January 5, 2008
An innovative computer hacker stuffs a computer inside a beaver.
No everyone knows about Cabin Culture. It is a key aspect of culture here in Minnesota, though it is certainly not confined to the North Star State. Many True Minnesotans have a cabin on a lake somewhere in their life. They either…
January 5, 2008
Christian Creationists are accusing scientists of being defensive, ignorant, reprehensible, and troubling. They might be right.
The NAS just published the latest version of its book on Evolution and Creationism (free, by the way: Your tax dollars at work) and we are now seeing the trickle of…
January 5, 2008
Redmond, Wash.-based Microvision is unveiling a fully functioning, self-contained prototype that should be available as a real product--possibly from Motorola--later this year.
Dubbed SHOW, the lensless PicoP projector is designed for home and business use, and uses tiny lasers to shoot a WVGA (…
January 5, 2008
In one of the most beloved talks from TED2007, novelist Isabel Allende talks about writing, women, passion, feminism. She tells the stories of powerful women she has known, some larger-than-life (listen for a beauty tip from Sophia Loren), and some simply living with grace, dignity and ingenuity in…
January 5, 2008
It is interesting to see words like "doomed" and "ruined" in the context of the current election cycle in the US. Many of us had those words in our minds and on our lips during the last two election cycles. I wonder if the rhetoric of doom, which is largely accurate, will be more over this time…
January 5, 2008
To get his annual predictions, I mean. Actually, now that I think about it, talking to god does not work either...
I don't pay much attention to Bill Gates (and I'm sure it's mutual) but I was just noticing that today is not only his annual prediction speech in Las Vegas, but it is also probably…
January 4, 2008
Its name is, unfortunately, "Open Paleontology Journal." Reminds me of the Soviet/Communist Era in Asia, where such a journal might have been named "The People's Paleontology Journal."
Details are here.
January 4, 2008
It turns out that Huckabee ...
rhymes with Schmuck 'll be...
January 4, 2008
In the wake of his Iowa victory, Mike Huckabee is doing the news and talk show circuit. Here are his comments this AM on evolution.
ABC's "Good Morning America" grilled Huckabee about his evangelical ties, making Creationism the issue.
ABC's Robin Roberts mentioned a new book from the National…
January 4, 2008
Pope Evicts Astronomers Science is to make way for diplomacy at the Pope's summer residence, with the dismantling of the astronomical observatory that has been part of Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, for more than 75 years. The Pope needs more room to receive diplomats so the telescopes have to go…
January 4, 2008
The recent release of the NAS tome on evolution, and how evolution is good and creationist is bad, has been picked up by the religious community. It was only a matter of time before they noticed.
From the Ecumenical News International:
The US scientific community has begun 2008 with a strong…
January 4, 2008
The National Academy of Sciences has issued the third version of its book "Science, Evolution and Creationism," in which it makes an effort to reconcile belief in god with acceptance of evolution.
The book, available to purchace from the National Academies Press, in very short form in this…
January 4, 2008
An update on the hearings.
Florida Citizens for Science intones You made an impression. Congratulations! The hearings seem to have gone well, and the violation of the constitutional rights by christian fundamentalists of public school children of Florida may have been averted.
From tampabay.com…
January 4, 2008
Every year around this time, Pat Robertson has a meeting with god, at which god tells Pat stuff about what is going to happen in the future. After several years of this, we now know for certain that god has no idea of, or no control over, what the future brings.
This is because Pat, who is…
January 4, 2008
Indeed, in science. The current issue of Science reviews the positions of each of the major presidential candidates in the area of science.
Writing the overview to this collection of views, Jeffrey Mervis states:
Many factors can make or break a U.S. presidential candidate in the 2008 race for…
January 3, 2008
Thoughtful analysis on a recent poll regarding Evolution vs. Creationism.
January 3, 2008
Taurotragus oryx, Kalahari, South Africa.
January 3, 2008
This teaching simulation of the Sodium Potassium pump just showed up in my inbox. Have a look.
January 3, 2008
Piles of research on alcohol; a little research on obesity.
Having just written Alcohol, Sexual Attraction, Sexual Behavior, and Sexual Performance, about excessive alcohol consumption by male fruit flies and its effects on sexual behavior, I am amused to find this in my newsy inbox:
Gene therapy…
January 3, 2008
New research published in Science on the origins of multicellular life reveals an interesting pattern. The Cambrian Explosion may have been samosamo.
What is evolution about? Why are there different species, rather than just one (or a few) highly variable species? Is there a close…
January 3, 2008
Analyze Everything keeps an eye on energy policy in Kansas, and is happily reporting the following:
Not only did the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment make Kansas the first state to deny the construction of a new power plant based solely on greenhouse emissions, it turns out Kansans…
January 3, 2008
Daily alcohol use by males has been shown to increase sexual arousal and decrease sexual inhibition.
In Fruit Flies.
The current (Jan 2) issue of PLoS ONE includes a paper by Lee et al exploring thye physiological side of changes in sexual behavior under the influence of alcohol, with an eye…
January 3, 2008
Is below the fold...
Jan 03
Apple Computer founded, 1977
Jan 03
New Year's Holiday in Scotland
Jan 03
Revolution Day in Upper Volta
Jan 03
Steven Stills is born in Dallas, 1945
Jan 04
George Washington Carver born in Missouri, 1864
Jan 04
Jakob Grimm born, 1785
Jan 04
Wilhelm Beer…
January 3, 2008
It is common knowledge that most Americans are creationists, and prefer creationist stories of human origins and evolution in general over the findings of evolutionary biology. But this is only true if you ask the questions a certain way, and a new study shows very different results.
This is a…
January 3, 2008
A good way to make Microsoft Office software not interact with other software, thus forcing users to either shun the alternatives or to use only the alternatives would be to start blocking the use of all older file formats. Let's hope Microsoft does not think of this nasty little trick.
"In…
January 3, 2008
Hearings will be held today in Jacksonville and early next week in Miramar Florida to determine if the word "evolution" will be integrated into the school science curriculum.
Information on the Jacksonville Hearing is here:
A public meeting about the new draft of the state science standards is…
January 3, 2008
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales will launch the OpenSource search engine on January 7th, according to the Washington Post.
You must know that at at any given moment at Google, there are countless technical experts working on tweaking and refining the Google search engine, to the extent that it is a…
