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Sex-toy study at Duke raises some eyebrows

A campus religious leader is unhappy about a study at Duke University that invites female students to attend parties where they can buy sex toys....the director of the Duke Catholic Center has lodged a complaint with researchers. The study has of age female students attend "tupperware style" sex toy parties, and complete a survey before and after. They have IRB approval. source Note: Abel Pharmboy has blogged about this here.

What is Windows 7, really?

It's not Linux, that's for sure... Lest we forget: Windows 7 is just like Vista, folks. "Windows 7" is Microsoft's attempt to re-brand the damaged "Windows" name after the extremely poor "Windows Vista" release. I love that you can still buy systems with Windows XP "downgrade" because Windows Vista still isn't trusted 3 years after it was released.... Check out this commentary by Linux in Exile.

Finally, your jet pack is ready.

It's been a long time coming. While Arthur C. Clarke's satellites have taken to space, and James Bond's futuristic mobile technology has become common place, still the dream of sustained personal flight has eluded us. But the future is here! Finally we can all take flight as Martin Aircraft in New Zealand releases the first commercially-available jet pack! Click here to buy your jetpack!

ScienceOnline2010 - interview with Alex, Staten Island Academy student

Continuing with the tradition from last two years, I will occasionally post interviews with some of the participants of the ScienceOnline2010 conference that was held in the Research Triangle Park, NC back in January. See all the interviews in this series here. You can check out previous years' interviews as well: 2008 and 2009. Today, I asked Alex from Miss Baker's Biology class at Staten Island Academy to answer a few questions. You can read about Alex's experience at ScienceOnline2010 here. Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock. Would you, please, tell my readers a little bit more about…

ScienceOnline2010 - interview with Sabine Vollmer

Continuing with the tradition from last two years, I will occasionally post interviews with some of the participants of the ScienceOnline2010 conference that was held in the Research Triangle Park, NC back in January. See all the interviews in this series here. You can check out previous years' interviews as well: 2008 and 2009. Today, I asked Sabine Vollmer to answer a few questions. Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock. Would you, please, tell my readers a little bit more about yourself? Where are you coming from (both geographically and philosophically)? What is your (scientific) background…

Online Status Anxiety

Now that the social web is maturing - the platforms have been winnowed down to a select few (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) - some interesting commonalities are emerging. The one shared feature that I'm most interested in is also a little disturbing: the tendency of the social software to quantify our social life. Facebook doesn't just let us connect with our friends: it counts our friends. Twitter doesn't just allow us to aggregate a stream of chatter: it measures our social reach. LinkedIn has too many damn hierarchies to count. Even the staid blog is all about the metrics, from page…

Insurance for children: Medicaid, CHIP, and the "family glitch"

The latest issue of the journal Health Affairs focuses on children's health, and one of the major topics is health insurance for children. A look at the Kaiser Family Foundation's coverage statistics shows that in 2013, 49% of children ages 0 - 18 had employer-sponsored coverage, 39% were covered by Medicaid or another public program, 5% had other private coverage, and 8% were uninsured. There are three main ways US children get health insurance coverage: Medicaid: The federal government pays a portion of healthcare costs for Medicaid beneficiaries, and in exchange requires that states extend…

An abortion debate…with a poll!

Read an online debate between Troy Newman, stooge from Operation Rescue, and Cristina Page, a legitimate advocate for reproductive rights, and then vote on who made the best case. Newman made the same hypocritical arguments the anti-abortionists always make, so I know where my vote went. But of course the knee-jerk goons from Operation Rescue have already hit the poll, and Newman is claiming to have won. Well, sure, the poll shows Newman leading Page 54:46 right now, but that might just change soon. You think?

More word games: etymology

My friend Rhett alerted me to this little word game, which is kind of like Balderdash: you pick the correct etymology or definition from a group of fakes created by tricky readers. I did quibble with a couple of mistakes (one definition was off, one word was misspelled) but I tried three times and couldn't beat it. Can you? Other wordy recreations: this is my all-time favorite hard online word quiz. . . I scored 183 and broke a sweat doing it. this is an addictive Boggle-style game from Flash By Night.

KITP: log(normal)

Globular Clusters - what drives the evolution of the mass function? Mark Gieles take is online here Mike Fall's preceding talk on the subject is not available online. Should have been there...

Perversion of good science

More Canadian press leads me to put up another post on dichloroacetate (DCA), the inhibitor of mitochondrial aerobic glycolysis that is being promoted as a freely-available cancer "cure." Like many compounds tested in animal models of human cancer, DCA treatment reduces the size of human lung tumors grown in rats, but is far from a cure. Any other similar drug would be just one of hundreds jockeying for investment by drug companies large and small and might not even be competitive enough for entry into clinical trials. However, DCA is a bulk chemical that is largely available freely and is…

Essential Science Fiction

What is your list of essential science-fiction books? I composed mine back on December 27, 2005 and I still agree with myself on it. Click on the spider-clock icon to see the comments on the original post. A couple of months ago, Brandon (of Siris) wrote a post in which he listed twenty must-read science fiction novels. Please read the comments where many people add their own suggestions. I am not exactly sure what the criterion was - the best ever, Brandon's personal favourites, or something else - but ever since, I wanted to write a similar post. Not that I disagree much with his…

Fermentation: To Infinity and Beyond!

I get a lot of books for review, and for the most part, they are wonderful surprises. Because I receive and read so many books, I rarely sit around saying "Hey, where's my review copy of...X?" Generally I've got a giant pile of books that I need to get to anyway, so I'm much more likely to say "Oh, I didn't realize X was out." So let us first note that I was so anxious for my review copy of Sandor Katz's _The Art of Fermentation_ that I actually sent emails to beg for a copy - only to find that UPS had stuffed this book and another in a really weird place and it had been waiting for me…

Pepsi Ethics

It's taken me a few hours to cool off enough to write coherently and without using (too much) profanity after I learned that ScienceBlogs added a corporate PR "blog" about nutrition written by PepsiCo. I think I've learned all I care to know about corporate "food" giants' definition of what is "nutrition" by being confronted daily by a flock of hugely protruding bellies and jiggling posteriors everywhere I go (yes, even here in Germany). I would link to that "blog" so you can see what I am talking about but quite frankly, I don't want to send any traffic to them. I think you can find them…

My picks from ScienceDaily

Voracious Sponges In Underwater Caves Save Reefs: Tropical oceans are known as the deserts of the sea. And yet this unlikely environment is the very place where the rich and fertile coral reef grows. Dutch researcher Jasper de Goeij investigated how caves in the coral reef ensure the reef's continued existence. Although sponges in these coral caves take up a lot of dissolved organic material, they scarcely grow. However, they do discard a lot of cells that in turn provide food for the organisms on the reef. Tiny Insect Develops Long-term Memory: If a specific butterfly anti-sex scent is…

Online assignments and the digital divide

I've recently taken to using the magic of the internet to give my students access to readings, assignments, and images outside of class. It's great - if my sophomores lose their map, they can print another one. If a student misses class, there's no excuse not to do the homework anyway. If students can't draw their own pictures, they can print out images and study them on their own. And it's possible to go even further with online teaching materials - to have students prepare for class by doing online readings, or watching a video, or listening to a podcast, and then responding to online…

Fornvännen's Autumn Issue On-line

The Archangel Raphael. Recently uncovered mural in Kil church, Närke. C. 1250. Today's my 16th anniversary as editor of Fornvännen! Issue 2014:3 is now on-line on Open Access. Ole Thirup Kastholm on dugout canoes from before AD 1 on the Scandinavian peninsula. Ole Stilborg on Late Bronze Age pottery from Östergötland. Peter Tångeberg on recently uncovered Medieval murals in Kil church, Närke. Påvel Nicklasson on early 19th century archaeological innovator Sven Nilsson’s female correspondents and on hints that Nilsson may have turned to folk magic when seasick. Olof Holm on Iron Age metal…

ASME debacle: unfortunate mis-steps and misunderstandings all around

ASME- the American Society of Mechanical Engineers - has a series of journals that are heavily used by mechanical, aerospace, and even civil engineers. Most engineering schools have these all the way back.  So in the past couple of weeks libraries all over the country have realized that, all of a sudden they don't have access to a decade of the journal 1990-1999.  I have no direct experience with this but have been following the discussion and dismay on ASEE's ELD list. What actually happened is that ASME sold a digital backfile that ended at 1989, they sold current access to the digital…

Grades for sale?

Steinn apparently knows how to get me riled about wrong-headed middle school fundraising initiatives, since he nearly derailed my efforts to push through my stack of grading with his recent post about one such initiative. He quotes from a Raleigh News & Observer story: Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro... will sell 20 test points to students in exchange for a $20-dollar donation. Students can add 10 extra points to each of two tests of their choosing. The extra points could take a student from a "B" to an "A" on a test or from a failing grade to a passing grade. Rosewood's principal…

Alpha poll…already demolished

Remember that ridiculous pro-faith Alpha Course that had the transit ads that looked like a poll? Now they've actually put up an online poll. Best thing about it: look at the results already. Does God exist? Yes 20%No 74%Probably 6% Heh. How about making it look even worse? Hey, they locked out votes from Pharyngula! Try this link instead.

Wildlife of Serbia

Wild-Serbia.com looks like an excellent site: Wild-Serbia.com represents the largest on-line wildlife photo collection from Serbia. All photos on this site are made according [to] wildlife code of ethics. The basic aim of this site is to illustrate Serbian wildlife and biodiversity, current needs for nature conservation as well as possibilities for sustainable development of tourism.

No more Exploding Spaceship Bikini Babes with Large Guns

Jim Baen died. He was publisher of Baen Books, the primary source of libertarian and military oriented science fiction, with emphasis on the above. He discovered and promoted some excellent authors, and kept teenage boys everywhere amused for hours. He also premiered online fan discussion with authors, electronic publishing and distribution of free electronic books from the Baen books archives.

Tokyo and its Parasites Beckon...

Science Made Cool writes from Tokyo, describing the world's only parasite museum. Someday I'll get there... Sadly, the keychain with the sushi worm embedded inside is not for sale online... Update: Mark asks whether there's an American museum in Maryland. It's a collection, not a museum. I write about my visit there in Parasite Rex. A wonderfully creepy place, but no parasite-entombing keychains for sale.

Welcome to Science Class

At the beginning of each semester I give my new students what I've come to call "the metric lecture". Since we do everything in metric units and many of the freshmen have only a vague knowledge of the topic, I tend to go on a tear. Many years ago I put this all down in an essay for them to peruse (and hopefully, gain a little insight along with some humor). I recently updated it and present it for your own use or amusement. Thoughts on the Metric and English Systems Consider the following: The United States of America is the only country of any economic consequence on the planet that still…

It Begins!

Obama's honeymoon is over, and so is my intermittent blogging, because business groups have finally started their machines! Christopher Conkey reports in the Journal: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it will spend $100 million in an effort to stem the "rapidly growing influence of government over private-sector activity," in a major new move by the powerful business group to counter the Obama administration's regulatory agenda. [...] Chamber president Thomas Donohue said his organization is launching its "Campaign for Free Enterprise" because an "avalanche of new rules, restrictions,…

Could Gambling Bill Swing the Election?

Some say it could. The Las Vegas Sun reports that conservative scholar Charles Murray is warning the Republican party about the political damage the bill is going to do to them: That's the prognosis of poker-playing scholar Charles Murray, who warned in a recent newspaper opinion piece of the political damage Republicans may face from the nation's poker-playing masses this fall. An estimated 8 million Americans gamble online. "We are talking about a lot of people ... who are angry enough to vote on the basis of this one issue, and they blame Republicans," said Murray, a scholar at the…

Another conundrum: whether to engage with the Huffington Post.

It occurs to me that there might be an interesting parallel to the conundrum we discussed about whether it's better to engage with a scientist giving off a shady vibe or to back away with all due haste. It's not a perfect parallel, but there are some similar issues at work. Should scientists and physicians engage with the Huffington Post? If you follow the ScienceBlogs frontpage, you will have gathered by now that the view in these parts is that HuffPo's science-fu is not strong. Folks like PalMD and Mike the Mad Biologist and Orac have detailed some of the ways the "health and wellness"…

JoVE hits Big Time

Journal of Visualized Experiments signed a deal with Wiley-Blackwell to provide videos for Current Protocols: Wiley-Blackwell and JoVE Unveil Groundbreaking Online Video Publications Online methods videos go mainstream Visual journal partners with Wiley Related...

The Horrors of U.S. Healthcare

At some point, the debate over healthcare is really going to heat up. Sure as shit, we'll start hearing about long waits in other countries, 'rationing', and other tales (I put rationing in scare quotes because the U.S. rations healthcare: if you're lower-middle class, you don't have it). With that, I bring you this post by John Aravosis, who recounts his experience--and why, I think, we need a public option for healthcare: As I've written before, in detail, my prescription drug coverage is a joke. Blue Cross hasn't increased my drug coverage in 14 years - I have the same $1500 limit I had…

Eating Well on Food Stamps Holds a Lens Up to Our Own Attitudes About Poverty

It is interesting that young and unemployed (two words that are now virtually synonymous) and highly educated folks are using food stamps to buy high quality food - and taking a lot of heat for it. I can understand the visceral reaction that people have, but I also think it is fascinatingly difficult to try and figure out what we think poor people should eat - we criticize them freely for buying junk, and then we criticize them for buying high quality food. Where is the space that the poor are free to choose in? Controversy about how they use food stamps marks an interesting shift from the…

Too Much Time on Their Hands

I found out last night that the Michigan State Police are investigating a local VFW hall for having poker games on the weekends. I've played in said game a few times and know many of the players. It's a group of mostly Vietnam and even Korean war vets who sit in the back room a couple nights a week and play poker instead of playing pool out front. Someone apparently decided to call the police and report it, with the speculation being that it's someone who wants the post commander's job. The State Police have apparently been investing a lot of time and money in busting up this obvious threat…

Spending on discovery vs. spending on content

Libraries and librarians connect people to information. That's what we do. So there's the information part and there's the connecting part. Librarians gather, collect, license, and purchase information in the form of books, scrolls, artifacts, journals, web pages. And there's a lot to selecting what to gather and keep and balancing competing demands to get ready for the connecting.  The connecting part has everything in it from organizing the information and listing it in a catalog, to negotiating the information need, to training users.. Libraries in the modern era have balanced spending on…

Prius owners: Just like Mac owners but less attractive?

Last week we sought to uncover the truth behind the stereotype: Are Prius owners really just like Mac owners? In a non-scientific fashion, we quizzed our readers about several of the most common stereotypes that seem to follow these two trendy groups: They're arrogant, they think they're better informed than the rest of us, not to mention smarter, more attractive, and more concerned about the environment. They're Obama-supporting, latte-drinking, iPhone-toting snobs who always favor style over substance. Or are they? Over 1,600 readers responded to our survey -- the most responses to a Casual…

Sex Scandal Hits Creationist Museum

When you do 'faith-based' science, you have problems when you don't follow the tenets of that 'faith.' From the AP: The man who plays Adam in a video aired at a Bible-based creationist museum has led a different life outside the Garden of Eden, flaunting his sexual exploits online and modeling for a clothing line that promotes free love. After learning about his activities Thursday, the Creation Museum in Kentucky pulled the 40-second video in which he appears. "We are currently investigating the veracity of these serious claims of his participation in projects that don't align with the…

The Wolfram Demonstrations Project

This was released to public today: Conceived by Mathematica creator and scientist Stephen Wolfram as a way to bring computational exploration to the widest possible audience, The Wolfram Demonstrations Project is an open-code resource that uses dynamic computation to illuminate concepts in science, technology, mathematics, art, finance, and a remarkable range of other fields. Its daily-growing collection of interactive illustrations is created by Mathematica users from around the world, who participate by contributing innovative Demonstrations. Interactive computational resources have…

Science Blogging Conference - Friday afternoon events

I spent a lot of time today offline (and in the car), and I am exhausted, but here is a very brief summary of the day (I'll post the pictures and update the blog linkfest later - UPDATE: I just updated the Blog and Media Coverage page). After the Blogging Skills Session, I drove a couple of participants back to the hotel, where we met up with several other bloggers for lunch. From there, we went to one of the afternoon Lab Tours - the one to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh, where the exhibit director Roy Campbell gave us a brilliant, informative and witty exclusive tour…

Links for 2012-01-16

Swans on Tea » The Scientists' Dilemma I recently had an interesting discussion with someone who is interested in science, but without training or experience as a scientist. The question was, basically: Why don't we (scientists) all just lie to each other? i.e. what compels scientists to truthfully share their research results? It's a fair question -- we're human and competitive to some degree, and at first blush there would seem to be a lot to gain from keeping competitors off-balance by feeding them false clues. I will draw a distinction here between non-cooperation, i.e. secrecy, and…

Graduate students: NSF Debating Science program.

I'm passing on information about a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation for graduate students. The program, organized by the University of Montana Center for Ethics, is called Debating Science 2008, and here's how it's described on the announcement: We are looking for graduate students who are inspired by their own research, but who are also interested in exploring the social, political, and philosophical context of that work, and who are committed to sharing science with nonscientists, in a genuine hope for a better world... To solve the toughest problems of the modern…

Peter Rost: Big Pharma's PITA.

Three pant-hoots and a grooming session to my very favorite cheeky pharma-insider monkey over at PharmaGossip (see the Chimp Refuge Blogroll) for the following, Can Peter Rost be silenced? including the link therein which led me to... ...the reprint of the article on Peter Rost in Fortune Magazine, posted on Dr. Rost's blog: Fortune: "Peter Rost has become the drug industry's most annoying - and effective - online scourge. As a pharma discovery scientist, I regard marketing as the Devil Incarnate in its current form, and it's refreshing to see someone pitbulling them. But will Rost can hold…

Links 7/20/10

Somethings going with the Notorious H.M.P. No reason for forgetting to give you some links. Science: Unscientific California: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Serpentine and Biodiversity Getting someone fired: the most fun wingnuts can have while avoiding prison The Big Green Buy Other: Conservative slams the right on New Black Panther lies Firms cancel health coverage. With cost rising, small companies turning to state RelayRides challenges Zipcar, marketing with teams on foot

Darwin Quotes

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. - Charles R. Darwin Support The Beagle Project Read the Beagle Project Blog Buy the Beagle Project swag Celebrate Darwin Day Prepare ahead for the Darwin Bicentennial Read Darwin for yourself. ..and much, much more...

Darwin Quotes

I have steadily endeavored to keep my mind free so as to give up any hypothesis, however much beloved (and I cannot resist forming one on every subject), as soon as the facts are shown to be opposed to it. - Charles R. Darwin Support The Beagle Project Read the Beagle Project Blog Buy the Beagle Project swag Celebrate Darwin Day Prepare ahead for the Darwin Bicentennial Read Darwin for yourself.

Now you can see "Flock of the Dodos" in the peace of your home

Randy Olson's movie had a very short and limited release. Reed rallied the troops so NCSU library got a copy and there was a public viewing that I could not attend. But now, everyone can watch it, as Jennifer reports. It is available, for instance, on amazon.com. I'll put it on my wishlist for now, so it is there, ready for me to buy it when I get some money next time.

Books on careers in science

Anne-Marie reviews two books that appear to be useful in thinking about one's career in science: The Beginner's Guide to Winning a Nobel Prize, by Peter Doherty, and The Chicago Guide to Landing a Job in Academic Biology, by Chandler, Wolfe, and Promislow. Read the review and, if you think this is something you need, buy the books. And, if you have additional recommendations, let Anne-Marie know in her comments.

JWST in Seattle

Ok, new Mac PhotoBooth works... This is the JWST full size mockup that Northrop brought to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle. If things work out as promised I may get "JWST covered in snow" later today. Or not. The person in the foreground is the current JWST crew on guard, friendly guy. Disclaimer: Northrop served us Sushi last night, but we had to buy our own drinks, so no bias...

25 years in academia

and it comes down to this... double first, Caltech doctorate, postdocs at top research institutions, personal fellowship, tenure-track, tenure... and the forecast is for rain. The good news is that since I am tenured I can probably still afford to buy even a new pair of Nikes. The bad news is that since I am tenured I probably do not have the time to do so anytime soon. Ah well, I really hate shopping anyway.

Obama plan an obvious disaster

Hearing about the Obama plan on BBC R4, my first reaction was but this is an obvious disaster for the tax-payer; a give-away to those who invest in it. If I had spare cash and lived in the USA, I'd certainly buy in. I would blog it, but the obvious suspects have already done so and said what I would have more lucidly and with greater credibility, so I won't bother.

Bony non-naked vertebrates on parade

Since I brought up the hype for this Diesel fashion show, Phil has revealed that you can now watch it on the web. It's some kind of holographic light show on a fashion runway. I don't know what the point of all the skinny people wandering around in clothes might have been, though. It didn't make me want to buy any clothes, but a battery of lasers is looking more and more attractive.

Seasonal Food Mystery

Why is it that you can buy apple cider all year round, but apple cider donuts are treated as a seasonal item, and only in stores for a week and a half in October? Happily, these people make them year round, and they're available at the Schenectady Greenmarket. And they're awesome. Mmmmm.... cider donuts. If all "green" activities came with cider donuts, I'd be a lot more environmentally conscious. Somebody work on that.

Cleanternet: For a Cleaner and Safer Internet

tags: Cleanternet, internet security, online porn, online censorship, politics, satire, comedy, humor, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video Cleanternet is a campaign to support European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in her plans to introduce a website blocking system in Europe.