grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: Tree of Life, conservation, biodiversity, ecology, evolution, biology, statistics, teaching, streaming video
This video presents a very brief glimpse into what I do as a professional researcher studying "my birds" -- the parrots of the South Pacific Ocean (during those rare and beautiful times when I actually have a job!!). It features interviews with one of the scientists whom I worked with when I was in grad school at the University of Washington: Scott Edwards, who now is at Harvard University. To say the least, this video fills me with intense longing to reclaim my long lost life…
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: flowers, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Flower blossom (Ginger? Canna Lily cultivar).
Photographed as I walked through Helsinki, Finland, to Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Is this one of the many domestic ginger cultivars or is it a real species? If so, which one?
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…
grrlscientist | October 4, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"How does one distinguish a truly civilized nation from an aggregation of
barbarians? That is easy. A civilized country produces much good bird
literature."
--Edgar Kincaid
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and…
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: religion, advertising, satire, humor, atheism, streaming video
Get Religion Today! Funny satirical ad which hits the nail on the head with modern organized religion.
grrlscientist | October 3, 2009tags: beach house, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Beach house.
Photographed on the shores of Seurasaari (Helsinki, Finland).
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Have I shown you this house yet? I know I have roughly one dozen photographs of it from various angles, so I am sure it has appeared here at least once, but just in case, here is a close look at this beautiful house.
This photograph was difficult to get, and I am not entirely happy with it because the lines in the image are all akimbo: even though they are straight lines, they are not…
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 3, 2009tags: superhero, humor, satire, Who is Captain Legend?, Chicken Hollow Productions, streaming video
I loved this video and I think it is really well-done! Better, it reminds me of one of my dreams: to be a superhero crimefighter, although it does remind me (uncomfortably) of the realities involved with such a lifestyle. I guess I should stick with being a scientist, instead.
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009tags: art, humor, satire, But the Cat Came Back, Canadian cartoon, streaming video
I've never seen this cartoon before today, but it's a classic Canadian cartoon that my spouse watched when he was a kid. So he introduced it to me.
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…
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009Not much to report today except, as I expected, the USFWS has still not responded to my application for CITES permits for my birds. So as I predicted, I am panicking. Instead of going out for a beer or two tonight to relieve my stress, I am at home and now I am suffering intense foot cramps that have almost paralyzed my feet and make me want to scream. Is it time for some codeine-based pain relief or maybe just some alcohol?
The moving company representative had to reschedule visiting my apartment to look at my things until Friday evening next week. It sounds like the company where he works…
grrlscientist | October 2, 2009tags: artwork, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Hevoset "Horses" (dark granite; 1940).
Gunnar Finne (1886 - 1952).
(Bäcksbacka collection donated to The City of Helsinki in the 1970's)
Photographed outside Taidemuseo Meilahti (Meilahti art museum)
in Helsinki, Finland, as I walked to Seurasaari.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
This sculpture was photographed outside the front doors of the Taidemuseo Meilahti (Meilahti art museum) as I walked to Seurasaari, in Helsinki, Finland. I think I've shown this sculpture to you before since I certainly did…
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, 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…
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, 2009You might not know this, but I am planning to leave America and move overseas -- permanently. There are a lot of reasons I am doing this, not the least of which is the fact that I am in love with a British scientist and that, even as a child growing up in a farming community, I always took it for granted that I would relocate overseas (it just took a helluva lot longer to accomplish than I ever thought it would).
Originally, I thought I'd be moving to Finland -- comparatively easy for me since I'm Finnish and I've fallen in love with that beautiful country, the people and the language.…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2009Hey everyone: here's the coolest news in the world! My colleague and friend, Chris Rowan was interviewed streaming (and live) by BBC News radio and television on their program, World, Have Your Say [1 October, 1305-1400 EDT]. The interviewer investigated the (lack of) predictability of natural disasters, especially earthquakes and tsunamis. If you missed the program, it is now available here, for only the next seven days, so download it to your ipod now or stream it.