tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154433192012-02-01T07:52:18.221-05:00This was started just for pictures, I swear.magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.comBlogger8041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-60771436808147083682011-02-17T12:23:00.002-05:002011-02-17T12:37:56.957-05:00

Speaking of my zombie book...I was a pretty big fan of it. Feed by Mira Grant turned out to be a rollicking little read. It opens decades after the zombie apocalypse, which killed a third of the world's population and greatly lessened the power of traditional news outlets. Of course, bloggers were the only people telling the truth about the zombies and have now become the de-facto trustworthy

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-44166752989462057442011-02-15T12:44:00.002-05:002011-02-15T13:00:58.233-05:00

Oh, the horror of working Valentine's Day in the food industry, especially the slightly rarefied version of such that I now inhabit. Most people class New Year's and Valentine's Day as similar in their amateur hour-ness and they are similar in the insanity of them and the way in which they are fairly hellish for service workers and the way restaurants are going to make you pay out the ying to

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-41613464666708701822011-02-10T11:57:00.003-05:002011-02-10T12:06:36.648-05:00

I haven't done anything with this in a long, long time. When I read advice about blogs I consistently hear people advising you to focus on one thing and that has never, ever been my specialty. The very stress of attempting to decide on topics and what-not end up making the process far more stressful. However, I also spend much of my life reading (or explaining food and drink) and I have long

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-38577761729027143692009-07-07T10:37:00.001-04:002009-07-07T10:37:05.819-04:00

Solar powered blimp! That is all.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-58321763296667315132009-07-06T10:59:00.002-04:002009-07-07T10:46:18.752-04:00

The drug war may be finally losing support in Mexico, but it's happening when there is finally some evidence that marijuana is addictive. The new studies suggest that withdrawal has been overlooked because of the long half-life in the body for marijuana; symptoms are often worst in the third and fourth weeks after one quits ingesting the drug. That still doesn't change my feelings about the

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-62854860493615751362009-07-05T15:53:00.001-04:002009-07-05T15:53:13.007-04:00

There are some encouraging updates coming out of Iran while everyone's attention has been focused elsewhere this weekend. The clergy seems to finally be making more public moves in support of the protesters, releasing a document that seriously questions the election. (Via niacINsight) Mousavi has released a detailed report containing evidence for election fraud and a British-Greek reporter has

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-89520576225336966822009-07-05T15:29:00.001-04:002009-07-05T15:29:48.642-04:00

Are you seriously telling me that someone in the intelligence community couldn't explain how Facebook works to his wife?Also, Penitents Compete is the best name ever, and it is a reality show where different religious leaders get to fight over atheists. Sometimes I love even the tackiest parts of television.HT: Abu M and 3quarks

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-48335375570908962822009-07-05T14:18:00.001-04:002009-07-05T14:18:26.100-04:00

The strangeness and sporadic nature of my blogging continues. I have grown so addicted to GoogleReader in the last year that I tend to just post things there. Hence my chatty link farm blog has gone by the wayside, but I am trying out a new tool that I hope will bring the two pursuits more in line with each other. So...we'll see if this works any better.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-30598529640845043832009-02-02T14:33:00.002-05:002009-02-02T14:46:24.713-05:00

Ars Technica has a massive and absolutely gorgeous rant on e-books. I'm not going to tell you that you really do want to read a novel off a screen. I am going to tell you that your reticence to do so has absolutely nothing to do with the state of screen technology, despite your fervent protestations to the contrary. (…where "you" is a statistically average fuzz of an individual, obviously. Some

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-80207484436409476732009-02-02T14:20:00.003-05:002009-02-02T14:25:53.938-05:00

It seems unlikely that an Egyptian scientist has discovered an ancient bacteria that was used by pharaohs and sterilizes sewage in seven minutes. It seems even more unlikely that such an event wouldn't be immediate news all over the world if there is any evidence that it is real. However, it would certainly be quite amazing.Hat tip: The Arabist

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-91832633234625794152009-02-02T13:18:00.003-05:002009-02-02T13:21:54.648-05:00

Scientific American has a whole article on the growing evidence that unstructured play is incredibly important to mental and emotional growth in children.Not only is play awesome, even babies have rhythm.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-2071944366146164422009-02-02T12:54:00.001-05:002009-02-02T12:56:05.051-05:00

Oh yes, today Muammar Qaddafi was elected Chairman of the African Union.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-47977321995323471512009-02-02T12:05:00.002-05:002009-02-02T12:10:33.268-05:00

It turns out that the usefulness of peer pressure for regulating behavior extends to driving. In low-income countries, road traffic accidents account for 3.7 percent of deaths, twice as high as deaths due to malaria. Anyone who has traveled in Kenya won’t be surprised to hear that 20 percent of recorded crashes involve matatus, the private buses that careen around the city.Billy Jack and James

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-53598280074258833132009-02-02T11:07:00.006-05:002009-02-03T00:02:05.005-05:00

A newly designed green gadget uses coffee grinds to print fromyour computer (it also requires you to move the ink cartridgeback and forth yourself, but it's a prototype).Also, it may be linked to a lowed risk of developing Alzheimer'sdisease and other forms of dementia. Lifehacker, of course,has the tips on how to brew the best cheap coffee.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-55783362992943249422009-02-02T10:51:00.002-05:002009-02-02T11:04:16.085-05:00

My blogging has been light to non-existant for quite a while now, but I am trying to write again. I'm sure things will be moving slowly; the next few months of my life promise to be somewhat hectic. 

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-55008332982598608752008-10-06T10:09:00.004-04:002008-10-06T16:39:40.446-04:00

I've been away for a while. Once again life sort of caught up with me and my life has been somewhat frazzled. This became more annoying when I finally came back onto my blog to realize that my last day of posting was truly snarky and I have left it up here for a month-and-a-half. Such is life. I am going to be trying to pick things back up, but it will be happening very slowly as I am trying to

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-19232860930118301442008-08-19T14:59:00.003-04:002008-08-19T15:03:24.525-04:00

Should we be boycotting Amazon?Rushdie is annoyed:The events depicted in the pieces I have seen are either completely invented or so distorted so as to add up to invention. Nobody locked me in a f****** cupboard. What kind of police force would it be to do something like that to the person they are protecting in order to go off to the pub and get drunk?

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-83833257830991831412008-08-19T14:50:00.002-04:002008-08-19T14:59:21.143-04:00

Okkervil River has set up a YouTube channel and put out a session giving a glimpse at their upcoming album. Of course, the jamming includes A. C. Newman, who continues to annoy me for no reason I can name, but this is supposed to be only the first in a series with various guests.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-1158669111519737712008-08-19T12:43:00.005-04:002008-08-20T09:45:52.498-04:00

Out in Australia, a dolphin who spent only a few weeks in captivity around trained dolphins appears to be teaching the females in her wild school to tail walk on water, a behavior that has previously only existed in captive and trained dolphins. Scientists have no idea why this is happening, but it sounds like Billie (the dolphin) came back from an exotic locale as a hipster.Meanwhile, we are

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-23994770340763028592008-08-19T11:25:00.003-04:002008-08-20T09:52:57.285-04:00

The silicon used in solar cells is quickly getting cheaper. The price may drop 43% in the next year.Hope fights depression and meditation helps with AIDS. What is the world coming to?The NYT has an interesting article about science and science journalism progress. The NYT also thinks you should be drinking box wine.Short women with long legs are supposed to be the most attractive to men, blah,

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-79962899885777510192008-08-19T11:21:00.002-04:002008-08-19T11:25:13.495-04:00

Matt Steinglass disputes the idea that privately-run entities are clearly better than their government-controlled peers. I am going to quote extensively because he makes some really good points:First of all, there’s no need for a strained comparison to McDonald’s or Wal-Mart: there are lots of private military organizations, and it turns out they’re neither better at their jobs nor most

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-64547589189233003552008-08-19T11:14:00.002-04:002008-08-19T11:19:56.879-04:00

Timbuktu has turned out to be a treasure trove of ancient manuscripts that date back to its heyday as a cultural center sometime between 800 and 1400 AD.Hat tip: bookslut

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-12758760063879888872008-08-19T11:05:00.003-04:002008-08-19T11:14:24.939-04:00

Britain's lady linguist has won gold in the 400m.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-59505932932487180452008-08-18T23:42:00.004-04:002008-08-18T23:45:32.262-04:00

Dogs and cats get along after all (but only if the cat is there first, because dogs are cute, but don't deal well with change). Also, if you thought the mini-horses were bad, you'll love the designer animals that can give you milk.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-1407165469782568822008-08-18T23:23:00.003-04:002008-08-18T23:41:07.280-04:00

Pandora may be a casualty of the new laws about royalties for internet radio, while the internet is challenging copyright on the very old art of periodical publishing and there is a new book asserting that copyright is a bad thing for society.Of course, some copyright would be more easily enforced if Bono didn't annoy his neighbors and songwriters appear to be doing quite well in the new world.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-4322572968563521212008-08-18T13:38:00.003-04:002008-08-18T16:13:28.140-04:00

There's been some interesting information in the past few days that I am dealing with all together here. Statistics are finally being gathered on the effect no-fault divorce has had on marriage in places it is enacted and it turns out to be an unqualified good. Though divorce rates do rise immediately after no-fault divorce becomes legal, they quickly drop to a lower rate than existed, but far

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-52854386511473408382008-08-15T13:58:00.002-04:002008-08-15T14:02:40.004-04:00

Uh, Alyssa Rosenberg is filling in at Ezra Klein's blog and she just wrote a post entitled "Star Wars and Parenting" linking to proof that sometimes a lightsaber is not just a lightsaber.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-45417057785246586722008-08-15T12:29:00.003-04:002008-08-15T13:32:12.627-04:00

I waded into the deep waters of ranting about the way interest in education in a renaissance manner seems to have waned the other day and now I find a book review from Powell's that has this interesting muse on problems with teaching in the sciences and its tendency to value rules and formulas rather than the much more exciting parts of the sciences. (Certainly one of my fav high school moments

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-41266159971672993622008-08-15T10:58:00.003-04:002008-08-15T13:34:22.160-04:00

Anyone reading this blog is aware that I love stories about women who have done (or are doing) amazing things. Well, it turns out that the oldest continually open university was founded in Morocco by Fatima Al-Fihri as a mosque that became a religious and educational landmark for Fez (Fes) and has remained so for over a thousand years. The university has been officially recognized by the Guinness

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-23680290245334142402008-08-12T10:50:00.002-04:002008-08-12T11:05:06.880-04:00

So the post that came just before this was quite depressing, but I have links to funny things, mostly this comic from xkcd (love):The related discussion on Wicked Anomie, Scatterplot, and Law and Letters is great-they have been breaking such questions down by gender and seeing what happens if you use sleep with rather than kiss. It turns out women are slightly more likely than men to regret doing

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-15719419659606034682008-08-12T09:50:00.003-04:002008-08-14T23:31:33.704-04:00

There was an incident last week that was horrifying, but I assumed everyone had already heard about it because Reason has had incredible and consistent reporting on it. Then I spoke to a friend who lives about five miles from Berwyn Heights and hadn't heard anything about it and asked me to post some links. Here you are (quoting from Reason):In the raid, police in Prince George's County, Maryland

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-71309912897705062722008-08-11T17:30:00.004-04:002008-08-11T17:34:23.430-04:00

That is a favorite picture of mine (I'm in the black and my sister is in red) and my family was not alone in finding this a picturesque spot, but it is no more.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-23051076845917263382008-08-11T16:47:00.003-04:002008-08-11T17:22:10.187-04:00

There are amazing cool women in the world and this one is in China now:If you're watching track and field events in the coming Olympics, keep an eye out for British runner Christine Ohuruogu, competing in the women's 400m race (she's currently the World Champion in the event). In 2005, Ohuruogu graduated with a degree in linguistics from University College London, and her thesis was all about

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-75174285204198643352008-08-11T16:31:00.004-04:002008-08-11T16:46:03.009-04:00

Finally, someone agrees with one of my long-cherished rants. Inside Higher Ed has published an article bemoaning the tendency for people in the humanities to assume they don't need to have any knowledge of math and science and the way it cheapens our educational system. I disagree with Orzel's contention that this does not go both ways because I have taught the humanities in a school that was

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-61854443577314313962008-08-07T19:29:00.001-04:002008-08-07T19:30:19.999-04:00

Coffee rocks. I am at peace with this addiction.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-41551618031107012042008-08-07T19:24:00.000-04:002008-08-07T19:25:20.949-04:00

Visualizations of the world's geology are coming online.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-36162687536611181382008-08-07T18:55:00.002-04:002008-08-07T19:23:16.597-04:00

Egypt is DNA testing its mummies. Mummies long assumed to be the children of Tutankhamun (my spell checker and Nature appear to disagree on the spelling, which I find interesting) are being tested, but not even Nature can keep from linking this back to questions about whether King Tut was fertile. No, it really is interesting and I am waiting with bated breath to hear what this eventually

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-28787211654147791192008-08-07T18:48:00.003-04:002008-08-07T18:54:18.770-04:00

The rumor on the web is that IKEA is about to start selling decently priced home solar panels. This would be so awesome. If I ever get a house, you all now know what to get me for the housewarming. That is assuming we don't all get our energy from kites soon anyway.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-73216387659789403752008-08-06T10:01:00.003-04:002008-08-06T10:06:10.064-04:00

I spent a while today listening to my sister vent her frustration about people who express doubts about her plan to raise a "nature baby boy." As my contribution to the cause I am pointing out Inhabitat's new side project: Inhabitots. It promises to be at the cresting wave of all things natural and baby-related.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-50768957328781020622008-08-05T11:21:00.002-04:002008-08-05T11:25:35.989-04:00

The last blog post I wrote was about stupidity in news sources, but the scale is completely blown away by the NYT's little oops that managed to accidentally reveal the identity of a confidential source who was commenting on his already insecure position as a Chinese Muslim.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-27527495842085257572008-08-05T09:31:00.003-04:002008-08-05T11:21:42.061-04:00

Slate has published an article about the horrible dangers of night residents who have no clue what is going on with their patients rather than residents who are nearly delirious from no sleep. While I understand the journalistic impulse to notify people of problems caused by supposed solutions to other problems and disturbing reader assumptions the entire article annoyed me tremendously.Medical

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-19781155523055567212008-08-04T21:46:00.000-04:002008-08-04T21:49:54.068-04:00

The EFF rocks. Go get your ISP testing program. That is all. Hat tip: Boing boing

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-60162361317305065042008-08-04T21:31:00.003-04:002008-08-06T10:19:55.886-04:00

It's nice that the Brits are looking towards awesome musicians from our side of the pond, but I am especially thrilled that the US music scene is being recognized for some of the great lyricists that are writing today. It isn't every day that John Darnielle both gets recognized in a major newspaper and comes out with a marvelous quote that doesn't have to do with heavy metal.Now, I know that on

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-39779236189004835062008-08-04T21:28:00.003-04:002008-08-04T21:30:14.145-04:00

I wish streetlights looked like this and were solar powered.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-52890094020881844292008-08-03T23:18:00.000-04:002008-08-04T09:38:17.338-04:00

Overcoming Bias has a long and interesting post about behaviorism, (blah, blah, it sucked, but it spawned the application of actual science to psychology) but I am posting it because it begins with this awesome quote:"Let me see if I understand your thesis. You think we shouldn't anthropomorphize people?" -- Sidney Morgenbesser to B. F. Skinner

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-66860170126067364672008-08-03T22:04:00.001-04:002008-08-03T22:08:40.880-04:00

Here is an art installation that ventures well into creepy territory.For his Faces of Evil project, Hans Weishäupl made composite photographs of the world's worst dictators by photographing hundreds of people in each dictator's country and stitching them together.Hat tip: kottke

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-73263516490932322202008-08-03T20:24:00.002-04:002008-08-03T20:36:37.469-04:00

An incredibly important bill is wending its way through congress.The "publish what you pay" concept is this: a country has oil (or any resource) in the ground -- potentially valuable, but only if it's on the surface. So oil companies pay the government for the right to drill, lift the oil and sell it. This involves huge lump sum payments that have a habit of evaporating before they can benefit

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-73728825439252402462008-08-03T19:59:00.005-04:002008-12-11T03:34:44.226-05:00

My favorite Indian design blogger just did a post on decorating for Indian weddings and she gorgeously evokes memories of friends' celebrations.I am another strange individual who finds these pictures from the large hadron collider just as beautiful. Many years ago I wrote poetry about a lexan plant in the middle of nowhere, IN and I still believe that beauty is possible in the strangest of

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-51701004178924432842008-08-03T19:42:00.001-04:002008-08-03T19:44:32.058-04:00

Some cities are built on financial markets or rock 'n' roll. Apparently, Atlanta is built on guns and marriage.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-69210427307579396672008-08-03T19:21:00.006-04:002008-08-04T20:38:47.758-04:00

The confusion of interpreting Žižek's wild swings between brilliance and nuttiness is the real subject (especially as it relates to the recent kerfuffles over Tibet) of a "review" of In Defense of Lost Causes. My favorite quote actually comes from Badiou's comment on the man who won't stop talking about him.Badiou first identified Žižek as the inventor of "a strange and completely new composition

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-7514004323325574702008-08-03T18:59:00.003-04:002008-08-03T19:17:58.845-04:00

A new study in rodents seems to show that spending time in a wheel chair after an injury dramatically impedes recovery. This is very preliminary, but it seems to show that we may be doing the wrong thing by encouraging people to stay off their feet after injuries. The article also points to last week's most popular science study about those alcoholic tree shrews.However, I think one of the

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-40631698195858513832008-07-30T12:27:00.002-04:002008-07-30T12:31:26.994-04:00

A new site is allowing people to visualize how dangerous roads are. The maps are a bit difficult to read, but it seems like a great idea.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-14505561120740428802008-07-30T12:25:00.003-04:002008-07-30T12:27:47.965-04:00

The NYT has a really great article about the recurring problems with hip replacement hardware and the power registries of health information and patient outcomes can help catch health care problems early.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-79955547547694503492008-07-30T12:24:00.001-04:002008-07-30T12:24:47.999-04:00

We have a jet-pack!

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-90975929799307553422008-07-26T14:57:00.005-04:002008-07-27T00:31:04.893-04:00

This is your regularly scheduled Inhabit update:Yes, that is a pre-fab ewok house. As one of the many women who grew up simply desperate to be Leia Skywalker (she had Jedi powers, too, remember), this is pretty much the apex of all coolness. Also, can we talk about how sad it is that the Blogger spellcheck whines about both ewok and Skywalker. Internet company-get with the program.This is also a

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-86761051141122946002008-07-26T14:00:00.002-04:002008-07-26T14:17:32.435-04:00

Two wonderful things (both of which should have occurred a long, long time ago) happened yesterday.The FCC has finally made the decision to put the smackdown on Comcast for their throttling of peer-to-peer networks. This is the statement the FCC sent out to Ars Technica:This vote reflects the bipartisan support for protecting consumers' access to the free and open Internet. Comcast's blocking is

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-57944719534671634432008-07-24T19:35:00.003-04:002008-07-25T01:11:16.514-04:00

Everyone can just assume that everything on Michael Ruhlman's list of kitchen gadgets is also on my amazon wishlist. Also, I have been preaching the wonders of the cheese and green apple omelet (which I discovered on a whim) for years and finally someone agrees with me. That would be enough to convince me I want this book but Jessica Crispin has problems with the book because, though the recipes

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-18910704055481646152008-07-24T19:09:00.001-04:002008-07-24T19:10:33.826-04:00

More Tate Modern:

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-56162463034668050132008-07-24T19:04:00.001-04:002008-07-24T19:06:25.099-04:00

I do love the Valve, even though I don't link to it often, but I think it is fair to say that this is one of the more interesting reviews of The Dark Knight.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-74981450797570357822008-07-24T18:48:00.004-04:002008-07-24T19:35:05.272-04:00

If you checked the comments on the post below you will see that Math Wizard has also contributed a link to pictures of abandoned mental hospitals, which is unutterably cool, and then I found this link to a feature from Seed highlighting empty labs at night. I have spent a fair bit of time in empty labs for someone who is supposed to be in the humanities.That isn't enough photo listing for you: a

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-50205084658356134802008-07-23T14:30:00.003-04:002008-07-23T14:41:36.669-04:00

Everybody and their brother has posted about this, but it is still cool as all get-out. The Oddee Blog (which is totally going in my feed reader) has put up pictures of the "10 Most Amazing Ghost Towns" in the world and it is riveting. This is a picture from an entire island in Japan that has been mostly abandoned. It was the setting for "Battle Royale II". I note this because I am completely

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-88764123629713328362008-07-23T14:20:00.003-04:002008-07-23T14:30:13.943-04:00

I have been pretty exhausted recently. I am trying to do edits in the thesis and look for an editing job and working a part-time gig and starting to teach yoga and possibly getting drained to perform and/or do more serious teaching for belly dance. Since my part-time gig is the always reliably lucrative, but totally hell on one's schedule, restaurant work all of this has resulted in me walking

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-27561198809217430422008-07-19T11:53:00.005-04:002008-07-19T12:12:12.992-04:00

I'm watching Anthony Bourdain in South Carolina and it is making me hungry. He's done an oyster roast and biscuits and gravy, even boiled peanuts. The only offense is that he goes to a place that serves mustard barbecue, nooooo! I love mustard more than anyone I know, but mustard sauce on barbeque can most accurately be described as an abomination. At least they take the time to point out that

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-75612840971074037112008-07-16T15:12:00.003-04:002008-07-17T00:18:13.520-04:00

The awesomeness of Scully is ever-present.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-79388383000521106952008-07-16T15:08:00.002-04:002008-07-16T15:11:47.922-04:00

I'm happy to know that if a spacecraft ever causes me injury it will be appropriated classified:So we’ve got this patient here who was injured in this spaceship accident. You know, just a routine, uh, orbital mishap. But how do we account for that? Oh, right, it’s ICD-9 code E845 — “Accident involving spacecraft.”Apropos of nothing in particular, this billing code popped up on a couple of medical

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-73429249930746967822008-07-16T14:39:00.004-04:002008-07-16T15:44:13.770-04:00

Ezra Klein has a great article tracing the reasons women are so underrepresented as politicians. The most interesting point is that women win at the same rate men do when they run for office, but they do not run nearly as often. Klein links this both to not being asked and distaste for the political process, but he also touches on a phenomenon I find far more interesting. Women are much less

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-43331566656721001092008-07-16T14:03:00.001-04:002008-07-16T14:23:20.599-04:00

Project Runway is back! I realize how lame this is, but oh well.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-54577517705816678322008-07-16T13:58:00.002-04:002008-07-16T14:03:53.650-04:00

The idea that You-Tube is changing politics because it actually catches things politicians say on video where anyone can see it (Hello, George Allen; or, rather, goodbye and good riddance.) has been a common one during this election and the Google Blog just revealed that it is going to get much worse.Google is launching the Google Elections Video Search gadget, which uses speech recognition to

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-23555824814672403252008-07-16T13:53:00.002-04:002008-07-16T13:57:39.652-04:00

More of Muggle's gorgeous photography is up:

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-9050577115207046902008-07-16T13:03:00.003-04:002008-07-16T13:28:50.340-04:00

Ars Technica is on a roll today! I have officialy been notified that the Library of Congress doesn't like DRM, that the new book Patent Failure is a good summary of the massive clusterf*** that has been building around patents for years, Comcast is still annoying, and cybercrime is evolving.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-76899233302041969242008-07-12T10:15:00.003-04:002008-07-18T15:02:29.158-04:00

I love Last.fm (as you might have guessed from my sidebar) so I was quite excited by the announcement that they were going to be paying independent artists used in their streaming radio. However, there are assertions that the effort is more of a publicity stunt than a useful move because of the difficult process a band has to go through to actually get paid.While we're on music, Sub Pop is twenty.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-25628901378283622692008-07-12T08:56:00.006-04:002008-07-14T15:37:32.242-04:00

Neil Gaiman rocks.He is affecting the way we think about putting books online. He recently did a promotion that offered American Gods as a free download and noted the results of the experiment on his blog. "Harper Collins sold a lot more of all my books while the free American Gods was out there, with sales of all my titles up 40% through independent bookshops"He also links to the Gaurdian

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-53853716427354348232008-07-12T08:47:00.003-04:002008-07-12T08:50:13.561-04:00

I believe I have found a new favorite dessert for my father. "Banana Splitters" are slices of banana filled with ice cream and coated in dark chocolate. I'm not entirely sure how they qualify as science, but they look yummy and they were invented at his alma mater.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-36849576706190758692008-07-12T08:10:00.003-04:002008-07-12T08:41:59.154-04:00

If you want to read talking points about the crisis with Fannie and Freddy in the middle of a hilarious rant, you should look up Brad Delong's tale of woe from his BBC appearance on the matter. He went with talking points and found Grover Norquist. He was not happy, but he is entertaining.Hat tip: Economist's View

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-87153428312328497642008-07-12T07:56:00.002-04:002008-07-12T08:02:54.473-04:00

There is a project in Philadelphia building LEED certified housing for $100K. The homes should sell for about twice that and they look very neat, even though they only have one bedroom.Also, Durham has been in the news lately for consistently showing up as one of teh cities in the country with the most LEED certified buildings per capita.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-35959235013035651542008-07-12T07:40:00.003-04:002008-07-12T07:47:31.442-04:00

Megan Carpentier from Jezebel is over in Germany and she has brought us this little gem along with her observations:

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-16752672260332393282008-07-11T18:32:00.003-04:002008-07-11T18:46:41.226-04:00

Global Comment has the scoop on two new archeological finds showing that Mayan markets and sea trade in Kerala both extend back to a very long way.Mark Bittman put up a musing by an RTP dweller (Andrew Kligerman) about how tea and beer may have ended up associated with different parts of the world. An integral fact, Europeans didn't know that boiling water made it safer to drink, but barley was

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-31871382193412263582008-07-11T17:23:00.007-04:002008-07-12T10:15:07.593-04:00

So my friend and erstwhile contributor Muggle is off in India, making me jealous and getting me tons of crap from midnightsky who should be sleeping after having a marvelous birthday (and never answers her cell). I tried to explain that I had no money for the plane ticket and the response was, "You're an American, you can get money if you really wanted, just come on." To which I say, "Blarg!"

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-28678891036895907782008-07-11T17:01:00.000-04:002008-07-11T17:03:01.331-04:00

This story about a Monglian boy who has become a hot jockey is pretty awesomely heart-warming.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-55868930771279440362008-07-11T16:49:00.002-04:002008-07-11T17:46:49.220-04:00

Police deaths are at a forty-year low and teenage drinking is really not that bad. The number of teenagers who drink regularly are dropping, but the number of those who binge drink is rising. It may have something to do with our attitudes, duh.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-5572826203992200662008-07-11T16:12:00.003-04:002008-07-11T17:49:22.173-04:00

It turns out that the faked pictures from the missile launch were even more fake than people thought, some of them were from a launch two years ago, and they have started an entire internet meme. I'll put one or two of the pics at the bottom. They are all from these links. The (hot) Iranian student who showed up on the cover of The Economist 9 years ago and was imprisoned and tortured for his

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-50176132134729082642008-07-10T15:58:00.001-04:002008-07-10T23:12:32.055-04:00

It is stunning to me that we have not only found ice on Mars and water on the moon, but they happened only a month apart and there is water in Mercury's atmosphere. Also, the third spot Jupiter gained a while back may be no more and it looks like relativity has gotten another checkmark.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-28168777855562757182008-07-10T15:54:00.000-04:002008-07-10T15:57:34.001-04:00

The translation questions concerning homosexuality in the New Testament are at the center of a new lawsuit aimed at two publishers. Hat Tip: Maud Newton

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-4236526273525115132008-07-10T15:31:00.000-04:002008-07-10T15:47:52.881-04:00

I never get to see decent movies anymore, but I'm hoping that will change soon, especially since I keep hearing about cool movies everywhere lately. Here are a few that sound fascinating, but may or may not ever get shown where I am. Likely not. "In “Hassan and Morcos,” Adel Imam plays a Christian and Omar Sherif a Muslim who struggle against the extremists within each of their religious

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-27708337914744390652008-07-10T15:16:00.002-04:002008-07-10T15:26:50.464-04:00

Chris Blattman has pointed to two really interesting things in the last few days. The first is a piece from Google.org about the possibilities for scalable, off-the-grid solutions to power infrastructure problems that has me scanning the Google.org blog to find out more. Then there is a series about China's activity in Africa that is interesting, but annoying. However, Blattman's response to the

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-71973182734563206912008-07-10T15:09:00.003-04:002008-07-10T15:13:14.460-04:00

I'll admit that I loved Heathcliff when I was thirteen, but he doesn't seem like the best role model for the British Prime Minister, especially in his aged incarnation.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-85574640764827447862008-07-10T15:05:00.004-04:002008-07-10T15:30:50.847-04:00

A shop in London is already working like it should in science fiction. Instead of driving the minivan off to IKEA, you walk down the street to your neighborhood CNC equipped shop, choose the design that suits your needs, choose your plywood and size, and they cut them out on the spot. I want, though I want to be able to design it right there, too, not just pick my options.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-12757171636697909322008-07-10T13:36:00.001-04:002008-07-10T13:38:46.386-04:00

Have I mentioned that I love John Scalzi?

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-38585181665695547432008-07-10T13:20:00.004-04:002008-07-10T13:32:03.783-04:00

In case anybody has missed it yet, the picture that everybody was using to talk about Iran shooting off missiles was totally "adjusted" for effect. This does nothing to disabuse me of the notion that Iran is one of the more interesting countries on Earth right now.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-82401048438482814862008-07-10T11:01:00.003-04:002008-07-10T13:34:41.603-04:00

Since I brought up women doing awesome things below, I should also post this article from Spencer Ackerman about the prominence of women in counterinsurgency studies. It is the last in a very good series and Spencer's band is playing on Saturday up in Baltimore, which I am trying to talk people into attending just so they can make me jealous.Also, everybody who cares about counterinsurgency at

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-51045843501716568042008-07-10T10:48:00.003-04:002008-07-10T11:00:23.091-04:00

Just as an aside, this dude has managed to say many things I agree with about Atlas Shrugged with more hilarity than I am capable of summoning. I have to give the book props for being part of a quad of books that had a very deep impact on me when I was 15 (extraordinarily long ago) and read them in a very short period of time, while engrossed in non-Euclidean geometry, but, oh, it's horrible.Hat

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-32709469459756124192008-07-10T09:53:00.002-04:002008-07-10T10:01:15.477-04:00

It is a strange subject, but I find the technology used to store wine fascinating. This means that I have been following the problems with cork, which have been going on for a few years and I thought I would note this Audubon article, which is long, but details the history and has the title "Corkscrewed" which is just marvelous.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-85885713897704191052008-07-10T09:16:00.002-04:002008-07-10T09:49:02.667-04:00

A friend of mine has put up an awesome post about three historical women who were important in the sciences and it reminded me of the notice Hedy Lamarr was getting a few weeks ago, since she is on his list along with Hypatia of Alexandria (the first recorded female mathematician) and Ada Lovelace (duh). You should really go read his post because he has a story about Hypatia that I had not heard

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-80209074284387219832008-07-09T23:33:00.004-04:002008-07-10T09:51:56.130-04:00

GoogleMaps has a video service where you can use street view to actually see where the riders in the Tour de France are going. It is pretty awesome. Of course, if you really want to see what the riders are doing and just how organized the Tour is, Deadspin has a picture worth a thousand words on the subject of bathroom breaks.Hat tip: Monkey CageAlso, I simply cannot believe that Barcelona is

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-27824847936585121992008-07-08T13:51:00.002-04:002008-07-08T13:57:33.324-04:00

Philadelphia is being sued by tour guides who are upset because the city wants them to pass a test and be licensed to operate. Tapped has the story and Reason is freaking out because of the speech infringement, but by far the most interesting story is what tour guides are accused of saying. Mayor Michael Nutter signed the law in April amid concerns that some guides were perpetuating gross

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-30123107722543705322008-07-08T12:51:00.002-04:002008-07-08T13:18:49.791-04:00

The latest fad in political journalism seems to be attempting to suss out the true personality of a candidate by looking up personal details. Salon (site pass, arggh) has a piece on Obama's reading habits, but really, if you didn't know the names Neibur, Alinsky, and Neitzche in connection to the man at this point in the campaign are you really going to care if Salon tells you about it now? Far

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-72619297400914861272008-07-07T23:54:00.003-04:002008-07-08T13:50:27.972-04:00

This is just a post about beautiful or need things. It's a list, deal with it.First we have some design goodies:This is Blobwall:It is a modular structure made completely out of lightweight plastic "blobs" that interlock in a myriad of ways.The room pictured next is completely composed of a modular system. It even has a loft, the pieces are assembled on site and the entire thing just won

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-59388020676334038072008-07-07T23:20:00.003-04:002008-07-07T23:32:48.867-04:00

Raleigh is holding the line against the RIAA, just in case you were wondering. Students from NCSU are fighting back against RIAA lawsuits that rely on MediaSentry's tracking. Right now a judge is reevaluating the pretrial documents, which may result in the court throwing out the subpoenas and the case. Ars Technica explains all of this for better than I can.P.S. To Dave: see I'm rooting for your

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-71988914191012421942008-07-07T18:44:00.002-04:002008-07-07T19:30:42.218-04:00

Long ago and far away, I enjoyed Witchblade quite a bit, but I had no idea that the artist had been at the forefront of fighting censorship in comics.

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15443319.post-27689509618803009452008-07-07T18:32:00.002-04:002008-07-07T18:43:46.025-04:00

Normally this is said as a metaphor, or an exaggeration, but I, quite literally, know people who wouldn't do this to a dog.The Electronic ID Bracelet, as it’s referred to as, would be worn by every traveler “until they disembark the flight at their destination.” Yes, you read that correctly. Every airline passenger would be tracked by a government-funded GPS, containing personal, private and

magnoliasitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10382483267896404820noreply@blogger.com0