see this if you have not yet seen it.

In case you are interested …. The latest Senate health care bill has no public option. No expansion of Medicare. And it does too little to guarantee that uninsured Americans will actually be able afford the coverage they’ll be required to purchase. But it’s not too late to fix the bill. And as Joe Lieberman…

Joe Lieberman has announced that he will not vote to stop the filibuster of any for a health care bill that contains the public option. He justifies this position by saying that a government-run health insurance option will cost taxpayers and increase the National Debt even though the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecasts $100 billion…