Including one with the International Space Station passing in front of it!
Link
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Ingrid Michaelson reblog
If there was ever any doubt as to who my celebrity crush of the year is: Ingrid Michaelson - TwitterSong!
Placebos Work -- Even Without Deception
Article here
A Harvard team shows that a placebo group fared better than controls, even when they were explicitly told that the pills were useless! Even more remarkable is that the sugar pills treated irritable bowel syndrome - a painfully physiological condition.
A Harvard team shows that a placebo group fared better than controls, even when they were explicitly told that the pills were useless! Even more remarkable is that the sugar pills treated irritable bowel syndrome - a painfully physiological condition.
A Jewish rabbi's take on the Afterlife
This is brilliant - just watch the first 11 minutes for a crash course in Jewish philosophy.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The god-shaped hole
Article
This is an interesting article comparing geekly reverence for Star Wars, Star Trek, and other sci-fi mythologies with religious belief systems. Both, claims the article, tap into the same human instincts. The interesting idea is that when reason replaces dogma, we are left with a god-shaped hole in our psyches, one that we fill with heroes, villains, and supernatural cosmologies.
I wonder if there's any cog/neuro evidence to back this up? I'll let you know if I come across any.
This is an interesting article comparing geekly reverence for Star Wars, Star Trek, and other sci-fi mythologies with religious belief systems. Both, claims the article, tap into the same human instincts. The interesting idea is that when reason replaces dogma, we are left with a god-shaped hole in our psyches, one that we fill with heroes, villains, and supernatural cosmologies.
I wonder if there's any cog/neuro evidence to back this up? I'll let you know if I come across any.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Freedom of Choice stretched to the limit
Article
I consider myself pretty staunchly in the pro-choice camp, but this one gave me pause. The issue is selective abortion - reducing a pregnancy from twins to a singleton. It's not much of a debate in higher order pregnancies, where having triplets, for example, could pose a health threat to the mother and diminish the chances of any of the fetuses coming to term. The ethics get fuzzier when it's a matter not of health, but of convenience, and when the parents have already decided to have a child (just not two of them).
As in the general abortion debate, it's important to distinguish between two important yet fundamentally separate questions:
I consider myself pretty staunchly in the pro-choice camp, but this one gave me pause. The issue is selective abortion - reducing a pregnancy from twins to a singleton. It's not much of a debate in higher order pregnancies, where having triplets, for example, could pose a health threat to the mother and diminish the chances of any of the fetuses coming to term. The ethics get fuzzier when it's a matter not of health, but of convenience, and when the parents have already decided to have a child (just not two of them).
As in the general abortion debate, it's important to distinguish between two important yet fundamentally separate questions:
- Should it be legal?
- Would you personally be able to do it?
Tough one
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Condoleeza vs. Katie Couric on Gulf War II
In this December 3rd interview, Condi calls out Katie on her "question" regarding the motivations for the second Gulf War. The question was leading to the point of absurdity, and Condi goes to town on a premise that, if not faulty, was at least based on some contentious assumptions.
Anyway, I'm not usually one to align with the Right, but I think Condi is correct.
Anyway, I'm not usually one to align with the Right, but I think Condi is correct.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Link Dump I
http://www.thisblogrules.com/2009/11/ant-works-spectacular-nasa-experiment.html?utm_source=wahoha.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wahoha
http://funzu.com/index.php/crazy-pics/35-mind-blowing-watercolor-paintings-by-steve-hanks-02082010.html
http://funzu.com/index.php/crazy-pics/35-mind-blowing-watercolor-paintings-by-steve-hanks-02082010.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)