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, 2011
I'm holding off on a couple of genomics posts, and instead wearing my Mike the Mad Post-Keynesian hat, since global financial system might get...shaky. During the ongoing pandimensional clusterfuck that is the debt ceiling negotiations, one thing that is used to bolster the prophecies of budgetary…
July 24, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Is Something Fishy Going On? Citations Suggest Correction Comes Slowly, If It Comes At AllTweeting ScienceHow the Valley was won: The birth of technology in Silicon ValleyAnts clean up the remains of Brood XIX
Other:
What Happens in VegasMock my pants, not my sisterSocial…
July 24, 2011
A while ago, I discussed how the battle over credit and debit fees is really a battle over how much money should cost and whom you're paying that cost to: corporations or government. Well, the corporate takeover of the monetary base continues unabated, this time affecting Social Security. You…
July 23, 2011
Links for you. Science:
News Corp and the Hacked Climategate Emails: Time for an Independent InvestigationHarnessing solar power, on a small scaleThe end of evolutionary psychologyIs It Cold in Here?
Other:
Should fiscal policy always be counter-cyclical?Are You Smarter Than a 12th Grader?40%…
July 23, 2011
While one should never underestimate the rampant stupidity and batshitloonitarianism of the psychiatric wing of the Republican Party (which seems to be its dominant wing), I think Bill Mitchell's take on the whole fiasco is dead on target:
With regard to the debt ceiling it is clear that there will…
July 23, 2011
Mike Konczal is disappointed in the behavior of one of the members of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission ('FCIC'), Peter Wallison, movement conservative and member of the rightwing faith tank, the American Enterprise Institute. Like many conservatives, Wallison blames the housing crisis on…
July 22, 2011
Hotter than hell. It's 99F (~38C) as I write this. Somehow, I think I'm skipping the outdoor BBQ today we're having at work... Anyway, links for you. Science:
Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming > Conventional AgricultureAncient 'Frankenstein' Insect DiscoveredCampylobacter jejuni - hugely…
July 22, 2011
As with history in general, I suppose the victors write--or rewrite--economic history too. One of the arguments for balancing budgets that's floating around is that Clinton got us a surplus, times were good, and therefore, we should do it again. Of course, things were better for some people,…
July 21, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Poor memory? Blame evolution, not GoogleThe Jellyfish that Conquered Land -- and AustraliaThe (Nonsensical) Politics of Fisheries FundingDarwin's Great Blunder--and Why It Was Good for the WorldWhy Does Writing Make Us Smarter?
Other:
Beckhams a 'bad example' for families:…
July 21, 2011
Or more accurately, it's the revolt of the liberals. Personally, it's none of my business whom Republicans nominate for president, but, to me, Romney seems to be a strong electoral candidate (albeit one disliked by the Tea Party/theopolitical base). Why?
Liberals.
Hunh? Let me explain.
I've been…
July 20, 2011
Links for you. Science:
The narrow mind of GreenpeaceTom Coburn wrong on behavioral researchAfter 8 Decades, Tiny Toad Resurfaces in AsiaFood Companies Act to Protect Consumers From E. Coli Illness
Other:
On Early Retirement (must read)Other People's MoneyA Response to Corey Robin on The Political…
July 20, 2011
While I've disagreed strongly with Megan McArdle, she recently wrote one of the more humane pieces I've read in the mainstream media about unemployment and underemployment (italics mine):
I was unemployed for basically two years between the time I graduated from business school in 2001, and the…
July 19, 2011
Links for you. Science:
What Not to Say to a Pop-Science AuthorThe New York Times' Defense of AntidepressantsHow to Sell Your Fellow Students for $100Dr. Isis Issues Some Ad Hominems For Those Who Hang Their Hats on Rats (or Mice)
Other:
Greed, Excess and America's Gaping Class DivideThe Plague…
July 19, 2011
Keep in mind, this probably means there is a murderous terrorist running loose out there:
Now, however, Justice Department lawyers have acknowledged in court papers that the sealed area in Ivins' lab -- the so-called hot suite -- didn't contain the equipment needed to turn liquid anthrax into the…
July 19, 2011
In the midst of all the chatter about Google+, many people seem to have ignored what this is really about: monetizing the cloud. What Google wants to do is make easy for you to store all of your documents and files on their servers, for which they will charge a small fee and/or use your…
July 18, 2011
Links for you. Science:
How Well Do Miss USA Contestants Represent Their States?Hacking the genome with a MAGE and a CAGEThe Bugs That Changed Human HistoryTrouble in the Fourth Domain?
Other:
A Feminist Economist Speaks Out: Deficits are a Grrrl's Best FriendWhat Makes You Think Obama is…
July 18, 2011
By way of Dr. Isis, we come across this post by Catherine Rampell about the rise of grade inflation in colleges:
Dr. Isis observes:
It's interesting that the real change in grading appears to have occurred in the period between 1962 and 1974, probably coinciding with the increase in conscription…
July 17, 2011
Links for you. Science:
File Under WTF: Did the CIA Fake a Vaccination Campaign? (the blowback from this is reprehensible even by CIA standards)No Eureka Moments in Long U.S. Campaign to Crack Cellulosic CodePetty controversy: Tea Partiers vs. endangered manateesHow To Drink GatoradeWhy the…
July 17, 2011
The NY Times has a story about the rise in the use of 'bath salts' as recreational drugs. Bath salts have caused some users to have hideous psychological effects, including long-term paranoia, as well as dangerous reactions (spikes in body temperature and kidney failure). What are bath salts?…
July 17, 2011
Because these are the idiots you've allied yourselves with:
...many of these voucher advocates claim they simply want to expand school choice and improve the quality of education for all.
Yet one group that has been influential in the school voucher push -- the Independence Hall Tea Party, which…
July 16, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Super Awesome influenza antibodies: Slightly more helpful than Super Awesome HIV antibodiesBacteria resists the aroma of caffeineA Partial Cure for the "Is Consistent With" Syndrome (a good reason to understand mechanism)CIA's despicable Pakistan vaccination ploy (can't…
July 16, 2011
As a fellow card-carrying member of the Ancient, Holy and High Hermeneutic Order of the Shrill, I mean that as a compliment:
There aren't many positive aspects to the looming possibility of a U.S. debt default. But there has been, I have to admit, an element of comic relief -- of the black-humor…
July 15, 2011
Links for you. Science:
The Asian needle ant, an accidentally imported termite killer
A Journal Is Not a Data DumpHow Seawater Can Power the WorldTiny snails survive digestion by birds (I wonder what this does to your microbiome...)
Other:
Ann Coulter Confuses Liberal and Conservative…
July 15, 2011
One of the most frustrating things about Obama's playing the role of The Great Conciliator is his belief that we should 'look forward, not back', that there should be no accountability for those who have failed or committed fraud. Leaving aside notions of justice (which these days is best for one'…
July 15, 2011
We should be worrying about the employment deficit. Instead, we are worried about the budget deficit. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Nate Silver has a very good post detailing how the Republicans in Congress have positioned themselves to the right of....everybody. But what struck me is that…
July 14, 2011
Beautiful weather here. If you're stuck inside, here are some links. Science:
Casey's Case: What Psychology Says About Anthony's Acquittal.Sunday AI: Leaping CockroachesThe Clap Came Back: Multi-Drug Resistant GonorrheaThe Path Of Increased Resistance
Other:
Rep. Ryan Tastes The Grapes Of…
July 14, 2011
It's as if Republican House Whip Eric Cantor wants to be a cartoon villain:
...as the Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz reports, one group that Cantor is apparently fine with making pay more is American college students. Cantor, at the White House for budget negotiations, apparently proposed that…
July 14, 2011
There are two very interesting posts about scientific publishing that raise some very good points. The first post by petermr makes a critical point about the publication process--academia has ceded promotion and tenure decisions to professional editorial boards, not experts and colleagues (italics…
July 13, 2011
Links for you. Science:
Great Moments in Deceptive GraphsLife and death of GFAJ-1A second case of meat farmingThe Unexamined Society (broken clocks and all that...)
Other:
Ah Well. Never Bet Against Applebee's Salad BarsSuddenly tone matters (personally, I'm willing to admit that the approach is…
July 13, 2011
The Atlantic is being paid some unknown amount of money by McKinsey and Co. (the same people who brought you some very nice healthcare propaganda) to discuss this:
The Atlantic and McKinsey & Company brought together some of the top minds in business, government, and the world of ideas, each to…