teaching
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: Tropical Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Tropical Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus, photographed in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 8 August 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, ISO 800, 200-400 VR lens at 360 mm. 1/60 sec, f/4.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Regarding distinguishing the Tropical Boubou vs Black-backed Puffback, the photographer writes;
The Tropical Boubou has a black eye, the puffback a red eye.
Boubou…
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: religion, fundamentalism, amputees, god, atheism, streaming video
Theists who try to respond to the question, Why doesn't God heal amputees? end up avoiding the question altogether and lecturing the questioner about a bunch of unasked questions. Could it be that they have no good answer for why their god refuses to heal amputees every single time, so they try to explain why they're god allows bad things to happen instead and hope we don't notice? This video discusses this observation and the reason why the question itself is important.
grrlscientist | October 3, 2009tags: Coqui Francolin, Francolinus coqui, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Male Coqui Francolin, Francolinus coqui, photographed in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 31 August 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 VR lens at 250 mm ISO 400 1/350 f/4.5.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009tags: Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchus banksii, also known as Bank's Black Cockatoo, photographed at Walgett, New South Wales, Australia. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Steve Duncan, 18 August 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009tags: physiology, The Bloodmobile, They might be Giants, music video, streaming video
Here's another fun music video; "The Bloodmobile" by the creative group, They Might be Giants. This song tells about the many functions of blood, from providing oxygen to tissues to helping transport hormones (well, hormones are generally transported in the plasma).
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009tags: science, Science is Real, They might be Giants, music video, streaming video
Here's a fun music video; "Science is Real" by the creative group, They Might be Giants. This is one of many wonderful songs on their new album "Here Comes Science."
You can order They Might be Giants' new album [CD/DVD], "Here Comes Science" from Amazon.
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
I just looked at my blog and noticed that my first DonorsChoose donor has made a donation and has spoken! Who will be next? Perhaps you will be the next donor to step forward to defend the availability of science education and intellectual development for all Americans, regardless of socioeconomic class?
Remember: YOU can choose projects to fund as well. Just look through the proposals and let me know which one(s) you wish to fund, and I'll add them to the line-up.
I can also be convinced to do a weird stunt to inspire…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009Hey everyone: here's the coolest news in the world! My colleague and friend, Chris Rowan is being interviewed streaming (and live) by BBC News radio and television on their program, World, Have Your Say [1300-1400 EDT], and the topic will investigate the (lack of) predictability of natural disasters, especially earthquakes and tsunamis. Go there now to hear him (and live blog it, too).
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009tags: White morph Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] White morph Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens, photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 September 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: DonorsChoose, science education, teaching, fund-raising, poverty
October is my favorite month of the year because this is when we, the public, get together to support public education by donating money to the DonorsChoose.org's Blogger Challenge 2009! DonorsChoose.org is a charity that uses your donations to purchase specific items and materials for classroom projects that the teacher has requested, and they send these materials directly to the classroom. Basically, this is a "fraud free" way to support public education and to help needy kids have the same educational experiences…
grrlscientist | September 30, 2009tags: Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus, photographed at Anahuac Wildlife Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 19 May 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 29, 2009tags: Blasphemy Day International, religion, politics, free speech, human rights, streaming video
Blasphemy Day International is a campaign seeking to establish September 30th as a day to promote free speech and stand up in a show of solidarity for the freedom to challenge, criticize, and satirize religion without fear of violence or reprisal: murder, litigation and other forms of intimidation. It is the obligation of the world's nations to safeguard dissent and the dissenters, not to side with the brutal interests of those who demand "respect" for their beliefs (i.e., immunity to being…
grrlscientist | September 29, 2009tags: Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix, photographed on Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]
Photographed with Canon SX100 IS.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 29, 2009tags: light spectrum, ROY G BIV, music video, entertainment, Here Comes Science, They Might be Giants, streaming video
Here is another song from They Might be Giants' new album, Here Comes Science!
grrlscientist | September 28, 2009tags: sun, music video, entertainment, Here Comes Science, They Might be Giants, streaming video
Here is another song from They Might be Giants' new album, Here Comes Science!
grrlscientist | September 28, 2009tags: Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii, photographed near Park City, Utah. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Terry Sohl, 29 July 2009 [larger view]
Canon 50D, 400 5.6L lens.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 27, 2009tags: Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Nectarinia johnstoni, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird, Nectarinia johnstoni, photographed on Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 27 August 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 70-200 VR Nikon lens, at 200 mm. ISO 200, f/5.6 1/320 sec.
Note the size of the heather that grows on Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 26, 2009tags: Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Nectarinia jugularis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Nectarinia jugularis, photographed at Mossman, Queensland, Australia. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Steve Duncan, 25 August 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4 1/640 sec, f/4 iso 400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: Earth Overshoot Day, environment, education
[larger view]
Today is Earth Overshoot Day. This is the day when humanity will begin placing more demands on the planet's resources -- from filtering CO2 to producing food, fiber and timber -- than the planet can provide in this year. From this day forward until the end of the year, people will meet our demand for ecological services by depleting resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The global economic crash has one positive thing to recommend it: according to the Global Footprint Network, our use of world…
grrlscientist | September 25, 2009tags: Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, photographed in Lyman County, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Terry Sohl, 1 February 2005 [larger view]
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.