grrlscientist | July 29, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities, image of the day
Gate.
Gate through the fortress wall in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 29, 2009Since I have recently developed quite a history of visiting cold and snowy places, often during the winter, I wish to preserve that tradition. I am competing for the opportunity to go to Antarctica in February 2010 -- a dream adventure that I've always wanted to pursue (and almost did pursue when I was an undergraduate researching Fin Whales and Crabeater Seals at the University of Washington). To enter, all candidates must publish a picture of themselves and write an essay explaining why we think we are the best choice, and solicit votes from the public. Whomever receives the most votes wins…
grrlscientist | July 29, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 3299 - 1318 - 1264 - 1231 - 1192 out of 402 candidates registered. YIKES! I am now in fourth place! Obviously, I need your votes more than ever to recapture first place, so please ask your friends and relatives to vote for me now!
If you've already voted, then please encourage your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to vote for the person whom you think would be best for this unique job: traveling to Antarctica for the month of February 2010 and writing about it for the public on a blog. Here is my 300-word essay; hopefully, you will…
grrlscientist | July 29, 2009tags: Harlequin Ducks, Histrionicus histrionicus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Harlequin Ducks, Histrionicus histrionicus (mostly males, but there is a female in the foreground), photographed at low tide at Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, Oregon. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: Terry Sohl, 8 June 2009 [larger view]
Photo taken with a Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.
Are all the birds in this image the same species?
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | July 29, 2009tags: TEDTalks, politics, society, Why Societies Collapse, Jared Diamond, streaming video
Why do societies fail? In this video, Jared Diamond uses lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana to talk about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it [22:42]
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.
grrlscientist | July 29, 2009tags: Onion News Report, ONN, roommates, humor, satire, funny, cultural observation, streaming video
In this video, we learn that 80% of all roommates got so drunk last night .. what was your roommate doing wasted last night? [1:18]
grrlscientist | July 28, 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 | July 28, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities, image of the day
Spire in the Sky, 2.
St. Olav's Church, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 28, 2009
Who: Josh Rosenau, policy analyst at the National Center for Science Education
What: free public presentation, "Adventures in the Defense of Evolution: From Kansas to Turkey to New York"
Where: SLC Conference Center, 352 7th avenue (between 29th and 30th streets), 16th floor.
When: 700pm, Tuesday, 4 August
"That's not a problem here, right?," New Yorkers ask when they hear what Josh Rosenau does for a living. Rosenau is a policy analyst at the National Center for Science Education, where he defends the teaching of evolution against creationism. He and his colleagues have tracked attacks on…
grrlscientist | July 28, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities, image of the day
Spire in the Sky.
St. Olav's Church, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 28, 2009tags: Pileated Woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Pileated Woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, photographed on Katy Prairie, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 3 April 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/400s 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 | July 28, 2009tags: physics, flatland, 4th dimension, Carl Sagan, streaming video
In this video, world famous astronomer and astrophysicist, the great Carl Sagan, explains the 4th dimension. I wonder if Carl knew how funny he was? [7:15]
grrlscientist | July 28, 2009tags: Onion News Network, ONN, children's healthcare, humor, funny, satire, fucking hilarious, streaming video
A recent study reveals that children are strongly opposed to healthcare -- according to respondents between ages of three and eight years old, the most common answer to the question "do you want to go to the doctor more?" was a resounding "NOOOOOO!" [1:35]
grrlscientist | July 28, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 2620 - 1208 - 1201 - 1172 - 1154 out of 397 candidates registered. I received just SIX VOTES in the past 24 hours and now a new third place contender is catching up with me! I need your help to recapture first place, so please ask your friends and relatives to vote for me now!
If you've already voted, then please encourage your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to vote for the person whom you think would be best for this unique job: traveling to Antarctica for the month of February 2010 and writing about it for the public on a blog…
grrlscientist | July 27, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities, image of the day
Loodus Muuseum.
Natural History Museum in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Hang on, I thought I saw an owl up there!
Loodus Muuseum, close-up of the owl.
Natural History Museum in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 27, 2009tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A once-in-a-lifetime photograph of a Common (Eurasian) Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis.
Image: orphaned [larger view].
Birds in Science
For centuries, scientists have puzzled over why the toucan's bill is so remarkably large -- but now one team thinks it might have an answer. The researchers say that the toucan uses its enormous beak to stay cool. They used infrared cameras to show the bird dumping heat from its body into its bill, helping it to regulate its body temperature. The toucan has the largest bill of any bird,…
grrlscientist | July 27, 2009tags: Fischer's Sparrow-Lark, Eremopterix leucopareia, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Fischer's Sparrow-Lark, Eremopterix leucopareia, photographed sitting on donkey dung in Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 3 September 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D2X 200-400 VR lens at 400. ISO 200 1/500, f/9.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | July 27, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 2151 - 1202 - 1164 - 1147 - 1116 out of 392 candidates registered. I received just ONE VOTE in the past 24 hours -- I need your help to get more votes than this to recapture first place, so please ask your friends and relatives to vote for me!
If you've already voted, then please encourage your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors to vote for the person whom you think would be best for this unique job: traveling to Antarctica for the month of February 2010 and writing about it for the public on a blog. Here is my 300-word essay;…
grrlscientist | July 27, 2009tags: physics, solid materials physics, crystal structure, packing coefficient, streaming video
In this video, a physics lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia sets a challenge to the public based in his solid state physics class (PHYS3080). [9:10]
grrlscientist | July 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 "…