March was a particularly important month for this blog, and for everybody in the world, really, because it is when the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and Fukushima meltdown started. Although I blogged early on about the quake and tsunami, my colleague and friend Analiese Miller and I eventually focused on the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and to date we’ve produced 41 numbered updates, part of a larger set of over 60 posts. And we shall continue.

We were able to identify, from the very beginning, a problem in the skeptical community’s reaction to Fukushima. For historical reasons, most skeptics had become supporters of nuclear power, and often with good reason, but many had become uncritical advocates and at the same time, uncritically viewed people (like Ana and me) criticizing the nuclear power industry as woo-peddling anti-rationalists.

They were wrong, we were right. We were seeing, in the physical evidence at hand, evidence of meltdowns, as our skeptical colleagues smugly and with perfect certainty told us that no such thing could happen. We questioned the intelligence of placing a nuclear power plant at an elevation susceptible to a tsunami, we were told by our skeptical colleagues that no one had any idea a tsunami could strike this location, and then it was shown that the possibility of such an event was known and brushed aside at the time the plant was planned and licensed. And so on. But if you think I’m saying here “I told you so,” don’t worry, I’m not. That will come later, when we know more, and when it will have more meaning and more exposure. Watch this space during the coming March.

There were a few other posts that month, of course. I addressed the question How long is a generation? This was the month Tom Johnson was revealed. I did an interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

I wrote a really fun essay about stramtolites. We talked about the question of how often animals die in front of visitors in zoos, after a tragic and rather public polar bear death. The Crossley ID Guide, a remarkable new bird book, came out (or, at least, my review of it came out). It was PZ Myers (of Pharyngula)’s birthday, which is also my brother’s birthday, and a big deal in the blogosphere. Also, I interviewed PZ on the radio.

In March, I updated and reintroduced The Skeptical Search Engine.

And I reposted one of my favorite essays, which you should read if you have not already: Finding Facebook.

… is over on Camels with Hammers.

Daniel documents and discusses Cee-lo Green, whom I’ve never heard of before but now know of as a dishonest, disgusting dick-head, singing but changing the words of a song written by a man who is a thousand times better than Cee-lo Green, as part of the New Year’s celebration. Cree Lo, kiss my ass.

Details here.

Read the comments at CWH. It appers that Cee Lo Green has committed an illegal act, violating copyright law, in the process of being a dick. I assume he has no problem with this because it was also a Christian Act, which justifies it. Right?

Whichever recording company or network owns his ass should make a statement explaining how they are going to fix this, I assume.

Last night, a Minneapolis woman gave birth to twins. Two of them. But labor was tough. The first one was born just before 7PM on December 31st, 2011. The second one was born just after midnight, Januray 1st, 2012. This will get interesting in about 12 years.*

The following tragic news story appeared on this morning’s WCCO Web Site. I’ve highlighted certain parts of it:

Are you tired of Tebow Tebowing? Well, one answers a gesture with a gesture, a symbol with a symbol. Next time you score at Touchdown during an NFL game, or whatever the normal human equivalent of that might be (finding your shoes on sale, getting your cheapskate friend to buy you a beer, etc.) try Thinkering. This is a picture of David Silverman of the American Atheists demonstrating this idea, which is apparently his. Good idea, Dave. A little reminiscent of the “Brights” idea but hopefully no one will remember that.

For the first time all year, we had more than just a dusting of snow. The snow transcended the New Years Moment, so only a tiny bit fell in 2011 and a tiny bit fell in 2012 (no big deal because that is not how we count winters, but still…). Unfortunately, the snow fell during the New Years Drunk Driving Tournament we seem to have every year, so statewide 138 vehicles were reported to have run off the road or spun out (I quickly add that this is a very under-reported statistic. If you drive your ride into a field and then back onto the road and continue on your way, you are not likely to call it in.) There were 88 crashes statewide, 54 in the Twin Cities Metro. There were eleven injuries and 20 people were arrested statewide for DWI. One of the accidents was a police squad car at a crash scene which was in turn crashed into by a (would have been) passing drunk driver. Happy New Year. I was in bed, didn’t see a thing. (Statistics from various radio and web reports.)

Birders, please report your first bird of 2012 here. And speaking of new year, what is the history of new year anyway? Here’s one take on it.

As you know, I rather enjoy having some food in my bugs, but sometimes it is nice to have some bugs in my food too.

And finally, check out this Skeptics Guide to New Year’s Resolutions.

If you have a touch screen device that requires a password to unlock, and the location of the password is fixed on the screen, add repeating digits to you PIN. For obvious reasons.