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7 February 2011
Homer’s on Mars and Power Balance Admits Lying-Yes they’re related.
So maybe I’m crazy, but look at the picture on the left. These are shots of sand dunes on Mars, taken by the Mars Recon Orbiter. The images were taken about a year apart, and yes, they do change quite dramatically. But look at the image on the left. Remind you of anyone? It’s truly amazing how the human mind tries to make order out of nothing. We see this …
4 January 2011
Ever Seen One of These In Your Bird Feeder??
A few weeks ago it was frost flowers and now another strange ice formation is spotted here in the Tennessee Valley. This time it’s an ice spike. Merlin (Mo) Marice of Huntsville in Alabama went out to check his bird bath Monday morning and was greeted with this! He called and sent me the pic in search of an explanation. My initial guess was that the top of the ice …
2 January 2011
Let’s Hope 2011 is a Brighter Year for Science than 2010 Turned Out To Be
I write this blog because the natural world is amazing and I want to share what I find out with others. My background is in atmospheric science but I try to post frequently on any aspect of science that meets my definition of wild. It’s sad that so many people get caught up in these end of world myths like 2012. Even more are seduced by such laughable myths like …
4 December 2010
Conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson-Was Pluto Worth It?
Neil deGrasse Tyson gets LOTS of questions on Pluto. When I sat down with Tyson on Friday, I considered asking nothing about it. Instead I asked just one: You used the demotion of Pluto as a way of teaching science and scientific method to millions of people. Was it worth it???
1 December 2010
An Even More Inconvenient Truth
It’s called CAMM Worldwide. That stands for Connect A Million Minds. The project was started by Time Warner and it’s based around a simple fact: The U.S. now ranks 35th in Math and 29th in Science worldwide. That means that your child’s above average grades in math and science are C’s and D’s compared to the rest of the industrialised world. As one scientist said recently, “China has more really …
18 October 2010
Great Poster for Teachers
Found this online today and it’s a must for Earth Science teachers everywhere. This is definitely my longest post ever! Okay so click on it and download the full size image and then get a poster made! kudos to Karl Tate at OurAmazingPlanet.com
15 October 2010
This Is A Great Idea!
I just heard today about a fabulous project to help get supplies to teachers in need. Donors Choose is a clearing house where teachers who need supplies can be matched with donors. Teachers list exactly what they need equipment wise and you can chip in to help them get it! Any amount is excepted and it’s tax deductible! I have made a special page on their site where readers of …
1 September 2010
Denialism and The Age of Disinformation
Chris Mooney and Michael Specter along with others did a lecture at MIT last April. MIT has put the video up online and it is well worth a view. The topic was denialism and disinformation. How can so many people believe things that someone tells them with no critical thinking. (My post on Authoritarians goes along with this quite well I suspect) I regularly get asked if the world is …
7 July 2010
Science and Democracy II: Dumbing Ourselves to Death
Frank Adams has a must read article on the NPR web site. Click the image below to read it. He is absolutely right. We are totally failing in America to educate our young people in science. Don’t believe me? Attend any college graduation, and look at the nationality of those who are getting the PhD’s.
1 July 2010
Yet Another Magic Bracelet
So I go out to eat on my birthday Wednesday and what do I see? This sign at a fitness store next to my fave tex-mex place. Could it be another scam. Yes indeedy! I wonder how many thousands they have scammed?? Let’s take a look at their website and see what unscientific goodies we can find. Here is what they claim on their web site: •What is Power Balance? …