In those days, one of the hardest things to come by was a good pair of boots. Boots were carefully and painstakingly hand made of relatively rare materials. They were meant to last for years, re-soled now and then, re-heeled a bit more often. I myself barely remember, as a child, bringing the family shoes to the cobbler for new heels, or perhaps bringing them back home, acting as a tiny courier and not having to bring any money for the work being done since it was put on an account. But back in those days … long before my time or even my father’s time … boots were even more rare and a person of modest means was likely to own perhaps six pairs in a whole lifetime.

Continue reading All Quiet on the Scienceblogs Front →

Holy crap:

Knowing the Problem of Induction

Through these experiences, I found out how religious people “know” what they know. There could be no doubt, because the words came directly to me while I was experiencing the ecstasy. There was no induction needed, because through those experiences I had the Truth.

On the Utility of Dicks

This is not about what you think it is.

Adventures Among Ants

Well, OK, not so much read, but listen to!

Rage rising…rising…rising…

At some point, there will be a loud noise, a sudden lurch (Bora’s departure may even be it), and everyone will abruptly turn and run screaming for the lifeboats. I personally may trample a few women and children to get a good seat. There may be riots and recriminations. Shots will fired, flares will go off, people will be thrown overboard, boilers will explode.

Breaking news: It seems as though the cap placed on BP’s deep sea oil well may be leaking, and there is seeping gas and/or oil from nearby indicating that the oil is leaking from the bore hole into surrounding sediments.

Continue reading BP’s oil well seeping, leaking →

Actually, this ad makes be a little hungry.

The Twittersphere erupted Sunday when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tweeted that “peaceful Muslims” should “refudiate” the mosque being built in New York City near where the Twin Towers once stood. Palin found herself the butt of many tweets, as refudiate, of course, is not a word in the English language.

After deleting the offending tweet, Palin replaced it with another calling on “peaceful New Yorkers” to “refute the Ground Zero mosque plan,” which only added to the confusion because it would appear the word she was looking for was “repudiate.” Then came the kicker: To quell the vicious Twitter-ribbing she was receiving, Palin unleashed yet another tweet comparing herself to no less than the Bard of Avon.

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Do not try this at home.

Courtesy: Caldera Girl

Read all about it.

On the Utility of Dicks

For a few bucks, a randy Switzer can have a three pack of condoms delivered by bike in one hour.

Researchers create ‘lesbian’ mice by deleting a single gene

Stone Age Dildo Found in Sweden

Co-creator of the philanthropic FEED bags, Ellen Gustafson says hunger and obesity are two sides of the same coin. At TEDxEast, she launches The 30 Project — a way to change how we farm and eat in the next 30 years, and solve the global food inequalities behind both epidemics.

Continue reading Ellen Gustafson: Obesity + Hunger = 1 global food issue →

This presentation by John Abraham of St. Thomas in Minnesota rips to shreds Christopher Monckton’s prior presentation at Bethel College (both religious institutions of higher ed, but of very different characers!). A summary of the Abraham v. Monkinton debate is supplied here, on Class M Planet.

Jennifer L. Jacquet has been investigating the results of unfettered “drill baby drill” environmentalism, and in the process came across this impressive collection of tee-shirts that say something about the BP oil spill. For the most part, they are not pro BP.

Bora of A Blog Around the Clock interviews Anne Frances Johnson, in his continuing series of Science Online 2010 interviews.

And finally, science bloggers take note: Scientia Pro Publica Needs Your Writing!

New research suggests that misinformed people rarely change their minds when presented with the facts — and often become even more attached to their beliefs. The finding raises questions about a key principle of a strong democracy: that a well-informed electorate is best.

Sound familiar?

See and hear the story here.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of data recorders from Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration and found that the throttles were wide open and the brakes weren’t engaged at the time of the crash, people familiar with the findings said.

The early results suggest that some drivers who said their Toyotas and Lexuses surged out of control were mistakenly flooring the accelerator when they intended to jam on the brakes.

But the findings–part of a broad, ongoing federal investigation into Toyota’s recalls–don’t exonerate the car maker from two known issues blamed for sudden acceleration in its vehicles: “sticky” accelerator pedals that don’t return to idle and floor mats that can trap accelerators to the floor.

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I’ve seen this before.

Nalini Nadkarni challenges our perspective on trees and prisons — she says both can be more dynamic than we think. Through a partnership with the state of Washington, she brings science classes and conservation programs to inmates, with unexpected results.

Continue reading Life science in prison →