gregladen | August 25, 2009Natural Selection is the key creative force in evolution. Natural selection, together with specific histories of populations (species) and adaptations, is responsible for the design of organisms. Most people have some idea of what Natural Selection is. However, it is easy to make conceptual errors when thinking about this important force of nature. One way to improve how we think about a concept like this is to carefully exam its formal definition.
In this post, we will do the following:
Discuss historical and contextual aspects of the term "Natural Selection" in order to make clear…
gregladen | August 25, 2009A 64-bit version of the Google Chrome browser is now ready, but Windows users will still have some time to wait for their version.
In a mailing list posting this week, Chrome developer Dean McNamee wrote that the Google v8 JavaScript team have working on a 64-bit port. There are now full instructions on the Google Code wiki for Chromium on how to build Chrome for 64-bit Linux.
details
gregladen | August 25, 2009Listen to the long list of Town Hall meetings Bachmann claims to have had or to have planned.
So far, she's only had meetings more restrictive than those Bush has had. The one time she had a public meeting with actual public that I know of was the famous bathroom incident, but that's another story...
We'll see how things go this Thursday.
gregladen | August 25, 2009When it comes to observing nature, it pays to pay attention, and it pays to stay in one place for a while. Coming to "The Lake" many spring, summer, and fall weekends (and now and then in the winter) and paying attention to the wildlife and other aspects of the natural environment allows me to see and experience things not otherwise possible.
Looking out to the north from the cabin is a bay about a kilometer by a kilometer in size. The left side, as I view it, is rimmed half way round by a marsh, which is partly held by a back-spit causing a very small south facing (leeward, in this case)…
gregladen | August 24, 2009PLoS Currents ... is a Google/PLoS collaborative effort using Knol to consolidate and organize info about H1N1 novel influenza flu.
The key goal of PLoS Currents is to accelerate scientific discovery by allowing researchers to share their latest findings and ideas immediately with the world's scientific and medical communities. Google Knol's features for community interaction, comment and discussion will enable commentary and conversations to develop around these findings. Given that the contributions to PLoS Currents are not peer-reviewed in detail, however, the results and conclusions…
gregladen | August 24, 2009The only TV series I ever watched (sine being a kid) was The West Wing. I didn't watch the West Wing either. But then I met Amanda, and she was into watching the show, so the two of us took in the last year as it happened, then rented the whole thing and eventually saw it all.
The following, courtesy of a friend of mine, is a parody of the show. If you've not seen the West Wing, don't bother, this won't be even remotely funny. If you have seen it, you will find this to be an excellent parody because it is on one hand ridiculous and on the other and an accurate representation right down…
gregladen | August 24, 2009Mech originally characterized the "Alpha" pattern of behavior, and has subsequently (over the last forty years) modified this considerably. Science does indeed progress.
However, I hasten to point out that this is a case of inverted skepticism. The change in how we view animal behavioral biology since the 1960s to now has changed in all areas. Rumors that Mech is doing something odd here are clearly overstated. This is run of the mill progress of science.
Hat top: UO
gregladen | August 24, 2009Corporate America removed Bush from office for the pragmatic reason that civilization would have collapsed had they not. Now, with Democrats resting on their laurels and drunk with power, Corporate America seeks to restructure the economy, the regulatory system, and society as benefits them most. Are you going to just let that happen?
Stephanie Zvan at Quiche Moraine explains.
gregladen | August 24, 2009Traditional Islam is so cool because it really sticks with the old ways, and that's quaint. But it should be allowed to do this only in a museum where it might be safely kept away from actual people.
Fathima Rifqa Bary is the 17-year-old girl who converted from Islam to Christianity. She packed up her things and ran away to Florida because she feared an honor killing -- her own family members killing her because of what she had done.
Her parents say they just want her back safely, but reports say that her mother said Fathima was "dead to her". The girl also said her father threatened to…
gregladen | August 24, 2009Another look at falsehoods about evolution.
We previously addressed the falsehood "Evolution has stopped for humans" and concluded that background change in allele frequency independent of natural selection does not just stop for any viable, continuing population. So, no, saying that "evolution has stopped for humans" is tantamount to saying that "gravity has stopped for my coffee cup" (which is sitting here on my desk minding its own business).
But this question is a falsehood at another level. In reality, there are two additional questions that are actually being asked when this…
gregladen | August 24, 2009A few months ago I was contacted by a person I didn't know (but vaguely knew of) about being on a panel to discuss evolutionary biology and blogging and so on. Her name was Carrie Iwan. In fact, I think that still is her name.
We had a number of professional and pleasant interactions via email, as she organized a fairly large scale affair. Sometimes when you plan an event, all the work is in the planning, and little needs to be done when things are underway ... it runs itself. This event, however, required continued and constant attention and Carrie managed a plethora of volunteers and…
gregladen | August 23, 2009This is crazy shit, man.
The Heil Hitler Lady who "believes in Biblical values", proves that she is a moron:
Hat Tip Kristine, who has quite a bit more on her post at Amused Muse.
gregladen | August 23, 2009Some time ago I mentioned that there would be an OpEd piece in the New York Times in a couple of days relating recent astroturfing and teabagging activities to a broader, more historical context. Well, the OpEd is out, and as expected, it is quite good.
The Guns of August
By Frank Rich
"IT is time to water the tree of liberty" said the sign carried by a gun-toting protester milling outside President Obama's town-hall meeting in New Hampshire two weeks ago. The Thomas Jefferson quote that inspired this message, of course, said nothing about water: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from…
gregladen | August 23, 2009There is a good argument here for closing down government programs for monitoring weather. And volcanoes. And stuff. Lou has all the wonderful amazing details here.
gregladen | August 23, 2009So, bad things come in threes, right? Well, no, we don't believe that. This discussion came up after the recent death of Michale Jackson. A rumor of the death of another celebrity came along (that rumor was incorrect) and this somehow sparked a discussion of there "needing to be" a third death to fulfill the prophecy of the three ... because Farah Fawcett had died, then Michale Jackson, and then ..... OMG!! Who was going to be next!!!
Then, of course, it was pointed out that David Caridine had died earlier. Or was it Ed McMahon. Or someone else. And the whole thing got kind of silly.…
gregladen | August 23, 2009Dear Rachel,
Apropos this story:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Rachel, you know I love you, but I have to tell you that you must have your staff put a little more effort into the details of reporting these vitally important stories. In Minneapolis, we (and when I say "we" I mean "they") have been doing this fancy bike thing forever. This is the main recreational activity of our famous anarchists, as a matter of fact. Here are a couple of examples:
Fixed Gear Tricks:
More:
And of course, the May Day parade:
Dykes on bikes Minneapolis 2009…
gregladen | August 23, 2009Teabagger and GOP party chairman Charles McAffee pulled out his piece to intimidate a man who's home he was photographing. McAffee was photographing the man's house on behalf of Wells Fargo bank because of a mortgage related problem. When the man came out to find out what was going on it is said that McAffee pointed his magnum at him.
Wells Fargo needs to explain why it has contractors using guns on its customers.
Mr. McAffee has to explain why he felt the need to stick his hand-held cannon in this poor old guy's face.
The Republican Party needs to explain ... oh n ever mind, we know…