Sunday, August 29, 2010

Secrets of the gecko foot help robot climb

Secrets of the gecko foot help robot climb

I love the geckos in Hawaii and am obsessed with taking pictures of them. They are considered to be good luck and they also cut down on bugs in your house.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

'Dry water' could make a big splash commercially, help fight global warming

'Dry water' could make a big splash commercially, help fight global warming

An article about "dry water", must be in the same category as "military intelligence" and "jumbo shrimp".... or not

Baby's first full diaper can reveal mother's smoking

Baby's first full diaper can reveal mother's smoking

obviously smoking is bad for you, that goes without saying. don't start. don't do it. obviously what a mother does while she is pregnant affects her unborn baby. That also goes without saying. But scientists who study baby diapers really deserve a prize. YUCK!Somewhat reminds me of studying entrails of beasts for clues to the future.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

YouTube - Video of rare 'Fire Tornado' seen in Brazil

YouTube - Video of rare 'Fire Tornado' seen in Brazil

This is remarkable footaage. Wish I knew more about the causes

A surfboard gets an onboard computer

A surfboard gets an onboard computer

Now, what do you think would happen if a shark took a bite and swalled this computer? Just curious.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Entrepreneurs Enter the Commercial Space Race - NYTimes.com

Entrepreneurs Enter the Commercial Space Race - NYTimes.com

Let's go on a mission!

groucho

And following the last post-an old one from Groucho Marx
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's dark.

Dogs may not be' man’s best friend' during hay fever season


Dogs may not be' man’s best friend' during hay fever season

So why is it that dogs love to stick their heads out of the car and have the wind in their faces, but try blowing on a dog's face, it will go crazy?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Paving 'slabs' that clean the air

Paving 'slabs' that clean the air

Give the heat that comes off concrete, this is an interesting idea

nightmares

I learned something about sleep last night and my husband suffered for my discovery. Right before bed I had seen a scary show with terrible images of violence. The images were so vivid that they snuck into my dreams, and I remember screaming loudly in the dream. Turns out I was also screaming loudly in real life. I woke up my husband with my screaming and he started shaking me to wake me up. So the lesson is: don't watch scary things as they really might give you nightmares

Friday, August 13, 2010

woods hole

WOW. I will be in the company of some pretty amazing journalist next month. Check out who else is coming to Woods Hole.

And as for keeping in touch, the wonderful Daniel Stone, now the sr fancy pants reporter for Newsweek, just called. It's great to hear from journalists who were on previous fellowships and see what they are doing. Daniel has moved to the White House beat. Voytek is at MIT doing a 1 year journalism fellowship. And Victoria and Chandra now know each other at National Geographic.

2010 WHOI Ocean Science Journalism fellows:
Jennifer Barone
Jennifer, news editor at DISCOVER magazine, coordinates coverage of current
research from across the sciences and oversees fact‐checking at the magazine,
where she has previously worked as a reporter and as associate editor. Before
joining DISCOVER, she taught high school physics. She also spent two years sailing
and teaching aboard Sea Education Association’s tall ships.
Brooke Borel
Brooke is a freelance science writer, editor and researcher based in Brooklyn, NY.
She writes regularly for the print and online editions of Popular Science, COSMOS
and G: The Green Lifestyle Magazine, covering topics ranging from vegetarian
spiders to the worlds biggest laser to the latest green tech gadgets. She is also a
research editor for Science Illustrated.
Clarke Canfield
Clarke has been a professional journalist for 30 years, working as a writer and
editor at daily newspapers, magazines and on the Internet. For more than 20 years,
his primary focus has been marine‐related topics and issues as a reporter and editor
at the Portland Press Herald, a commercial fishing magazine, a commercial fishing
Internet site and, for the past nine years, at The Associated Press. Clarke works in
Portland, Maine, and lives with his wife and 12‐year‐old son outside of the city.
Emily Gertz,
Emily is a freelance journalist covering the environment, technology, science and
sustainability. Currently a correspondent for OnEarth Magazine, Emily also works
on social media outreach and strategy for the magazine and web site, OnEarth.org.
Her professional memberships include the Society of Environmental Journalists,
where she volunteers for the SEJ Freedom of Information Task Force. Journalistic
claims to fame include: "Naughty by Nature: Ever thought about the toxins in your
sex toys?" for Grist; touring a coal‐fired power plant for Scientific American online;
being a founding blogger of Worldchanging.com and contributor to the wellreceived
and decently selling book, "Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st
Century" (Abrams); covering the 2009 Copenhagen climate talks for OnEarth.org,
and as a special correspondent for Oxfam America.
Shar Levine
To paraphrase the old feminist line about how Ginger Rogers did everything Fred
Astaire did, only backwards and in high heels, Shar does everything all science
journalists do, only she makes it understandable for children. Shar is an
international award‐winning and best‐selling author of 70 hands‐on science books
for children, as well as a designer of science toys. Her books have sold millions of
copies and been translated into ten languages. Ten of her books are on the
recommended list of the National Science Teachers Association and two were shortlisted
for the AAAS Subaru Award for science‐activity books. Books by Levine and
her writing partner, Leslie Johnstone are used in schools and libraries around the
world.
Erik Olsen
Erik is an award‐winning video journalist with the New York Times, specializing in
science and the environment. He shoots, writes, edits and narrates complete video
stories for nytimes.com and other outlets. Prior, he worked for ABC News producing
news for broadcast and the Internet. He has reported from and/or lived in Thailand,
India, Spain, Haiti and Chile. He’s also is an avid kayaker and guitarist.
Frank Pope
After working for six years with Oxford University's Maritime Archaeological
Research Unit, Frank became a project manager on the Hoi An excavation in the
South China Sea, one of the biggest and deepest underwater excavations ever
attempted. The experience pushed him to write a book, Dragon Sea, which
eventually led to a position as the world's first ocean correspondent for a national
newspaper, The Times of London.
Mindy Todd
Mindy, host The Point on WCAI, examines critical issues for Cape Cod and the
Islands. She brings 30 years of experience in radio and television to the job. After
starting her broadcasting career as a midday DJ at WARE in Ware, Ma., she quickly
advanced to host of the morning drive show, which in 1981, made her one of the few
women in broadcasting to anchor her own morning show. Mindy’s career has
covered nearly all aspects of broadcasting and taken her across the county. She has
been a radio disc jockey, a traffic reporter, a television news anchor and reporter, a
program director, talk show host, and even a ski reporter. Her television work as a
reporter and news anchor brought her to Northern New England, Indianapolis, IN
and Nashville, TN. She has received numerous awards, most recently an Associated
Press Award for Public Affairs and a National PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors
Association) award for best Call‐in program in the country.
Jennifer Weeks
Jennifer is an award‐winning writer specializing in nature, energy and
environmental issues. She has written for more than 40 newspapers, magazines,
and web sites, including the Washington Post, Boston Globe Magazine, Popular
Mechanics, Audubon, National Wildlife, Grist, Daily Climate, National Geographic
Kids, Plenty, Backpacker, Environment, High Country News, Preservation, New
Scientist, Columbia Journalism Review, and Newsweek. She also has fifteen years of
experience as a Congressional aide, lobbyist, and public policy analyst. Weeks
graduated from Williams College and holds master’s degrees from the University of
North Carolina (political science) and Harvard University (environmental policy).
Allison Winter
Allison has been a reporter with E&E Publishing since January 2003. E&E is an
environment and energy news source with four daily publications on its website,
daily content on the New York Times website and periodic stories on Scientific
American. Mrs. Winter works from the Washington, DC office, where she covers
oceans, fisheries, wildlife and agriculture, with particular emphasis on Congress and
federal agencies. Her work has also been published in The Washington Post and The
State newspaper in South Carolina. She graduated in 1999 with an English degree
from the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina. She and
her husband are expecting their first child in late November of this year

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Dogs' physical traits controlled by small number of genetic regions, researcher finds

Dogs' physical traits controlled by small number of genetic regions, researcher finds

The other night I was walking Cry and Havoc when we met up with another American Eskimo. My dogs are generally friendly with most other strange dogs, but when they turned and saw an Eskimo, the bolted towards him, jumping and wagging their tails. They reacted like this was a long, lost friend.

Building muscle doesn't require lifting heavy weights, study shows

Building muscle doesn't require lifting heavy weights, study shows

Drop those heavy weights, but lift lighter ones until your arms want to drop off. Now there's an idea whose time has come. I wonder if anyone has done research on lifting weights in a very hot room..... like Bikrams Yoga temperature. Wonder what that does to your muscles.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Gallery - Picture of the day: the smallest monkey in the world - Image 1 - New Scientist

Gallery - Picture of the day: the smallest monkey in the world - Image 1 - New Scientist

This falls into the "way too cute" category of posts. Aaaaah, look at the cute monkey.

Children's vegetable intake linked to Popeye cartoons

Children's vegetable intake linked to Popeye cartoons

Cartoons can make cold spinach in a can tempting for kids? Good luck. One taste of that stuff will kill their appetite for good. Try doing something interesting with veggies and kids will love them. Frankly, ants on a log aka raisons, cheese whiz and celery was a sure fired way of getting something green into my kids. And endive with something yummy also worked.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Emotions help animals to make choices, research suggests

Emotions help animals to make choices, research suggests

I once had a dog who thought that he had more rights than my new-born daughter because he was there first. He would express his displeasure with her by pooping on my bed.

Habitat of elusive Northern squid documented

Habitat of elusive Northern squid documented

Guess my family aren't the only ones who love to dine on squid. A very long time ago when my son was about 3, I told him that if he put the calamari rings on his fingers and ate them, they would turn into chocolate in his stomach. For years he actually believed this. I also gave him a bowl of invisible fish to keep him quiet at a dinner party.