grrlscientist | July 4, 2009tags: buttercups, Gardening, Horticulture, Botany, nature, Helsinki, image of the day
Creeping buttercup, Ranunculus repens.
Photographed in Oulunkylä, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 2 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 4, 2009tags: food, Helsinki, Finland, travel
Lunch: boiled egg and smoked salmon with lettuce, fresh dill, ground black pepper and butter on rye bread (open-faced sandwich). And of course, coffee.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view].
Today's lunch was, as always, delightful. I've yet to be disappointed by anything I've eaten in Finland. (You'll notice that this sandwich has a bite taken out of it -- that's because I forget I want to photograph some of my meals until I've already started eating.)
Dessert: Chocolate brownie cheesecake. And of course, more coffee.
Image:…
grrlscientist | July 4, 2009tags: Exactum Building, architecture, University of Helsinki, Helsingin Yliopisto, Kumpula campus
Spiral staircase, Exactum Building, University of Helsinki, Kumpula campus, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 3 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I spent a few hours on the Kumpula campus of the University of Helsinki yesterday, which is where this photograph was snapped. Today, I am returning to the beautiful island of Seurasaari, where I will take more photographs to share with you. Stay tuned for more (I've already taken several hundred photographs that I've saved -- and more…
grrlscientist | July 4, 2009tags: European Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] European Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris, photographed on the University of Helsinki (Helsingin Yliopisto) campus in Kumpula, Helsinki, Finland. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: GrrlScientist, 3 July 2009 [larger view].
Canon Powershot SX100
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | July 4, 2009tags: Britney Spears Parody, comedy, humor, funny, streaming video
This video reveals my perfect man: "He's got me rocking like Stephen Hawking .. Check out his hard drive, sets me to Warp Five .. I dream of him hooking up my ethernet cable and whispering in my ear about the Periodic Table .. Don't need a jock, I want a Spock!" (And he doesn't even need to know Russian!) [2:46]
H/T: Arikia.
grrlscientist | July 3, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 722 - 579 - 387 - 324 - 289 out of 224 candidates registered. I am in second place.
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 agree that I am a very well-qualified candidate for this job opportunity. Voting ends 30 September and there is one vote allowed per valid…
grrlscientist | July 3, 2009tags: Dahlia, Gardening, Horticulture, Botany, nature, Helsinki, image of the day
Dahlias.
Photographed at Rautatientori in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 3 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 3, 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 3, 2009tags: Juvenile Gambel's White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelli, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Juvenile Gambel's White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelli, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 25 November 2006 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2006:11:25 08:07:50
Exposure Time: 1/200
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 320
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | July 3, 2009tags: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, film, movie, trailer, entertainment, streaming video
This is a behind-the-scenes look at the soon-to-be-released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which will open on 17 July 2009. I have been waiting eagerly for more than one year for this film, ever since Warner Bros claimed it was going to be released one year ago .. but wasn't! [6:33]
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009Here's the latest carnivalia to keep you happy as you prepare for this holiday weekend (if you are American);
Just Write blog carnival, 3 July edition. This includes all sorts of essays about writing and of course, book reviews which should help you choose a book or two to bring on vacation with you this summer.
Carnival of the Vanities, 2 July 2009 edition. This blog carnival focuses on excellent writing, regardless of topic.
Love of Movies #3, which seems to be focusing on Harry Potter .. gee, I wonder why?
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009tags: travel, Helsinki, Finland, licorice
Image: GrrlScientist, 3 July 2009 [larger view]
While my fellow Americans slept, I was watching birds from my host's balcony, and nibbling on the most delightfully naughty Finnish breakfast consisting of licorice and chocolate. Just thought you all might wish to know what you are missing.
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009tags: nature, Helsinki, travel
330 in the Morning.
Photographed at 0330 in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 3 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I awoke at 3am (Helsinki time), ravenously hungry. After snacking on left-over dinner (a delicious cold salad made from fresh corn, peas, red Bell peppers, kale, cantaloupe, shrimp and seedless red grapes), I decided I had to share a photograph taken from the balcony of where I am staying showing you what it looks like in Helsinki at 330 in the morning. In short, the sun dips below the horizon -- barely -- for less than two hours before…
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009Since Flickr is being an ass these days and won't let me share images with you that they don't approve of, which includes just about everything I put on my blog and no doubt includes screen shots of ads that I am using to illustrate my points, you'll just have to accept that I am not misleading you if you can't see the offending ads themselves.
Basically, if you take a peek at the ads in the top and right sidebar of this blog, you'll notice that Seed Media has revised their advertising policies recently. One of the results of that revision has been to run Google ads on both these blog…
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009
Who: Dr. Jeff Schweitzer
What: free public presentation, "Moral Life in a Random World"
Where: SLC Conference Center, 352 7th avenue (between 29th and 30th streets), 16th floor.
When: 700pm, Thursday, 9 July
Dr. Jeff Schweitzer is a scientist who has written extensively on morality, religion, politics and science -- and who served as science advisor to former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore. Schweitzer will talk about how we each have within us the awesome power to create our own meaning in life, our own sense of purpose, our own destiny. He will address how…
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 683 - 557 - 266 - 234 - 233 out of 210 candidates registered. I am in second place.
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. Voting ends 30 September and there is one vote allowed per valid email address (registration required).
Of course, the gap is widening, no thanks to the site…
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009You may have noticed that the images in my left sidebar have recently been depopulated -- awards that my blog has won throughout the years, blogroll icons and even books that I've contributed to .. what is going on? It seems that Flickr is cracking down on miscreants like me who (1) use their site to host graphics, logos and other items -- such as blog awards and book cover art -- and (2) use their site to host photographs that are not theirs, even apparently, if the images appear there with the photographer's permission (goodbye Mystery Birds!). These images have been on my Flickr account…
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009tags: Daisy, Gardening, Horticulture, Botany, nature, Helsinki, image of the day
Daisy.
Photographed at Tarvaspää Café at the Gallen-Kallela Museum
near Tarvon Salmi in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 2 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009tags: Pied Wagtail fledgling, Motacilla alba, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pied Wagtail fledgling, Motacilla alba, photographed at Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Richard Carter, FCD, 13 June 2009 (he also writes here) [larger view].
Canon EOS 350D (Digital Rebel) at 1/400th second using a Canon EF 75-300mm zoom at the 300mm setting.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | July 2, 2009tags: Arthur Benjamin, Mathematics, calculus, statistics, education, , TEDTalks, streaming video
Someone always asks the math teacher, "Am I going to use calculus in real life?" And for most of us, says Arthur Benjamin, the answer is no. He offers a bold proposal on how to make math education relevant in the digital age. [2:59]
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on…