Archive for the ‘Science’ Category
R.I.P. Martin Gardner
Last Saturday, Martin Gardner past away. With books such as Fads & Fallacies, and his venerable monthly Mathematical Games column in Scientific American, Martin, probably more than any one other individual, helped me begin the long and painful journey away from my ultraconservative upbringing toward a more open-minded, rational existence. A prolific writer right up until [...]
In: Religion, Science, Uncategorized
Famous Tumors
While looping the lake today I listened to “Famous Tumors” from RadioLab. In this hour of Radiolab: an unflinching look at tumors. A close examination of these anatomical aberrations reveals surprising stories of evolution, immortality, and maybe…God? Say hello to the growth that killed Ulysses S. Grant, and get to know the woman whose cancer [...]
In: Health & Fitness, Long Pond, Science
Dr Novella Rocks.
One of the challenges of trying to be scientific, and an honest intellectual, is that judgment is often required in assessing a claim or topic. The problem with relying upon one’s judgment is that it is fraught, even overwhelmed, with personal bias. The “default mode” of human behavior (which means most people do this most [...]
“Abject Scientific Nonsense” –Novella, on Oz
There are few living souls on this earth that I’d rather meet than Krista Tippett–the brilliant (and beautiful) journalist, author and extraordinary host of the NPR radio program Speaking of Faith. In Krista’s words What most Americans want, whether they are religious or not, is for the religious voice in our public life to be [...]
In: Books, Religion, Science
Ray v. Jeff
Long my favorite among living scientist/inventors, Ray gives one of his longer interviews… I crossed paths with Ray many years ago. One of my scanner patents references one of his. So, Jeff Bertholdi — Mr Bentvision – put your money where your youtube is and take me up on this bet. I’ll fly out there [...]
On a Curiosity Bender
I have two strikes against me as a skeptical thinker: (1) I live in the U.S. of A. and (2) I was raised by direct descendants of both the Puritans as well as one of the early co-founders of the Seventh Day Adventist church. Consequently, in disproportionately large numbers, I am surrounded by loved ones [...]
In: Only in the USA, Religion, Science
Let his dataset change your mindset.
Hans Rosling — our modern-day hero of data visualization — has done it again.
In: Science, Software Design, Technology
Tranquility, Walter has Landed
Walter Cronkite, 92, passed away yesterday, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission.
Verner’s Foolscap is nearly a Reality
In last week’s Technology Review, a “Full Color Screen that Bends” is described. This, of course, it the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for on the road to Verner Vinge’s foolscap — from which this blog is named. “This family was effectively illiterate. Sure, Miri bragged that many books were visible any time you wanted to [...]
Humanity. A Global Perspective
Even the most jaded anthropocentric observer cannot deny the miniscule role of humanity in the bigger picture of Life on Earth (’till now, of course). Click, and zoom in to “homo sapiens”.