Media
pharyngula | August 26, 2012I saw that Doonesbury made a joke of it, so I had to look it up. It's true. Americans were surveyed to see which presidential candidate they thought would handle a UFO invasion best.
The channel surveyed 1,114 Americans in late May to get their thoughts on all things alien in anticipation of the channel's upcoming series "Chasing UFOs." It even asked which superhero Americans would turn to first in the event of an alien invasion. (It's the Hulk.)
Obama was particularly strong on the issue with women, with 68% saying they favor the president when it comes to dealing with flying saucers. And 61…
pharyngula | July 23, 2012The NY Times is touting a computer simulation of Mycoplasma genitalium, the proud possesor of the simplest known genome. It's a rather weird article because of the combination of hype, peculiar emphases, and cluelessness about what a simulation entails, and it bugged me.
It is not a complete simulation — I don't even know what that means. What it is is a sufficiently complex model of a real cell that it can uncover unexpected interactions between components of the genome, and that is a fine and useful thing. But as always, the first thing you should discuss in a model is the caveats and…
pharyngula | July 19, 2012And credulous newspapers are helping that quack. The latest case is a little girl in Ireland with a disfiguring and deadly rhabdomyosarcoma who is trying to raise money to get the useless and totally fraudulent Burzynski antineoplaston treatment … and this article makes the good point that newspapers are helping to defraud sick people. Both the Irish Times and the Irish Independent reported on the poor girl's struggle, and they called the fake treatment "pioneering" or "advanced".
Each uncritical article published about clinics like the Burzynski clinic amounts to free advertising for a…
jtoney | July 16, 2012
Actor Jeremy Jordan signs my daughter's program, as I stand crushed amongst hundreds of Newsies fans standing on tip toe begging for his attention (author's photograph.)
Don't judge me, ok? My daughter and I shared Father's day this year taking in the buoyant raucous joy of Newsies on Broadway. Real men don't love Newsies, right?
Broadway productions, to me, had brought to mind sanguine, syrupy sweet expressions of heart-felt stories spun with punctuations bursting in song and dance in a filigreed fairy land. Such performances are for the romantic, the Pollyanna, hearts all a flutter,…
jtoney | May 3, 2012
With 3D videoconferencing now a reality, teleportation - "Beam me up, Scotty" may be in our future!
jtoney | May 1, 2012
Monosodium.
If you're one Facebook, and you're fascinated by science and nature, this is a terrific Subscribe to list.
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Organizations To Follow On Facebook
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Hubble Space Telescope
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PhysOrg.com - Science, Research, Technology, Physics, Nanotech, Space News
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jtoney | March 21, 2012
Chester Bennington from Linkin Park performing at Sonisphere Festival in Kirjurinluoto, Pori, Finland. {Kallerna}
Ring tones that are felt, not heard, could be on their way.
From The Wall Street Journal TechEurope blog:
According to the patent application, Nokia is proposing "a material attachable to skin, the material capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin, wherein the perceivable stimulus relates to the magnetic field."
Or to put it another way, a vibrating tattoo.
That magnetic field would interact with the tattoo, causing it to…
jtoney | March 21, 2012
Six years ago today, Jack Dorsey sent the first Tweet. Twitter records events in real time. It can also bring history back to life, in a clever way.
What a wonderful way to learn, and remember, history! Join me on the venture - Titanic begins its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912 - I mean, 2012.
Some of my favorite Titanic Tweets:
#captain Titanic is getting a lot of media attention, we must ensure that she is seen in the best possible light.
#crew Jumping into those waters even in a lifebelt will still result in death. Still, it won't happen...
#engineering Titanic is fitted with four…
jtoney | March 18, 2012
Imagine spending a day with the brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking. What would you ask him? Guess who did, on St. Patrick's Day?
The up and coming science journalist Cara Santa Maria. I'm looking forward to learning about their discussion. Stay tuned.
Wonderful St. Patrick's Day with the most brilliant, inspirational man on the planet.
jtoney | March 10, 2012
Could ask.com provide a snapshot of our collective inquiring minds?
Here's a sample of this evening's "snapshot." What does it say about us?
The "suggestions," based simply on typing "I want" or "why" reveal an interesting algorithm - can any computer scientists comment? I do wonder who is asking some of those questions!
jtoney | February 29, 2012
"Air guitar" has taken on almost cult status in some circles. How about "couch guitar"?
This video is a clever application of robots, engineering and music.
From the University of Pennsylvania:
Quadrotors designed and built at the University of Pennsylvania perform the James Bond Theme by playing various instruments including the keyboard, drums and maracas, a cymbal, and the debut of an adapted guitar built from a couch frame. The quadrotors play this "couch guitar" by flying over guitar strings stretched across a couch frame; plucking the strings with a stiff wire attached to the base of…
carlyo | February 20, 2012We have a guest blogger this week. Documentary-log.com offers free online documentaries and wanted to reach out to the science community. Read more about their organization and the many science documentaries available to view below.
As the Festival approaches and excitement continues to build we are delighted to present to you a collection of documentaries that tackle some of the scientific questions of our time.
You're never too young to become obsessed with science. In fact, Einstein was barely into his twenties when he started working on some of the equations that still influence popular…
hrynyshyn | February 4, 2012As if you needed another reason to lament the state of American politics:
Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They brand government action for things like expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space as part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities. (New York Times, Feb 3, 2012)
The story ends on what would be a humorous note:
"The Tea Party people say they want nonpolluted air and clean water and everything…
pharyngula | January 30, 2012You already know my feelings about that exploitive science publisher, Elsevier; I'm not the only one, and there's been a long, long history of anger over their publishing model — and it's not just scientists, but scholars in other disciplines who have been peeved.
Now a boycott has coalesced. If you publish, edit, or review Elsevier journal articles, make your opinion known and sign the petition.
(Also on FtB)
jtoney | January 28, 2012Watch live streaming video from globalrevolution at livestream.com
I've been following use of social media in freedom of speech throughout the Arab Spring...but something is going on in Oakland, California that deserves some attention.
About the live feed:
Global Revolution brings you live stream video coverage from independent journalists on the ground at nonviolent protests around the world. The channel officially started on September 17, 2011 with occupation of Liberty Square in downtown Manhattan, NYC and was the first livestream channel to cover occupy wall street protests. Since then…
pharyngula | January 28, 2012The miseducation committee of the Indiana legislature recently approved a bill to allow the teaching of creationism in the schools, and now the Indianapolis newspaper approves, with the usual tepid and illegitimate arguments.
Much would depend on how teachers handle the origins of life in a biology or science class.
No, it doesn't. A bill that inserts garbage into the curriculum is a bill that inserts garbage; it doesn't matter if you think it could be used to make a lovely collage, or as an exercise in recycling, it's still garbage. And if you trust teachers to do their job, let them do it…
jtoney | January 26, 2012
Photo AP.
The release of Gov. Mitt Romney's tax returns on Tuesday highlights the Presidential candidate's wealth and the low 14% tax rate that investors enjoy, far less than the 25-35% tax rate that the average American pays for wages.
Yes, Gov. Romney's annual earnings of about $20 million indicate that his dividends and interest received in one day are close to the average household annual income of about $57,000. This should surprise no one. Let's put some perspective on this, relative to individuals with his business expertise - by some accounts, he is underpaid.
Gov. Romney…
jtoney | January 24, 2012
Photo: :The New York Giants in a December 2008 game against the w:Cincinnati Bengals (Flickr tedkerwin)
In 2004, I had a memorable evening dining with NY Giants player Michael Strahan (see "Football Helmet Hits and Brain Injury - What Should Be Done?") With a repeat match of the NY Giants battling with the New England Patriots coming up in the Super Bowl on February 5, I was reminded of this:
From Michael's Facebook page:
New York Giants Fans, remember this?
Will history repeat itself?
jtoney | January 15, 2012
Photo source, Stephanie Taylor.
Denver Broncos Quarterback Tim Tebow, as discussed in my last post has captured America's attention because of spectacular athletic skills and his - some say - shameless display of his religious faith.
Such a public display of piety has brought out mean-spirited commentary from my fellow bloggers, referring to Tim Tebow as "impotent," "obnoxious," a "militant evangelical Christian" (quotes below.) Really?
From "There is No God:"
This is what happens when you vaingloriously give your deity responsibility for carrying a stupid little football game: his…
jtoney | January 8, 2012
Building a résumé that gets an employer's attention is serious business. Most employers need to be convinced that the candidate can be flexible and is an effective communicator. I have reviewed many résumés over the years, and this one is likely the most unusual.
Dr. Michelle Noonan earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and was a postdoctoral fellow at CalTech. She oversees a website devoted to health awareness. The details of her CV is unusual, to say the least; without a doubt, Dr. Noonan represents someone with a flexible background and the ability to communicate well.
She reports:
*…