grrlscientist | September 16, 2008
As a resident of NYC, I spend a lot of time listening to WNYC, which is one of the finest talk radio stations in the country and is also one of the several National Public Radio affiliates in NYC. To help prepare voters for the upcoming election, the morning host, Brian Lehrer, is collaborating with the Huffington Post (where I volunteer) and Instapundit to feature his upcoming presidential election series "30 Issues In 30 Days." With your help, it will be the best, most in-depth election coverage offered. The issues have been nominated, but now, listeners have a few days to vote on which…
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008tags: Clapper Rail, Rallus longirostris, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Clapper Rail, Rallus longirostris, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/2000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008tags: ornithology, birds, avian, National Geographic
Painting the Sky
A brilliant blur as it plucks a butterfly from the air, the European bee-eater, Merops apiaster, leads a colorful life on three continents.
Image: Jözsef L. Szentpéteri/National Geographic [larger view].
My contact, an editor at National Geographic, just sent me a link to a story and photoessay that details the courtship and breeding of European Bee-eaters, Merops apiaster. The story is fascinating and well-worth reading and the photographs, as always for National Geographic, brings tears of wonder to one's eyes.
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008
I receive a fair number of books to review each week, so I thought I should do what several magazines and other publications do; list those books that have arrived in my mailbox so you know that this is the pool of books from which I will be reading and reviewing on my blog.
Lost Land of the Dodo: An Ecological History of Mauritius, Reunion & Rodrigues by Anthony Sheke and Julian Hume (New Haven and London: Yale University Press; 2008).
Table of Contents:
Geography of the Mascarenes
First contact
The pristine islands
Where did the Dodo come from?
Early settlement
United under…
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
Mama Shakespeare's Guacamole?
Female Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
The photographer writes;
Mama Shakespeare interrupted her meal to pay me a visit in, where else, Central Park's Shakespeare Garden. Look at her closely. No, that isn't guacamole squirting out of her beak. It is of insect origin but I do not know precisely what creature it formerly was. I do know that I have seen this same light shade of green protruding from Northern Cardinal…
grrlscientist | September 16, 2008tags: powerpoint, How NOT to use Powerpoint, humor, streaming video
Since I've been speaking and attending other people's presentations, I thought this video regarding how NOT to use Powerpoint is appropriate. Not only that, but it is funny, too -- do you recognize any speakers' techniques in this video? If so, tell me all about it -- I won't tell anyone else, I promise! [3:55]
grrlscientist | September 15, 2008tags: Cathedral Parkway, 110th street, Migrations, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Migrations (1999).
Artist: Christopher Wynter.
Detail 6 of the 110th street glass tile mosaic art as seen on the platform at Cathedral Parkway (Central Park West and 110th street) for the downtown-bound B and C trains (and the downtown-bound local A trains, which run nights and weekends). You cannot easily see this piece from the uptown-bound train platform.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
At Cathedral Parkway, Harlem's southern boundary, three large mosaic murals…
grrlscientist | September 15, 2008Blog carnivals are a great way to see a wide variety of ideas and opinions on a variety of subjects. So here's a few newly published blog carnivals for you to peruse;
Total Mind and Body Fitness, issue 67.
Review Bloggers Carnival, 27th edition. This blog carnival focuses on any sort of review, from product reviews to book reviews. I'll bet you can guess which sort of thing I reviewed for this carnival ..
Carnival of Finance issue 21. This is a huge blog carnival, filled with all sorts of money advice.
grrlscientist | September 15, 2008tags: annual science communication conference, ScienceOnline'09, SciO09, Sigma Xi, Research Triangle Park, science blogging conference, nature blog writing
You are all cordially invited to the third annual ScienceOnline'09 conference which is scheduled for 16-18 January 2009 at the Sigma Xi Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. I am determined that I will be present this year, and that I will speak about something useful while I am there! So far, things look promising because my topic suggestions have been met with positive feedback. (Since I am so optimistic, I have already…
grrlscientist | September 15, 2008tags: Eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
grrlscientist | September 15, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
ABSTRACT: Rainbow Lory, Trichoglossus haematodus.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
Birds in Science
UK Scientists have found bird fossils dating back around 55 million years that could help shed light on a period of time before humans and most mammals had evolved. The fossils, including two complete bird skulls, a pelvis and several bones, appear to be the remains of parrot-like birds and were found by a local archaeologist on marshland Seasalter Levels near Whitstable, Kent. "Birds' skeletons are so fragile, the…
grrlscientist | September 14, 2008tags: Sandwalk, Down House, Darwin, nature, photography, London, England, Bromley, England
Part of The Sandwalk, which is located on the periphery of a large parcel of land that is occupied by Darwin's Down House and associated grounds comprised of flower gardens, food plant gardens, and a greenhouse. I liked the mysterious look of this portion of the Sandwalk, so I photographed it to share with you.
Image: GrrlScientist 31 August 2008 [larger view].
Sunday, the day after the Nature Network Science Blog conference was over, Mike, Mo and I caught a train to Bromley, England, where we…
grrlscientist | September 14, 2008tags: Cathedral Parkway, 110th street, Migrations, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Migrations (1999).
Artist: Christopher Wynter.
Detail 5 of the 110th street glass tile mosaic art as seen on the platform at Cathedral Parkway (Central Park West and 110th street) for the downtown-bound B and C trains (and the downtown-bound local A trains, which run nights and weekends). You cannot easily see this piece from the uptown-bound train platform.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
At Cathedral Parkway, Harlem's southern boundary, three large mosaic murals…
grrlscientist | September 14, 2008tags: Couch's kingbird, Tyrannus couchii, birds, nature, Image of the Day
[Mystery bird] Couch's kingbird, Tyrannus couchii, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [call: mp3 and also a wav file, (Audio file copyright 2007, Kevin Colver)] [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 September 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/800s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
grrlscientist | September 14, 2008There are 305,140,705 people in the United States of America, and US Census Bureau statistics reveal that there are at least 88,799 different last names and 5,163 different first names in common use in the United States. Some names are more common than others. For example, there are 50,389 John Smiths, 1,066 James Bonds, 115 Harry Potters (but only one or fewer Hermione Grangers, Luna Lovegoods, Ronald Weasleys, Virginia Weasleys, Neville Longbottoms, Draco Malfoys, Severus Snapes and Albus Dumbledores), 512 people named George Bushs (as if one wasn't horrible enough!), and 32 people named…
grrlscientist | September 14, 2008tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that are or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle bird pals, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is published here for your enjoyment. Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by which lists ecology, environment, natural history and bird books that are (or will…
grrlscientist | September 13, 2008tags: Sandwalk, Down House, Darwin, nature, photography, London, England, Bromley, England, sciblog
A gate in a brick wall next to the greenhouse behind Darwin's Down House, where Darwin conducted a lot of his botany experiments.
Image: GrrlScientist 31 August 2008 [larger view].
Sunday, the day after the Nature Network Science Blog conference was over, Mike, Mo and I caught a train to Bromley, England, where we toured Darwin's Down House and Gardens and walked along the famous Sandwalk that Darwin once walked. This is part three of my photoessay series about Down House, where I focus on…
grrlscientist | September 13, 2008tags: Cathedral Parkway, 110th street, Migrations, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Migrations (1999).
Artist: Christopher Wynter.
Detail 4 of the 110th street glass tile mosaic art as seen on the platform at Cathedral Parkway (Central Park West and 110th street) for the downtown-bound B and C trains (and the downtown-bound local A trains, which run nights and weekends). You cannot easily see this piece from the uptown-bound train platform.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
At Cathedral Parkway, Harlem's southern boundary, three large mosaic murals…
grrlscientist | September 13, 2008tags: bipolar disorder, manic-depression, mental health, mental illness, behavior
Image: Gerald Slota, The New York Times Magazine.
A couple days ago, I heard an interview with Jennifer Egan on WNYC about her upcoming article in tomorrow's New York Magazine about bipolar disorder, often known as manic-depressive illness, "The Bi | Polar Puzzle." It's long but well-written and definitely worth reading. In this touching and informative piece, Egan primarily addresses several questions; whether bipolar disorder exists in children, what it looks like and whether children with undiagnosed/…
grrlscientist | September 13, 2008
If I had been unlucky enought to be born to Sarah Palin (who besides being McCain's VP candidate, is clearly < sarcasm alert > a towering intellectual giant with a talent for naming babies < /sarcasm alert >), I would have been named ..
McCain Fortress Palin
That's when I give this online name generator my pseudonym, GrrlScientist. Here's what I got when I left the "enter your name" space empty;
Knife Pile Palin
But I like to fake out these name generators, just to see how they work. Most of them will give you a name, regardless of what name you give them, and the generated name…