Mad rantings about politics, evolution, and microbiology. Comment policy: say what you want, but back it up with an email address. I don't like anonymous trolls.
mikethemadbiologist
Posts by this author
July 25, 2009
By way of Universal Hub, I came across this video of Boston in the 1920s. Not only is neat to see a lot of the same buildings, but I find it really interesting that Boston is described as conservative (whereas today, according to the Real America Propaganda, we are Homofascist Horde central). Of…
July 25, 2009
There are times I agree with this post by Ian Welsh:
My biggest weakness this year in doing analysis has been hope. I have let hope that the Obama administration and a Democratic Congress will do the right thing, and that they aren't corrupt and incompetent, get in the way of clear thinking.…
July 24, 2009
Here are some links for you. Science:
Pork producers resist resisting antibiotic resistance
George Will's Crack Fact-Checkers Continue Their Nap
Why False Positive Results Are So Common In Medicine
Other:
Should We Bring Back The 90% Top Tax Rate?
Bookblogging: The rise of the efficient markets…
July 24, 2009
By way of a post about the popularity of healthcare, I came across some polling results from a survey that asked people whether funding for various things should increase, decrease, or stay the same. The results:
(click to embiggen)
I suppose the good news is science funding is middle of the pack…
July 23, 2009
Inspired by this funny satire of mouse genomics research ("Tedious scientists hail uninspiring mouse genome breakthrough"), I dug up this funny article in a newsletter from the genome center at which I work:
30x sequencing of Unicornos
Typically the stuff of legends, the [sequencing center] will…
July 23, 2009
For those who haven't heard, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested by the Cambridge Police (the charges were later dropped). According to Gates' attorney:
Professor Gates was driven to his home by a driver for a local car company. Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door,…
July 22, 2009
Now that ScienceBlogs is unborked, here are some links for you. Science:
So, What Should Scientists Communicate?
Egg Donation, Stem Cell Research, and Lady Bits
Science is interesting. If you don't like it, it's your problem not mine.
Japanese fishermen brace for giant jellyfish
Squirrely Physics…
July 22, 2009
In an earlier post (with the strikethrough eliminated--weird, it didn't show up when I looked at the preview; it's been fixed), I mentioned that it was hard to determine what Mooney and Kirshenbaum want scientists to actually communicate. One commenter pulled this from Unscientific America:
After…
July 22, 2009
Our Benevolent Seed Overlords asked me to comment on this SEED article about New York's recent legislation that compensates women who donate eggs for research purposes.
So I did. Go read it.
July 21, 2009
A while ago, I argued that The Boston Globe is basically useless, and should go out of business. Some people took exception to that, including readers I know from the 'meat world.' And then The Globe published an op-ed by a creationist.
Fortunately, ScienceBlogling Jason Rosenhouse blasts the op-…
July 21, 2009
One of the parts I liked about Unscientific America was the recognition that many scientists need to be trained in communication--and as importantly, this training requires funding, so universities have a financial incentive to reward scientific communication and outreach. Mooney and Kirshenbaum…
July 20, 2009
I should never have to tag a post with "Secession." Moving right along...
Having grown up in Virginia, I'm well aware of the propensity of batshit lunacy: this is the state whose Republican Party nominated Ollie North for Senate. But Republican VA state delegate nominee Catherine T. Crabill has…
Corruption Is Integral to the 'Intellects' of the Conservative Movement: Why This Matters to Science
July 20, 2009
One of the advantages the conservative movement has is that it can be very lucrative to be a professional conservative, whereas being a professional liberal is rather difficult. There isn't the tight integration of think tanks, conservative magazines, cozy book deals, and the occasional faculty…
July 19, 2009
Here are some links to polish off your weekend. Science:
Dancing with Demons
Autism: It's the Environment, Not Just Doctors Diagnosing More Disease
PZ Myers vs. Unscientific America: Part III
Unscientific America: Are scientists all on the same team?
Mustang americanus
Other:
Does Income…
July 19, 2009
With apologies to Hannah Arendt. From an interview by Bill Moyers of Wendell Potter, a former healthcare executive:
...that was my problem. I had been in the industry and I'd risen up in the ranks. And I had a great job. And I had a terrific office in a high-rise building in Philadelphia. I was…
July 18, 2009
I think this public awareness campaign should have been called, "Dude, it's not that big":
If there were only a campaign for the assholes who hog the entire subway car pole....
July 18, 2009
One of the things that I find maddening about the Republicans' sloganeering is that they're never held accountable for the consequences of their slogans ("It's not the government's money, it's your money"--actually, it is the government's money, but that's a separate discussion). Well, the Obama…
July 17, 2009
Here are some links to start your weekend goofing-off. Science:
Why Jesus Makes Me a Bad Scientist...
Microcosm Week: How E. coli Sees The Future
Ace o'Science
Unscientific America: Is the (new) media to blame?
Other:
Exclusive Interview: Rolling Stone Journalist Matt Taibbi
Calpers: Rating…
July 17, 2009
Hopefully, this post won't degenerate into a flame war (ZOMG! TEH RELGIONISMZ!!!), but I've finished reading Unscientific America. Unfortunately, right off the bat (page three), the 'Pluto argument' bothered me (on the other hand, the book could only improve). From my perspective (and what do I…
July 16, 2009
One of the goals of several of the federal interventions was to keep subprime loans high. If the prices for these loans dropped too much, then the banks holding these loans would be insolvent (loans are counted as assets under the assumption that they will be paid back)--the amount of money they…
July 16, 2009
This finishes the very silly part of the post
With Sarah Palin's unconventional resignation, there's been a lot of discussion of what Sarah Palin means, and why she has such appeal for a subset of Americans. While people have described Palin as engaging in identity politics, but that sells…
July 15, 2009
At least someone knows how to play hardball. From Politico:
Under a Republican amendment approved Tuesday in the HELP bill, every member of Congress and their staffs would be required to enroll in the public insurance option. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) authored the measure, which has become a…
July 15, 2009
In light of the policy mediocrity that is the Obama administration, it's refreshing to read that the Obama administration is supporting the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). Of course, it's early days yet, so it would be par for the courseis quite possible that Obama's…
July 14, 2009
I'm currently working my way through Unscientific America, and I have the sneaking suspicion that I'm going to wind up agreeing with ScienceBlogling Janet's assessment (actually, it will probably be harsher). But speaking of Janet, I want to take exception with one thing in her review: her…
July 13, 2009
Merry Monday! Science links first:
LRO and the Apollo Hoax Believers...
Pew Letter about Chilean Salmon Industry
Other:
Accommodationists and New Atheists Sail in the Same Boat
July 13, 2009
Monday's NY Times, in a story about the remote possibility of torture investigations by the Justice Department, describes the Obama administration's concerns:
A series of investigations could exacerbate partisan divisions in Congress, just as the Obama administration is trying to push through the…
July 13, 2009
Sometimes, it's not the high end technology that saves lives, but the cheaper low end stuff. One of the ways microbiologists identify different bacteria is by growing them on 'defined' growth media. We have built up a vast knowledge of which growth conditions will support particular bacteria (and…
July 12, 2009
By way of Calculated Risk, I came across this Reuters article about apartment vacancies reaching their highest rate in twenty years--and might soon break the record. Currently, the national rate is 7.5%. This matches my impression of the Boston rental market, even in the supposedly 'recession-…
July 11, 2009
(from here)
The Honoré Daumier exhibit is at the Central Library and is phenomenal. The BPL also has a great online exhibit of old travel posters (the amount of stuff the BPL has is incredible--if only there were more funding to exhibit it all...).
Check them both out.
July 11, 2009
I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but, once again, a major part of the stimulus should have been to make up state budget shortfalls, which stemmed from the economic recession. Not only is it good economic policy (what's the point of the federal government putting people to work, only…