Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
August 10, 2007
tags: cats, kung fu kitties, streaming video
I am finally catching up with the rest of the blogosphere by using my friday for CAT BLOGGING. Except I am going to do you all one better by CAT VLOGGING. In this Kung Fu thriller, the student kitty has become the master ... Please, viewers must be over…
August 9, 2007
tags: birding, birds, ornithology, blog carnivals
The 55th edition of the bird blog carnival, I and the Bird, is now available for your reading pleasure. As usual, this blog carnival is a big one, so there's plenty there for you to read.
August 9, 2007
tags: Common nighthawk, Chordeiles minor, birds, Image of the Day
Male Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor, photographed in June on the Konza Prairie. For those of you who are curious, this image is the screensaver on my laptop.
Also known as "bullbats", apparently from their habit of swooping…
August 8, 2007
tags: NYC subways, NYC Life, MTA
So I awoke this morning at 6am to the sounds of a deluge of biblical proportions. My windows are all wide open (no air conditioning), so this rainstorm was impossible to ignore. This deluge lasted approximately an hour and a half, and it flooded the sewers and the…
August 8, 2007
tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter carnival, books, blog carnivals
The 52nd edition of the Harry Potter Carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. Since I am sure that you all have read all the books in the series now, and are longing for more Harry Potter goodness, well, this is the place…
August 8, 2007
tags: California Gull, Larus californicus, birds, Image of the Day
California Gull and Reflection, Larus californicus, photographed from the Antelope Island causeway on the Great Salt Lake in spring 2005.
This is the bird that allegedly saved the nascent Mormon communites in Utah from a plague…
August 7, 2007
tags: researchblogging.org, coffee, memory, cognition, women, aging
Recent research has shown that women older than 65 years old who drink more than three cups of coffee per day were protected from some types of age-related memory declines.
"The more coffee one drank, the better the effects…
August 7, 2007
tags: Grand rounds, medicine, blog carnivals
This week's edition of Grand Rounds, Grand Rounds at the Beach, is now available for your reading pleasure. This blog carnival focuses on medicine, so I am sure that plenty of you have an interest in reading this particular carnival.
August 6, 2007
tags: mystery wasp, mexican wasp, wasp, Image of the Day
Here is an image of a critter for which I have no identification. It is a very large wasp (nearly 2 inches in length), which I photographed in Xalapa, Mexico in October of 2006. it is an evil-looking beast, and I'd like to know if any of…
August 6, 2007
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A male Henslow's Sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii, photographed in July on the Konza Prairie [song].
[This is a] species in decline, probably partially due to habitat loss, since they are obligate grassland birds, and…
August 5, 2007
tags: birds, ornithology, swallows
A proud swallow parent and her nestlings.
Image: Barry Gomer.
Every spring, a group of swallows complete a 6,000-mile migratory journey from South Africa, where they spend the winter, so they can nest in Vivien Reynolds' barn, located in South Hams, Devon, UK.…
August 5, 2007
tags: cats, carnival of the cats, blog carnivals
The 176th edition of the Carnival of the Cats is now available for your reading pleasure. They included a couple stories from me, too. Meow, meow!
August 5, 2007
tags: dinosaurs, fossils,The Boneyard,blog carnivals
The second edition of The Boneyard is now available for all you fossil hunters and dinosaurophiles out there. Be sure to pop in and give them some support!
August 4, 2007
tags: house cat, black bear, cat chases bear up a tree
Jack, el gato con corazón de león
Notice the tiny orange dot at the base of the tree. That's Jack, the house cat. Now, notice the large black bear at the top of the tree, peering down fearfully at the tiny orange dot.
On June 4, a black…
August 4, 2007
tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Image of the Day
Male Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, feeds his chick in Central Park, NYC. [song link]
I found this pair about twenty feet away from the nest site. I have been observing the progress of the nest and was delighted to…
August 3, 2007
tags: Widow Skimmer, Libella luctuosa, dragonfly, Image of the Day
A male Widow Skimmer, Libella luctuosa, photographed in July on Konza Prairie.
This is one of the "King Skimmers", and is found across much of the USA except for Florida, the Rockies, and the intermountain West. Dragonflies are…
August 3, 2007
Finally, a study will be published that documents what we all have known ever since women entered the workforce: men are admired and are financially rewarded for getting angry at work, whereas women who get angry at work are financially penalized and generally viewed as incompetent.
This research…
August 3, 2007
tags: animals, friday ark,blog carnivals
Those of you who enjoy looking at animal pictures will enjoy the 150th edition of the Friday Ark. This blog carnival is a collection of animal pictures of all sorts, some of which are accompanied by information as well! Go there and enjoy while you sip your…
August 3, 2007
Your Power Bird is an Owl
You are beyond wise. You are so smart, you're almost prophetic.
Your inner voice always speaks the truth, and you take the time to listen to it.
You are good at seeing who people are... including the darkness of others.
As a result, you tend to have a rather dark -…
August 3, 2007
tags: lemon battery, streaming video
Creating a battery from a lemon is a common project in many science text books. Successfully creating one of these devices is not easy. This video demonstrates how to construct and use a lemon battery to light an LED and operate a calculator. Of course, I just…
August 2, 2007
Career. Family. Relationship.
Are you pretty much where you thought you'd be five years ago? Ten years ago? Would the person you were ten years ago recognize the person you are now?
As for myself, I can say without reservation that I am nowhere close to where I thought I'd be five years ago. Ditto…
August 2, 2007
tags: leafcutter bee, Megachile wheeleri, Gaillardia pulchra, Image of the Day
Leafcutter Bee, Megachile wheeleri, pollinating Gaillardia pulchra, White Oak Bayou along E. T.C. Jester Blvd.
Contrast the leafcutter bee that visits the wild sunflowers. Native bees are specialists, while European…
August 2, 2007
tags: singing Tesla coil, streaming video
This video shows a solid-state Tesla coil that is "singing". The high voltage sparks are making the noises. Every cycle of the music is a burst of sparks at 41 KHz, triggered by digital circuitry at the end of a "long" piece of fiber optics. The primary run…
August 1, 2007
Thanks to a SciBling, I took this quiz and found out that I do not have Asperger's Syndrome (even though I've had my suspicions), so I guess that's one good thing to know. Whew, what a relief! I was so worried!
If you are interested, my score was 29, whereas scores over 32 are indicative of…
August 1, 2007
tags: cats, blog carnivals
The new Cat Blogging Carnival, 1001 Cats, which is entitled Friday's Deepest Secret And Other Kitty Stories, is now available for your reading enjoyment. Be sure to go there and give them some support!
August 1, 2007
The results of last week's reader poll, along with a few thoughts from me, are available below the fold. Thanks for participating! I will say that I was somewhat surprised by the results, so maybe you can contribute your own thoughts to these poll results.
I have a new poll for you to answer this…
August 1, 2007
tags: researchblogging.org, white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys, steroids, brain growth
White-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys [song and other information].
Image: Birds of Oklahoma.
The first thing that most people think of when they hear the word "steroids" is baseball…
August 1, 2007
tags: Gray Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor, Hyla chrysocelis, Image of the Day
Here is today's pic, a Gray Tree Frog, from Konza Prairie in eastern Kansas. There are two species of Gray Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysocelis, which look identical and can only be distinguished by their call.…
July 31, 2007
Now, now, now, say you, why would I go off on Google in such an unseemly manner? Well, it's really very simple. Google no longer lists any scienceblog sites in their news feed, but they still list other blogs written by liars such as Stop the ACLU, WorldNet Daily and the Discovery Institute. WTF??…
July 31, 2007
tags: marijuana, pot, cannabis, medicine, health problems
According to a group of experts from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (who did not receive any funding from the NIH or any other American Health agencies), smoking one cannabis (marijuana) cigarette ("joint") is as harmful to…