Darwin’s Birthday Party Although I won’t be celebrating his birthday until tomorrow, I figured I’d at least get in some birthday wishes. Take a moment today to appreciate a truly great man of science.
Monthly Archive: February 2011
Feb 12 2011
Cantina Quote o’ The Week: Xenophon
Excess of grief for the dead is madness; for it is an injury to the living, and the dead know it not. -Xenophon You know what, forget Plato. Xenophon was a much better writer, and reading his Memorabilia was a sheer joy. He lived an interesting life, which included palling around with Socrates, being a …
Feb 11 2011
Los Links 2/11
That’ll learn me. I didn’t build Los Links throughout the week, instead choosing to throw links into a scattered heap and sort them out later. Wot a mess. And I feel I’ve missed some important things, but I haven’t got the faintest idea what they are. My wetware is nonfunctional, people. I’m in the midst …
Feb 10 2011
Confessions of a Female Misogynist Vol. 1: So Wrong About Writers
So, ScienceOnline 11 sparked a small revolution. I first noticed a small rumbling: celebration that over 50% of the participants were women. Then the rumbling turned into an eruption, as women and allied men started going “Well, then, why are the women so invisible WTF?!” For a selection of links on that topic, see here. …
Feb 09 2011
Oregon Geology Parte the Seventh: There’s a Light…
So far, we’ve devoured delightful geology at Astoria, Ecola State Park, Hug Point north and south, the world’s shortest river, and the Three Capes Scenic Loop. Truly a six-course meal! Now, ’tis time for dessert. Herein, we see the light and discover that water is a right bastard. We’ve arrived, my darlings, at Cape Meares, …
Feb 08 2011
Dana’s Dojo: Authors as Anglers
Today in the Dojo: Making that first sentence/paragraph/page hook the reader and reel them in. I feel like I just grabbed a big juicy worm with a right sharp hook in the middle of it.-Lyndon B. Johnson Readers are like fish: they’re always nibbling, but if you want to catch one you’ve got to use …
Feb 07 2011
No, I KNOW I’m Odd
I don’t think there are many call-center workers whose main rave about their new computer is the fact that it can pull up 5 pdfs at once without breaking a sweat. There’s probably only a small subset of laypeople who would get so excited about finding a treasure trove of papers on the South China …
Feb 06 2011
Tomes 2011: Inaugural Edition
Those of you who’ve been with me for a bit know I started a project last year wherein I report upon the books I’ve recently read. It’s been upsetting to some, as it causes unplanned additions to reading lists. I do feel your pain, believe me. But I can’t not talk about books, so the …
Feb 05 2011
It’s a Matter of Life and Death
Neil Gaiman tweeted a link to this article recently. It’s about a young woman who died, alone and in pain, of a heart attack, because she didn’t have health insurance. As imperfect as the Affordable Care Act is, it’s a step closer to ensuring that people like Melissa don’t die so needlessly. And I’d rather …
Feb 05 2011
Cantina Quote o’ The Week: Jean-Paul Sartre
Life begins on the other side of despair. -Jean-Paul Sarte If you’ve never read Sartre, don’t do so unless you’re ready for a head trip. The Existentialists aren’t an easy read on the best of days, and Sartre was a master of the philosophy, which means you’ll walk away feeling as though …
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