Random Thoughts

Problems With Immortality

What is it that makes people want to live forever?  I suppose some of it might be fear of death (or at least the means by which it occurs).  Some of it might be that they just don't want to "leave the party", afraid that they'll miss so ...

Blog Post - Gerhard Adam - Sep 5 2009 - 2:45pm

Einstein Has An H’ Index Of 1?

One of the biggest axioms of management is “what cannot be measured cannot be managed”. Unfortunately this is a truism that effects scientists as much as the rest of the world.  The latest trend in hiring committees, tenure review, promotions, etc., is to ...

Article - Christopher Schadt - Sep 6 2009 - 1:44pm

Fat Studies: Joelle Ruby Ryan profile of a fat scholar and supposed investigator.

Every so often here a "investigation" by one Curtis Hinkle and the "transgender and intersexed community" will be cited. What about the people who did the investigating? Those anonymous members of the "transgender and intersexed&q ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Sep 28 2009 - 12:36pm

Morning Science Quote

The man who believes that the secrets of the world are forever hidden lives in mystery and fear. Superstition will drag him down. The rain will erode the deeds of his life. But that man who sets himself the task of singling out the thread of order from th ...

Blog Post - Michael White - Sep 9 2009 - 9:23am

Memories from eight years ago

It’s a rainy morning here in the New York City area — not at all like the bright, cloudless day of eight years ago. Of those affected, back then, by the events of the day, many were friends and co-workers of people who died. Today I want to tell a story a ...

Blog Post - Barry Leiba - Sep 11 2009 - 9:53am

Another Perspective on Faked Videos

There is a new article on LiveScience " Scary: Fake Videos Alter Perception of Reality " that reports some findings related to faked videos and the responses to them. This particular article brings up several points which should be considered bey ...

Blog Post - Gerhard Adam - Sep 15 2009 - 4:51pm

Society and Violence

I recently heard a news report about the murder victim at Yale University, Annie Le.  This was followed by a cacophony of calls to change our culture of violence against women and to bring pressure on the government to address this injustice. This has beco ...

Blog Post - Gerhard Adam - Sep 15 2009 - 8:46pm

Developing Science 2.0: The G(r)eek in All of Us

In keeping with Hank's recent article (and the fact that he's terminally obsessed with Greek mythology), we've developed something new for our good readers / authors here to use: The "Which Character from The Iliad Are You?" Quiz, ...

Blog Post - Patrick Adair - Sep 16 2009 - 2:50pm

Where have all the activists gone?

Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul and Mary, died of complications from her leukemia treatment at age 72. You probably know the 1960s folk trio's songs, If I Had a Hammer, Lemon Tree, John Denver's Leaving on a Jet Plane, Dylan's Blowing in the Wi ...

Blog Post - Becky Jungbauer - Sep 17 2009 - 9:18am

Would you Snuggle up with a Plant?

Are plants really demonic oxygen stealing crooks that will sneak up at night and kill us all? Can plants kill you by simply respiring? This is what I want to look at with this post. I’m sure you are all familiar with plants being removed from hospital war ...

Blog Post - Connor Davidson - Sep 23 2009 - 10:43am