grrlscientist | November 28, 2007tags: dateline, parody, humor, to catch a predator, streaming video
This amusing parody of a scene in Dateline's "To Catch a Predator" TV show was banned, and so, it will make you laugh. Lesson learned? Make sure the predator isn't wearing Nikes [1:06]
grrlscientist | November 27, 2007tags: Harry Potter, collegiate Quidditch teams, JK Rowling
Quidditch balls, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
There is a new sport to be found on college campuses this year; Quidditch. Yes, you read that correctly! This is an earth-bound replica of the airbourne game invented by JK Rowling in her Harry Potter books. As in the books, the teams are coed, and have the same number of players as Rowling's teams (seven), playing the same positions (three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper and one Seeker). The one unique touch is that the Golden Snitch is a ball that hangs in a sock from the…
grrlscientist | November 27, 2007I was browsing the NYTimes list of the 100 notable books of 2007 and was surprised to note that only one science book is included on that list! This is even more amazing when you realize that Natalie Angier, who wrote The Canon (a book that I reviewed but didn't like), was not even included in the list and she is a science writer for the Times!
Of course, it is difficult to know what is truly "notable" but I will assume that it can be used interchangeably with "best". That said, there are some other lists of the best 100 books of 2007, such as Amazon, and they include science books, so what…
grrlscientist | November 27, 2007tags: crow, kitten, unlikely friends, streaming video
This is a story that I've linked to before, but the video is new since then; it tells the story of a wild crow that befriended a motherless kitten, fed and protected it and now that the kitten (now more a cat than a kitten) has found a home with humans, the crow still is fast friends. [7:29]
grrlscientist | November 26, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni, in flight.
Image: Justawriter [wallpaper size].
People Hurting Birds
An extremely rare lesser spotted eagle, shot earlier this year by dumbass human hunters on the island of Malta, has been saved from death but may never be able to return to the wild. The bird, nicknamed Sigmar after Germany's environmental minister, underwent three operations to repair damage it suffered after being shot, but it may not be enough for the bird to live in the wild again. The bird can feed itself and…
grrlscientist | November 26, 2007tags: star wars, star trek, lego, streaming video
This is an amusing fan-flick using starships made from legos, showing a battle between the starship enterprise and the x-wing fights from star wars [3:16]
grrlscientist | November 25, 2007tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, NYC, Central Park, Image of the Day
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
grrlscientist | November 24, 2007tags: Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Image of the Day
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
The photographer writes: On November 18, you posted an image of a male English (House) Sparrow. "Albatrosity", an astute parrot pal commentator, noted that the black bib feathers on this bird have gray tips that will wear away by the time breeding season comes around. I have two recent images of Papa Castle, a Northern Cardinal of my acquaintance, that illustrate a similar process at work except on a larger scale.
In the first image close-up you can see a gray…
grrlscientist | November 23, 2007tags: housecat, pets, birth defect, Lil'Bit
Do you notice anything strange about the cat in the photo? At first, I didn't believe this .. er, cat .. was alive, instead of being the product of a zit-faced basement-dwelling photoshop prankster with too much time on his hairy-palmed hands. But after poking around on the internet for a few hours, it appears that this is the real thing.
This cat, named Lil'Bit, was born to a cat named Lil'Pine. Lil'Bit is now seven months old and is living with his original family. His family prefer to remain anonymous to avoid the crush of public attention,…
grrlscientist | November 23, 2007tags: sanderling, Calidris alba, birds, Image of the Day
Sanderling, Calidris alba, in the early morning light on Thanksgiving Day.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU [wallpaper size].
The photographer writes: A sanderling, taken on the beach at Bald Head Island this morning. The fact that this shorebird species lacks the back toe (hallux) is obvious and visible in the photo, but I mostly like that long early morning shadow that makes his dumpy little legs look quite stilt-like!
grrlscientist | November 23, 2007tags: hawk-headed parrot, red-fan parrot, Deroptyus accipitrinus, clicker training, streaming video
As some of you know, I recently added a four-month-old hawk-headed (red-fan) parrot, Deroptyus a. accipitrinus, to my household. I plan to learn how to clicker-train this bird (I already have the necessary tools and books). Below the fold is an example of another young Hawk-headed parrot, named Scooter (owned by Jeannie), who was approximately seven months old in this video. This training session reinforces earlier training where he learned how to place a small ball into a bowl. You can even…
grrlscientist | November 22, 2007tags: thanksgiving, holidaze
Now that I finally have a wifi connection tonight (it disappeared yesterday afternoon, boohoo), I discovered that a reader sent this e-card to me, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.
Image: orphaned.
grrlscientist | November 22, 2007tags: dinosaurs, movie magic, streaming video
This interesting time-lapse streaming video shows how the movie industry built some amazingly realistic life-sized dinosaurs [shockwave: 3:50]
grrlscientist | November 21, 2007tags: dragonfly, Orthemis ferruginea, rosease skimmer, Image of the Day
Male Roseate Skimmer, Orthemis ferruginea, November 2007.
Image: Biosparite [larger view]
grrlscientist | November 21, 2007tags: star trek, blu-ray phaser, streaming video
Hack a Playstation 3 blu-ray laser and turn the Star Trek Phaser into a Blu-Ray Laser Phaser! First time in the world this has ever been done! Less than$100 [1:27].
Blu-Ray Laser Phaser!
grrlscientist | November 20, 2007tags: Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, birds, Image of the Day
Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis.
Image: Justawriter [larger view].
A very photogenic red-tailed hawk. North Dakota has become something of a haven for raptors. I never saw a bald eagle until seven years ago. Now they are so common that seeing one isn't worth mentioning. Hawks like this one and the previous photo (yesterday) are as common as mile markers.
grrlscientist | November 20, 2007tags: mouse party, drugs, drug mechanisms, illegal drugs, video game, educational tool
Now that the school year has started again, I think it is worthwhile to repeat an earlier blog entry where I linked to a really interesting interactive game, called Mouse Party. This interactive game is a great educational tool, teaching you how various legal and illegal drugs work in the brain.
Have you ever wondered how various drugs work in the brain to produce the symptoms they do? Well, this wonderful interactive website, Mouse Party, shows you the molecular details of how heroin, exstacy, alcohol,…
grrlscientist | November 20, 2007tags: cats, jenna, swimming cat, streaming video
This streaming video shows a half-grown cat, named Jenna, playing with water -- in a bathtub! [1:44]
grrlscientist | November 19, 2007The fourth edition of the new Natural Sciences Blog Carnival is now available for you to read and enjoy. They saw fit to include a few pieces that I wrote -- considering that I have felt very discouraged and depressed this past month (terminal unemployment combined with lots of job rejections can do that to a person after a few years -- try it sometime if you don't believe me), it is a great compliment to see that someone out there considers my writing to be worthwhile, at least.
grrlscientist | November 19, 2007tags: Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni, birds, Image of the Day
Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni, in flight.
Image: Justawriter [wallpaper size].