Category: science
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Hunting Bugs
I take a lot of bug pictures, and one of the things I try to do with them is correctly identify what I’ve captured on film pixels. I’ve got some resources in the form of real people who can steer me in the right direction or pinpoint the genus and species, but I hate to…
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Rain Falling
There is a sort of peacefulness to being indoors with the rain falling down safely out of doors. A warm cup of coffee, a list of tasks which may be completed without stepping foot out of the house… it’s all good. I was baking yesterday and am doing more today, as I work on another…
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To the Stars!
This is a piece which sends a shiver up my spine, which makes me want to jump up and go out and DO something. We’re going to the stars, someday. To the stars! Go read all of it. I’m putting a big quote here, but really, it’s worth the time. Brad Torgersen has a way…
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Little Pluto
The littlest planet, which has inspired so much science fiction, is finally entering science fact. This morning (EST) the closest flyby ever captured images of the airless world. Those images won’t be available until tomorrow, but in the meantime, here are a couple lovely portraits. As with the comet lander Philae, this project amazes me.…
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Question Especially Yourself
Human nature is not built for scientific research. We have innate curiosity, no doubt about it, and we have pattern-recognition and narrative-forming abilities (and how). But what doesn’t come naturally is organized suspicion of our own convictions. That has to be learned, and relearned. In this line of work, the tuition can get expensive. —Derek…
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Blast From the Past: Biases and Assumptions
I don’t recall when I wrote this. I still like it. We are all biased. I’m not only talking about right-leaning, or left-leaning, but many other flavors of assumptions as well. This was brought home to me a couple of times over the last week, and I decided I’d explore the concept here, although it…
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Celebrity Science
Ever hear one of your favorite stars talking about their favorite cleanse and decided you just had to try it? Or the latest greatest diet by so-and-so the super fit super model? How about someone in the breakroom recommending something Dr. Oz said was the way to go for their health needs? You might want…
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Morning Has Broken
If you’re anything like me, that will now be your earworm for the day. It could be worse. I was talking about opera over at the Otherwhere Gazette today, and how ‘Space Opera’ came to be first a pejorative, and later a term of acclaim. Fat Ladies Singing Space and Opera seem to be an…
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On Women and Writing, and Science
Dave Freer has an excellent article over at the Mad Genius Club today, and I wanted to share a bit of it – I encourage you to go over there and read the rest, if you like, but like him, I raise an eyebrow (maybe both) at someone who states numbers with no data to…
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Whirled Peas and Tomatoes
Oh, boy… Wednesdays are the new Mondays for me. Or at any rate, they are going to be the busiest day of the week when it comes to school scheduling. I have Genetics, Drawing, and Organic Chemistry (lecture). So blogging on Wednesday is likely to slip in quality a bit. Not that that’s a high…
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Surviving the Boston Museum of Science
This is a mother’s field guide to the Boston Museum of science, with survival tips and tricks, in no particular order: DO NOT go on a vacation week. It was beyond mobbed. Had I any idea, we would have gone somewhere else, but I have limited time here. Don’t forget to carry bottles of water…
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Saturday Link Round-Up
Ride on, cowgirl… I’ll start it off with a little piece of tech that flew by on my fb timeline, and caught my eye. This little drone fits in the palm of your hand, and can capture HD video. The start of the art tech, and this is by no means alone, scanning the related…