jlynch
Posts by this author
June 14, 2006
Apparently more than Dembski helped Coulter with her attack on evolution:
"I couldn't have written about evolution without the generous tutoring of Michael Behe, Devid Berlinski, and William Dembski"
Dembski, Behe & Berlinski. It's not looking good for the three amigos.
June 14, 2006
This may not look like much, but it's rare, very rare. The World Wildlife Fund yesterday announced that a motion-triggered camera captured the first every photo of a wild Sumatran rhino in Borneo. There are believed to perhaps be only 13 Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni on the island. The main…
June 14, 2006
Newton was, as we all know, a Christian. Creationists apologists for "good science" being rooted in Christianity avoid his heretical anti-trinitarianism, but that is an issue for another day. Today, from F.U.B.A.R. and via Daily Kos, I give you ID versions of Newton's Laws of Motion:
Newton's Law…
June 14, 2006
Here is Kaká's splendid goal against Croatia. Viewers used to the ESPN school of broadcasting may like to note (1) the commentary that actually tells you who has the ball, and (2) the lack of crap on-screen.
June 14, 2006
Charles Haughey has died at the age of 80. For most readers, that will mean nothing. For those who grew up in Ireland, this death will either bring sadness or a quiet sense of satisfaction. I am in the latter group. Haughey was the epitome of the 'cute hoor', an Irish idiom for an individual who…
June 13, 2006
The first photos and video have been taken of a live Laotian rock rat (Laonastes aenigmamus), described in a scientific journal for the first time last year. It may be the only living species in its family, which scientists previously believed went extinct 11 million years ago. See here for a press…
June 13, 2006
Just finished watching the Brazil/Croatia game. Certainly the first half was the best half of football in the competition so far - topped with a nice goal by Kaka. Second half wasn't as good - though still better than the France/Switzerland game - the Brazilians looked a little tired. Fair dues to…
June 12, 2006
Darwin had his bulldog. Apparently Dembski now has his daschund. Ann Coulter is apparently now the kinder gentler machine gun hand of the Wedge.
Ann is taking Phillip Johnson's message as developed in DARWIN ON TRIAL and REASON IN THE BALANCE and bringing it home to the masses. Critics will dismiss…
June 10, 2006
The Ask A ScienceBlogger question for this week inspired me to revisit this post I made on April 22 2005.
Today in 1827 the Irish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer William Rowan Hamilton presented his Theory of systems of rays a work that brought together mechanics, optics and mathematics…
June 10, 2006
Janet started it. My answers below the fold.
3 reasons you blog about science:
Science is misunderstood by the general public.
Everyday brings something new.
Politicians and creationists are distorting the methods, goals and abilities of science for their own purpose. Scientists need to stand up…
June 9, 2006
This week's question is:
Assuming that time and money were not obstacles, what area of scientific research, outside of your own discipline, would you most like to explore? Why?
I'm going to force myself to choose something totally outside the biological sciences and go with some area of physics. In…
June 9, 2006
The first World Cup 2006 game is over, with Germany beating Costa Rica 4-2. Good game with some nice goals, including a wonderful forty yarder. I was surprised that Costa Rica stayed as close as they did.
Looking forward to rest of the competition - Poland v Ecuador is on in an hour.
June 9, 2006
Just a quick shout out to Bora, John, Nick and all the new Scienceblog pledges. Let the hazing begin, but first wander over and say hello.
And we've got a new front page, thanks to the hard work of Tim, Katherine and all our overlords at Seed.
Now, I can go back to the World Cup!
June 8, 2006
After seven years of using PalmOS devices, I switched last week to a HP iPAQ hx2495 (which runs Windows Mobile 5). So I'm wondering, gentle readers, what software do you have on your Pocket PC (if you have one) that you highly recommend. I'm especially interested in high quality freeware.
June 8, 2006
I need help identifying this large fly that was on my patio last night (the orange color is due to the porch light, click for bigger version). It was maybe an inch in body length. Any ideas?
Update: Below the fold, I give what may be an identification.
Kevin Christie, a PhD student at the…
June 7, 2006
Following Coulter's screed yesterday, Keith Olberman drop kicks her sorry ass [WMV, 10M]. She accuses the widows of "politicizing" and making money from the September 11 attacks, something she (and the administration) have also done. How come Conservatives aren't speaking out against this harpy?
June 7, 2006
Bush performs the U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Someone has waaaaay too much time on their hands. Impressive though.
June 7, 2006
Yesterday, the Vatican named gay marriage as one of the factors threatening the traditional family as never before.
Today, supporters of a marriage amendment could not even get together enough votes to actually get to vote on the amendment, falling eleven votes short. Seven Republicans voted to…
June 6, 2006
Your Sesame Street Persona:
Bert
You scored 68% Organization, 43% abstract, and 59% extroverted!
This test measured 3 variables.
First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.
Second…
June 6, 2006
I guess the "Beat on Conservatives Who Make Fools of Themselves" trifecta is in play, so I might as well run with this. Keith Olbermann unleashes a massive smackdown on Bill O'Reilly. Transcript and video are at onegoodmove.
Abraham Lincoln did not shoot John Wilkes Booth. Titanic did not sink a…
June 6, 2006
Over at The American Prospect, Charles Pierce does a hilarious riff on the "Top 50 Conservative Rock Songs" piece that I blogged a while back. A sample:
I liked it so much better when conservatives weren't trying to be cool. I liked their, stern, iron-jawed parental disapproval of everything that…
June 6, 2006
Ann Coulter on evolution:
Q. Most people consider evolution to be a branch of science, or at least a scientific theory, yet in "Godless," you refer to it as a "cult" and a "fetish." What is your basis for calling it that?
A: There is no evidence that it is true. The fossil record contradicts it,…
June 6, 2006
If you really think about it, fetuses are parasites: A host is invaded, blood flow is altered, hormones are introduced to prevent miscarriage, and the host's (a.k.a. mother's) immune system needs to be depressed to prevent rejection. The parasite wants to remain in utero as long as possible, the…
June 5, 2006
From Reuters:
A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on Monday.
"The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and…
June 5, 2006
Steven Colbert's commencement speech given at Knox College is here and there's partial video here.
And when you enter the workforce, you will find competition from those crossing our all-too-porous borders. Now I know you're all going to say, "Stephen, Stephen, immigrants built America." Yes, but…
June 5, 2006
Here in Arizoma there's a bill running through the senate (HB 2583) to make it mandatory for all classrooms (including tertiary level) to display a 2 ft by 3 ft Stars and Stripes - I guess we've solved all the other important problems. You can read about it here. While I have no real problem with…
June 3, 2006
I've been a bit quiet over the past few days - primarily due to a writing deadline that I need to hit. (Who says academics have the summer off!) While today would look like an ideal day to get some blogging done, instead I'm just going to kick back and celebrate my birthday with family.
And as in…
June 1, 2006
As I expected, Ed comments on the Washington online poker law that I posted on yesterday, and raises an interesting point:
[H]ow are they going to know who's gambling without tracking all of their activity online? Money transfers to the gambling sites are all handled by offshore operations like…
May 31, 2006
Slashdot reports, that the Seattle PI reports, that:
Beginning next month [June 7th], Washington residents who play poker or make other types of wagers on the Internet will be committing a Class C felony, equivalent under the law to possessing child pornography, threatening the governor or…