Museums etc.
mikethemadbiologist | November 18, 2007More from the dog bites man files: political interference in a Smithsonian exhibit--about climate change. Having viewed the exhibit, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this Washington Post story (italics mine):
Some government scientists have complained that officials at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History took steps to downplay global warming in a 2006 exhibit on the Arctic to avoid a political backlash, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.
The museum's director, Cristián Samper, ordered last-minute changes to the exhibit's script to add "scientific…
mikethemadbiologist | November 10, 2007If you're in Boston, the Boston Public Library at Copley Square is having a free exhibition of The New Yorker cartoonist William "King of Cartoons" Steig's work. It's worth seeing.
mikethemadbiologist | September 12, 2007In case you missed it, there was a very interesting article in the NY Times about philanthropy. ScienceBlogling Jonah has some thoughts on the matter:
http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2007/09/tax_deductions_and_science.php
I think it's pretty tough to defend tax deductions for cultural organizations. As much as I love the ballet, I'm not sure I want my tax dollars going to support a theater named after a rich person.
But one aspect of philanthropy that this article didn't touch upon was the deep reliance of modern American science on charitable donations, which almost always take the form of…
mikethemadbiologist | July 14, 2007At the Boston Public Library, there's a fascinating exhibit about Alexandre Vattemare, entertainer turned cultural ambassador. It's definitely worth seeing. While you're there, you'll also want to check out the miniature book exhibit (some of them are even kinda porny!).
mikethemadbiologist | June 28, 2007...and the psychological brickwalls they run into. With all of the talk about the Creationist Museum, I thought it would be worth discussing a museum that is trying to teach evolution. In the June 2007 issue of Evolution*, Diamond and Evans describe some of the responses to a revamped evolution exhibit, "Explore Evolution", at the Nebraska State Museum.
The authors conducted a survey of visitors to the Nebraska State Museum, asking them seven questions about the exhibit, with the goal of determining what cognitive biases existed among museumgoers (note: I've snipped the references):…
mikethemadbiologist | June 13, 2007I'm not the only one bothered by Mudcat Saunders' article about the Metropolitan Opera Wing of the Democratic Party; maha is too. That post is worth a read, but at the end of the post she makes a very good point about preserving culture (italics mine):
Mudcat has slandered opera fans by implying they are elitist snobs. The fiercest opera fans I have ever met have been regular working-class folks -- construction workers, plumbers, clerks. I used to know a lady who worked the counter in a Paramus, New Jersey, department store and who saw every production at the Met. It was her religion. She…
mikethemadbiologist | June 8, 2007When 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…
mikethemadbiologist | June 3, 2007The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has an excellent exhibit of Edward Hopper's paintings, etchings, and notebooks. Go see it.
On a weird note, while I was viewing the exhibit today, I thought I saw Lucy Liu at the exhibit. I overheard her talking and she sounded like Liu. But even if you don't get a free celebrity viewing, the Hopper exhibit is worth the price.
mikethemadbiologist | May 27, 2007From Monday to Friday, I attended the American Society for Microbiology meeting held in Toronto. Before I get to some of the interesting science, my apologies to all of the people who suggested we meet up. Unfortunately, I never look at the blog (or almost never) while I'm on the road, so I missed your messages (it's best to email me directly). Anyway, here's the list of random things:
The E. coli responsible for the spinach outbreak is found in many feral swine. Hence, feral swine are a possible reservoir of E. coli O157:H7. Of course, feral pigs roaming around California in…
mikethemadbiologist | March 31, 2007...I plan on visiting the Smithsonian. Sadly, it hasn't been run very well the last seven years. Maybe the resignation of Lawrence Small will turn things around. Who is Small?
Here's what the Nitpicker has to say about l'affair Small:
But, in the past 20 years, Republicans--and some DLC Democrats--have come to believe in Corporate Pixie Dust. They believe, without any evidence to demonstrate the validity of their belief, that corporations are magical entities which always run smoothly and are led by the smartest goshdarned people in the whole wide world. Lawrence Small is just another…
mikethemadbiologist | November 4, 2006In you're in Boston, be sure to check out two great exhibits at the Boston Public Library on Copley Square: a collection of etchings by Sears Gallagher, and a display of John Adams' entire personal library. They're both very well done, and you don't even need a library card to go see them.