Archives for May, 2010
Join America is Speaking Out!
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 OMG. Go to the sign on page. Look at the “select an avatar” part. What is that all about? I think I’ll be an Asian Girl then they’ll know I’m smart but non-threatening. No, wait, maybe I’ll be a non-white non-hispanic, like in the Census. No wait … Well, I tried to register but their…
New Bill Nye Webcast Series
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 VSP EyeFiles Webisode #1: Do 3-D Movies Cause Motion Sickness
So it has come to this: “Hitler” is an adjective in the GOP
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 I was talking with a friend from another country yesterday and she indicated that whenever she caught herself up on American politics, she would become frightened. She was underestimating.
Kansas Court Upholds Right to Teach Bible Apocalypse Along Side Global Warming?
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 (sorry about the commercial at the beginning)
Craig Venter unveils “synthetic life”
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 Craig Venter and team make a historic announcement: they’ve created the first fully functioning, reproducing cell controlled by synthetic DNA. He explains how they did it and why the achievement marks the beginning of a new era for science.
Primitive Cultures are Simple, while Civilization is Complex: Part 3
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 I previously noted that to survive as a Westerner, you can get away with participating in a culture that asks of you little more than to understand the “one minute” button on the microwave, while to survive in a foraging society you needed much much more. Moreover, I suggested that the level of complexity in…
Diversity in Science Web Carnival
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 The Diversity in Science Carnival will be hosted at Quiche Moraine. Today is the submission deadline, but I’m sure posts submitted tomorrow (the 26th) will also be considered. Here is the theme: We are inviting all posts that challenge pre-conceptions and mis-conceptions of who scientists/engineers are, what they look like, how they behave, what they…
Who is Erik Paulsen, anyway?
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 Erik Paulsen is my representative to the US Congress. This is his first term. He replaced a very centrist Republican (Jim Ramstad) who retired honorably. I worked for the Democratic Party (DFL, we call it in Minnesota) candidate, Ash Madia during that election. Ash was a good candidate but he was inexperienced (which may or…
The Latest Ravirn Book, SpellCrash, Materializes Today: Meet the Author Tonight
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 WebMage is an interesting book if you are a computer geek. For one thing, the title of the book uses CamelCase. For another thing, the main characters are a hacker and his laptop. But since this is also a fantasy book, the main character is also a non-human (but you wouldn’t’ know to look at…
Africa news items of interest
Posted by Greg Laden on May 25, 2010 Kenya court rules Islamic courts are illegal Kenya’s Islamic courts are illegal and discriminatory, a panel of judges has ruled. The three judges said the Islamic “Kadhi” courts favoured Islam over other faiths, and that this was unconstitutional as Kenya was a secular country. South Africa’s Julius Malema defends his radical views The controversial leader…
Divers questions and disparate answers
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 While we’re waiting for Ask the Science Blogger to get off the ground, let’s see what is already out there:
Anti-Vax Discussion and Action.
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Discussion: PalMD, in Too many too soon?, compares the ravings Jenny McCarthy and her friends to actual scientific research. PZ Myers asks you to visit an Anti Vax poll. Here.
“Our data pipeline is bursting with asteroids”
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Those are the words of UCLA’s Ned Wright, a PI with NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. NASA is putting out a press release summarizing the results of the project so far. For example:
“Bring on the learning revolution!”
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Bird of paradise (except its a plant)
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Happy Towel Day
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 It’s tomorrow.
Primitive Cultures are Simple, while Civilization is Complex: Part 2
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 In the first part of this discussion, I reminded you that we are talking about “falsehoods.” “Falsehood” is a term I and others have co-opted and have used for well over a decade in anthropology and biology courses across the land. The idea is to identify a statement that, when uttered in some particular demographic…
Phoenix will not rise from the ashes.
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Or should I say “ice.” The Phoenix Mars Lander seems to be dead in the dust, with its solar panels having suffered severe winter ice damage as shown by photos from the Odyssey Orbiter:
Vanessa Woods and Greg Laden w/ Desiree Schell: Friday
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 My honored colleague Vanessa Woods, author of Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo (which I am currently reviewing …. stay tuned) will be on Skeptically Speaking this coming Friday, so don’t miss that. Also, yours truly will be on (not live but recorded assuming certain technical difficulties will be worked…
Rachel Maddow Puts Rand Paul in Bag, Slowly Rolls Over Him
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Go pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, relax and watch this PolitiPorn. Take notes. Discuss. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
BBC News – US warns it may ‘push BP aside’ on Gulf oil clean-up
Posted by Greg Laden on May 24, 2010 Oil firm BP may be “pushed out of the way” if it fails to perform in the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster clean-up, a top US official has warned. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the British company had missed “deadline after deadline” in its efforts to seal a blown-out oil well. source
Aquaman To the Rescue!
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 But seriously …
“Nonsense On Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk.”
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 Skeptically Speaking’s Massimo Pigliucci interview is now on line here. He talks about his book: Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk
Kelly McCullough, Author, at Har Mar on Tuesday
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 Kelly McCullough, author of the Raverin series (starting with WebMage of fantasy/science fiction and dealing with artificial intelligence, magical computer technology, and mythology) will be making a local appearance here in the Twin Cities. Those of you who have followed the Twin Cities Creation Science Fair story already know the place: Har Mar Shopping Center.…
If you really believe in yourself, you can do anything.
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 As long as “anything” includes being a total dumb-ass:
Primitive Cultures are Simple, while Civilization is Complex: Part 1
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 A “falsehood” is a belief held by a number of people that is in some way incorrect. That incorrectness may be blatant, it may be subtle, it may be conditional, it may be simple, it may be complex. But, the unraveling of the belief, even if much of that belief is in fact true, can…
Catching Up on the News
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 Harakat Al-Shabab is a militant Islamic youth movement engaged in the Somali war. Yesterdaythey mortared the presidential palace in Omgadishu, setting off a fight killing 14 people. A landslide caused by heavy rains and a flooding river on the slope of Nyiragongo killed over 50 people in the DR Congo. A gay couple in Malawi…
I learned all my interesting math from Martin Gardner …
Posted by Greg Laden on May 23, 2010 … (and one other guy). And Gardner died on Saturday. He was born in October 1914. So that made him …
Mother and Daughter White Rhino
Posted by Greg Laden on May 22, 2010 The mother (on the right) was raised in captivity, released, got pregnant, and is now raising her daughter on the Waterberg, South Africa.
Constance McMillen has switched schools
Posted by Greg Laden on May 22, 2010 Good for her, but this is just another incremental step in the continued isolation of a social backwater in Mississippi known as Itawamba. She won’t say which school she now attends, but she plans to graduate June 2. Meanwhile … Members of a fundamentalist church from Kansas say they’ll protest the Itawamba graduation Saturday because…
, which is now available for the 
