February 18, 2009
The Kennedy School of Government had banned all smoking within the building, but had not yet banned smoking just outside the doors facing the Charles River, to the south of the complex. An African American woman, about fifty years of age, took a light from me, and we stood in the falling snow…
February 17, 2009
First, I want to tell you that I think I might have accidentally broken facebook. It is going to be a while before this becomes apparent, but I think it might be true. Then, I've got some cool links for Linux Lovers.
Here's the story with facebook. I get a form from the University's Central…
February 17, 2009
Just who does this comet think it is? The comet Lulin, discovered last year by a Chinese teenage amateur astronomer, has never been here before. This is its first pass around the sun. It will, owing to a number of different poorly explained by science journalists effects, fly at the sun…
February 16, 2009
The incident just reported an hour or so ago is unusual, but not unexpected or unheard of.
A 200-pound chimpanzee kept as a pet and once used in commercials was shot and killed by police Monday after it mauled a woman visiting its owner and later cornered an officer in his cruiser, authorities…
February 16, 2009
Slashdot is reporting that Satellite junk (from the recent collision) is falling on Texas, but he very latest (as of moments ago) from Bad Astronomy is that it is not.
UPDATE:
But then, there's this.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
1145 PM EST FRI FEB 13 2009…
February 16, 2009
So Amanda and I arrive at some public building in a largish Midwestern city. I'm a scientist, here to sit on a panel for a public discussion related to science and education. The building, a library, is not open yet but is scheduled to open in a few minutes. There are two groups of people…
February 16, 2009
So, yesterday Afternoon, there was a meeting of the Minnesota Atheists that included a one hour panel discussion of evolution, creationism, science education, and so on. The panel was moderated by Lynn Fellman, and included (in order from right to left as the audience gazed on) Randy Moore, Sehoya…
February 15, 2009
This is interesting, from a National Geographic press release:
TORONTO, Feb. 12, 2009 - A York University researcher has tracked the migration of songbirds by outfitting them with tiny geolocator backpacks - a world first - revealing that scientists have underestimated their flight performance…
February 15, 2009
Apparently there is an argument among spaceologists as to how long satellite debris floating around the earth will stay "up there." The difference in opinion ranges from decades or a century or so on one hand to ten thousand years on the other hand . Details here.
February 15, 2009
I have a cousin in law who tells this story: Her youngest child found out about sex. Then he made the connection that if he existed, his parents must have had sex. So he confronted the parents with this, and mom was forced to admit, yes, of course, this is how babies get "made" and this is…
February 15, 2009
I still have not found a satisfactory way to sync my calendar and to do list between the University's calendar server, my Windows "computer" at work, my Linux Laptop, the iPod Touch, and the main computer in the Blog Cave.
But we may be getting there.
To-do syncing has always been one of the…
February 15, 2009
"The Giants' Shoulders" is a monthly science blogging event, in which authors are invited to submit posts on "classic" scientific papers. Information about the carnival can be found here.
The last Giants' was hosted at The Questionable Authority, here. The next issue will be hosted at The…
February 14, 2009
In Genesis 4, we see specific reference to herdsmen and farmers as distinct groups, represented by Abel and Cain, respectively. God indicates a preference for the results of herding over planting, and the sibling troubles that ensue result in the world becoming a difficult place to farm, and…
February 14, 2009
In his bid to Take The Senate No Matter What, Norm Coleman has been trying to get a very large number of previously rejected absentee ballots counted. Most of these ballots were not counted because they were truly borked. Folks, remember this: If you are going to vote absentee, keep in mind the…
February 14, 2009
It's been a great pleasure to read the Origin of Specie ... I had forgotten how clever Darwin was and how he carefully weighs his arguments for evolution.
I had also fallen prey to several myths about the book. For example, I didn't realize that Origin of Species is all about speciation and the…
February 14, 2009
Minnesota Atheists' "Atheists Talk" radio show.
Sunday February 15, 2009, 9-10 a.m. Central Time
The Minnesota Atheists have reached an important milestone. The new elections today will mark the changeover from the founding members who will be leaving the board but remaining active, and turning…
February 14, 2009
If you buy an iPhone from Apple, you don't own the iPhone. No. Apple owns you.
According to this item on Slashdot regarding this item from somewhere else on the intertubules.
So if you buy this thing, you can do whatever you want with it as long as whatever you want is what Apple wants. If you…
February 14, 2009
Christos Greek Restaurant is one of three well-known Greek restaurants in Minneapolis. The other two are It's Greek to Me and Gardens of Salonica. Which one you like may be a matter of cultural survival.
It turns out that Greek restaurants in Minneapolis are to the citizens of this area what…
February 14, 2009
Linux Love.
Top ten reasons men don't say "I love you" .... and the obverse.
Oh, and watch this and this.
February 14, 2009
For the last couple of decades, perhaps beginning around the time of the publication of Laurie Garret's excellent thesis (The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance) on disease and politics and continuting through Gina Kolata's "Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza…
February 14, 2009
This weekend at Har Mar Mall, in Roseville, just north of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul border.
I've been watching this event every year for few years now, and a couple of years ago it got quite interesting when the organizers of the event discovered that I had caught them is a lie and provided…
February 14, 2009
Feb 15 - Darwin Year Panel Discussion Featuring Myers, Laden, Moore, Cotner and Phillips
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origins of Species. In honor of this, we have assembled a distinguished panel of scientists…
February 13, 2009
Earlier today, the Linux Epoch time ... which is the number os seconds since January 1st 1970 when the world was created ... reached this number:
1234567890
February 13, 2009
Genesis 2 ends with Adam and Eve being naked yet not ashamed. In Genesis 3, the Serpent, who is wiser than average, tricks Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit of one of god's two magic trees. This results in Adam and Eve recognizing their own nakedness, and compelling them to produce the…
February 13, 2009
First of all, I want you to understand that I'm a lightweight in the Mario Kart game. Julia is not. So my pointers come mainly from watching her. (Watching her kick my butt, actually.)
I also want to make a few other comments that are not tricks, tips, or "cheats" on how to win, but rather,…
February 13, 2009
Imagine if two people got in their cars and drove to work. They both live in different places and work in different places. They live miles from where they work. Their driving paths cross at one point.
There are no other cars in the universe, just these two (remember, I'm asking you to use your…
February 13, 2009
The Gallup Poll is not surprising in any of its results but it is, of course, alarming and interesting. Here's a summary.
On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a new Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of Americans say they "believe in the theory of evolution," while a…
February 13, 2009
Give your sweetie an Awkward Valentine.
February 13, 2009
"While Al Franken, Harry Reid and their allies will likely continue their efforts to short-circuit Minnesota election law, you can be assured that I will continue fighting to ensure the Minnesota voters -- and nobody else! -- will truly decide who won this election."
Source: MnIndy
