July 20, 2010
Category: Ethics

Unless you've been living under a rock, or you are the CEO of Seed Media Group (SMG), you are well aware that Bora Zivkovic left ScienceBlogs 24 hours ago. Shockingly, despite this important loss, Adam Bly, CEO of SMG, has not communicated with any of us who remain at ScienceBlogs about this loss either by telephone, email, text, twitter, carrier pigeon or even with smoke signals. As far as I am concerned, ScienceBlogs is now ZombieBlogs, the undead, a heartless and soulless brain-eating monster that once was a beautiful living ideal.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 12:00 PM • 34 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
tags: Magnificent Frigatebird, Man O'War, Fregata magnificens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

[Mystery bird] Magnificent Frigatebird, sometimes known as the Man O'War, Fregata magnificens, photographed at Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary, Brazoria County, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 15 July 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 9:59 AM • 17 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category:
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
The most recent edition of Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) -- "Scientia Pro Publica 35" -- was just published at the buttcrack of dawn today by John at Kind of Curious.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 7:59 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Art • Behavior • Cultural Observation • Streaming videos • Teaching • Your Inner Child
tags: The Secret Powers of Time, time, hedonism, future orientation, education, personality type, popular psychology, society, culture, lucifer effect, teenage pregnancy, Philip Zimbardo, Royal Society of Art, RSA, streaming video
In this video animation, Professor Philip Zimbardo conveys how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. Time influences who we are as a person, how we view relationships and how we act in the world.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 6:59 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Humor • NYC life • Streaming videos • Your Inner Child
tags: A Rocket of His Own, TIME magazine, astronomy, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, space travel, Saturn V rocket, The Seven Wonders of America, Marshall Space Flight Center, Neil deGrasse Tyson, streaming video
TIME magazine recently went to interview astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson and noticed a huge crate had been delivered to his office at the American Museum of Natural History. He was kind enough to open it on-camera. The back story of this gift is that Neil was adamant that ABC News include the Saturn V Rocket on its list of The 7 Wonders of America. The folks at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama were so grateful, they sent Neil a replica.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 5:59 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
July 19, 2010
Category: Frankfurt through My Eye • Image of the Day • My Pictures • Nature • Photography
tags: Rosa Blume, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, flowers, image of the day, photography

Rosa Blume unter Goldenen Blumen
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 July 2010, Frankfurt am Main, Germany [larger view]
This pink rose was the only one in a sea of gold roses.
Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 2:59 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Ethics
tags: ethics, journalistic ethics, PepsiCo Food Frontiers blog, advertorial, ScienceBlogs, Seed Media Group, Adam Bly
I am greatly saddened to be able to tell you finally that my friend and colleague -- no, former colleague -- Bora Zivkovic, is leaving ScienceBlogs for good. I suspected and then knew for the past week and a half that this was coming, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I am deeply, deeply upset. So upset that I am really not able to talk about it. But in short, Bora is like a brother to me and since I've no family to speak of (until a few short months ago, when my real-life brother contacted me), Bora was the closest person to a brother I've ever had. I am sure you will want to continue reading his blog, so be sure to change your blogroll to include Bora's independent site at wordpress.
Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 1:40 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
tags: Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

[Mystery bird] Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, photographed at Quintana Neotropical Bird Sanctuary, Brazoria County, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 15 July 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Read on »
Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 9:59 AM • 18 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Streaming videos
tags: Zircons: Time Capsules from the Early Earth, science bulletins, geology, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, hadean eon, zircon, rocks, age of the earth, history of planet earth, streaming video
Zircons are tiny crystals with a big story to tell. Some of these minerals are the oldest Earth materials ever discovered, and therefore yield clues about what the planet was like after it formed 4.5 billion years ago. In this new Science Bulletins video, travel to a remote island off Greenland's coast and a zircon-making lab in New York State to learn how geologists are using these time capsules to build new hypotheses about the early Earth.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 6:59 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Behavior • Cultural Observation • Employment • Humor • Streaming videos
tags: Late For Work, jobs, employment, humor, funny, comedy, fucking hilarious, social observation, streaming video
It's hot, you were up late drinking with your friends and now it's Monday morning -- again! Unlike some videos that I share with you, this one gets straight to the point -- a point that we've all achieved at some time during our lives.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 5:59 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
July 18, 2010
Category: Frankfurt through My Eye • Image of the Day • My Pictures • Nature • Photography
tags: Purpur Clematis, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, flowers, image of the day, photography

Purpur Clematis (Clematis species)
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 July 2010 [larger view]
Some of the lovely purple clematis that are growing at the Vietnamese Restaurant near where I live in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 2:59 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Comment of the Week
My commenters really make my day. Because I am such a crappy commenter, I really appreciate that about you. There have been many times in my life when my commenters have been the only reason I've continued writing this blog, and there has been an indecent number of times when one or more of my commenters said something that made me decide that it was worthwhile to just stay alive at all.
Every morning, the first thing I do (even before making coffee!) is read your comments. But my fondness for you and your comments is more than just idle words from me: for example, as a measure of how much I truly value my readers and their comments, I married one of you and left the country of my birth to live with him! (although my spouse probably thinks I am punishing him for being such a funny commenter.) So instead of marrying each and every one of you, I wish to give you a small token of my appreciation and recognize of your words, thoughts and yes, your wonderful senses of humor that you share with me here.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 12:59 PM • 13 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: The Birdbooker Report
tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books.
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature, environment and behavior books and field guides that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and enjoyment. Below the fold is this week's issue of The Birdbooker Report which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 11:59 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
tags: Black Kite, Milvus migrans, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

[Mystery bird] Black Kite, Milvus migrans, photographed at Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 23 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, with 600 mm lens with 1.4 extender, ISO 320, 1/350 sec f/5.6.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 9:59 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Behavior • Cultural Observation • Humor • Politics • Religion • Satire • Streaming videos • Your Inner Child
tags: Mormonism, religion, cults, mind control, Magic Mormon Underwear, moron, offbeat, humor, funny, comedy, silly, beliefs, insanity, education, streaming video
I've lived among mormons for more years than I care to think about, and yes, the magic underwear was one of those mysteries that us kids speculated on when the adults weren't around. As if they were flies upon the walls of my childhood, the Thinking Atheist has made this video that discusses the the Mormon church's most famous "secret."
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 6:59 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Behavior • Cultural Observation • Godlessness • Humor • Religion • Satire • Streaming videos
tags: Brother Sam Singleton Atheist Evangelist, Atheists at Prayer, prayer, atheism, agnosticism, humor, funny, comedy, fucking hilarious, satire, streaming video
This video features the colorful language and thoughts of my new boyfriend, Sam Singleton Atheist Evangelist as he discusses prayer-time etiquette for atheists.
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 5:59 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
July 17, 2010
Category: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
tags: Gray Wren-warbler, Zambia Wren-warbler, Western Wren-warbler, Calamonastes simplex, Lesser Striped Swallow, Striped Swallow, Hirundo abyssinica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz

[Mystery bird]Gray Wren-warbler (perched), also known as a Zambia Wren-warbler or Western Wren-warbler, Calamonastes simplex, and a Lesser Striped Swallow (flying), also known as a Striped Swallow, Hirundo abyssinica, photographed near the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 14 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300s, 600 mm VR lens. ISO 640, 1/640 sec, f/5, Exposure Compensation +3.7.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Read on »
Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 9:59 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
July 16, 2010
Category:
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Since I've been preoccupied with the PepsiCo fiasco, I've not been promoting Scientia Pro Publica as I should be doing. So here's the most recent edition; "Scientia Pro Publica 34", published by Denis at This View of Earth. Let's all head out to Denis's blog to read the carnival and leave some warm fuzzies in the comments thread, then read the linked essays and leave your comments on at least one of those essays, either telling those authors what they did well, or making suggestions for improvements in their writing. Remember, the purpose of this blog carnival is to build a community of people who write and who read about science -- as a reader, you are the experts as to what works best!
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Posted by "GrrlScientist" at 6:59 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks