Lazy Saturday YouTube: Black Disney Princess

Category: YouTube Obsessions

Hat tip Gina....

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:38 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Friday Grey Matters: The Biggest Parrot

Category: Friday Grey Matters

The world's biggest flying parrot is the beautiful Hyacinth Macaw, a bluish-purple macaw with yellow around their eyes and mouth. I say "flying parrot" because the ground-bound Kakapo can sometimes weigh the same or a bit more. However, the...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:09 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Good Thing I Didn't Move Here.....

Category: Stupidity

When my family moved to South Carolina from Florida, we looked at houses in the cities of Simpsonville and Clinton. We, looks like it was a good thing we settled in Simpsonville. Just take a look at whats going on...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:16 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Concert Highlights Climate Change As Politically, If Not Scientifically, Controversial

Category: Global Warming

Poor Al Gore, no good deed goes unpunished in his quest for climate change awareness. Only a few days ago he went before the Senate on a hearing on global warming. During which, climate change's biggest political foe, Senator...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:18 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Baptists May See Justification in De-Gay-ifying Babies

Category: Blather

Hard to know what to make of this, or even if what they propose--to prenatally interfere with sexual orientation--is possible. Mr. Mohler [president of a Baptist seminary] said in the article that scientific research "points to some level of biological...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:00 PM • 20 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Why Don't You See More Profs in Church?

Category: U of M

An interesting article ("Why You Rarely See Your Professors In Church") which appeared in the University of Michigan student paper was forwarded to me by its author, Kingson Man. Its tagline went something like this: Studies show that professors are...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:10 AM • 20 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

UM Study Explores Reason For Low Rate of Breast Reconstruction

Category: Health Care

Many post-operative women choose not to go through breast reconstruction. Why?

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:48 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Cooking for Engineers (and 24 Watchers)

Category: Fun

Not sure if there's any other watchers of the show "24" who read, but me and my friends usually get together on Mondays to watch it and enjoy some home cooking. We take turns cooking, and its my week this...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:17 AM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Human-Animal Hybrids Here to Murder Us in Our Sheep...Er, Sleep

Category: Stem Cells

Remember Bush's speech last year where he denounced "human-animal hybrids"? Well, I don't know about you, but I about fell off the couch laughing. But now it looks like his worst fear has come to pass: a chimeric sheep with...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:09 AM • 13 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

New 'I Am A Scientist' Podcast: fMRI of the Spinal Cord

Category: Podcasts

Check out the latest "I Am A Scientist" podcasts, which every week interviews a scientist about their research topic. Last week, I was a guest, and this week's guest is Jane Lawrence. She discusses two types of imaging techniques:...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:05 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

How Would You Slice the American Pie?

Category: Fun

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream has been known for both delicious treats (Cherry Garcia....mmmmm) as well political activism. They have a fun application on their site which allows you to slice up the budget as YOU see fit. What are...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:44 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Why You Wouldn't Want An Owl As A Pet

Category: Birds

After gazing at the cute owlet all day, I was thinking, "Wouldn't it be fun to have a pet owl, like a pet parrot?" Now deep down I figured that was a horrible idea on a LOT of levels (and...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:31 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Friday Grey Matters: Rare (and Murderous) Owls

Category: Friday Grey Matters

I'm going to take a bit of a departure for parrot-related news this week to focus on owls, which are solitary, nocturnal birds of prey. Recently a very rare species of owl, the long-whiskered owlet, was observed in the...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:23 PM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Science Finally Discovers My 3rd Grade Science Fair Project

Category: Health Care

Sooooo, turns out that pop/soda/Coke *does* rot your teeth. Um, now they listen? Where was this press release during the 1989 school year when a burgeoning nerdlet conducted (not so) scientific examinations into THIS VERY FACT?? Its a conspiracy...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:17 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Aaaachoooo: Anatomy of a Sinus Infection

Category: Health Care

I've probably had dozens of sinus infections. This is partially related to my genes; I got some good ones, but sinus problems and severe allergies run in my family. I ended up with both, with the result being a cycle...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:50 AM • 18 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Great Parrot Escape

Category: YouTube Obsessions

He's got cunning and perseverance. And look how proud he is at the end!...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:58 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

St. Patrick's Day Pictures

Category: Blather

Sparkles and bunny ears are fun. (More pictures below the fold.....)...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:47 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Sick....Waaaaaaaah :-(

Category: Announcements

Sorry for the lack of blogging or comment response, but me and my sinuses have not been the best of friends lately. I think it *may* have had something to do with St. Paddy's Day (so my doc says) but...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:02 AM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

This PC Fan Wants To Be Convinced Apples Are Worth It

Category: Technology

Which are you? Which am I??!? My PC, a 2 year old bottom-of-the-line Averatec is on life support. As in, I gotta start planning its funeral quite soon. I can't say that our life together has been blissful, or...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:15 PM • 68 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

$55K to Learn Mandarin, Except She Doesn't

Category: Red Herrings

So, I'm trying to learn Mandarin right now, in order to be able to communicate when I go visit my parents in China. I'm learning from a student here at UM, for a modest per hour wage. However apparently...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:37 PM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Thinking Blogger Awards

Category: Blogging

A few days ago I was tagged by Perfectly Reasonable Deviations as a "Thinking Blogger" which apparently comes with a nifty picture and the responsibility to tag five more bloggers for the award. The tough part is *just* nominating...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:53 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

"IamAScientist" Podcast With Shelley Interview!

Category: Blogging

The podcast I did with Nick (Neurocontrarian) is up now, here. Just a warning, its silly, but check it out anyway. Thanks Nick!...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:32 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Friday Grey Matters: The Real Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Category: Friday Grey Matters

It is not uncommon for a small population of exotic parrot species to flourish in a new niche in the United States. My old home in Sarasota, Florida had a large population of lories and Amazons which lived wild, making...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:30 PM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

On Religion and "Taking the Red Pill"

Category: Religion

I've never really talked about religion on this blog before, at least not directly. But there's trouble a-brewin' at ScienceBlogs which has worked more than a few of our ranks into tizzies of knotted panties and carpal tunnel blogging....

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:15 AM • 77 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Science, Laws, Emotions, and Children: Open Thread

Category: Open Thread

Emotions have been running high on this thread, and the comments piling up and becoming unmanageable. So, if you'd like to continue the discussion, please do it here....

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:38 PM • 34 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

The Music Genome Project

Category: Fun

I have weird music tastes, which sometimes makes it hard to find new artists that really knock my socks off. I've often wondered why no one creates a musical "family tree" of related bands and music, and I've found some...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:27 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

What is Happiness and Can We Ever Achieve It?

Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience

Would you rather have a completely happy life, or a meaningful life? And are the two mutually exclusive? The topics, as well as recent neuroscience research, is addressed in a fascinating podcast over at Governomics. The podcast is here,...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:08 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

How I Will Die.....

Category: Memes

It could be a LOT worse. You'll die from a Heart Attack during Sex. Your a lover not a fighter but sadly, in the act of making love your heart will stop. But what a way to go. 'How will...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 5:44 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Happy Pi Day! (3.14.07)

Category: Announcements

Like most nerdlets, the concept of pi has always fascinated me: a number, yet undefinable, infinite. Of course, there was also the supurb movie Pi by Aronofsky, which only furthered its cult status. So rejoice pi-lovers, for today is...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:17 AM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Follow-Up to the Whole Obama "Thing"

Category: Red Herrings

So Mike over at The Questionable Authority posted an excellent critique/synthesis/etc of the comment thread going on in the Obama vs. pedophile case, which I thought deserved its own post. Check it out....

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:42 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Last Call for Retrospectacle Blog Roll

Category: Blogging

Ok, I'm updating 'da roll tonight, so if you want me to check out your site for link-worthiness leave it in the comments!...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:27 PM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

George Bush : Steve Jobs :: Iraq : iRack

Category: YouTube Obsessions

iRack, Apple's latest product!

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:40 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Common Anesthetic Causes Changes in Mouse Brains

Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience

Neuroscience has a long and sordid history with anesthetic chemicals. Take curare (d-Tubocurarine) for example. Better known as a South American "dart poison," curare causes paralysis but not loss of consciousness. However, this chemical was used during the early...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:36 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Explantion of How the Emotiv Headset Works

Category: Technology

Emotiv has developed a highly sophisicated algorithm (patent pending) to "unfold the cortex" (which individualized across people like finger prints) to map a thought signal to it's source.

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:36 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Twisted.....Pedophile Rates Obama's Kids

Category: Red Herrings

I can't believe some of the stuff that Presidential hopefuls have to endure. Barack Obama is currently involved in a lawsuit with a self-professed pedophile over pictures of his kids. It's enough to make any father lash out in anger....

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:14 PM • 67 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Genetic Hearing Loss Potentially Reversible

Category: Inner Ear Biology

As I've mentioned before, my research and my lab focuses on the delivery of genes to the inner ear to repair or reverse deafness. One potential method for getting these genes into surviving cells is to insert them into a...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 1:07 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Happy Birthday to A Very Old Squid

Category: Announcements

Yep, PZ's half a century old today, so go wish the old coot some birthday cheer. Mmmmmmmm fried squid..........

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:38 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Pity a Panda, Give it a Limb

Category: Panda Fluff

Someone should tell those pandas that picking on the handicapped is *not cool.*

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 4:03 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Awesome Site on the Cochlea and Hearing

Category: Inner Ear Biology

Bob Abu sent me this really amazing website on inner ear biology and morphology. Its got some really impressive SEM pictures and very informative descriptions of the anatomy of the cochlea. I'd suggest checking it out. Cross-section of the sensory...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:27 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Video Game Mind Control

Category: Technology

Every gamer's wet dream---controlling the game with your mind---may soon be a reality. Made by Emotiv, its called Project Epoc, and will be demo'd at the Game Developer's Conference this week. This wireless headset if fitted with sensors which, I...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:17 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Open Call For Retrospectacle Blog Roll

Category: Blogging

The time has come for blogroll updating! Yes, time to clean out the old links and put in some shiny new ones. Want a link? Leave it in the comments! (No promises, but I do promise to take a look!)...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:21 PM • 22 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Hooray for Atkins? Nope.

Category: Health Care

In a recent head-to-head test of four fad diets, apparently the Atkins diet resulted in the participants losing the most weight. The Atkins diet relies on the elimination of carbs in your diet, and encourages intake of protein and fats...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 11:18 AM • 18 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Bottled Holy Water....May Burn Sinners

Category: Red Herrings

Water is water....unless its holy water, of course! I'm not quite sure what's special about this gimmicky beverage, except its from Canada and might raise my eyebrows slightly more than Aquafina or Evian. I'm pretty sure this water isn't...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:32 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Scooter Libby Guilty as Sin

Category: US Politics

Ladies and gentlemen, the fat lady has sung. A federal jury today found Lewis "Scooter" Libby guilty on four counts. Libby was convicted of: 1. obstruction of justice when he intentionally deceived a grand jury investigating the outing of CIA...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:17 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Coulter: Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Category: 2008 Presidental Election

That vile woman just doesn't know when to quit. A lot of mudslinging is tolerated in political banter, but you really have to have some god-awful dirty mud when even your own party denounces you as the bigoted banshee...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 3:47 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Technical Difficulties.....

Category: Blogging

Seems that ScienceBlogs was down for about an hour or so......strange. This has been happening with some semi-regular frequency the past few months, which makes me wonder who we've pissed off this time. Anyway, the tech guys have informed us...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:48 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Kinda Gives Powerhouse Gym a New Twist....

Category: Technology

Walking around the gym, watching all those people spinning or walking or treading or ellipsing....wouldn't it make good sense to harness all that rat-race energy as power? Could you imagine getting a free gym membership for spending a certain amount...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:15 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

10 Weird Things About Me

Category: Memes

All the weird things thats fit to print.

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 9:15 AM • 16 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Octopus Vs. Shark.....Shark Loses

Category: YouTube Obsessions

Dead sharks kept appearing on the aquarium floor. Somebody decided to stay up and watch for the culprit.

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 2:19 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

What is Joost and What Can It Do For Me?

Category: Technology

Remember when I asked if evil, evil You Tube was really so evil for broadcasting copyrighted material? Well the kerfuffle was over Viacom pulling their content off YouTube and putting it on rising-star video thingy Joost. I was looking at...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:56 PM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Pointless Incessant Barking

Category: Science Cartoons

Everybody has a blog these days.

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:03 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

Friday Grey Matters: Mexico Disregards Illegal Parrot Trade

Category: Friday Grey Matters

Mexico has a lot of problems on its hands: pollution, emigration, drugs, poverty, pollution, to name a few. But Mexico also plays host to many endangered species and habitats, providing a very dangerous home to the animals lucky enough...

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Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:31 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks

What's in a Twinkie?

Category: Health Care

Well, nothing good thats for sure. But my SciBling Dr. Charles has a interesting (if disgusting) post up on the inner life of a Twinkie. I was most interested in the notorious "is it a liquid or solid?" filling: *The...

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