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gregladen | October 5, 2009Don't miss it! October 6th, on a PBS station near you.
NOVA and National Geographic Television present the extraordinary human drama that led to the birth of the most influential scientific theory of all time. Acclaimed screenwriter John Goldsmith (David Copperfield, Victoria and Albert) brings to life Charles Darwin's greatest personal crisis: the anguishing decision over whether to "go public" with his theory of evolution. Darwin, portrayed by Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), spent years refining his ideas and penning his book the Origin of Species. Yet, daunted by looming conflict with the…
cortex | October 5, 2009An interesting new study looks at how being able to count your own heartbeats - the most elemental form of biofeedback - correlates with better decision-making, at least when playing the Iowa Gambling Task. Here's Kevin Lewis in the Boston Globe Ideas section:
A team of psychologists in Germany asked people to count their own heartbeats (without taking a pulse) and then asked them to play a computer gambling game, which required choosing repeatedly among four card decks that yielded different returns. People who were more accurate at counting their own heartbeats picked more cards from the…
grrlscientist | October 5, 2009
I receive a fair number of books to review each month, so I thought I should do what several magazines and other publications do; list those books that have arrived in my mailbox so you know that this is the pool of books from which I will be reading and reviewing on my blog.
I should point out that (sadly!), my book reviewing days may be ending soon because I will be relocating to Frankfurt, Germany in the next month or two. According to my experiences, postage to Germany is at least three times what it is to anywhere in the USA, and I get an impressive headache when I read electronic…
gregladen | October 4, 2009Better send in Kissinger....
I really want to know what was said during that missing ten seconds...
gregladen | October 4, 2009Fear has been a subject of discussion around here lately. Pursuant to that, Stephanie Zvan has an interesting piece on it here at Quiche Moraine.
This is in part a follow-up on the Bomb Swarm in Princeton, Minnesota, which is starting to look more and more like what I said it was. A homecoming prank.
If we want people to become more rational, particularly about fear, we need to change what we're telling them.
And what would that involve? Click here. Don't be afraid.
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was just published recently at Lab Rat. This edition is entitled Scientia Pro Publica -- 12th edition.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The host for the upcoming 5 October edition will be me. To send your…
gregladen | October 3, 2009This is a bit gruesome so I've put it below the fold.
Little Boy Heroically Shoots, Mutilates Burglar
gregladen | October 3, 2009Which is here.
There is an article that I know is written by my friend and colleague Lynn Fellman, though I don't see the author's name anywhere on the post. Have a look, and please promote this new site!
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) was just published recently at Lab Rat. This edition is entitled Scientia Pro Publica -- 12th edition.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days.
The host for the upcoming 5 October edition will be me. To send your…
gregladen | October 2, 2009Berry Go Round # 20 is HERE at Further Thoughts.
Circus of the Spineless is Here at Quiche Moraine.
The October 16th Issue of The Giant's Shoulders will be hosed at Quiche Moraine. Please submit something!
Friday's Ark is at The Modulator
Festival of the Trees 40 is at Local Ecologist
tqa | October 2, 2009
I've been pretty quiet over here for the last few weeks - I've been (very) slowly getting used to a new job that's got me working from 0500-1300 - but I haven't totally disappeared from the blogwebtubeospheres. I found some time earlier this week to do an interview with Ava. If you're interested, it's up over at Paw Talk.
goodmath | October 2, 2009
Dead Soul Tribe, "Goodbye City Life": mediocre prog metal. Not bad,
but nothing special either.
Dave Matthews Band, "Lying in the Hands of God": I know, lots of people think
I'm crazy to like DMB. But I do. And I find this song terribly depressing. One of the
members of the DMB was an amazing saxaphone player named LeRoi Moore. Moore's
saxaphone play was absolutely fantastic - incredibly skillfull, tasteful, with a huge
range. Moore was killed in an auto accident, and his place was taken in live shows
by Jeff Coffin from the Flecktones. Coffin is, in my opinion, a godawful…
gregladen | October 2, 2009The last time I had a blogger dream was a steel cage non-death match between Greg Laden and Comrade PhysioProf, over who was going to get to be my post grad mentor. ...
Don't ask me, just go and read it. If you dare.
gregladen | October 2, 2009This story is winding down, but I think it should be remembered as an interesting object lesson. At first, there were bombs everywhere. Then over time the bombs were revealed as hoaxes (there were three of them) but not until after this:
Students were sent home, businesses were evacuated and large portions of town were cordoned off as local, county and federal authorities investigated. None of the three devices detonated, but some of the five "chemical reaction devices" (authorities called them "MacGyver bombs" after the TV character who improvised explosives) popped while authorities were…
edyong | October 2, 2009This article is reposted from the old Wordpress incarnation of Not Exactly Rocket Science. The blog is on holiday until the start of October, when I'll return with fresh material.
In 1979, a crucified Eric Idle advised movie-goers to always look on the bright side of life. It seems that he needn't have bothered. Psychological experiments have consistently shown that as a species, our minds are awash with a pervasive optimism.
We expect our future successes to overpower our past ones. Compared to an imaginary Joe Bloggs, we deem ourselves likely to live longer, more likely to have a…
gregladen | October 2, 2009... the blog carnival about things without bones yet that are animals, focusing on the multicellular and outstanding nature photography, is HERE at Quiche Moraine Dot Com.