clock | March 24, 2008
Next Triangle blogger meetup is this Wednesday at 6pm at Milltown (307 E. Main St., Carrboro). It is organized by our friends at Orange Politics, for several years the model for local political organizing online. It is likely some of the local politicos and candidates will show up. It is free and open for all and, heck, if you do not want to chat about politics, you don't have to - we'll chat about everything and anything anyway, as we usually do ;-)
clock | March 24, 2008My SciBling Mike the Mad Biologist will speak tonight at the Boston Skeptics meeting. The title of the talk is "Defending Evolution the Right Way: As a Fundamental Part of Biology and Biomedicine, Not as a Cultural Icon." so it is bound to be interesting. If you are in Boston tonight at 7pm, go and see it at The Asgard.
clock | March 23, 2008When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
- Jacob August Riis
clock | March 23, 2008Teaching Your Spouse or Lover to Speak Serbian
It literally rained mud here last Tuesday
Tales of buffoonery, keys
Can Technology make us Happy?
I will never watch The Simpsons again
The stupid, it burns
EMAIL I wish I had sent
Seminar thoughts
But you punch above your weight and you're stronger than you look, And the ending's not the same, they changed it from the book.
clock | March 22, 2008Space. The continual becoming: invisible fountain from which all rhythms flow and to which they must pass. Beyond time or infinity.
- Frank Lloyd Wright
clock | March 22, 2008
Ancient Lemur's Little Finger Poses Mystery:
Analysis of the first hand bones belonging to an ancient lemur has revealed a mysterious joint structure that has scientists puzzled.
Impaired Sense Of Smell May Be Early Indicator Of Parkinson's Disease:
Impaired sense of smell occurs in the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) and there is mounting evidence that it may precede motor symptoms by several years, although no large-scale studies had confirmed this. In the first study involving the general population, researchers found that smell impairment can precede the development of PD in…
clock | March 22, 2008If you live in the UK and would like to meet me on April 9th, go here to organize - add a comment with your preferences of place/time/menu/events....
clock | March 22, 2008Anne-Marie wrote an excellent review of Evolution in Four Dimensions by Eva Jablonka and Marion Lamb.
I tend to think that the use of the term "neo-Lamarckism" (just like the use of "neo-Darwinism") is unnecessary as it will raise hackles and start linguistic battles instead of invite people to investigate new ways of thinking and new additions to the body of evolutionary theory.
Yes, we now understand that genes are necessary, but not sufficient, for heritability and we are increasingly including development in our accounts of evolution. And as much as I like the Developmental systems…
clock | March 22, 2008The new edition (first online edition) of Scope, the MIT Grad Program in Science Writing's student webzine, is out (hat-tip to Tom) with several great articles. Check out, for instance, Words (Just Might) Hurt Me: The Trouble with 'Theory'.
clock | March 22, 2008Emergence Among the Trees
The actual world needs better writers
...but is it the opiate of the masses?
In safe hands
Alan Keyes and other third party news
Sometimes I Cannot Believe What We Have Allowed to be Done in Our Name
Why Aren't Students Interested in a Career in Science?, Humanistic Science Education and Air Pollution: Regional Influences & the Beijing Olympics
How to reinvent the newspaper business
How to get started in amateur astronomy. Step 1: Get real
Blogging is Subversive and Lessig's Congressional Fixup Plan
Can Polaroid Sunglasses Help You See Venus in the daytime?…
clock | March 21, 2008Inflation is bringing us true democracy. For the first time in history, luxuries and necessities are selling at the same price.
- Robert Orben
clock | March 21, 2008I know it's an arbitrary number, but it still looks cool:
(Apparently, the 1000000th and the 1000001st visitors arrived simultaneously). Back when I just started I never thought this was even possible.
The millionth visitor came here from Oakland, California, entered the site at this post, and made 17 pageviews in 6 minutes 4 seconds.
clock | March 21, 2008The WiSE panel earlier today was fun and informative. On the content - later. Perhaps two other SciBlings who were in the audience will have better renditions anyway. The panel was recorded and once the recording and other blog posts are available, I will give you the links. For now, just pictures (under the fold):
clock | March 21, 2008Undergrad Mind
Neuroanthropology
Halley VI
Digitalna knjiznica Univerze v Ljubljani
Blue Lab Coats
Book of Answers
clock | March 21, 2008
Giant Panda Mating Season At National Zoo:
The 2008 giant panda mating season began Tuesday, March 18, at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. Female Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) and male Tian Tian (tee-YEN tee-YEN) attempted to mate throughout the day Tuesday.
The Song Doesn't Remain The Same In Fragmented Bird Populations:
The song of passerine birds is a conspicuous and exaggerated display shaped by sexual selection in the context of male-male competition or mate attraction. At the level of the individual, song is considered an indicator of male 'quality'.
Color Vision System Independent Of Motion…