Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. ~~Mark Twain
This is a general category for items about science, scientists or scientific discoveries.
Well, Bobby Jindal succeeds, yet again, in making an idiot of himself. He apparently decided that he should tell President Obama what the President should and shouldn’t say during his visit to New Orleans. An article on Think Progress discusses Jindal’s fear that actual facts and science might be discussed in Louisiana this week.
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I finally had a chance to watch the debate between Bill Nye (the Science Guy) and Ken Ham of the Creationism Museum. Ken Ham, and anyone who still believes in creationism should be ashamed. What a sad commentary that we have digressed in this country to the point where we even have to have this discussion.
Read moreIt has been overcast all day, and rainy for a good portion of the afternoon, and now into the evening.
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Last week I flew to Chicago to attend a professional conference. Due to delays caused by weather, it came out that, despite United being willing to give me $200 to take a flight the next morning if mine were overbooked, they wanted to charge me $75 to give up that same seat, but take an earlier flight that would have actually got me home on time.
Read moreApparently, some Republicans didn’t get the memo from Gov. Bobby Jindal about not being the “stupid party.” Because if you live in Montana, you can thank state Rep. Steve Lavin (R) for taking the Supreme Court’s misguided notion that “corporations are people” to new heights of stoopid. Lavin introduced a bill to allow corporations to vote in local elections. Under Lavin’s bill, under the proposal, “if a firm, partnership, company, or corporation owns real property within the municipality, the president, vice president, secretary, or other designee of the entity is eligible to vote.”
Read moreWell, Christmas 2010 has come and gone. Nothing left to do but pack up the decorations. I’d have to rate it as a pretty good Christmas. I think I managed to stick to a fairly tight budget, and despite a few arguments with Lay, we wound up with everyone getting something they really enjoyed. I got my shopping and gift wrapping done well ahead of time this year. The decorations were up right after Thanksgiving, and the Christmas Cards went out just after that, so I never felt rushed or hectic.
Read moreYes, that’s right folks. I knew it would be just a matter of time, but the tea bagger crazies are now claiming the oil spill in the Gulf was caused by God. So why would you say God would blow up an oil drilling platform off the Louisiana coast? Well, Katrina was because of those devil worshiping, gays down in New Orleans, so you might think this was because the people down there keep electing prostitution supporter, diaper wearing David Vitter, but you would be wrong. Turns out, it’s all Obama’s fault.
Read moreThis is a video posted on YouTube by Michael McLean. You start out seeing what’s been called the whitest beaches in the world, but ominously, in the background, you see the people in white jumpsuits and the crime scene tape. Indeed it is a crime scene as the videographer makes his way closer to the water line and you seen the puddles of oil and the black stained seaweed washed up.
Read moreTake one preconceived notion and grasp it strongly. Bake this idea into your mind until well seared. If necessary, run around shouting it at the top of your lungs with your ears plugged and eyes shut so as to drown out any competing notions.
Read moreDespite the fact that the Big Bang has sort of been going on for billions and billions of years, Janna Levin, a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University, explains it in this two-minute video about The Big Bang. This is part of a new series called the Briefly series. Taking theory and presenting it in it’s most concise form.The producers started with the Big Bang because the theory is important and amazing, but often misunderstood.
Read moreMore than 100 years ago a salt shaker sized object made of platinum and iridium was forged in London. This was then shipped to Paris where it was shaped and polished and carefully weighed until it was exactly one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds). By international treaty, this then became the international for the exact weight of a kilogram. The problem is, the mass of the cylinder may be changing.
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