grrlscientist | March 4, 2010tags: Two Girls and One Giant Piano, Johann Sebastian Bach, Toccata et fugue, piano, organ music, music video, streaming video
Two women play Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata et fugue on a giant piano -- with their feet. This amazing performance looks like dancing as much as piano playing.
grrlscientist | March 4, 2010Okay, this quiz is silly, but I took it and was amused. Except I am less-than-amused by who I was determined to be.
Why? I've never heard of him before. Also, I am unemployed, which means I'd have to get a job in science before I could become the writer I am supposed to be. Although, the real Greg Benford took this quiz, and it told him that he was Arthur C. Clarke. So .. does that mean I'll be dead before I realize my inner SciFi writer?
I am:
Gregory Benford
A master literary stylist who is also a working scientist.
Which science fiction writer are you?
grrlscientist | March 4, 2010tags: Masked Bobwhite, Common Bobwhite, Rufous-bellied Bobwhite, Black-headed Bobwhite, Bobwhite, Northern Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Northern Bobwhite, known by a bevy of common names including Bobwhite, Common Bobwhite, Rufous-bellied Bobwhite, Masked Bobwhite, and Black-headed Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus (thank science for scientific names so we all know what we're talking about!), photographed on the Katy Prairie, Waller County, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 29 April 2007 [larger view…
grrlscientist | March 4, 2010tags: humane society of the united states, HSUS, H$U$, Yellow Tail wine, Casella Wines Pty Ltd, animal rights, animal welfare, animal shelters, Wayne Pacellestreaming video
Yellow Tail wines are produced by Casella Wines Pty Ltd., based in Yenda, Australia. The Casella family produced wine in their native Italy since the 1820s, but moved to Australia to pursue a better life. But Yellow Tail has failed in their goal to pursue the better life in at least one way: they donated $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). This was a huge mistake, Yellow Tail. If you'd done your…
grrlscientist | March 3, 2010tags: neuroscience, happiness, experience, memory, colonoscopy, vacation, well-being, income, Daniel Kahneman, TEDTalks, streaming video
Using examples from vacations to colonoscopies, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman reveals how our "experiencing selves" and our "remembering selves" perceive happiness differently. This new insight has profound implications for economics, public policy -- and our own self-awareness.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers…
grrlscientist | March 3, 2010tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video
Who: Director of the Energy Materials Center at Cornell, Héctor Abruña
What: free public presentation, "Energy Through Chemistry"
When: Tonight, 3 March at 700pm
Where: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]
Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID)
Our energy future -- from powering cell phones, laptops, and cars to harnessing alternative sources like solar…
grrlscientist | March 3, 2010tags: Red Grass Bird, Marsh Sparrow, Swamp Finch, Swamp Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Swamp Sparrow, also known by a wide variety of other names, such as the Marsh Sparrow, Red Grass Bird, Swamp Finch, and the Swamp Song Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana, photographed on the Brazos Bend State Park, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 27 December 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least…
grrlscientist | March 3, 2010tags: humane society of the united states, HSUS, H$U$, news report, investigative journalism, animal rights, animal welfare, animal shelters, Wayne Pacellestreaming video
Let me remind you that, if you care about animals, you do NOT want to support the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS, more typically known as H$U$). This organization sucked up millions of dollars donated by people from around the world, claiming they would help save animals affected by Hurricane Katrina, but almost none of those funds went to save any animals at all. Who was the most helpful in saving animals?…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010tags: handheld thermal cycler, LavaAmp, PCR, Polymerase Chain Reaction, DNA, molecular biology, Unreasonable Insitute, DIY, technology, Guido Núñez-Mujica, streaming video
Millions of people in the Global South suffer from neglected diseases, many of which could be treated, even cured, if they were detected early enough. But reliable, low cost diagnosis hasn't been available, as drug companies have no incentive to invest in the diseases of the poor. New pandemics can go undetected until they have spread out of control, like HIV, and treatable ailments can cripple impoverished communities…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
The next edition of Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is less than two weeks away and it is seeking submissions! Can you help by sending URLs for well-written science, medicine, and nature blog essays to me?
Scientia Pro Publica is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, environment, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The most recent…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010tags: five million, sitemeter
Many thanks to everyone who has visited my blog, it has been a pleasure writing for you.
I was watching sitemeter as it passed the five millionth visitor just now, so (amazingly), I know who it was. This person was from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was popping in from behind-the-scenes, so I'll give you one guess as to who it was.
Contrary to a certain someone's accounts on twitter, the four millionth, nine-hundred and ninety-nine thousandth, nine-hundred and ninety-ninth visitor was from Memphis, Tennessee and the five millionth and first visitor was…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010tags: education, public outreach, SciCafe, science cafe, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, NYC, streaming video
Who: Director of the Energy Materials Center at Cornell, Héctor Abruña
What: free public presentation, "Energy Through Chemistry"
When: Wednesday, 3 March at 700pm
Where: Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, American Museum of Natural History, Enter at the 81st Street (Rose Center) [directions and maps]
Cost: FREE, and there is a cash bar too! (must be 21+ with ID)
Our energy future -- from powering cell phones, laptops, and cars to harnessing alternative sources like solar…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010tags: Dusky Kinglet, Ruby-Crown, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ruby-crowned Kinglet, also known as the Dusky Kinglet and the Ruby-Crown, Regulus calendula, photographed on the Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 10 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010tags: twitter, blog carnivals, science writing, nature writing, environment writing, medical writing, publicity
The Carnival Concoction.
Acrylic and Pastel on Pastelbord.
Albert Almondia (2008).
While discussing a twitter account for publicizing Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) blog carnival, my spousal unit proposed a really interesting idea: setting up a general science blog carnival twitter feed that sends out links for a variety of science, environment, nature and medicine-based blog carnivals. So we've done this: the twitter feed is known as SciNatBlogs and it has its…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2010tags: humane society of the united states, HSUS, H$U$, news report, investigative journalism, animal rights, animal welfare, animal shelters, streaming video
Where do all those millions of dollars of charitable donations to the Humane Society of the United States go? If you think H$U$ uses those monies to help improve the lives of animals, think again!
Seven Things You Didn't Know About the Humane Society of the United States:
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a "humane society" in name only, since it doesn't operate a single pet shelter or pet adoption facility anywhere…
grrlscientist | March 1, 2010tags: The Dork Anthem, funny, humor, comedy, fucking hilarious, iTunes, Dave and Brian, music video, streaming video
This video is a musical tribute to the miserable lives led by high school guys with talent in the sciences, and yes, it's actually funny. I wish that us grrls would do something like this, though, except I'm thinking we're all too busy struggling to pay rent while searching for tenure-track positions and taking care of kids.
Produced by FocalPoint Cinematic & Dave and Brian. You can purchase this tune on iTunes.
grrlscientist | March 1, 2010tags: Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, tsunami, nature, environment, image of the day
Image: Ron Barranco, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii [larger view]
One of my friends lived on Hawaii in 2008, where his uncle still resides. His uncle emailed two images to my friend the morning after the tsunami, which were snapped from his lanai. My friend shared these images with his friends, and he also gave me permission to share them here with all of you.
Image: Ron Barranco, Wailea, Maui, Hawaii [larger view]
grrlscientist | March 1, 2010
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) blog carnival was just published! The 22nd edition of Scientia Pro Publica is hosted by Stephen at Reciprocal Space. Stephen writes about this edition;
Like a barnacle's penis, this edition of Scientia Pro Publica is long and strange and packed with seeds--for thought. There was a veritable plethora of submissions, ranging from flit-stops that sought only to highlight single point of interest to deeply rewarding essays…
grrlscientist | March 1, 2010tags: Pied-Billed Dabchick, Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pied-billed Grebe, also known by a much cuter name, the Pied-Billed Dabchick, Podilymbus podiceps, photographed in California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Steve Duncan [larger view].
Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4 & TC17E.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 1, 2010tags: humane society of the united states, HSUS, H$U$, news report, investigative journalism, animal rights, animal welfare, animal shelters, streaming video
This investigative news report documents what we've always known: the Humane Society of the United States is nothing more than a fat, bloated charade of "animal lovers" who want everyone to lose our pets along any relationship with animals that we might have, whether they are companions, partners, teachers or the source of information or food. Contrary to their claims, HSUS does not support local animal shelters, does not help provide…