grrlscientist | August 27, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 4764 - 1809 - 1529 - 1202 - 1116 out of 524 candidates registered. I am in third place and sloooowly creeping up on second place. With less than 6 weeks remaining (especially if the Quark site crashes), voting is changing rapidly as previous voters reassign their votes and new voters cast theirs for the first time. Many tens of thousands of votes have already been cast in this competition, so if the people who have cast their votes already decide to change them, they can significantly affect the outcome of this competition. The top four…
grrlscientist | August 27, 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) is a 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. To send your submissions to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right (sometimes that widget doesn't upload when the mother site is sick). Be sure to include the URL or "…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009
Over the last few weeks, the support staff at ScienceBlogs have been making plans to add a new dimension to the ScienceBlogs experience. In the next three to four weeks, they'll be creating and unveiling a user registration program with Six Apart, the makers of Movable Type, over the entire network.
This feature will allow readers to sign in, create a profile, track discussions they're interested in, customize their content, and interact with one another directly. ScienceBlogs will also be introducing other benefits for registered readers such as entry into prize drawings and possible…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Sunset over the Baltic Sea.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
This is a look at the sun as it sets over the Baltic Sea. I was ensconced in front of a window under a stairway (since the boat ran out of places to sit .. I know, this was almost impossible for me to believe, too, given the overall size of the ferry). I sat there in front of that window for the duration of the journey, drinking beer, taking pictures (nearly all of which were ruined by glare from the window glass) and…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009Everyone loves free books, right? Well, I know I do, and since I've got a huge stack of books in my apartment that are seeking a loving home, I want to share them with you. These books are duplicates of review copies, advance reading copies and uncorrected proofs as well as some books that I purchased. All books are in excellent (like new) shape, unless otherwise noted. I am offering them to you several times per week for the next few months, free of charge, although I will ask you to pay the cost of the shipping envelope and postage for mailing each book to you. Below the jump is a list of…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009tags: Grey Crowned-crane, Balearica regulorum, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Grey Crowned-crane, Balearica regulorum, photographed in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 4 August 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 mm VR lens at 280 mm. ISO 100 f/4 1/500.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009tags: South Pacific Islands, Solomon Islands, subsistence fishing, spider web fishing, documentary, BBC Two, streaming video
This fascinating video shows how South Pacific islanders from the Solomon Islands archipelago use webs spun by a particular species of spider to catch a particular species of fish. If you have adequate wifi support, you should watch this full-screen in high definition.
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, newsreel footage, human behavior, learning, streaming video
Helen Keller, the American author, political activist and lecturer, and her instructor and lifelong companion, Anne Sullivan, appear in this Vitaphone newsreel from 1930. In this rare footage, Sullivan demonstrates how Helen Keller learned to talk. The final line of this footage, "I Am Not DUMB now!" is touching.
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 4727 - 1802 - 1517 - 1202 - 1115 out of 523 candidates registered. I am in third place and sloooowly creeping up on second place. With less than 6 weeks remaining (especially if the Quark site crashes), voting is changing rapidly as previous voters reassign their votes and new voters cast theirs for the first time. Many tens of thousands of votes have already been cast in this competition, so if the people who have cast their votes already decide to change them, they can significantly affect the outcome of this competition. The top four…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Gates (from the inside).
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Do you know how, when an amazing experience is coming to an end, and you just want it to last a little bit longer, you fill your eyes and your heart with as many memories as you can get in those parting moments? This is what I did, and I also snapped photographs of anything, just to preserve those last moments.
The shadows were falling, it was time to return to Helsinki.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Grog.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
All hail to the mighty beer, brewed in the original style, using ingredients that approximate (as closely as possible) what was originally used. My beer had a distinct cinnamon flavor.
As you can see below, the table was outdoors under a large tent, and entertainment included waiter watching, people watching and live music. Here, you can see the waiter adding some finishing touches to a few meals before serving them to hungry patrons.…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Having a beer in Tallinn.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I know this picture is blurry, but hey, I was running after these guys when I snapped it!
What was that .. thing .. that I was running after, trying to photograph? Here's a closer look;
Having a beer in Tallinn (a closer look).
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
As you can see, this was a bicycle with a number of bar stools attached, along with…
grrlscientist | August 26, 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) is a 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. To send your submissions to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right (sometimes that widget doesn't upload when the mother site is sick). Be sure to include the URL or "…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009The cricket sang,
And set the sun,
And workmen finished, one by one,
Their seam the day upon.
The low grass loaded with the dew,
The twilight stood as strangers do
With hat in hand, polite and new,
To stay as if, or go.
A vastness, as a neighbor, came,--
A wisdom without face or name,
A peace, as hemispheres at home,--
And so the night became.
~ Emily Dickinson
This is the cutest event I've heard of for NYC: a night spent counting crickets and katydids.
What: NYC Cricket Crawl (counting 7 species of crickets and katydids in NYC)
Where: New York City area
When: Friday, 11 September 2009 at 7:…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, photographed at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 2 July 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s 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 | August 26, 2009tags: Barack Obama Town Meeting, Jon Stewart, health care reform, comedy, humor, funny, streaming video
In this video, The Daily Show host, Jon Stewart muses "Mr. President, I can't tell if you're a Jedi -- 10 steps ahead of everything or if this whole health care thing is kickin' your ass just a little bit. Why is this so hard?" He rants. "Why can't you guys just stay on message? Remember the Bush team? Little bit of discipline, little bit of repetition. They sold us a war nobody wanted and nobody needed."
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Heal or No Heal - Medicine…
grrlscientist | August 25, 2009tags: iPhone, technology, Apple, comedy, humor, funny, streaming video
Apple's iPhone ads tell you that whatever you want to do, "there's an app for that." But what if you're trying to solve problems with the iPhone itself? Here's a ad spoof that addresses this, too.
grrlscientist | August 25, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 4684 - 1796 - 1507 - 1201 - 1115 out of 519 candidates registered. I am in third place and sloooowly creeping up on second place. With less than 6 weeks remaining (especially if the Quark site crashes), voting is changing rapidly as previous voters reassign their votes and new voters cast theirs for the first time. Many tens of thousands of votes have already been cast in this competition, so if the people who have cast their votes already decide to change them, they can significantly affect the outcome of this competition. The top four…
grrlscientist | August 25, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
A tunnel to an open street in Tallinn's Old Town.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | August 25, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Light.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I thought I was done sharing pictures from the wall surrounding the Old Town portion of Tallinn, but I was wrong. After looking through my images today, I realized I have more that I want to share with you.
The wall.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
This is a look at the wall as it curves around the city. I really like this image because there is so much to see…