grrlscientist | March 28, 2010tags: T-Shirts That God Would Wear!, religion, cults, comedy, humor, funny, silly, fucking hilarious, Edward Current, streaming video
As a believer in the Prosperity Gospel, Edward Current prayed for abundance in his bank account. Here's what God -- and his accountant -- told him to do. Better yet, Jeebuz is helping out by pimping his new T-Shirts to the public!
For the record, Edward Current doesn't even know I exist, and I do not get any rewards for placing this ad here -- not even a lousy free t-shirt! That said, I DO know what I want for my Easter gifts, and they ain't armies chocolate…
grrlscientist | March 27, 2010tags: How to Spot a Cult, scientology, branch davidians, religion, cults, mind control, investigative news report, mind control, mental health, beliefs, streaming video
This Inside New Zealand investigative report is long but fascinating and very well-worth watching. It includes plenty of information on Scientology as well as other cults (Branch Davidians, etc) and gives a good overview of cult warning signs.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
Part 7:
Part 8:
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Part 10:
grrlscientist | March 27, 2010
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
The next edition of Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is less than two weeks away and as usual, it is seeking submissions and hosts! Can you help by sending URLs for your own or others' well-written science, medicine, and nature blog essays to me or by volunteering to host this carnival on your blog?
Scientia Pro Publica is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, environment, nature and medical writing that has been published in…
grrlscientist | March 27, 2010tags: Water Dikkop, Water Thick-knee, Burhinus vermiculatus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Water Dikkop, also known as the Water Thick-knee, Burhinus vermiculatus, photographed near the Kilombero River, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 9 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens. ISO 320, 1/800 sec, f/7.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 27, 2010tags: cat enjoying attention, Trololo Cat, Eduard Trololo Khil, internet meme, YouTube meme, parody, funny, humor, fucking hilarious, television, streaming video
This video features our favorite boyfriend -- right, my peeps? -- Eduard "Trololo" Khill, along with views of a kitty who is watching, open-mouthed in astonishment at what she sees and hears.
Here's a few more links to Eduard:
More from Eduard "Mr Trolololo" Khill (My New Boyfriend)
Eduard Trololo Khil Addresses the People of the World!
Scientology X(enu) Factor Russian auditions 2010
And my favorite of all:
Captain Kirk Deals with…
grrlscientist | March 27, 2010tags: beards, facial hair, funny, silly, humor, streaming video
In honor of Silly Saturday, I had to share this silly video with you. It's about beards. Those of you who know me will understand the significance for this video appearing here.
grrlscientist | March 26, 2010tags: Nordwestzentrum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Beobachten Sie, flowers, nature, environment, image of the day
Beobachten Sie.
Nordwestzentrum Open Air Market, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 3 March 2010 [larger view]
This was one of hundreds of cut flowers that I photographed at the Nordwestzentrum Open Air Market one particularly sunny morning. I knew I had a winner when I was looking at the flowers through the view finder, but the sunlight was strong and bleached some of the colors (although not in this image!). Despite my crappy German, it was rather obvious that…
grrlscientist | March 26, 2010tags: Upland Plover, Bartram's Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Upland Sandpiper, also known as the Upland Plover or as Bartram's Sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda, photographed in Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Angelton, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 23 March 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s 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 | March 26, 2010
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
The next edition of Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is less than two weeks away and as usual, it is seeking submissions and hosts! Can you help by sending URLs for your own or others' well-written science, medicine, and nature blog essays to me or by volunteering to host this carnival on your blog?
Scientia Pro Publica is a traveling blog carnival that celebrates the best science, environment, nature and medical writing that has been published in…
grrlscientist | March 26, 2010tags: coins, mint, manufacturing, technology, factory, education, streaming video
This is an interesting video showing how the â¬2 coin is made. This coin consists of two different metals that are squeezed together into one coin. Interestingly, it uses recycled copper -- I wonder how many construction sites have lost their copper piping to thieves who then sold it to recyclers for manufacture into Euros? I also have embedded a second video that discusses the history of coin making as well as describing how less complex coins are made.
Another look at coinmaking (admittedly, not as fancy as…
grrlscientist | March 26, 2010tags: Sanderlings Schiermonnikoog, birds, birding, wildlife, humans, conservation, education, streaming video
This is a sweet little video about the Sanderlings that nested on the Niederlande beach of Schiermonnikoog. However, in just a few short years, they are rarely seen there. Why? This video provides some hypotheses.
There is a brief mention of a book (in Dutch) at the end. I've never seen it, don't own it and have absolutely no vested interest in it or anything involved with it.
grrlscientist | March 25, 2010tags: Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Armeen von Schokoladenhasen, easter, springtime, holidays, photography
Armeen von Schokoladenhasen.
Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 24 March 2010 [larger view]
Easter is coming, and vast armies of chocolate bunnies are massing in the grocery stores, waiting to invade your homes and waistlines.
grrlscientist | March 25, 2010tags: Max-Planck Institut für Biophysik, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Quaken Crocus, flowers, nature, environment, image of the day
Quaken Crocus.
Max-Planck Institut für Biophysik, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 24 March 2010 [larger view]
This morning, at the Max-Planck Institute, I photographed some cheerful flowers; brilliant red petals, each with a lemon yellow base .. tulips, I believe, but the lighting was all wrong, so I could not capture what I wished to share with you. I shall return soon to try again. But this "miss" does provide me with the opportunity to…
grrlscientist | March 25, 2010tags: Paddyfield Pipit, Anthus rufulus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Paddyfield Pipit, Anthus rufulus, photographed on the Yamuna River, New Delhi, India. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White, November [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
HINT: I think you can narrow this bird down to one of two very similar species.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 25, 2010tags: nature, numbers, geometry, mathematics, Fibonacci sequence, Golden Ratio, Angle Ratio, Delaunay Triangulation, Voronoi Tessellations, filmmaking, animation, Cristobal Vila, Nature by Numbers, streaming video
In this beautiful video, "Nature by Numbers," filmmaker Cristobal Vila presents a series of animations illustrating various mathematic principles, beginning with a breathtaking animation of the Fibonacci Sequence before moving on to the Golden Ratio, the Angle Ratio, the Delaunay Triangulation and Voronoi Tessellations. The words are scary-sounding, but the math is beautiful and the…
grrlscientist | March 25, 2010tags: Resonant Chamber, music, music video, film, animation, technology, computer graphics, Animusic, streaming video
This interesting animation is an argument for how a self-playing harp might work. The one thing that would improve its efficiency is to have a "plucker" that is dedicated to each string (as you see on the bass part of this contraption) rather than have each plucker pick at any or all of the strings. What do you think?
You can learn more at Animusic.
grrlscientist | March 24, 2010tags: Max-Planck Institut für Biophysik, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Moosblüten, flowers, nature, environment, image of the day
Moosblüten.
Max-Planck Institut für Biophysik, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 24 March 2010 [larger view]
I was walking around at the Max-Planck Institute today, enjoying the spring weather and saw these tiny moss flowers growing in the lawn. The grass has not yet awoken, but the moss was happily growing on the moist earth. I wish you were here with me today, to see these tiny flowers with me.
grrlscientist | March 24, 2010tags: Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, Diomedea immutabilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria (Diomedea) immutabilis, photographed on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Midway Island, Hawai'i. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joe Fuhrman, March 2010 [larger view].
NOTE: Unless you are a beginning bird watcher, PLEASE wait 24 hours before identifying this bird. (Intermediate-expert birders are encouraged to use puns, anagrams, poetry references or citations, Monty Python quotes or anything else that tickles…
grrlscientist | March 24, 2010tags: condoms, manufacturing, technology, factory, education, streaming video
Well, now this is an interesting video: how condoms are made. The manufacturing process is actually quite interesting, and my favorite part was stress-testing the condoms. I wonder what the people who work in that factory say when asked at a dinner party what they do for a living?
grrlscientist | March 24, 2010tags: bear sighting, wildlife, news reporting, slow news day, WJW Fox 8 Cleveland, television, humor, funny, fucking hilarious, streaming video
OMG, THERE'S A BEAR IN MY BACKYARD!!!11!!eleventy!!! This video is an amusing look at what happens when a news reporter and his camera crew clearly have too much time (and technology) on their hands ...