December 8, 2016
A few suggestions for holiday gifts, or library upgrades, in the topic of birds.
Thinking About Birds Thinking
Some very interesting books came out this year that investigate bird brains.
Bird Brain: An Exploration of Avian Intelligence by Nathan Emery is the best current book on animal…
December 8, 2016
What happens when you imagine the worst case scenario. Then the thing happens, but it was worse than you thought it could be. What is that called? Worchester isn't just a city west of Boston anymore.
We have a new Ikonokast podcast out, and in it, we speak with Shawn Otto about what happened on…
December 7, 2016
The Art of the Deal isn't just a book by Donald Trump any more.
It is American fiscal and foreign policy.
We haven't even started yet, and we've started. This is embarassing.
December 7, 2016
The Republicans don't care at all bout the law, the Constitution, freedom, security, or the people of the United States.
One way we ensure civilian control of the military is by restricting military associated individuals from being secretary of defense. It is not like it can't happen, but there…
December 7, 2016
He started the process of stealing your democracy. Why? How? Have a look:
I will hold the electors who put his name in the ballot box as equally responsible.
Oh, and by the way, he also did this:
Donald Trump Picks GOP Oil Industry Ally, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, to Lead EPA
December 7, 2016
The CS Detective: An Algorithmic Tale of Crime, Conspiracy, and Computation by Jeremy Kubica is the tory of disgraced ex-detective and hardboiled private eye Frank Runtime.
Frank Runtime knows REGEX and is not afraid to use it.
From the publishers:
When a robbery hits police headquarters, it's up…
December 5, 2016
Right now the number one problem we face in the US is the fact that a) the president of the United States can not be stopped or deterred from launching nuclear missiles if he choses to do so, by design; and b) Donald Trump will be inaugurated, if the electoral college so decides, in January.
If…
December 4, 2016
According to NBC:
Standing Rock Chairman: Pipeline Plan Denial 'A Win For All Of America' 1:57
The secretary of the Army Corps of Engineers told Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II Sunday that the current route for the controversial Dakota Access pipeline will be denied.
"Although we…
December 4, 2016
Time to make sure you are stocked up and up to date on your climate science books. First, you will need reference materials throughout the holiday season, because Uncle Bob is going to challenge you more stridently than usual. Climate change deniers have taken over the US government. You are on…
December 3, 2016
The press helped elect Donald Trump. The mainstream press loved itself that false balance, giving absurdly pseudo-even coverage to whatever tripe might be spewed by willfully ignorant conservatives. So, screw them, and we await their apology. Meanwhile, the tabloid press has made its own…
December 3, 2016
Here I have just a few suggestions for science books for the kiddos. See this post for the adult version.
The Outdoor Science Lab for Kids and the other books in the same series are excellent, highly recommended, and reviewed here.
Treecology is also a science activity book that people seem to…
December 3, 2016
Here is my selection of the top science books from 2016, excluding those mainly for kids. Also, I don't include climate change related books here either. (These will both be covered in separate posts.)
The number of books on this list is not large, and I think this was not the most prolific year…
December 2, 2016
The American alligator is found only in the US, and is widespread in Texas. It is found at several inland localities, and along the coast. And, it turns out that the preferred locations for many of the important activities in the day to day live of the American alligator overlap a great deal with…
November 29, 2016
You know that Donald Trump has been claiming very clearly and precisely that he won both the electoral and popular vote, and that it only looks like he did not win the popular vote because of voter fraud, meaning, that a certain number of American citizens voted twice, or otherwise rigged the…
November 29, 2016
... and loss of citizenship, which may amount to be thrown out of the country.
Flag burning may be obnoxious to many, but it is a constitutionally protected act, as long as it is your flag and you do it outside.
Presumptive President Elect Donald Trump has called for severe penalties for flag…
November 28, 2016
You know what LEGO is. Do you know what LEGO Ideas is?
This is a program where people -- not normal people but Lego Ninja Expert people -- propose lego builds. The builds are normally actually built, but some are just designed or have parts that are just designed. These propose builds are then…
November 28, 2016
Trigger warning: This post contains several images of racist or similar messages found through history and throughout the world, including a handul from the US over the last few weeks. These are provided as documentation to go along with the text of this blog post and to inform the reader of the…
November 26, 2016
So, today I was on my way to the pharmacy to buy important medicine for my son. The medicine cost about 50 bucks, and I had a fifty dollar bill in my back pocket.
In my front pocket, I had a twenty.
Just before I walk into the pharmacy, this dude with a mask comes along and says, "I've got a gun…
November 25, 2016
As you know, there is interest in doing a recount for the presidential balloting in three key states. The chance that a recount in these three states would change Trump's win (290 to 232 electoral votes) is small. But, it is possible that a recount could demonstrate irregularities that should be…
November 25, 2016
The Unofficial LEGO Technic Builder's Guide by Pawet "Sariel" Kmiec (Second Edition) tells you how to build machines, models, robots, etc. that will work.
You need to construct these things in a way that ensures they won't easily fall apart, and that requires a certain amount of engineering.…
November 24, 2016
Clinton beat Trump by a large margin, by electoral standards. A couple of percent is actually a lot these days. Yet so far it appears that Trump won the electoral vote, even though those votes are not yet cast and who knows what is actually going to happen.
But this year, strange as it it and…
November 23, 2016
What is Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is a feast. But what is a feast? Anthropology is all about examining ourselves through the lens of other cultures. Or, at least, that's what we used to do back in the good old days. Let's have a look at this great American holiday from this perspective and see…
November 23, 2016
When I go to Thanksgiving, all the people there will be reasonable. Also, this will be in Minnesota where politics are not discussed. And if they are discussed, my Father-in-Law has well developed techniques to run interference, as is his responsibility as head of the hosting household. There…
November 22, 2016
Question: How do we wipe out racism by making racists not be so racist?
Answer: We don't.
We do something else that actually works.
The expanding Trump-fueled conversation about racism
It has been absolutely fascinating to observe myriad conversations reacting to the Trump electoral win. All…
November 21, 2016
This is a bit late in the year for an Atlantic Hurricane. The season normally runs from June 1st through November 30th, but that includes a bit of buffer time.
Otto is a tropical storm that will turn into a hurricane on Wednesday, probably, and make landfal near the border of Nicaragua and Costa…
November 20, 2016
These are my suggestions, mostly books, for holiday gifts that have some sort of science relevance. See this guide for gift ideas for kids. (There is a pretty good chance that there is an idea or two in the Kids Guide for the adult in your life, depending on the adult.)
For your Uncle Bob
Get…
November 20, 2016
Large hairy elephants got me into paleoanthropology, eventually.
Cohoes Mastodon Exhibit in old New York State Museum, Albany, NY.
I had a strong interest in science, and it was nurtured and expanded by my frequent visits to the New York State Museum, and there was never a doubt in anyone's…
November 19, 2016
I've reviewed, researched, and generally looked around for a selection of gifts that could work for kids ranging from very small to High School (and beyond!?!?) that are science oriented.
(For gifts, mainly books, for adults, see THIS.)
Coding
The best kids coding books these days are probably…
November 18, 2016
They are coming for the Muslims, and they will not stop there.
Registries exist and we have no problem with some of them. Sex offenders, known bad guys, that sort of thing. They really aren't even registries, but records governed by due process.
Then there are some others that we allow in our post…
November 18, 2016
This is not the best possible recourse, but it might be important. The idea here is to bring the Senate within reach as a body to oppose some of Trump's worst moves, by making the 100th Senator, a seat in Louisiana for which the election has not yet been held, a Democrat instead of a Republicans.…
