Cedar Writes

Category: science

  • Backing it Up

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    Sorry for the boring post, but I’m in the middle of a big project, have homework (always!) and will try to create a piece of art later. I have a lovely one in my head, we will see if I can get it out onto the screen (not using paper for this one). Anyway, the…

  • The Future is Fine

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    I reviewed a book last week, and when I was done, asked the author if I could get a guest post from him elaborating on some of the concepts in the book. There are times you get a tantalizing glimpse in a novel, but storytelling dictates not-an-infodump (wise choice, here!). However… in this case I…

  • Anti-Human

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    As a companion to the piece I wrote for Mad Genius Club today, the Luddites are Winning, I ran across this article today, about a champion of golden rice, and a former Greenpeace member. Patrick Moore, in an interview for Savvy Street: The leaders of the Greens are extreme leftists, profoundly anti-human, anti-science, and anti-civilization.…

  • Niftiness!

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    Things that make me go ooh! and Aaah! JuicyPrint: the 3d printer powered by microorganisms. Fuel cells powered by microorganisms? They have a way to go, the money quote is here: a wastewater treatment plant serving 100,000 people or a large industrial plant could produce around 0.8 megawatts, which is enough to power about 500 homes.…

  • Beyond the Shirt

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    After yesterday’s brouhaha, I wanted to take a closer look at the real news, the amazing things that rocketed the shirt, and the man wearing it, into the spotlight. I’m a student of science, but I’m more a plants and bugs and squishy dirt piles kinda girl. I’ll admit that barren rocks in space don’t…

  • Epic Bullying

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    #Shirtstorm The Bullies Won Long Live the Bullies Who will stand with me for individuality, and freedom of expression? The bullying started with a ‘reporter’ focusing on an irrelevant detail instead of a monumental human achievement. It ended in triumph for the bullies when the geek who’d been targeted apologized to them in tears, because…

  • A Bump of Direction

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    This year’s Nobel prize for Medicine was awarded to a three-man team who made the interesting discovery that rats have what they call a built-in GPS. It seems that it’s been known for a long time that rats have built-in maps in their brain, cells in the hippocampus which activate as the creature navigates through a…

  • The Impermanence of Memory

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    Memories are forever… only they aren’t. There is a reason eyewitness testimony is considered highly unreliable. The processing of memories is a complex thing, and something poorly understood. Most people know there are two kinds of memory, short-term and long-term. What you may not know is that each time you pull up a long-term memory…

  • Snot Funny

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    Since my friends all seem to think that a stuffed-up head is hilarious, I’m playing along. Q: So what is snot?  A: Snot is the mucous your sinuses produce in response to irritation. The idea here is to flush allergens, pathogens, and the odd bean your kid stuffed up his nose out again, and keep…

  • Medicine and Healing in SFF

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    Hattip to Michael Kabongo for the topic suggestion. After three(ish) days sick now, this is a timely topic. One of my favorite SF series on this topic is James White’s Sector General books. White’s stories center on the classification of species of aliens, inter-species relationships, and the psychology of the doctors and nurses tending them.…

  • Biological Exploration

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    It happened in class. I was quietly sitting in the big lecture hall, surrounded by some fifty-odd other students (this was Friday, and no homework due in class, and a beautiful day… about half the class didn’t bother to show up). I was writing, because the character I’m weaving a story around likes this class.…

  • Waking up Hungry

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    Cedar Sanderson
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    I’m looking at my messy desk this morning, and thinking about the list I have to make of urgent, can wait, and maybe later projects. I have exams next week, an Art Deco style pearl necklace under my elbow, and an Indian take-out menu on my pentablet. There’s coffee to my left, but none of…