Search Content

Displaying results 3401 - 3450 of 87950

What If Al Gore Were Arrested?

If Gore Were Arrested is the title of an article at The Nation online. According to this report Al Gore has been invited to participate in civil disobedience with the Rainforest Action Network and he is considering it! The article finishes its headline sentence this way: If Gore did end up getting arrested during a protest against a coal-fired power plant, it would make front-page news throughout the world and put a spotlight on what some climate scientists and activists consider the single most important priority in the fight against climate change: halting the use of coal as the world's…

Atheist Voices of MN Authors' Event - Har Mar Barnes & Noble

Wed, October 10th Join us at the Barnes & Noble in Har Mar Mall in Roseville at 7pm, Wednesday, October 10 for a fun evening. The Atheist Voices of Minnesota will be featured for an authors' event and we would love to see a room full of occupied seats! Six of the book authors will read and/or discuss their essays and then be available to take questions from attendees. The featured authors are Norman Barrett Wiik, Stephanie Zvan, Robin Raianiemi, Tim Wick, Kori Hennessy, and August Berkshire. The host will be Eric Jayne. After the one hour (maybe an hour and a half) event some of us will…

June Pieces Of My Mind #2

Nyckelviken's folly Dropping off Jrette at sailing camp for her 2nd summer. Just like her brother in '09. Just like me in '86. Heard new interviews with Andy Weir and Larry Niven on Planetary Radio. I love the Internet! Kelley Johnston on self-defense training for daughters: "I'd rather bail you out of jail than identify you at the morgue". Depeche Mode's 1984 Some Great Reward was the first album I bought. I just listened to "Blasphemous Rumours" for the first time in decades and was impressed. Starting from the lines "Taken away to the dark side / I wanna be your left hand man", I began…

Hiking boots: what the hell happened with the Vasque Sundowner?

I used to live in a place where if you lacked proper hiking boots you could actually die, or be very badly injured. My 1991 Vasque Sundowner hiking boots are now barely good enough to wear while cutting the lawn (damn monoculture!) in my now-suburban life. (Then again, that means they are old enough to go to college.). At least I still have some great state parks very close to me and some great national parks within 3 hr where we could backpack. When looking to order a new pair of Sundowners online (since our local REI stopped carrying the version for my wide stubby feet), I was shocked to…

Pretty Good Snark

This is good.  Indeed, it may qualify as the type specimen ( href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holotype">holotype) of snark.  From The New Yorker: href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg/2009/08/clinton-north-korea.html">It's So Obvious From Avi Zenilman, online news editor, The New Yorker:     Do you think the right is upset about President Clinton's mission because he didn't free the hostages by going through the Japanese to sell arms to the North Koreans and then use the proceeds to support anti-Chavez guerrillas? Posted by Hendrik Hertzberg On the…

Europe Unveils 57 Newly Discovered (Incredibly Boring) Species of Freshwater Fish

The results of a seven year survey of Europe's rivers and lakes has finally arrived, and to the delight of Ben Stein, CPAs and colorblind people around the world, 57 new species of new nonthreatening, completely unexciting, brownish-gray fish have been identified. Europe now boasts 522 drab freshwater species as opposed to the laughable 485 of the olden days. Take that Azerbaijan! Reportedly, the photographer fell asleep while taking this picture. "The new species come from all over," said Jörg Freyhof of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, Germany…

Fungus kills caterpillars but may help humans

Caterpillars with fungus growing out of their heads. Image of Cordyceps sinensis fungus from http://cordyceps-sinensis-mushroom.blogspot.com/ Whoever thought that a brain-attacking fungus might actually be good for you? This particular type of fungus, cordyceps, is known for attacking and killing caterpillars and can be found in the mountains of Tibet. Touted as a cure for various ailments including cancer, asthma, and erectile dysfunction, it is sold in Chinese markets as the "golden worm" or "Tibetan mushroom" for as much as $50,000 per pound! A new study published in RNA provides some…

Wikispecies and Fishbase: A Collaboration for the Ocean?

It seems like most of us agree: Wikipedia is blessed though, like pop music (or an ugly partner), it is easy to love it and then deny one's affection for it publicly, especially in the science world. Now, with the introduction of Wikispecies, started in August 2004 by Wikimedia, several other debates of how an open source, free content catalogue of all things living can work. Daniel Pauly is not only the father of the term "shifting baselines" but co-father to Fishbase with Dr. Rainer Froese. This online database is a multilingual melange of expert information, including taxonomy, growth…

Beer Keg Theft Rising -- But they want the metal, not the beer

What's the world coming to? This irresistible news nugget comes from Al Tompkins at Poynter Online: Beer Kegs Attract Thieves USA Today said: Across the country, crooks are snatching stainless steel kegs in alleyways behind bars and breweries or not returning them after keggers to sell for scrap metal. The trend comes as the stainless scrap price has more than doubled in the last five years, making an empty 18-pound keg worth more than $13, according to price data for steel scrap sold in Chicago. Hawaii actually passed legislation making beer-keg theft a crime.  They may not have needed…

Title IX and Women's Success

From the Chronicle of Higher Education today: Women who play sports in high school are more likely to earn a college degree than women who do not, according to a new study by Mikaela J. Dufur, an assistant professor of sociology at Brigham Young University, and Kelly P. Troutman, an adjunct instructor of anthropology and sociology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania...The findings..."suggest a societal benefit to female sport participation in the form of increased educational attainment," they say. Therefore, they argue, "rather than looking for ways to excuse schools from Title IX…

My Perspective In Issues In Science And Technology

The latest publication of Issues In Science And Technology features an article I co-authored with ScienceDebate CEO Shawn Lawrence Otto. We discuss building the ScienceDebate2008 initiative, lessons from the election, and what's needed to create an environment where the public's understanding and appreciation of science policy will make scientists critical in the political process. Here's an excerpt from Science on the Campaign Trail: Probing further, the Science Debate team learned that science was seen as a niche topic by the campaigns, and a presidential debate dedicated to science policy…

New/Old Approach to Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/04/AR2007050401976.html?hpid=topnews">Resilient Infections Worry Military Doctors" is a headline in the Washington Post.  It reflects a serious concern often noted here at ScienceBlogs.  I read it and worried, again.  But perhaps there is hope: maggots.  From News@Nature.com: href="http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070430/full/070430-13.html">Maggots eat up resistant bacteria Creepy crawlies are the latest weapon in the anti-MRSA arsenal. Published online: 4 May 2007 doi:10.1038/news070430-13 Katharine…

Consumer genetics needs more transparency, not excessive regulation

An excerpt from an article I co-wrote for Xconomy with Genomics Law Report's Dan Vorhaus - link to the full article below. Are you ready for consumer genetics? Is your government? Recent announcements of federal investigations into the budding direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing industry suggest that authorities are preparing to increase regulation of companies offering consumers access to their own genetic data. However, rather than rushing in to clamp down on the industry, regulators should slow down and focus, first, on understanding this complex field. An increasing number of…

Commenting at Cell

Over the last month, many things have been happening in the world of scientific publishing. Nature is trying something new, and they are having a public debate about how to alter the review process. PLoS is pushing ahead with a new type of publishing platform, PLoS ONE. And they are blogging about it. Now Cell has started an online comment section. Similar to ArXiv.org that displays trackbacks, and to the suggestion left at Nature's peer review blog that articles should be publicly debate both before and after they have been published, Cell is providing a public posting area so that…

More Clicker stuff

I am seriously late on this stuff. First, by clickers I mean student response systems. In a previous post, I stated how much I like these things. The basic idea (in case you have never heard of them) is that these are small devices that students in a class have. The instructor (learning facilitator) presents some multiple-choice questions and the students click a button to represent their answer. The summary of the student responses can then be presented to the class. Big whoop you might say. But it is a big whoop and here is why: Technologically and logistically, these are trivial to…

PepsiCo has been expelled

We just got this note from Adam Bly: We have removed Food Frontiers from SB. We apologize for what some of you viewed as a violation of your immense trust in ScienceBlogs. Although we (and many of you) believe strongly in the need to engage industry in pursuit of science-driven social change, this was clearly not the right way. How do we empower top scientists working in industry to lead science-minded positive change within their organizations? How can a large and diverse online community made up of scientists and the science-minded public help? How do companies who seek genuine dialogue…

Information Overload!!!

I don't have the attention span to write this article. In the course of penning this introductory paragraph, I've taken umpteen email breaks, gotten distracted by several Wikipedia wormholes, and taken an hour's time out to watch Frontline documentary clips on YouTube. It has taken me, in toto, seven days to write a five-paragraph article about my generation's decreasing attention span. At least the irony isn't lost on me. A social researcher tracking my movements across the web might discover that, in the words of University College of London professor and director of CIBER (the Centre…

Announcing The Open Lab Finalists!

It's here! After more than a month of reviewing, I am pleased to announce the list of posts that will be included in this year's edition - the fifth - of The Open Laboratory! In no particular order: Givin' props to hybrids by DeLene Beeland The decade the clones came: Beware the mighty Marmokrebs! by Zen Faulkes Can seabirds overfish a resource? The case of cormorants in Estonia by Hannah Waters The Data Speak by Andrew Thaler Testing the flotation dynamics and swimming abilities of giraffes by way of computational analysis by Darren Naish Shark week! by EcoPhysioMichelle Size really does…

The Buzz: Even More Prozac Nation

As David Dobbs reports on Neuron Culture, the use of antidepressants in the US has nearly doubled in the last decade. David agrees with fellow neuroblogger Neuroskeptic in attributing the increase to a broadened definition of depression. But if Americans are becoming more depressed, there is hope on the other side of the coin as scientists turn up new insights into what makes us happy. On The Frontal Cortex, Jonah Lehrer tell us money can buy us happiness—but only if spent properly. Dave Munger of Cognitive Daily discusses a study in Psychological Science that demonstrates how our perception…

Healthcare Survives Supreme Court

Chief Justice John Roberts proved himself an independent thinker last month, siding against his fellow conservatives (and Republican appointees) in upholding the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Roberts agreed that Congress could not force a citizen to buy insurance, but allowed the individual mandate to survive as a tax. In the meantime, the ruling placed limits on federal power to expand Medicaid, leaving 16 million people in the lurch. Liz Borkowski says “the Supreme Court’s decision clouds what should have been a clear distribution of the most beneficial impacts to the most needy.” Kim…

World-wide weirdness

Lest Phelps and the Texas Supreme Court leave the unfortunate impression that the US is the sole repository of lunacy in the world, Ben Goldacre's latest column is about linking mobile phone signals to suicides — there's a bit of hysteria in one of the British newspapers about it. I like his approach; he called the source of the frightening information, a Dr Roger Coghill, to get the data that led to his conclusion. I contacted Dr Coghill, since his work is now a matter of great public concern, and it is vital his evidence can be properly assessed. He was unable to give me the data. No paper…

Atheists Advertise!

I never thought I'd see this. But here it is in all its glory. When I used to live in Georgia and drive past huge billboards that read "I heard that! -- God," or "You're Welcome --God," I imagined the day when atheist billboards would appear. I always wanted to buy a billboard that simply read, "God is Dead." in part, to see whether Clear Channel would put it up, and in part, to hear the standard rejoinder said in Georgia--"Nietzsche is dead!" How profound! Today's Journal covers atheists' efforts in reaching out, and concludes with this astute observation: Still, leading activists say…

iPod iChing - rocketeer to the rescue

Snow? Of course, it is friday. So, we ask the Mighty iPod: will I ever be able to buy a ticket to orbit? Just for laughs? Whoosh goes the randomizer. Whoosh. The Covering: Ofboðslega Frægur - Stuðmenn The Crossing: Menuett F-Dur - Mozart The Crown: Santa Claus if Coming to Town The Root: Heart Like a Wheel - Billy Bragg The Past: Hateful - Clash The Future: Should I Stay or Should I Go - Clash The Questioner: Memories Can't Wait - Talking Heads The House: Spanish Bombs - Clash The Inside: Killy City - Iggy Pop The Outcome: Sumarið Er Tíminn - GCD Wow. Mighty is the iPod. The Covering is…

Les abeilles nouvelles sont arrivees

Although I can't really be sure if they are new this year or overwintered. See one of them has orange legs - this is a good sign - bringing pollen back in. Today was a lovely warm still sunny day in Cambridge and environs, and at this time of year a middle-aged mans thoughts turn to the jungle at the end of the garden, and how he really ought to make some effort to tame it. So I boldly set out and hacked a path through; it is now possible to get down to Bin Brook for the first time in... quite a while. The Cambridge Preservation Society have been busy tidying up on the other side (the lane…

The bookstores have noticed us

Minnesota Atheists notes a new policy at Borders Books — they've put up a small display section dedicated to books about atheism. If you've ever been frustrated in a search for books on nonbelief in your local bookstore or annoyed by their inclusion in the comparative religion section, Borders Books has remedied the situation. "Atheism and Agnosticism" has been added as a new section for the works of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and many others. We hope other bookstores will follow this example, and encourage our members to suggest they do. A reader actually sent me a…

Larry King Live and Stupid

Barbara Forrest was on Larry King Live tonight in one of the most absurd discussions of evolution and intelligent design imaginable. For some reason, they had a huge list of guests - a young earth creationist, Jay Richards of the Discovery Institute, Barbara, two senators (one on each side) and - bizarrely - Deepok Chopra. What the hell Chopra was doing there is beyond me. And just to give you a perfect example of why the media is the last place to look for accurate information on this subject, Larry King introduced Barbara with the question, "How can you reject creationism completely because…

Framing feud flares into furious fight

There is going to be a melee in Minneapolis, a testicle-twister in the Twin Cities, a bloody battle at the Bell — the framing debate is going LIVE, in an event sponsored by the Bell Museum in Minneapolis at the end of September. On one side, Mooney and Nisbet; on the other, Greg Laden and … uh, me, I'm pretty sure. I'm still juggling some travel dates, but I think I should be able to make it. I think the plan, though, is to pretend I can't, so Mooney and Nisbet get all cocky. Then, just when Greg is down, trapped in a headlock by one and the other is doing the dreaded pinky toe pincer, I come…

Is this when the wheels come off?

We (American Liberals/Democrats) all know that the wheels have to come off at some point. Yes, at some point the wheels of the seemingly unstoppable Obama Machine have to come flying off, the tide turns, and McCain/Palin are elected President and Vice President of the Freakin' United States. I'm assuming at the moment that this is going to happen tonight, during, as a result of, or perhaps just after the Obama Half Hour ad buy. Perhaps this is when the October Surprised is planned for. The Obama ad by will be inturrupted by a news story orchistrated by the Republicans. Something about…

Sex for sale

'Tis the season for ridiculous commercialism: I've been seeing these unbelievable commercials that feature some smug guy surprising his wife by giving her a luxury car (with a bow on top) as a present, or popping open a box with a big honkin' diamond in it. The women always clap their hands with glee and lean in for a hot passionate kiss. I see these and I wonder…just how stupid do advertisers think men are? I can tell you exactly what would happen if I spent a month's salary or more on jewelry (or worse, a year's income on a car). My wife would look aghast, and waver between calling the…

New Adventures in Retail

Over at Tor.com, they've unveiled the new Tor.com store, enabling you to buy your books via your favorite SF publisher. It's pretty bare-bones at the moment, so the most worthwhile feature is probably the special picks feature, where they collect together lists of books recommended by their most popular bloggers. Such as, for example, Kate's Lord of the Rings related recommendation list. In a similar vein, something I only noticed today (via an ad on my own blog) that may have been around for a while is the Seed store, collecting all the books reviewed by the Corporate Masters over the past…

Hey! Who let those Rethuglicans into my state government?

It's astonishing how regressive Republicans can be. Would you believe the Minnesota Republicans think women are worth less than men, and are willing to pass legislation legalizing that view? Minnesota Republicans have introduced legislation that would repeal the 1984 Local Government Pay Equity Act (LGPEA), which directs local governments to ensure that women are paid the same as men. While local governments say reporting requirements are costly, equal rights groups say the law needs to stay intact in order to ensure fair pay, especially for women of color. HF7/SF159 would repeal a laundry…

Beasts from the Depths

A new book, "The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss" by Claire Nouvian, a French journalist and film director, reveals haunting images of some of the most bizarre creatures on the globe, ones that live in the deepest parts of the ocean. In many cases the creatures- some of which were photographed as far down as four miles- have never been recorded on film before, and some are still unidentified. The fantastic book contains 220 photographs and scientific information about the living conditions of life miles below the surface. Speculating in the book, Craig M. Young of the Oregon…

Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Annual Conference - Intro

You may have noticed a dearth of Zooillogix posts over the last two weeks. This is due in large part to Benny buying a bar, and me buying a puppy. They are the same amount of work. Well I aim to make it up to you today and already I have forced myself out of bed at 5:00 AM and boarded a train to Milwaukee to spend the day covering the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Annual Conference. I'll do my best to make the posts real-time but this might not always be possible, as is the case at the moment, sitting on the train, surrounded by loudly snoring sales guys. They probably think I'm a sales…

Oh, come on, Shermer...

Ugh. John Pieret is right: this effort by Michael Shermer to reconcile evolution with conservative theology is hideous, on multiple levels. It takes a special kind of arrogance to think that Christians are going to consult Shermer, a godless hellbound skeptic, on how to interpret the fine details of the Bible. Either reject it or buy into it—but nobody is going to believe that Shermer accepts the religious premises of the book. He's being a kind of concern troll on a grand scale. It's also nonsense. Because the theory of evolution provides a scientific foundation for the core values shared by…

Chloral Hydrate (Alkyl halide sleep aid)

Chloral hydrate was in the news yesterday because it showed up in the autopsy report for Anna Nicole Smith. Chloral hydrate is what individuals of a certain age (or just aficionados of dated slang) refer to when they mention "slipping someone a Mickey." It is a very simple drug, discovered by von Liebig about 175 years ago. It has largely been supplanted in popularity by the benzodiazepines, which are much better characterized and less toxic (although they're still addictive). Very small, highly chlorinated molecules like this tend to be hard on your liver, much like carbon tetrachloride and…

Yellow Snow and Squidly Gifts

Anyone remember this song? Well... Santa got in the Christmas Spirit (or was that into the Christmas Spirits?) and now he needs your help to play connect the dots. Yup. It's just what you think: (flash required) Ho! Ho! Ho! Yellow Snow! For more Holiday games, check out the Holiday Link Dump over at JayIsGames, written by yours truly. Yes, I've spent a bit more time playing games over the past few days than I have updating my website. (That's still coming.) When you see these adorable treasures, you'll understand how I got distracted. Here is one gift that didn't make it into the holiday…

Feeling Down? Science Says Go Shopping (But Use Credit)

My latest piece for LAist just went up: Retail therapy: It's the answer for almost any problem. Girlfriend broke up with you? Didn't get that promotion? Buy yourself something pretty. People like to shop, especially for high-status items, when they're feeling down. Decades of research has indicated that when a key feature of one's identity is threatened - such as by being passed over for a promotion or being dumped by a former lover - people turn to things. Possessions can allow us to signal our awesomeness to others. And if others think we're awesome, then we just might begin to remember…

As long as I'm feeling sick, let's make everyone miserable

Just a suggestion: don't browse weblogs when you're trying to perk yourself up with a little cheery good news. The woman who chopped off her baby's arms in the name of her god is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity. Another woman was arrested for bringing a human head into the country in her luggage—it was all part of her voodoo religion, you see. She faces 15 years in prison. In the South Pacific, villagers worship an American named John Frum who lives in a volcano and has promised them much cargo. Fundamentalism kills. Well, actually, ignorance and fear kill, but fundamentalism…

Strange things that people get addicted to

Etter JF. Addiction to the nicotine gum in never smokers. BMC Public Health. 2007 Jul 17;7:159. What, got tired of chewing regular gum? Nothing like paying more for nicotine-laced candy that you have to buy at a drug store and follow directions to use properly, no sir. --- DeFuentes-Merillas L, Koeter MW, Bethlehem J, Schippers GM, VanDenBrink W. Are scratchcards addictive? The prevalence of pathological scratchcard gambling among adult scratchcard buyers in the Netherlands. Addiction. 2003 Jun;98(6):725-31. A nation in which marijuana is legal has enough people addicted to playing…

Donors Choose---home stretch

Technically, the Donors Choose challenge to help out needy kids doesn't end until the end of the month. But donations given by Sunday are going to be matched by Hewlett-Packard. There are two great projects I'd love to get funded by Sunday, and I can't see any reason why we can't do it. If enough of us give a couple of bucks, we can get there in no time. Some donors have been freakishly generous, but a whole lot of 2 dollar donations can add up quickly. A Story to Tell will purchase a computer and printer to help kids print up memoirs, helping them learn to construct stories and write.…

What makes a good physics program

This weekend I am off to a SPIN-UP (Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics) meeting. The basic idea is for physics departments to meet and discuss how they can be better. Note: if you don't have a good acronym, you don't get any funding. In preparation for this meeting, I was thinking - what is the one thing I think could make a difference. Maybe the most important thing is to create a community of learners. The department should be a place where students can be students. It would be awesome if this included space (in whatever form possible) for studying, learning,…

Fake Diamonds Are Real

This will surely rank as one of the major scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century*: This winter, a sparkling diamond landed in front of a technician at the Gemological Institute of America in New York City. He ran tests, noted the stone was man-made, and graded it as he would any diamond. It was the gem industry's strongest acknowledgment yet that lab-grown diamonds are just as real as natural ones. For years, De Beers, the world's largest purveyor of natural diamonds, argued against the acceptance and GIA grading of lab-grown stones. But since 2003, synthetic diamond production has…

Bling

Why do poor people spend so much money on brand-name items and flashy status symbols? The answer is power. Those Calvin Klein boxers are a desperate attempt at compensation. Here's Kevin Lewis of the Globe Ideas section: If people low on the socioeconomic ladder sometimes buy things beyond their means, it may be because of a psychological mechanism that we all share. At Northwestern University, several experiments with students tested the idea that people who feel relatively powerless have a greater desire for high-status goods. The participants were primed to feel either powerful or…

meta-plagiarism

Penn State has a contract with an on-line plagiarism service - Turnitin.com - which allows faculty to check whether papers etc were plagiarised from other sources; it compares text with an impressive range of other sources. Interestingly, the information to faculty about the service comes with a firm admonition to not share the access to the facility with anyone other than other faculty, instructors and TAs. The University finds it necessary to remind faculty not to cheat on the cheating service. The concern is not just depriving the service of licensed income, but to prevent students from…

Notes Toward an Improbable Result: Grade Points per Pound

Inside Higher Ed has an article on grade inflation this morning, which reminds me of my improbable research theory. Academic scolds are always talking about grade inflation, saying that the average grade years ago used to be lower than it is now. Medical scolds are always talking about the obesity epidemic, saying that average weights used to be lower than they are now. Has anyone ever considered that the two might be related? That is, might it be that the grade points per pound has remained constant over the years? Using some government reports on weight, and totally bias free GPA trends…

Rightwingers Need to Stop Claiming Me as an Ally

I just came across this nonsense from something called the Patriot Post, which dubs itself "the conservative journal of record." In the midst of a typical anti-Gore debunking of global warming, we get this: Nonetheless, some of the most ardent global alarmists are starting to change their tune. In 2005, Chris Mooney wrote "The Republican War on Science," a thorough indictment of the GOP's attempt to discredit scientific work on climate change. When he started research for his latest book, "Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle over Global Warming," he assumed it would be more of…

Attila Csordas: doing intriguing things with 23andMe data

Attila Csordas has a post up at Partial Immortalization explaining how to use the application MitoWheel (which Csordas helped develop) to visualise data from the new Haplogroup Tree Mutation Mapper from 23andMe. This might be a fun way for genetic genealogy afficianados to spend a few minutes getting to know their genomes better. This reminded me about a little experiment of Csordas' that I learnt about when I met him in Cambridge a couple of weeks ago, which strikes me as a quintessential expression of the spirit of the personal genomic era - posting his genetic data from 23andMe, one base…

Soufriere Hills continues having a big winter

A pyroclastic flow from the February 5 vulcanian eruption of Soufriere Hills. Image courtesy of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO). UPDATE: See some amazing images of the recent eruptive activity over on Stromboli Online. {Hat tip to the Volcanism Blog via Eruptions reader CK.} One event that didn't eat much coverage over the weekend, at least here in the U.S., was the large eruption and explosions at Soufriere Hills on Montserrat. The volcano has had a resurgent winter since have a quiet summer of 2009. This weekend's eruption produced an ash plume that reached ~6.1 km / 20,000 feet…

Don't piss on my carpet: the neverending civility debate

Did you hear about the scio10 civility meltdown? More about that in a minute. As you may have heard, it got a bit. . . uncivil. I wasn't there, so you, like me, will have to get your impression from this highly realistic renactment, created by an attendee who witnessed the confrontation between Nature's Henry Gee and our very own Zuska: Whoa. Do I detect some tension? I'm reminded of the classic post 7 reasons the 21st century is making you miserable, according to David Wong: Some of us remember having only three channels on TV. That's right. Three. We're talking about the '80s here. So…

Downloadable Database of Phase Response Curves

This April 16, 2005 post gives you links to further online resources and literature on entrainment and Phase-Response Curves, as well as a link to a database of PRCs so you can play with them yourself. One of the most useful chronobiological databases available online is the PRC Atlas. Compiled by Dr.Carl Johnson of Vanderbilt University, it contains hundreds of published and unpublished Phase-Response Curves. One can sort the Curves by species or by type of stimulus (e.g., light pulses, pulses of varius chemicals, dark pulses on constant-light background, etc.) and one is also able to…