gregladen | February 15, 2009I still have not found a satisfactory way to sync my calendar and to do list between the University's calendar server, my Windows "computer" at work, my Linux Laptop, the iPod Touch, and the main computer in the Blog Cave.
But we may be getting there.
To-do syncing has always been one of the gaping holes on the productivity side of the iPhone and iPod touch. Several third-party apps have filled this hole, but with Google Sync, to-do syncing gets even better.
The Knowliz weblog details how to set up popular to-do list manager Toodledo (and it's calendar feed feature) to work in conjunction…
gregladen | February 15, 2009"The Giants' Shoulders" is a monthly science blogging event, in which authors are invited to submit posts on "classic" scientific papers. Information about the carnival can be found here.
The last Giants' was hosted at The Questionable Authority, here. The next issue will be hosted at The Evilutionary Biologist: All Science, All The Time, which resided here.
Since this is Darwin Month in Darwin Year and almost, indeed, Darwin Day, we start with ... Paleontology. We'll get to Darwin at the end.
Early palaentologists and the Giant killer lungfish from Hell as well as the Revenge of…
gregladen | February 14, 2009In Genesis 4, we see specific reference to herdsmen and farmers as distinct groups, represented by Abel and Cain, respectively. God indicates a preference for the results of herding over planting, and the sibling troubles that ensue result in the world becoming a difficult place to farm, and humans becoming more nomadic, as herders. This is interesting, because it seems like a dramatic shift from reference to irrigation agriculture to herding. Given the usual role of origin stories, we may be seeing a layering of blame in this case. If this is the origin story of cattle keeping nomadic…
gregladen | February 14, 2009In his bid to Take The Senate No Matter What, Norm Coleman has been trying to get a very large number of previously rejected absentee ballots counted. Most of these ballots were not counted because they were truly borked. Folks, remember this: If you are going to vote absentee, keep in mind the fact that an envelope with a vote in it showing up at city hall is looked at only as a possible vote. It would be so easy to produce fraudulent votes (and goodness knows there are enough Republicans around to carry out such nefarious acts) that the rules have to be pretty strict. My recommendation…
gregladen | February 14, 2009It's been a great pleasure to read the Origin of Specie ... I had forgotten how clever Darwin was and how he carefully weighs his arguments for evolution.
I had also fallen prey to several myths about the book. For example, I didn't realize that Origin of Species is all about speciation and the difference between species and varieties.
Go read all about it. Very much worth a look.
gregladen | February 14, 2009Minnesota Atheists' "Atheists Talk" radio show.
Sunday February 15, 2009, 9-10 a.m. Central Time
The Minnesota Atheists have reached an important milestone. The new elections today will mark the changeover from the founding members who will be leaving the board but remaining active, and turning over in democratic fashion the leadership to new and enthusiastic talent. The Minnesota Atheists goal was to create an organization which fosters and encourages growth and new ideas, and it shows in our achievements.
August Berkshire and Steve Petersen will talk about the organization and how it has…
gregladen | February 14, 2009If you buy an iPhone from Apple, you don't own the iPhone. No. Apple owns you.
According to this item on Slashdot regarding this item from somewhere else on the intertubules.
So if you buy this thing, you can do whatever you want with it as long as whatever you want is what Apple wants. If you want to do something else with your thing, the Apple Police will come and get you.
Big brother, it turns out, is all about Oedipus.
gregladen | February 14, 2009Christos Greek Restaurant is one of three well-known Greek restaurants in Minneapolis. The other two are It's Greek to Me and Gardens of Salonica. Which one you like may be a matter of cultural survival.
It turns out that Greek restaurants in Minneapolis are to the citizens of this area what operating systems and political candidates are to computer users and activists. You've got one you love, and the rest suck. Although I've lived here long enough to be mistaken at times for a native, this particular form of Greek love/hate is not one I've assimilated. I've been to all three of these…
gregladen | February 14, 2009Linux Love.
Top ten reasons men don't say "I love you" .... and the obverse.
Oh, and watch this and this.
gregladen | February 14, 2009For the last couple of decades, perhaps beginning around the time of the publication of Laurie Garret's excellent thesis (The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance) on disease and politics and continuting through Gina Kolata's "Flu: The Story Of The Great Influenza Pandemic" there has been increased attention on the 1918 flu virus and pandemic, as well as subsequent outbreaks. This interest has probably been fueled by increased knowledge of (or incidence of?) tragic and highly newsworthy outbreaks of Ebola, SARS, and so on. More recently, the perception has grown…
gregladen | February 14, 2009This weekend at Har Mar Mall, in Roseville, just north of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul border.
I've been watching this event every year for few years now, and a couple of years ago it got quite interesting when the organizers of the event discovered that I had caught them is a lie and provided photographic evidence on my blog. That prompted them to make a public statement that I was an "Atheist abusing children." (See this.)
The pot. The kettle. Whatever.
If you are in the vicinity, go to the science fair and do the Lewis Black thing!!!! Don't forget to bring a fossil.
gregladen | February 14, 2009Feb 15 - Darwin Year Panel Discussion Featuring Myers, Laden, Moore, Cotner and Phillips
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origins of Species. In honor of this, we have assembled a distinguished panel of scientists to give us their thoughts on evolution, creationism, and Darwin. The panelists are: PZ Myers, Randy Moore, Greg Laden, Sehoya Cotner, and Jane Phillips.
The discussion will be moderated by Lynn Fellman. Lynn is a frequent science interviewer on our Atheists Talk radio program. She is also an…
gregladen | February 13, 2009Earlier today, the Linux Epoch time ... which is the number os seconds since January 1st 1970 when the world was created ... reached this number:
1234567890
gregladen | February 13, 2009Genesis 2 ends with Adam and Eve being naked yet not ashamed. In Genesis 3, the Serpent, who is wiser than average, tricks Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit of one of god's two magic trees. This results in Adam and Eve recognizing their own nakedness, and compelling them to produce the first clothing. The word "naked" in the original Hebrew is either eromim or arumim. The former means naked (no clothes) and the latter means exposure as in exposing lies. The original Hebrew for the "clothing" that they put together, "chagowr" probably means "belt." The parallel (and probably…
gregladen | February 13, 2009First of all, I want you to understand that I'm a lightweight in the Mario Kart game. Julia is not. So my pointers come mainly from watching her. (Watching her kick my butt, actually.)
I also want to make a few other comments that are not tricks, tips, or "cheats" on how to win, but rather, general observation.
First this: You never know who is watching you. On the Wii, you can make a Mii to look like yourself, a loved one, a famous historical character, or a blogger. So when we are driving around Coconut Mall (one of the race tracks) we often see, for instance, Charles Darwin or PZ…
gregladen | February 13, 2009Imagine if two people got in their cars and drove to work. They both live in different places and work in different places. They live miles from where they work. Their driving paths cross at one point.
There are no other cars in the universe, just these two (remember, I'm asking you to use your imagination). And from the first time they make the commute to work and back thereafter, the cars make the same trip every day on autopilot.
Eventually, this might happen:
According to Sorting Out Science (whence I totally stole this video) this is a reconstruction of a collision between two…
gregladen | February 13, 2009The Gallup Poll is not surprising in any of its results but it is, of course, alarming and interesting. Here's a summary.
On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a new Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of Americans say they "believe in the theory of evolution," while a quarter say they do not believe in the theory, and another 36% don't have an opinion either way. These attitudes are strongly related to education and, to an even greater degree, religiosity.
The data:
Believe in evolution 39%
Do not believe in evolutoin 25%
No opinon either way 36%
Not surprisingly,…
gregladen | February 13, 2009"While Al Franken, Harry Reid and their allies will likely continue their efforts to short-circuit Minnesota election law, you can be assured that I will continue fighting to ensure the Minnesota voters -- and nobody else! -- will truly decide who won this election."
Source: MnIndy