grrlscientist | June 28, 2008tags: West 34th street Penn Station subway art, Circus of Garden Delights, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Circus of Garden Delights.
West 34th Street/Penn Station Subway tile mosaic art #2 [Detail #2]
as seen looking from left to right at NYC's West 34th Street stop at 8th for the A, C and E trains.
Artist: Eric Fischl, 2001.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
According to the artist, this subway station artwork "depicts a commuter being drawn into the bizarre and surprising world of the circus, meeting animals, clowns, acrobats and fire-breathers on his way to…
grrlscientist | June 28, 2008tags: Unified Field Theory, humor, poetry, physics, Tim Joseph
Einstein's last blackboard notes in his office shortly before his death in 1955.
Seeking the Unified Field Theory consumed his last years.
A friend sent this amusing little story of why we do not have a "Unified Theory of everything" in physics (which is one of its goals) and why we likely never will. I've actually seen it before, but have been unable to find the original author to attribute it to.
Unified Field Theory
In the beginning there was Aristotle,
And objects at rest tended to remain at rest,
And objects in motion…
grrlscientist | June 28, 2008tags: yellow-backed Chattering lory, yellow-backed scarlet lory, Lorius garrulus flavopalliatus, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Sixth in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Yellow-backed subspecies of the Chattering Lory, Lorius garrulus flavopalliatus. This subspecies, distinguished from the nominate race by the yellow patch on its back, is found on the Indonesian island of Maluku. It is…
grrlscientist | June 27, 2008tags: West 34th street Penn Station subway art, Circus of Garden Delights, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Circus of Garden Delights.
West 34th Street/Penn Station Subway tile mosaic art #2 [Detail #1]
as seen looking from left to right at NYC's West 34th Street stop at 8th for the A, C and E trains.
Artist: Eric Fischl, 2001.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
According to the artist, this subway station artwork "depicts a commuter being drawn into the bizarre and surprising world of the circus, meeting animals, clowns, acrobats and fire-breathers on his way to…
grrlscientist | June 27, 2008tags: Chattering lory, scarlet lory, Lorius garrulus, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Fifth in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Profile of a Chattering Lory, Lorius garrulus. Two subspecies are formally recognized and are found on nearby islands in Indonesia.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 27, 2008As I left my apartment today to come to my coffee shop where I do much of my writing, there were two workmen dangling in the doorway, making improvements to the entryway. Since the landlord has already increased my rent (illegally, might I add) for reasons that have never been explained (he refuses to acknowledge my written letters to him, and he also refuses to speak to me on the phone or to answer my voicemails), this development sent a wave of terror over me -- I mean, I nearly barfed because I was so afraid. Why?
I am afraid because landlords in NYC who are seeking to turn their rent-…
grrlscientist | June 27, 2008tags: Tire Pump Concert, humor, musicians, streaming video
This amusing streaming video is an indication of what happens when a couple musicians get together in front of an audience after having forgotten their instruments at home. Hey, it's Friday already so it's okay to laugh! [1:31]
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: West 34th street Penn Station subway art, Circus of Garden Delights, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Circus of Garden Delights.
West 34th Street/Penn Station Subway tile mosaic art #2
as seen at NYC's West 34th Street stop at 8th for the A, C and E trains.
Artist: Eric Fischl, 2001.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
According to the artist, this subway station artwork "depicts a commuter being drawn into the bizarre and surprising world of the circus, meeting animals, clowns, acrobats and fire-breathers on his way to work."
I have photographed tile…
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: researchblogging.org, Early Bird Project, Tree of Life, avian evolution, deep avian evolutionary relationships, avian phylogenomics, location cues, Shannon J. Hackett, Rebecca T. Kimball, Sushma Reddy
Basic topology of the evolutionary relationships between birds.
Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogram reveals the short internodes at the base of Neoaves and highlights certain extreme examples of rate variation across avian lineages. The phylogenetic tree was rooted to crocodilian outgroups (not shown). Branch colors represent major clades supported in this study: land birds (green),…
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: Brown lory, Duyvenbode's lory, Chalcopsitta duivenbodei, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. The best friend I ever had was duyvenbode's lory, in fact. How I miss my lories!
Fourth in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Brown Lory, also known as the Duyvenbode's Lory, Chalcopsitta duivenbodei. This species is endemic to the island of New Guinea.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: The Last Flight of The Scarlet Macaw, conservation, endangered species, parrots, politics, Bruce Barcott, book review
Nonfiction books are often thought of as being "good for us", as if they were literary vitamin tablets, but many people take their summers off from their vitamins by reading trashy novels or mysteries while ensconced under an umbrella on a sandy beach. So what would you say if you could read a book that has the best qualities of both genres? If you think that such a book doesn't exist, well, think again: Bruce Barcott's recently published book, The Last Flight of The…
grrlscientist | June 26, 2008tags: A close look at some small wildlife, insects, macro, streaming video
This amazing streaming video gives you an idea of the power of a super duper macro lens with a Sony HC3. Working distance for this film was about 1.5 inches with a reversed 50mm [5:16]
grrlscientist | June 25, 2008tags: West 34th street Penn Station subway art, Circus of Garden Delights, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Circus of Garden Delights.
West 34th Street/Penn Station Subway tile mosaic art #1
[detail #8, looking from left to right]
as seen at NYC's West 34th Street stop at 8th for the A, C and E trains.
Artist: Eric Fischl, 2001.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
According to the artist, this subway station artwork "depicts a commuter being drawn into the bizarre and surprising world of the circus, meeting animals, clowns, acrobats and fire-breathers on his way to…
grrlscientist | June 25, 2008tags: Chattering lory, scarlet lory, Lorius garrulus, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts another of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Third in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
ABSTRACT: Chattering Lory, sometimes known as the Scarlet Lory, Lorius garrulus.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 25, 2008tags: millimeters matter, insects, macro, streaming video
This amusing streaming video gives you a better appreciation for how big millimeters truly are (just ignore the last five seconds) [1:15]
grrlscientist | June 24, 2008tags: West 34th street Penn Station subway art, Circus of Garden Delights, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Circus of Garden Delights.
West 34th Street/Penn Station Subway tile mosaic art #1
[detail #7, looking from left to right]
as seen at NYC's West 34th Street stop at 8th for the A, C and E trains.
Artist: Eric Fischl, 2001.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
According to the artist, this subway station artwork "depicts a commuter being drawn into the bizarre and surprising world of the circus, meeting animals, clowns, acrobats and fire-breathers on his way to…
grrlscientist | June 24, 2008tags: Ethics for the Real World, Ronald A. Howard, Clinton D. Korver, book review
We are confronted with seemingly small ethical choices every day of our lives, ranging from whether we should plagiarize a homework assignment, cheat on an exam, "pad" our resumes, pilfer office supplies, tell a "white lie" to a loved one ... if the average person cannot trust himself to behave in a consistently ethical way in such small matters, is it any wonder that most people do not trust their colleagues, neighbors, friends, families and even their elected officials? Unfortunately, small lapses in ethical…
grrlscientist | June 24, 2008tags: Dusky lory, Pseudeos fuscata, birds, Image of the Day
This image depicts one of the parrot species that I bred and raised when I lived in Seattle, and that I researched before my NYC postdoctoral fellowship ended. How I miss my lories!
Second in a series of images of lories by this photographer.
Orange phase Dusky Lory, Pseudeos fuscata.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | June 24, 2008According to information leaked this week from the White House, planning is underway to design the George W. Bush Presidential Library, despite the fact that Bush has reportedly never read a book in his entire life. This library will include the following:
The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room, which no one has yet been able to find.
The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.
The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won't be able to remember anything.
The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don't even have to show up.
The Walter Reed Hospital Room, where they…
grrlscientist | June 24, 2008tags: researchblogging.org, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Dendroica caerulescens, social information, habitat selection, vegetation structure, location cues, dispersal, Matthew G Betts
Male Black-throated Blue Warbler, Dendroica caerulescens, with nestlings.
Image: S. Maslowski, USFWS [larger view].
Wild songbirds must be able to quickly discriminate between different habitats so they can choose and establish a suitable breeding territory. Since even older, experienced breeding songbirds lose roughly 50% of their chicks to predators, even a small mistake in choosing a breeding territory…