Misc.
tsmith | March 10, 2006Ed already highlighted it, but I wanted to draw more attention to this interview with Panda's Thumb contributor and author of the book "Unintelligent Design," Mark Perakh. Mark's life story is simply incredible (Siberian prison camps, teaching in several countries, and much more), but what was the neatest connection for me ('cause it was new to me) was this:
From 1973 to 1978, Perakh taught as a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, performing research in photodeposition of semiconductor films and electrodeposition.
Why is this interesting? My first actual research position--the…
tsmith | March 10, 2006Evil monkey's pissed off about how scientists are viewed and treated. To hell with the nerdy sterotypes, the unrealistic portrayals in the movies and TV. Who are we really?
So who am I? I'm tenacious. I can be ground down but never stopped. Repeated setbacks fuel my desire to overcome an obstacle and solve the problem. I am calculating; after dusting myself off, I plan a new approach before trying again. I show up to work every day because ultimately my job gives me a chance to improve lives. It isn't about money but the excitement of discovering something completely new and the prospect…
tsmith | March 9, 2006Guess I should've held off an extra day on this post. Yesterday was blog against sexism day. Lots of excellent posts linked there if you're looking to spend several hours getting depressed, then pissed off, then ready to go out and kick some as over the state of affairs and the treatment of women in the 21st century. Locally, Janet shares some of her experiences.
In other "can you believe this crap is still happening in 2006?" news, Orac notes that the offices of the Holocaust History Project were attacked by arsonists (more details here). This latest outrage comes after an extended…
tsmith | March 6, 2006I meant to plug this last week: RPM at Evolgen has a post on microbial diversity in the gut, referencing a new Cell paper.
I was going to write up this paper on MRSA within amoebae, but haven't had time. I still might do a more extensive commentary, but Joseph has a few words on it.
tsmith | February 22, 2006Do you people not understand internet etiquette? Once a conversation is closed, it's closed--don't go spamming other threads with unrelated comments. I already told y'all I'd re-open the AIDS discussion in another thread--are you so impatient that you can't give me a few days' break to go enjoy my new family members? Sheesh.
Anyhoo, as I mentioned, I'll get to the Padian paper soon--possibly tomorrow. Please keep the comments on the whole AIDS topic reserved for that--and specifically that paper, when it's posted.
[Edited to add: after reading all the comments, I do want to thank…
tsmith | February 16, 2006As I mentioned here, I'm heading to Ohio in the morning. I have two brand-new nephews to meet. My sister gave birth to her first child back on January 24th, and a sister-in-law just had her first on Valentine's Day. (And the baby boom ain't over yet--another almost-sister-in-law--my brother-in-law's girlfriend--is due in May). So, the positive: I get to spend the weekend playing with babies and then give them back to their mommies when they puke, poop, and generally do all that nasty stuff that babies do. The negative: 8+ hours (looks like bad weather, so potentially up to 10) in a car…
tsmith | February 13, 2006Like, gee, 17th Century manuscripts from the Royal Society, written by Robert Hooke?
A long-lost 17th century manuscript charting the birth of modern science has been found gathering dust in a cupboard in a Hampshire home. Filled with crabby italics and acerbic asides, the 520 or so yellowing and stained pages are the handwritten minutes of the Royal Society as recorded by the brilliant scientist Robert Hooke, one of the society's original fellows and curator of experiments.
The notes describe in detail some of the most astounding and outlandish scientific thinking from meetings of the…
tsmith | February 11, 2006Told you this week's interview would be a good one. Generally journalists are the ones telling the story, but this week, Carl Zimmer's in the spotlight, discussing science writing (and blogging), education, transitional fossils, and, of course, parasites. Check it out.
tsmith | February 8, 2006I know, not exactly a novel finding. But I somehow continue to be amazed at the level of utter stupidity displayed by some of those in the public eye. Now, admittedly, I'm not much of a celebrity-watcher. I don't care much who they're sleeping with, what drugs they're on, or how much their new mansion cost. But some things you can't help but notice, since they're discussed on every freakin' news show in the universe. Like this one:
That's pop princess Britney Spears, for anyone who hasn't yet see that pic (and if such a person exists, can you tell me where I can find this haven from…
tsmith | February 7, 2006My 6-year-old daughter has glasses, and yesterday afternoon I took her to the optometrist for her yearly checkup. After initially being a bit skeptical about getting the eye drops to dilate her pupils so her retinas could be visualized, she was won over after seeing the cool pictures of her eyes. She even asked for a printout of the picture, and proceeded to take it to school and point out her optic nerve, blood vessels, and macula to her friends. Yep, that's my girl...
tsmith | December 13, 2005...I was suffering the worst pain I'd ever experienced. I arrived at the hospital a bit before 1AM, and spent the next four hours or so walking around in agony. By 5AM, I decided I was ready for some of the good drugs, but the nurse informed me it was too late--time for the real fun to start. My daughter was born at 5:23AM, December 13, 1999--five long grumpy days after her due date. I was supposed to have a final exam that day.
My daughter wasn't exactly, erm, scheduled--but no contraceptive is 100% effective. I'd just been accepted to grad school, married less than 6 months, and hello, baby…
tsmith | November 29, 2005Link to CNN story.
Stan Berenstain, who with his wife created the popular children's books about the Berenstain Bears, has died.
In more than 200 books, the Berenstain Bears, written and illustrated by Stan and Jan Berenstain, helped children for 40 years cope with trips to the dentist, eating junk food and cleaning their messy rooms.
The first Berenstain Bears book, "The Great Honey Hunt," was published in 1962. The couple developed the series with children's author Theodor Geisel -- better known as Dr. Seuss, then head of children's publishing at Random House -- with the goal of teaching…