As a general rule, I try to avoid linking to sci-fi author Orson Scott Card's essays. There's nothing quite so depressing as finding out that an author whose work you admired as a kid turned out to be a frothing homophobe. However, his most recent rant in the Mormon Times seems to be attracting quite a bit of horrified attention, mostly from folks who seem to know nothing about the man, other than that he wrote Ender's Game.
It's a shame that the values so highly praised in the Ender series have been completely ignored by its creator: tolerance, compassion and the embrace and acceptance of differences.
kiji_kat points out that Marvel Comics is now being criticized for their association with him.
quixotickitten notes that Facebook's new interface is available to members here.
Cool facts: Looney Tunes' Marvin the Martian's likeness was depicted in miniature on both the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which NASA sent to Mars. Also, a Marvin the Martian movie is in the works. (gleaned from
cleolinda's massive 'upcoming movies' linkspost.)
Talking Terminator Salvation with McG
Urban Baby
Gizmodo: An Illustrated Guide to Every Stupid Cable You Need
NSFW, but funny
The New York Public Library has posted a photo archive of over 25000 menus from 1850-1930, a collection created by Mrs. Frank E. Buttolph. Very cool stuff.
"The dumbing down of science" at the FranklinInstitute in Philadelphia.
Transcendence. (It's a PC-based game, available for download)
"Fast Food Apartheid": A law barring fast-food restaurants from opening in South Los Angeles for at least a year sailed through the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday. The council approved the fast-food moratorium unanimously, despite complaints from representatives of McDonald's, Carl's Jr. and other companies, who said they were being unfairly targeted.
It's a shame that the values so highly praised in the Ender series have been completely ignored by its creator: tolerance, compassion and the embrace and acceptance of differences.
Cool facts: Looney Tunes' Marvin the Martian's likeness was depicted in miniature on both the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which NASA sent to Mars. Also, a Marvin the Martian movie is in the works. (gleaned from
Talking Terminator Salvation with McG
Urban Baby
Gizmodo: An Illustrated Guide to Every Stupid Cable You Need
NSFW, but funny
The New York Public Library has posted a photo archive of over 25000 menus from 1850-1930, a collection created by Mrs. Frank E. Buttolph. Very cool stuff.
"The dumbing down of science" at the Franklin
Transcendence. (It's a PC-based game, available for download)
"Fast Food Apartheid": A law barring fast-food restaurants from opening in South Los Angeles for at least a year sailed through the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday. The council approved the fast-food moratorium unanimously, despite complaints from representatives of McDonald's, Carl's Jr. and other companies, who said they were being unfairly targeted.
Sinking to new lows, yesterday Rush Limbaugh ranted about Michael J. Fox's ads for a Democratic candidate who supports stem cell research, claiming that Fox is faking or exaggerating his symptoms in an effort to win sympathy. The ad is here. Audio of Limbaugh's rant is here. A transcript is here.
Fox looks a bit worse than he did in this Good Morning America (ABC News) report or this ad. Could he be exaggerating? Yes. But the disease does not manifest those specific symptoms Fox is showing. Parkinson's "is often characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement (bradykinesia), and in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement (akinesia)." (from here.)
No, what Michael J. Fox is experiencing is dyskinesia, which is one of the side effects of the most common medication (L-Dopa) prescribed to treat Parkinson's. In other words, Limbaugh not only doesn't know what he's talking about, he's just revealed himself (once again) to be a complete ass.
It appears as if Limbaugh's simply trying desperately to distract us from the issue at hand with shock jock tactics. In the same show, Limbaugh also lied to his listeners about stem cells:
Science has been able to transform stem cells into neurons, (which are nerve cells,) for over six years. Last year, scientists created pure nerve stem cells from embryonic stem cells.
A study whose results were released Sunday said that nerve cells grown from human embryonic stem cells and injected into the brains of rats with a syndrome mimicking Parkinson's disease significantly reduced the animals' symptoms, but the treatment also caused tumors in the rodents' brains. In June, a study was released which showed that scientists at Johns Hopkins were able to use embryonic stem cells to reverse paralysis in rats by growing them into nerve and motor cells.
So, what's the real issue here? Republicans have actively blocked viable research of potential cures for several neurological diseases by imposing their questionable "values" on our entire country. Think of it as part of a greater theme. I'd call it "Moral Darwinism," but that would be far too ironic.
It's not just sad. It's criminal.
Fox looks a bit worse than he did in this Good Morning America (ABC News) report or this ad. Could he be exaggerating? Yes. But the disease does not manifest those specific symptoms Fox is showing. Parkinson's "is often characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement (bradykinesia), and in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement (akinesia)." (from here.)
No, what Michael J. Fox is experiencing is dyskinesia, which is one of the side effects of the most common medication (L-Dopa) prescribed to treat Parkinson's. In other words, Limbaugh not only doesn't know what he's talking about, he's just revealed himself (once again) to be a complete ass.
It appears as if Limbaugh's simply trying desperately to distract us from the issue at hand with shock jock tactics. In the same show, Limbaugh also lied to his listeners about stem cells:
"We do not have anywhere near a cure. We can't regenerate nerves yet, folks, and that's what has to happen to cure paralysis in the spine. And stem cells do not promise any such thing, nor do they for Parkinson's disease."We do not have a cure yet. This is true. But research on stem cells, Parkinsons, embryonic & adult stem cells and nerve tissue most certainly has been promising. The National Institutes of Health site explains. The MS Society has a nice FAQ on stem cells and what our realistic expectations can be with regard to stem cell treatment and Multiple Sclerosis.
Science has been able to transform stem cells into neurons, (which are nerve cells,) for over six years. Last year, scientists created pure nerve stem cells from embryonic stem cells.
A study whose results were released Sunday said that nerve cells grown from human embryonic stem cells and injected into the brains of rats with a syndrome mimicking Parkinson's disease significantly reduced the animals' symptoms, but the treatment also caused tumors in the rodents' brains. In June, a study was released which showed that scientists at Johns Hopkins were able to use embryonic stem cells to reverse paralysis in rats by growing them into nerve and motor cells.
So, what's the real issue here? Republicans have actively blocked viable research of potential cures for several neurological diseases by imposing their questionable "values" on our entire country. Think of it as part of a greater theme. I'd call it "Moral Darwinism," but that would be far too ironic.
It's not just sad. It's criminal.
How to prolong the life of your iPod battery
iCleaner, for your iPod
Bios on over 700 Marvel Characters. The rest of the site isn't completed yet.
What to do when Your Vehicle Check Engine Light Turns On and the Warranty has Expired
Time Out New York ranks the Best Blocks in New York
From
lafinjack: Real Live Preacher's Communion Taste Test. It's a video, and I haven't watched it yet.
Cory Lidle's doomed plane didn't just crash into anybody's apartment. It exploded into the empty bedroom of Kathleen Caronna, the Manhattan woman who was critically injured when a balloon knocked part of a lamppost onto her head during the 1997 Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The House on Autopilot
New York Magazine's Cover Story: "Stephen Colbert has America by the Ballots" (from
rosmar)
The Empire State Strikes Back
iCleaner, for your iPod
Bios on over 700 Marvel Characters. The rest of the site isn't completed yet.
What to do when Your Vehicle Check Engine Light Turns On and the Warranty has Expired
Time Out New York ranks the Best Blocks in New York
From
Cory Lidle's doomed plane didn't just crash into anybody's apartment. It exploded into the empty bedroom of Kathleen Caronna, the Manhattan woman who was critically injured when a balloon knocked part of a lamppost onto her head during the 1997 Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The House on Autopilot
New York Magazine's Cover Story: "Stephen Colbert has America by the Ballots" (from
The Empire State Strikes Back
Pierre Tielhard de Chardin was a Jesuit priest, biologist, philosopher and paleontologist who helped develop the teleological concept of orthogenesis: the idea that evolution is not a random act, but occurs in a directional, goal-oriented manner. He also coined the term "Omega Point" which describes a culmination of the evolution of consciousness -- sort of a god-like state.
Teilhard spent his life attempting to integrate religious beliefs and scientific concepts. In doing so he inadvertently and perhaps presciently, described the internet. More on that here. (The Jennifer Cobb Kreisberg article originally appeared in Wired.)
Teilhard de Chardin's ideas were denounced by the Catholic Church while he was alive for daring to say (among other things,) that we humans have the capacity and ability to become equals to G-d. The Jesuits stopped him from teaching, but his works were privately circulated (and eventually publicly debated,) within their order. Ironically, his efforts were aimed toward reconciling Darwinism with Catholicism. By silencing Teilhard, the Catholic Church may have eliminated a possible path to faith for those who find religious mythology and dogma hard to swallow.
And... he's still being debated in Catholic circles. Here's an article which appeared in The Christian Century in 1975: From Earth to Heaven: Teilhard's Politics and Eschatology
The Human Phenomenon is an excerpt from his book, published in 1955.
Teilhard's Evolutionary Philosophy
Essay on Teilhard's concept of the noosphere (a global consciousness): Is Noogenesis Progressing? That site also has quotes from and summaries of some of Tielhard's works.
Quotes on Creation and Christian Life. An essay: The Confluence of Religions
The American Teilhard Association
Research Institute on Human Evolution
The Global Consciousness Project (at Princeton)
GodWeb has a chapter on him.
Teilhard spent his life attempting to integrate religious beliefs and scientific concepts. In doing so he inadvertently and perhaps presciently, described the internet. More on that here. (The Jennifer Cobb Kreisberg article originally appeared in Wired.)
Teilhard de Chardin's ideas were denounced by the Catholic Church while he was alive for daring to say (among other things,) that we humans have the capacity and ability to become equals to G-d. The Jesuits stopped him from teaching, but his works were privately circulated (and eventually publicly debated,) within their order. Ironically, his efforts were aimed toward reconciling Darwinism with Catholicism. By silencing Teilhard, the Catholic Church may have eliminated a possible path to faith for those who find religious mythology and dogma hard to swallow.
And... he's still being debated in Catholic circles. Here's an article which appeared in The Christian Century in 1975: From Earth to Heaven: Teilhard's Politics and Eschatology
The Human Phenomenon is an excerpt from his book, published in 1955.
Teilhard's Evolutionary Philosophy
Essay on Teilhard's concept of the noosphere (a global consciousness): Is Noogenesis Progressing? That site also has quotes from and summaries of some of Tielhard's works.
Quotes on Creation and Christian Life. An essay: The Confluence of Religions
The American Teilhard Association
Research Institute on Human Evolution
The Global Consciousness Project (at Princeton)
GodWeb has a chapter on him.
- Music:Mashup - Green Day and Oasis: Boulevard of Broken Songs.mp3
Neigh means Neigh!: 69-year old California resident Alfred Thomas Steven was arrested last week for covering himself in oil, rolling around in oats and allowing horses to lick his naked body clean.
If everyone on Earth jumped at the same time, would it affect our orbit?
Posters to
42answers present answers in search of questions. Post a sentence and see what members think it might be the answer to.
Weird Al Video: White and Nerdy
Cool Calvin & Hobbes Collection
The top 10 unintentionally worst company URLs
scottbateman's Atom Age Vampire (via
dtaylor)
If everyone on Earth jumped at the same time, would it affect our orbit?
Posters to
Weird Al Video: White and Nerdy
Cool Calvin & Hobbes Collection
The top 10 unintentionally worst company URLs
The moral of the story is... don’t try to rob the guy with the shotgun.
Candy as rocket fuel.
McDonalds has put up a sundial billboard in Chicago. A shadow of their logo falls on a different food each hour of the morning.
Seeing is Believing: 700 years of scientific illustrations.
”Honey, I’m just going to be honest with you, OK? I just thought he was cute. I’m 45 years old and I’d just like to meet him again, but I don’t know how to go about doing that without calling 911.”
Tired of credit card offers?
src points out a subversive meme.
Fantasybookspot’s archive of conversations with fantasy and sci-fi authors. (from
webpetals)
Dandelife
Talent isn’t everything: 7 habits of highly effective junior designers (comments are worth reading, too.)
Cool flash presentation on string theory, other dimensions, and parallel universes. (from
yendi)
Politics
Valerie Plame is suing... well, everybody -- Rove, Libby and Cheney included. Two very interesting elements to this case:
1) Cheney may have to appear in court or give testimony on record, even though he’s currently serving in public office. Republicans spent so much time railing about how President Clinton should not be above the law in his own civil lawsuits that they won’t be able to do the opposite for Cheney without losing all credibility.
2) Considering that Plame may have used her influence inappropriately to have her own husband promoted, this lawsuit may backfire on her rather spectacularly.
Plame and Wilson have set up a legal support trust to cover their expenses.
Don’t count your chickens... but the country may get a lot more blue in November.
Candy as rocket fuel.
McDonalds has put up a sundial billboard in Chicago. A shadow of their logo falls on a different food each hour of the morning.
Seeing is Believing: 700 years of scientific illustrations.
”Honey, I’m just going to be honest with you, OK? I just thought he was cute. I’m 45 years old and I’d just like to meet him again, but I don’t know how to go about doing that without calling 911.”
Tired of credit card offers?
Fantasybookspot’s archive of conversations with fantasy and sci-fi authors. (from
Dandelife
Talent isn’t everything: 7 habits of highly effective junior designers (comments are worth reading, too.)
Cool flash presentation on string theory, other dimensions, and parallel universes. (from
Politics
Valerie Plame is suing... well, everybody -- Rove, Libby and Cheney included. Two very interesting elements to this case:
1) Cheney may have to appear in court or give testimony on record, even though he’s currently serving in public office. Republicans spent so much time railing about how President Clinton should not be above the law in his own civil lawsuits that they won’t be able to do the opposite for Cheney without losing all credibility.
2) Considering that Plame may have used her influence inappropriately to have her own husband promoted, this lawsuit may backfire on her rather spectacularly.
Plame and Wilson have set up a legal support trust to cover their expenses.
Don’t count your chickens... but the country may get a lot more blue in November.
Real Live Preacher’s rebuttal to those who use the bible to preach hatred of homosexuals. His followup essay is even better. (From
oletheros)
juliarandolph points out David Berlinski’s controversial article “On the Origins of Life” and a rather brilliant-looking rebuttal and counterarguments from Mark Chu-Carroll of Good Math, Bad Math. Their conversation continues in the comments. I haven’t had time to read this yet.
The Avuncular State
NYTimes editorial: Christ Among the Partisans
The Happy Hypocrite Salon.com reviews “To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife.”
If anyone on my flist wants the text, let me know.
A Rubik’s Cube in 4 Dimensions.
The Avuncular State
NYTimes editorial: Christ Among the Partisans
The Happy Hypocrite Salon.com reviews “To Hell With All That: Loving and Loathing Our Inner Housewife.”
A Rubik’s Cube in 4 Dimensions.
"The US military is experimenting with a defense system that is effective in neutralizing rocket-propelled grenades. The system creates a "force shield" that will protect soldiers and military vehicles. It's likened to the defensive shield seen in the sci-fi "Star Trek" TV series and movies, although this system is strictly for a rocket-propelled grenade attack."
Fox News report here (swf format). The system, called TROPHY, was invented in Israel and is currently being used on their tanks. It's strictly for land based vehicles. It won't protect against IED's or ships against torpedoes. But, TROPHY could eliminate some of the need for heavy armor on tanks. It is also different than the Phalanx system, currently being used on US Navy ships and seems similar to something the Russians have been working on: Arena E.
Fox News report here (swf format). The system, called TROPHY, was invented in Israel and is currently being used on their tanks. It's strictly for land based vehicles. It won't protect against IED's or ships against torpedoes. But, TROPHY could eliminate some of the need for heavy armor on tanks. It is also different than the Phalanx system, currently being used on US Navy ships and seems similar to something the Russians have been working on: Arena E.
- Wikipedia.
- Defense Tech has some criticisms
- CNS News: Sci-Fi Generation Invisible 'Shield' Protects Armored Vehicles from Anti-Tank Threats
- Defense Update
- The Free Lance Star (Fredricksburg, VA -- a report about a test of the system 8 days ago at Dahlgren)
* Jon Maber’s Biochemistry Pages (Includes java applet demos of Glycolysis and the TCA cycle as well as a Monosaccharide Browser).
* NetSci’s List of Biochemistry and Biology Resources
* Searchable Glossary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
* The Art of Writing Good Exam Essays (in Biochemistry)
* The Biochemistry Subject List
* PROWL: The interactive database for protein analysis experiments.
* NIH’s Molecules To Go Page (formerly Molecules R Us)
* Metabolic Pathways of Biochemistry
* Net BioChem Topics.
* OCMS Biochemistry Links
* The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database
* The Peptide Resource Page
* IPL: Biochemistry
* SUNY Medical School Biochemistry (Includes an Exam Server)
* Links of Interest in Biochemistry (Includes Hypertextbooks from several schools)
* Restriction Enzymes
* Lew Port's Biology Page
* What can I do with a Biochemistry Degree?
Good luck tonight,
taffetaroses :)
* NetSci’s List of Biochemistry and Biology Resources
* Searchable Glossary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
* The Art of Writing Good Exam Essays (in Biochemistry)
* The Biochemistry Subject List
* PROWL: The interactive database for protein analysis experiments.
* NIH’s Molecules To Go Page (formerly Molecules R Us)
* Metabolic Pathways of Biochemistry
* Net BioChem Topics.
* OCMS Biochemistry Links
* The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database
* The Peptide Resource Page
* IPL: Biochemistry
* SUNY Medical School Biochemistry (Includes an Exam Server)
* Links of Interest in Biochemistry (Includes Hypertextbooks from several schools)
* Restriction Enzymes
* Lew Port's Biology Page
* What can I do with a Biochemistry Degree?
Good luck tonight,
Miscellany
The Warren Ellis and Joss Whedon Smackfest. (Check the comments.)
Johnny Weir goes home without an Olympic medal: “It doesn’t take much to shake up the average figure skater. Takes even less to rattle a self-described “princessy” one who complained the minute he came to the village that there was no room service, the bed was hard and there was dust on the floor of his room. He wanted a hotel and limo service. He got a twin bed and a bus schedule” .... ”But, hey, you have to respect anyone who dresses like a swan in public.”
The Ugly Face of Crime
The Wiki History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less
Greenland’s glaciers are dumping twice as much ice into the Atlantic Ocean now as five years ago because glaciers are moving and melting more quickly.
Politics
Apparently Skype is “impossible to eavesdrop on,” so the Bush Administration’s warrantless snooping may be passé. Ignoring the obvious for the moment, (that “impossible” in this case merely means “impossible at the moment,”) how long do you think it will take for the Bush administration to declare Skype a danger to national security and have it banned?
Expect More.gov
Doesn’t he drive a Hummer™? Gov. Schwarzenegger says he’s planning to fight global warming through a gas tax on CA residents. State GOP activists aren’t happy.
The Warren Ellis and Joss Whedon Smackfest. (Check the comments.)
Johnny Weir goes home without an Olympic medal: “It doesn’t take much to shake up the average figure skater. Takes even less to rattle a self-described “princessy” one who complained the minute he came to the village that there was no room service, the bed was hard and there was dust on the floor of his room. He wanted a hotel and limo service. He got a twin bed and a bus schedule” .... ”But, hey, you have to respect anyone who dresses like a swan in public.”
The Ugly Face of Crime
The Wiki History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less
Greenland’s glaciers are dumping twice as much ice into the Atlantic Ocean now as five years ago because glaciers are moving and melting more quickly.
Politics
Apparently Skype is “impossible to eavesdrop on,” so the Bush Administration’s warrantless snooping may be passé. Ignoring the obvious for the moment, (that “impossible” in this case merely means “impossible at the moment,”) how long do you think it will take for the Bush administration to declare Skype a danger to national security and have it banned?
Expect More.gov
Doesn’t he drive a Hummer™? Gov. Schwarzenegger says he’s planning to fight global warming through a gas tax on CA residents. State GOP activists aren’t happy.
Science
Postgenomic aggregates posts from life sciences blogs and then does interesting things with the data.
A connection exists between disease outbreaks and extreme religious practice.
Seventh graders’ opinions of scientists before and after visiting Fermilab
Spray-On Solar-Power Cells Are True Breakthrough
An interview with Dr. Deborah Tannen, author of “You’re Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation.”
Study says unconscious consideration yields most satisfying decisions.
The Bipolar Disorder FAQ, Part I, Part II, Part III
Miscellany
The New Honda Civic Ad. (Embedded video requires sound for the full effect, sfw.)
“He has the face of Paul Rubens, the hair of Nick Nolte, and the fashion sense of a gay dolphin caught in a fishing net while reenacting a scene from Showgirls. What’s not to love about U.S. Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir?”
Madison Avenue’s 30-Second Spot Remover
Bullying.org and Cyberbullying.ca
Blogs to Riches: The Haves and Have-Nots of the Blogging Boom
Politics
The White House has attacked a UN report demanding the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp calling it “a discredit to the UN”. Full UN report is here. (pdf file)
Via
zoethe, Iranians.... well.... uh.... dear lord, they’re as stupid as we are.
It’s capitalism or a habitable planet - you can’t have both.
Postgenomic aggregates posts from life sciences blogs and then does interesting things with the data.
A connection exists between disease outbreaks and extreme religious practice.
Seventh graders’ opinions of scientists before and after visiting Fermilab
Spray-On Solar-Power Cells Are True Breakthrough
An interview with Dr. Deborah Tannen, author of “You’re Wearing That? Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation.”
Study says unconscious consideration yields most satisfying decisions.
The Bipolar Disorder FAQ, Part I, Part II, Part III
Miscellany
The New Honda Civic Ad. (Embedded video requires sound for the full effect, sfw.)
“He has the face of Paul Rubens, the hair of Nick Nolte, and the fashion sense of a gay dolphin caught in a fishing net while reenacting a scene from Showgirls. What’s not to love about U.S. Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir?”
Madison Avenue’s 30-Second Spot Remover
Bullying.org and Cyberbullying.ca
Blogs to Riches: The Haves and Have-Nots of the Blogging Boom
Politics
The White House has attacked a UN report demanding the immediate closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp calling it “a discredit to the UN”. Full UN report is here. (pdf file)
Via
It’s capitalism or a habitable planet - you can’t have both.
Science and Technology
windswept: How to kill RFID tags with a cell phone.
When pills fail, electrical implants can mend brains damaged by Parkinson’s, stroke, and depression.
The Richard Dawkins Multimedia Archive. Dawkins, author of many books on Evolution, including The Blind Watchmaker, is an outspoken scientist and atheist.
14+ Money Saving Computer User Ideas
A slim cable for a space elevator has been built stretching a mile into the sky, enabling robots to scrabble some way up and down the line. LiftPort Group, a private US company on a quest to build a space elevator by April 2018, stretched the strong carbon ribbon 1 mile into the sky from the Arizona desert outside Phoenix in January tests.
Microsoft has released a new, free version of Windows Defender.
Miscellany
bigboobedcanuck: Olympic Figure Skating for Dummies
wordweaverlynn points out that photography from the 1906 SF earthquake is on exhibit at the SF MOMA.
The DFL blog celebrates last-place finishers at the Olympics.
This year’s hair trends from the runways.
The FDA has reopened a probe into possible benzene contamination of soft drinks.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, tyee.com is running a “Love on the Edge” series this week: “Breast Wishes” / “Why We Love the Geeks” / “Married to the Wrong Sex”
Politics
The WashPost reported that the GOP was concerned that our VP wasn’t speaking out about shooting his hunting partner. Ari Fleischer chimed in as did Marlin Fitzwater and a variety of editorial columnists. (that last link’s from
juliarandolph.) So... Cheney issued a public statement about the incident yesterday. The WH Press Secretary is having a rough week. Note who is asking him questions: Two of the outlets mentioned in the article are Republican: the NYPost and Cox Communications.
I have a bad feeling about this: Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas joined House Democratic leaders at a town hall meeting on Tuesday to roll out an “innovation agenda” that aims to prepare the next generation of technological entrepreneurs. Note to the Dems, don’t let him write your speeches.
The National Counterterrorism Center maintains a central repository of 325,000 names of international terrorism suspects or people who allegedly aid them, a number that has more than quadrupled since the fall of 2003, according to counterterrorism officials.
When pills fail, electrical implants can mend brains damaged by Parkinson’s, stroke, and depression.
The Richard Dawkins Multimedia Archive. Dawkins, author of many books on Evolution, including The Blind Watchmaker, is an outspoken scientist and atheist.
14+ Money Saving Computer User Ideas
A slim cable for a space elevator has been built stretching a mile into the sky, enabling robots to scrabble some way up and down the line. LiftPort Group, a private US company on a quest to build a space elevator by April 2018, stretched the strong carbon ribbon 1 mile into the sky from the Arizona desert outside Phoenix in January tests.
Microsoft has released a new, free version of Windows Defender.
Miscellany
The DFL blog celebrates last-place finishers at the Olympics.
This year’s hair trends from the runways.
The FDA has reopened a probe into possible benzene contamination of soft drinks.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, tyee.com is running a “Love on the Edge” series this week: “Breast Wishes” / “Why We Love the Geeks” / “Married to the Wrong Sex”
Politics
The WashPost reported that the GOP was concerned that our VP wasn’t speaking out about shooting his hunting partner. Ari Fleischer chimed in as did Marlin Fitzwater and a variety of editorial columnists. (that last link’s from
I have a bad feeling about this: Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas joined House Democratic leaders at a town hall meeting on Tuesday to roll out an “innovation agenda” that aims to prepare the next generation of technological entrepreneurs. Note to the Dems, don’t let him write your speeches.
The National Counterterrorism Center maintains a central repository of 325,000 names of international terrorism suspects or people who allegedly aid them, a number that has more than quadrupled since the fall of 2003, according to counterterrorism officials.
Miscellaneous
“Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I’m halfway through my fishburger and I realize, “Oh my God, I could be eating a slow learner.” --Lynda Montgomery
Chris Parnell’s “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” video (AKA “The Narnia Rap”) that aired on SNL a few weeks ago, can be found here.
In New York? Check out the Che! Revolution and Commerce exhibit at the International Center for Photograhy (43rd Street and 6th Ave) until February 26, 2006. The exhibition examines different commercial manifestations of Alberto Korda’s1960 photograph of Che Guevara, “the most widely reproduced image in the history of photography.”
Scientists can track the needs and roaming habits of elephants by analyzing the hair from their tails.
SciAm: Getting a Rational Grip on Religion. A review of “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon”
The Best Lifehacks of 2005
Proving Your Worth as a Speaker
The History of Soaps and Detergents
BPAL is like Crack to PayPal (via
pnh)
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.
Noteworthy Virtual Notecards
AP: Study shows children no safer in SUVs than cars
Flikr Babes (I’m not sure if this is SFW)
Jon Stewart will be hosting the Oscars. (ABC)
The Virtual Browser: Browse Safely & Anonymously
Politics
The Washington Post now has a special section on their website for all your Abramoff scandal needs. OpenSecrets explains who gave what to whom and when. The LATimes is reporting that Abramoff was a key part of the “K Street” project, designed to extend the GOP’s influence. President Bush is giving $6000 in political contributions from Abramoff, his wife and a client to the American Heart Association, but will keep more than $100,000 that Abramoff collected for Mr Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.
Pat Robertson capitalizes on human suffering and claims he speaks for G-d again. Says Sharon was struck down by G-d for dividing Israel.
Jewish Reform Movement leader Rabbi Yoffie eloquently weighs in on Separation of Church and State.
IHT/NYT on Ben Franklin
Repeal the 22nd Amendment? OK, but can we PLEASE wait until Bush is out of office?
Oh, sweet irony. A vocally anti-gay male Senior Pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church was arrested on Tuesday for propositioning an undercover male police officer.
“Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I’m halfway through my fishburger and I realize, “Oh my God, I could be eating a slow learner.” --Lynda Montgomery
Chris Parnell’s “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” video (AKA “The Narnia Rap”) that aired on SNL a few weeks ago, can be found here.
In New York? Check out the Che! Revolution and Commerce exhibit at the International Center for Photograhy (43rd Street and 6th Ave) until February 26, 2006. The exhibition examines different commercial manifestations of Alberto Korda’s1960 photograph of Che Guevara, “the most widely reproduced image in the history of photography.”
Scientists can track the needs and roaming habits of elephants by analyzing the hair from their tails.
SciAm: Getting a Rational Grip on Religion. A review of “Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon”
The Best Lifehacks of 2005
Proving Your Worth as a Speaker
The History of Soaps and Detergents
BPAL is like Crack to PayPal (via
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 19-29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.
Noteworthy Virtual Notecards
AP: Study shows children no safer in SUVs than cars
Flikr Babes (I’m not sure if this is SFW)
Jon Stewart will be hosting the Oscars. (ABC)
The Virtual Browser: Browse Safely & Anonymously
Politics
The Washington Post now has a special section on their website for all your Abramoff scandal needs. OpenSecrets explains who gave what to whom and when. The LATimes is reporting that Abramoff was a key part of the “K Street” project, designed to extend the GOP’s influence. President Bush is giving $6000 in political contributions from Abramoff, his wife and a client to the American Heart Association, but will keep more than $100,000 that Abramoff collected for Mr Bush's 2004 re-election campaign.
Pat Robertson capitalizes on human suffering and claims he speaks for G-d again. Says Sharon was struck down by G-d for dividing Israel.
Jewish Reform Movement leader Rabbi Yoffie eloquently weighs in on Separation of Church and State.
IHT/NYT on Ben Franklin
Repeal the 22nd Amendment? OK, but can we PLEASE wait until Bush is out of office?
Oh, sweet irony. A vocally anti-gay male Senior Pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church was arrested on Tuesday for propositioning an undercover male police officer.
Could there be a secondary evolutionary process that genetically transmits instinctive and emotional information across generations? Is this the purpose of at least some of the inactive “junk DNA” that makes up over 98% of our genome? The Age interviews amateur evolutionist Danny Vendramini, whose new theory seeking to answer these questions, called The Unified Teem Theory of Evolution, or Teemosis, is challenging mainstream evolutionary thought. The article also addresses how the greater scientific community has responded to him. Vendramini has no formal training in biology -- he’s a screenwriter and sculptor, but his theories are being treated with some respect.
Mr. Vendramini has a website articulating his ideas, here:
Mr. Vendramini has a website articulating his ideas, here:
Briefly, ‘teem theory’ argues that in multicellular animals, powerful, traumatic emotions generated by stressful environmental circumstances (like predatory attacks, sexual encounters, accidents, etc.) can be genetically encoded into an area of an organism’s DNA called noncoding DNA (ncDNA).I doubt it’ll gain many supporters in scientific circles, but it’s nice to see someone suggesting radical evolutionary theories without a religious component.
Once encrypted in ncDNA, these traumatic emotions can be inherited to offspring, providing them with an emotional memory of the traumatic event.
Each Trauma Encoded Emotional Memory (or ‘teem’) has the potential to transfer adaptive information (in the form of an emotional memory) from one generation to the next, thus building up a repository of emotional memories of the ancestral environment. These emotions form the basis of all instincts and innate behaviour in multicellular animals.
RIP: Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III has died of heart failure after battling MS for 19 years. (IMDB profile) The Guardian looks at his life.
NYT Magazine: The 5th Annual Year in Ideas
Could pathological, extreme bias be a mental illness?
Very cool: The Mosquito: People under 20 can hear it, but almost no one under 30 can. Now being used to keep teens away from storefronts in the UK.
Listen to air traffic controllers live.
Radar locates a time capsule from Hawai’ian King Kamehameha V and pinpoints the tomb of King Edward the Confessor.
Salon.com: “Looking to “Survivor’s” Cindy and North Korea’s Kim Jong-il for lessons on how to lose big, lose early and lose often.”
“Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide. So far we have 6150 destination guides and other articles written and edited by Wikitravellers from around the globe.”
The Elizabeth Bear (
matociquala) discussion community, moderated by
the_red_shoes.
The Gilbert And Sullivan Archive
WashPost: Gratuities 101
LJ now has a
myspace_deaths community. It’s a little too celebratory for my tastes.
NYT Magazine: The 5th Annual Year in Ideas
Could pathological, extreme bias be a mental illness?
Very cool: The Mosquito: People under 20 can hear it, but almost no one under 30 can. Now being used to keep teens away from storefronts in the UK.
Listen to air traffic controllers live.
Radar locates a time capsule from Hawai’ian King Kamehameha V and pinpoints the tomb of King Edward the Confessor.
Salon.com: “Looking to “Survivor’s” Cindy and North Korea’s Kim Jong-il for lessons on how to lose big, lose early and lose often.”
”Take Cindy from “Survivor” -- stay with me, now, I know you’re tired of reality TV, but this is important. Last week, Cindy won the reward challenge, which meant she won a brand new Pontiac Torrent, which is a bubbly-looking midsize SUV. But wait, there’s a twist! Soon after winning, host Jeff Probst gave her another option: Give up the brand-new car, and the other four contestants will each get a brand-new car of his or her own!
...You give up the car, and millions of people are watching. Here’s what happens next: 1) Everyone at camp loves you, and feels a personal sense of obligation to make sure you make it into the final three at the very least, 2) everyone at home goes “Awww, that was so nice of her!” which means that 3) you’ll be sitting down with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer and God knows who else to discuss your huge, generous heart, which means that 4) you’ll demand a good sum as a public speaker for a few years and 5) you might just earn a hefty sum for appearing in a few print ads and, hey, even if you don’t want any of that stuff 6) you can spend the rest of your life with your head held high, knowing that you did the right thing.
Now let’s look at what happens when you keep the car: 1) Everyone at camp instantly dislikes you, and for a very good reason, 2) everyone at home goes “Ewww” and tries to pry your mean little face out of their minds forever, 3) you get voted off at the next tribal council, 4) not even the host of “The Early Show” on CBS really wants to speak to you, 5) your 15 minutes of fame are reduced to five minutes and 6) you spend the rest of your life known as the Selfish, Morally Bankrupt Idiot Who Sold Her Soul for a Pontiac.
“Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide. So far we have 6150 destination guides and other articles written and edited by Wikitravellers from around the globe.”
The Elizabeth Bear (
The Gilbert And Sullivan Archive
WashPost: Gratuities 101
LJ now has a
NORAD Tracks Santa enters its 50th year. They’ve revamped their website, too.
Beyond Einstein: On December 1, a 12-hour webcast took place covering Einsteinian theories and the future of physics. The event, a celebration of a century of Albert Einstein's work, has been archived and is available for online viewing here. MSNBC looks back, with a feature called “Putting Einstein to the Test,” and there are further links at the bottom of that page.
Ex-Klansman turned Civil Rights Activist C.P. Ellis passed away last month at the age of 78. NPR Remembrances. Archived Studs Turkel interview.
dargie has posted an excellent list of nine safety tips for women from Snopes.
The world will end in 2036? Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390-metre wide asteroid discovered last year that is potentially on a collision course with our planet, and are imploring governments to decide on a strategy for dealing with it. Stargate fans will no doubt recognize its name: Apophis.
Mel Gibson is working on a miniseries about the Holocaust. His father is a Holocaust denier, and concern has been raised that a Gibson-produced series will not treat the subject with adequate respect.
Well, this was surreal: Five Men and a Limo. Five of the most recognizable movie trailer voice-over artists in the US in one amusing short film from 1997. (Embedded Quicktime Video) Starring Don LaFontaine, John Leader, Nick Tate, Mark Elliot and Hal Douglas.
The Village Voice: Why do women have rape fantasies? Hey
michaelmalice, was that you being quoted?
If you’ve ever driven over a bridge and thought “I could design this better!” then this game is for you.
Exit The Dark Complex (flash game).
SciAm: Lack of “Mirror Neurons” may explain autism.
Slate: The Age of the Megachurch. Also, some of them are closing on Christmas.
Politically correct editing in “Goodnight Moon”?
Beyond Einstein: On December 1, a 12-hour webcast took place covering Einsteinian theories and the future of physics. The event, a celebration of a century of Albert Einstein's work, has been archived and is available for online viewing here. MSNBC looks back, with a feature called “Putting Einstein to the Test,” and there are further links at the bottom of that page.
Ex-Klansman turned Civil Rights Activist C.P. Ellis passed away last month at the age of 78. NPR Remembrances. Archived Studs Turkel interview.
The world will end in 2036? Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390-metre wide asteroid discovered last year that is potentially on a collision course with our planet, and are imploring governments to decide on a strategy for dealing with it. Stargate fans will no doubt recognize its name: Apophis.
Mel Gibson is working on a miniseries about the Holocaust. His father is a Holocaust denier, and concern has been raised that a Gibson-produced series will not treat the subject with adequate respect.
Well, this was surreal: Five Men and a Limo. Five of the most recognizable movie trailer voice-over artists in the US in one amusing short film from 1997. (Embedded Quicktime Video) Starring Don LaFontaine, John Leader, Nick Tate, Mark Elliot and Hal Douglas.
The Village Voice: Why do women have rape fantasies? Hey
If you’ve ever driven over a bridge and thought “I could design this better!” then this game is for you.
Exit The Dark Complex (flash game).
SciAm: Lack of “Mirror Neurons” may explain autism.
Slate: The Age of the Megachurch. Also, some of them are closing on Christmas.
Politically correct editing in “Goodnight Moon”?
An essay on meanness on the ‘net from
cadhla (via
shadesong)
Criminals are dumb.
throwingstardna posts an interesting twist on Ninja Dude. (picture might not be safe for work)
Snowplowing. (Flash Game)
Why do humans prefer to have sex in private?
Creepiness from
blucrowlaughing
Editorial from the Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding our President’s deliberately ignorant policies with regard to science and how they are hurting America. (from
6_bleen_7)
Criminals are dumb.
Snowplowing. (Flash Game)
Why do humans prefer to have sex in private?
Creepiness from
Editorial from the Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding our President’s deliberately ignorant policies with regard to science and how they are hurting America. (from
For
goddes, assuming she hasn’t seen it already: FishBase. As of March, they had 28900 Species, 207200 Common names, 38400 Pictures, 35700 References, 1220 Collaborators, and 11 million hits per month. The project is being developed by the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources and is intended for industry professionals: scientists, (icthyologists/biologists, etc.,) fisheries personnel, etc., but there’s also a course in icthyology and lots of trivia, which gives the site mass appeal. It’s a wonderful lesson on biodiversity, too.
You can search by a variety of classifications, including common / scientific name, location, environment, topic (think eggs, predators, genetic info, has it ever appeared on a stamp, etc.) There’s also a LarvalBase. Both sites put the FDA’s Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia to shame.
Find all this fascinating and want to learn more? Check out the Love Lab.
Of course, if you prefer your Swordfish prepared on a plate with mango salsa instead, there’s always the FDA’s Seafood List.
You can search by a variety of classifications, including common / scientific name, location, environment, topic (think eggs, predators, genetic info, has it ever appeared on a stamp, etc.) There’s also a LarvalBase. Both sites put the FDA’s Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia to shame.
Find all this fascinating and want to learn more? Check out the Love Lab.
Of course, if you prefer your Swordfish prepared on a plate with mango salsa instead, there’s always the FDA’s Seafood List.
Taken from
iocaste212, who got it from
therblig:
From here. This is SciAm's April 2005 Letter from the Editor:
Edit: If you're reading this through a link from another site, please feel free to say hello in the comments. :) ~Jon
From here. This is SciAm's April 2005 Letter from the Editor:
Okay, We Give Up
There’s no easy way to admit this. For years, helpful letter writers told us to stick to science. They pointed out that science and politics don’t mix. They said we should be more balanced in our presentation of such issues as creationism, missile defense and global warming. We resisted their advice and pretended not to be stung by the accusations that the magazine should be renamed Unscientific American, or Scientific Unamerican, or even Unscientific Unamerican. But spring is in the air, and all of nature is turning over a new leaf, so there’s no better time to say: you were right, and we were wrong.
In retrospect, this magazine’s coverage of so-called evolution has been hideously one-sided. For decades, we published articles in every issue that endorsed the ideas of Charles Darwin and his cronies. True, the theory of common descent through natural selection has been called the unifying concept for all of biology and one of the greatest scientific ideas of all time, but that was no excuse to be fanatics about it.
Where were the answering articles presenting the powerful case for scientific creationism? Why were we so unwilling to suggest that dinosaurs lived 6,000 years ago or that a cataclysmic flood carved the Grand Canyon? Blame the scientists. They dazzled us with their fancy fossils, their radiocarbon dating and their tens of thousands of peer-reviewed journal articles. As editors, we had no business being persuaded by mountains of evidence.
Moreover, we shamefully mistreated the Intelligent Design (ID) theorists by lumping them in with creationists. Creationists believe that God designed all life, and that’s a somewhat religious idea. But ID theorists think that at unspecified times some unnamed superpowerful entity designed life, or maybe just some species, or maybe just some of the stuff in cells. That’s what makes ID a superior scientific theory: it doesn’t get bogged down in details.
Good journalism values balance above all else. We owe it to our readers to present everybody’s ideas equally and not to ignore or discredit theories simply because they lack scientifically credible arguments or facts. Nor should we succumb to the easy mistake of thinking that scientists understand their fields better than, say, U.S. senators or best-selling novelists do. Indeed, if politicians or special-interest groups say things that seem untrue or misleading, our duty as journalists is to quote them without comment or contradiction. To do otherwise would be elitist and therefore wrong. In that spirit, we will end the practice of expressing our own views in this space: an editorial page is no place for opinions.
Get ready for a new Scientific American. No more discussions of how science should inform policy. If the government commits blindly to building an anti-ICBM defense system that can’t work as promised, that will waste tens of billions of taxpayers’ dollars and imperil national security, you won’t hear about it from us. If studies suggest that the administration’s antipollution measures would actually increase the dangerous particulates that people breathe during the next two decades, that’s not our concern. No more discussions of how policies affect science either— so what if the budget for the National Science Foundation is slashed? This magazine will be dedicated purely to science, fair and balanced science, and not just the science that scientists say is science. And it will start on April Fools’ Day.
Okay, We Give Up
MATT COLLINS
THE EDITORS editors@sciam.com
COPYRIGHT 2005 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, INC.
Edit: If you're reading this through a link from another site, please feel free to say hello in the comments. :) ~Jon
