gregladen | February 16, 2010An endless stream of ceiling tiles flow by punctuated by light fixtures, vents, and sprinkler heads. There is the occasional cracked tile and yes, the occasional duct tape. The morphine makes it interesting, and it occurs to me that until now I've only had this particular view of the world by seeing it on TV or in movies.
The doctor drew a funny drawing and tried to explain what was wrong using plain language. I repeated it back to him using the appropriate anatomical and medical terms and he said "oh, so you know the words, that makes it easier."
When things have worn off or I feel…
gregladen | February 16, 2010It is with some reluctance that I recommend this. Lovecraft was important in science fiction and all, but the little I've read of his also stinks of racism, and not just the n-word southerny Mark Twain thing, but a true disdain for all that is not Mighty White. (This would be a case where rewriting would improve and not do damage, in my opinion.)
Anyway, this is a cute search engine. Just be careful how you use it. You would not want to awake .... anything.
gregladen | February 16, 2010Well, that is not a direct quote, but Google has admitted that the early version of Google Buzz had serious flaws related to privacy, and this may be related to Google having skipped a step with its testing process.
The BBC has a story on this.
...Buzz was only tested internally and bypassed more extensive trials with external testers...
"We've been testing Buzz internally at Google for a while. Of course, getting feedback from 20,000 Googlers isn't quite the same as letting Gmail users play with Buzz in the wild."
The biggest problem was the automatic creation of a circle of "friends"…
gregladen | February 15, 2010Trust and Critical Thinking at Science Online 2010.
There is discussion going on here, and the six videos are here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
gregladen | February 15, 2010Why? I'm not entirely sure. I guess so you can bring it on an airplane and play Super Mario Kart while traveling?
gregladen | February 15, 2010Café Scientifique: Waste = Food
Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater, Minneapolis, MN
Tickets: $5-$12
Call 612-825-8949 for reservations
University of Minnesota College of Design alum Sarah Wolbert promotes an ingenious view of rebalancing urban food systems - one that involves design of detritivore and decomposition systems that eat waste products. This method of using waste as nourishment can actually improve the safety and security of our food supply. Wolbert will share ideas from her graduate design thesis and involve the audience in generating…
gregladen | February 15, 2010Al Franken allies with Tom Coburn to oppose Uganda's death-to-homosexuals bill
Sen. Al Franken has signed on to a Senate resolution condemning a bill before Uganda's Parliament that would outlaw homosexuality and make it a crime punishable by death. (Hat tip: Minnesota Independent.)
What makes the resolution sponsored by Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold so interesting is that it allies Franken, an unabashed liberal, with co-sponsor Tom Coburn, a dyed-in-the-wool right-wing Republican. The common ground: Saving lives.
Details here
gregladen | February 15, 2010In the wake of recent public meetings by the Texas Schoolboard, Russell Shorto has written an extensive piece for the New York Times Magazine. Shorto is the author of Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason (Vintage).
The Christian "truth" about America's founding has long been taught in Christian schools, but not beyond. Recently, however -- perhaps out of ire at what they see as an aggressive, secular, liberal agenda in Washington and perhaps also because they sense an opening in the battle, a sudden weakness in the lines of the secularists -- some…
gregladen | February 14, 2010Don't forget:
Meal and Reel, Feb 19, Creation w/special guest Greg Laden at Edina Cinema
We have established a plan: The Great Wall at 6:00, the movie is at the theater, about one mile to the south at 7:20. So, arriving at the restaurant in a timely fashion, and ordering right away is essential. There will be a section of the theater blocked off for us. Thanks to Jack Caravela for organizing this.
Details here
gregladen | February 14, 2010Please visit JH's site for an interesting post on C:\ drives and an ensuing spirited discussion.
gregladen | February 14, 2010... when it comes to Creationist Home Schooling.
Two dozen or so atheists, skeptics, scientists, and secularists visited the 2010 Home School Science Fair at Har Mar Mall, Roseville Minnesota. We witnessed (if I may borrow that term) twenty six home school project posters. The presentations varied considerably in their sophistication, overall quality, and complexity of the work represented, and most of this variation is easily understood as the outcome of the wide age range of the children who produced them. Some were impressive, some were cute, some were more scientific, some were less,…
gregladen | February 14, 2010
Forget flying cars. I want a waterproof home!
Bad things that can happen to you.
The Hello World computer programming collection.
gregladen | February 14, 2010Yes, Amanda's birthday happens to be Valentine's Day! (The holiday, not the movie)
gregladen | February 14, 2010A slew of bad spam has been showing up (most of which you've not seen because I've been busy deleting it) but I've cranked the moderation sensitivity up.
If your comment gets held in moderation, that is likely the reason. I'm sure things will settled down soon.
gregladen | February 13, 2010For Darwin's Birthday Weekend, a reposting of my review of David Dobb's Reef Madness:
Reef Madness: Charles Darwin, Alexander Agassiz, and the Meaning of Coral is a book about the origins of modern science, the interplay between theory and empiricism, the machinations of the Victorian scientific gentry, epic rivalries, polyps and plankton.
Reef Madness is by David Dobbs, of Neuron Culture here on Scienceblogs. Look for an upcoming Bloggingheads.tv discussion between David and me, mainly about this book.
This is a book about the competing theories presented by Alexander Agassiz and Charles…