July 16, 2010
Jennifer L. Jacquet has been investigating the results of unfettered "drill baby drill" environmentalism, and in the process came across this impressive collection of tee-shirts that say something about the BP oil spill. For the most part, they are not pro BP.
Bora of A Blog Around the Clock…
July 16, 2010
Apparently, BP's well cap on Deepwater Horizon is holding, as the closure of the well cap plays a role in testing the device itself. The cap will stay closed for only a short time, then oil will be allowed to flow to surface ships again while relief wells are drilled into the deposit. One of the…
July 16, 2010
.... because your proof of your god is falsified by science. But that is not a problem that science has. It is a problem that you have. It is also not a problem that the Secular Public School System in the US has. Unless you make it so.
This explored in a recent iNewp piece:
As many biblical…
July 15, 2010
New research suggests that misinformed people rarely change their minds when presented with the facts -- and often become even more attached to their beliefs. The finding raises questions about a key principle of a strong democracy: that a well-informed electorate is best.
Sound familiar?
See and…
July 15, 2010
The U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of data recorders from Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration and found that the throttles were wide open and the brakes weren't engaged at the time of the crash, people familiar with the findings…
July 15, 2010
Nalini Nadkarni challenges our perspective on trees and prisons -- she says both can be more dynamic than we think. Through a partnership with the state of Washington, she brings science classes and conservation programs to inmates, with unexpected results.
July 15, 2010
Figures.
Alexey Karetnikov, 23, was deported to Russia on Tuesday after admitting "he was present in the United States in violation of immigration law and voluntarily agreed to deportation in lieu of further court proceedings,"...
...
Microsoft confirms Karetnikov worked as an intern in 2008, then…
July 15, 2010
First the good news, then the bad news. Well, first the bad news that precedes the good news.
BP has put a cap on the well, but a crucial test of the cap was delayed because of an unexpected leak. But basically, this is good news, the cap is on.
The cap is not closed ... the well is still gushing…
July 15, 2010
The world's population will grow to 9 billion over the next 50 years -- and only by raising the living standards of the poorest can we check population growth. This is the paradoxical answer that Hans Rosling unveils at TED@Cannes using colorful new data display technology (you'll see).
July 14, 2010
The Gulf oil spill dwarfs comprehension, but we know this much: it's bad. Carl Safina scrapes out the facts in this blood-boiling cross-examination, arguing that the consequences will stretch far beyond the Gulf -- and many so-called solutions are making the situation worse.
July 14, 2010
Jonathan Foley, Director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and Head of the Global Landscapes Initiative speaks about what is happening with the latest ecological disaster and what lessons can be learned…
July 14, 2010
You know Darwin sailed, famously, on The Beagle. But did you know he also sailed on another boat? Check it out.
More Bird Body Part Blogging: Spurs and blades on the wings of jacanas, lapwings, sheathbills and archaeotrogonids (clubs, spurs, spikes and claws part II)
July 14, 2010
This could be one of the strangest stories out ... well, this week. Prominent Twin Cities lawyer, Aaron Biber, has been charged with getting a 15-year old boy drunk and sexually assaulting him. I don't know a lot more about the case than that.
In his defense, Biber claims that the 15 year old…
July 14, 2010
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Oliver - World Cup 2010: Into Africa - The Amazing Racists
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes
Political Humor
Tea Party
And, let's make some fun of Dan Roodt, who should be flogged. And, then, let us contemplate…
July 14, 2010
The New Yorkers ... they laugh now.
Hat Tip: Jennifer
July 14, 2010
First, strange creature passes in front of BP Oil Spill Cam. Click here to help identify it. Hat TIp Mad Lolscientist.
Second, "Chupacabras in Texas?"
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
See Commentary by Joshua Rosenau.
July 14, 2010
If you do, now is when you should do something about it. The Planetary Society is asking for Americans to contact their Senators, RIGHT NOW.
It's time to make phone calls to support space exploration. We're sending the following letter to all our members today, and urge everyone reading this to…
July 14, 2010
And we need your help to move it. Please click here so the global network of DNS servers knows that you want to visit the MnCSE. You should really visit the site anyway, it's very cool, even if you are not a Minnesota. I love the graphic thingie on the top of the right sidebar .... click the…
July 14, 2010
Well, at Gombe, the longest running chimp project, fifty years today!
Fifty years ago today, Jane Goodall arrived at Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve (now Gombe National Park) in Tanzania and began documenting the lives of the chimpanzees that lived there. When Goodall ended her fieldwork to…
July 13, 2010
Here (below the fold) is my new blog roll. If you were expecting to be there and don't see yourself, let me know. I'm trying to keep my blog roll blog roll-like in that it includes mainly people with whom I exchange linking now and then, and especially whose who's blog roll I'm on. I've deleted…
July 13, 2010
Today the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund released results from a statewide survey of what Texans think about the intersection of politics and religion with public schools. We released results from two questions back in May. One showed overwhelming support for putting teachers and scholars,…
July 13, 2010
I've actually studied the relationship between storm activities and tree falls in a rain forest, so when I saw this, I thought it was quite interesting.
Study Finds Amazon Storm Killed Half a Billion Trees
A single, huge, violent storm that swept across the whole Amazon forest in 2005 killed half…
July 13, 2010
A regular cell phone does not do enough, and has a small screen. An iPhone or smart phone is not easy to hold as one might hold a phone, but has all sorts of functionality and an OK screen. An iPad is kind of cool, but it does not have phone capacities. And, if it did, it would be hard to hold…
July 13, 2010
More details here.
July 13, 2010
Speaking of Accommodationism and New Atheism and stuff, check out this 10 year old discussion:
July 13, 2010
The French have moved one step closer to banning purdah and other veil-wearing in public. In France, this intolerance of religious freedom /slash/ protection of vulnerable populations from the patriarchy is a feminist issue. Would this be the final paragraph of the final chapter of the recession…
July 13, 2010
National Center for Science Education staff will be featured at two key panels at the Netroots Nation 2010 conference in Las Vegas at the Hotel Rio. Details below the fold.
"The ABCs of the Education Culture Wars"
Time: 4:30pm - 5:45pm
Date: July 22, 2010
Steven Newton, NCSE
Dan Quinn - Texas…
July 13, 2010
Skeptically Speaking's podcast on Cruelty is now available here. Next week's show will be Adventures Among Ants, with my close personal friend Mark Moffett. You're gonna like Mark. Details here.
July 12, 2010
"You're holding it wrong," is apparently the latest 'advice' from Apple's Steve Jobs. When the iPhone 4 first came out, people noticed a lot of signal drops. To me, that would not be surprising because the iPhone requires the AT&T service, which, in Minnesota, totally sucks. There are vast…
