August 25, 2010
Obviously, I have to switch parties:
Katie Couric once described bloggers as journalists who gnaw at new information "like piranhas in a pool." But increasingly, many bloggers are also secretly feeding on cash from political campaigns, in a form of partisan payola that erases the line between…
August 25, 2010
Or is he merely .... an atheist?
August 25, 2010
Don't be a random, arbitrary dick. Be meaningful and relevant in your dickosity:
If your dickishness is going to help you communicate the values of skepticism, it has to relate, directly and immediately, to the circumstances that warrant anger.
Read the rest here
And then, if you want to know…
August 25, 2010
Danielle is a hurricane again. Not real well organized but showing signs of getting its act together, Danielle will likely continue to strengthen for a couple/few days, remain a hurricane for a couple of days, then start weakening in about five days. This is all going to happen out in the middle…
August 25, 2010
From Military.com via the TFN:
The Army said Friday it was investigating a claim that dozens of soldiers who refused to attend a Christian band's concert at a Virginia military base were banished to their barracks and told to clean them up.
August 25, 2010
I'm going to talk about one or two peer reviewed papers, but in doing so, I'm going to have to say a few words ... and this will not be pretty ... about a certain science writer's report at the BBC.
In an article titled "Space is the final frontier for evolution, study claims" BBC "science writer"…
August 24, 2010
What does skepticism look like from a Native American perspective?
...change is never an easy obstacle to overcome. People fear the unknown and find comfort in daily routines, habits, and ritual tradition. Society itself has become too comfortable with some of the ways we think and perceive…
August 24, 2010
Yet another study on why women shop, from an evolutionary perspective:
In an unconscious attempt to outdo female rivals, ovulating women buy sexier clothing, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
"Not unlike the chimps featured on the Discovery Channel, women become more…
August 24, 2010
Danielle is unraveling. Meteroloigsts are using words like "disorganized" and "decreased dvorak estimates" and "downgrading" and finally, have decided that she is no longer a hurricane. Tropical Strom Danielle may well reintensify into a hurricane, and in fact, she may become a rather intense…
August 24, 2010
Terra Sigillata has settled at Central Science. Click here to visit the new blog and find out the details.
August 24, 2010
My brother, who lives in Kentucky, very recently had similar corrective heart surgery as PZ's. He sent me this video to pass on to PZ of what appears to be the latest trend in Kentucky health food, as well as the main novel food item that will be sold at the Kentucky State Fair which starts up in…
August 24, 2010
Click here to find out what it is.
August 24, 2010
Timely:
Investigations into research misconduct cost US institutions more than US$110 million per year, estimates a study published this week. But experts contacted by Nature question whether calculating the cost of investigation is the right way to measure the impact of research misconduct.
read…
August 24, 2010
The word on the street is that PZ Myers has been surgically updated and will return home soon, probably tomorrow. My understanding is that he received a stent, which is routine, but as long as they had him on the table they also upgraded his laser eye blaster tubes and retractable squid arm…
August 24, 2010
For the past three years, Marilyn Bess has operated MS Philly Organic, a small, low-traffic blog that features occasional posts about green living, out of her Manayunk home. Between her blog and infrequent contributions to ehow.com, over the last few years she says she's made about $50. To Bess,…
August 24, 2010
You know of DuWayne Brayton as the over the top highly opinionated commenter who is always giving everyone a hard time on this blog, or when not here, on his own blog. (Which, by the way, has recently undergone a style change, and I like it.)
Well, you may not know that DuWayne writes fiction now…
August 24, 2010
But you can help. And there's something in it for you.
August 24, 2010
I am sad to report that it is indeed confirmed by official sources that primatologist Marc Hauser engaged in several instances of what is being termed misconduct while carrying out experiments in his lab.
Dean Michael Smith issued the following letter to members of the Harvard community today…
August 24, 2010
In our recent tour of the northern and western parts of Minnesota, we stopped briefly at Tamarack Wildlife Refuge. Here are a few shots:
Although this diorama is at Tamarack, it is really a story more germane to Itasca. Shown here is the ongoing struggle for existence, etc. etc., between the…
August 24, 2010
Which is not the "going away" of oil.
More info here.
hat tip: Diandra Leslie-Pelecky
August 24, 2010
Is PZ Myers over the top? Is Phil Plait too nice? Is Chris Mooney right about framing? If I meet a Creationist, should I throw a fossil over his head?
A while back, I did a radio show with a skeptic who happened to be a musician. One of the main topics was whether or not being mean to people…
August 23, 2010
If you haven't seen it, please check out this bit of dark comedy from PZ, who reveals that he will be undergoing unspecified probing and surgery. Medical science will be having its way with him over the next few days.
Go wish him well!
August 23, 2010
And now it is time for a new edition of Name that Organism. Each of the following photos was taken at Itasca State Park, except one. Extra points for naming which photo was not taken in the park.
Write your ID's in the comments section.
A)
B)
C)
(click to enlarge)
D)
(click to enlarge)
E…
August 23, 2010
As you know, we just spent a few days at Itasca (see this for the meaning of the word "Itasca") where we saw some interesting wildlife. I thought I 'd share a few photos of the trip.
We were at Itasca because Amanda volunteered to help out with the orientation for new biology grad students, by…
August 23, 2010
This has been a very quiet hurricane season considering that it was predicted to be active and intense. The fourth named storm is only now developing in the Atlantic, and it is a hurricane named Danielle.
Danielle, just upgraded to a hurricane, appears to be intensifying quickly.
Danielle is now…
August 22, 2010
September 2nd, in Atlanta, honoring Jeff Medkeff and run by the Atlanta Skeptics. Details here.
August 21, 2010
is HERE at Great Auk
August 21, 2010
Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design
August 20, 2010
Wanted: All toolbars that can be on top should also be able to be on bottom or side, in any software, any system, anywhere, and function properly while there.
See the whole "WANTED" list here.
