Posted in In The News, Opinion on Jan 21st, 2006
[Creationism, Evolution, Intelligent Design, Michael Behe, Orson Scott Card, Politics, Religion, Science]In a long essay, Orson Scott Card defends Intelligent Design as expressed in “Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution” (Michael J. Behe). I just finished reading it and frankly am surprised by it. Card rehashes the main points made in […]
Posted in Opinion on Jan 18th, 2006
[Humans vs. Robots, Space Exploration]There has been a fair amount of editorial writing in the last few days about the whole humans vs. robots “argument” in light of the impending launch of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. This is a favorite topic of discussion among space enthusiasts for a couple of reasons, but to us […]
Posted in Opinion on Jan 17th, 2006
[Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering, Failure, Hurricane Katrina, Levees, New Orleans]The LA Times today published a lengthy report on the preliminary National Science Foundation findings on the levee failures in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
The article gives details on the construction of the levees, their lack of maintenance, and their underdesign. Despite all […]
Posted in In The News, Opinion on Jan 10th, 2006
[Hwang, Peer Review, Scandal, Science, Stem Cells]Though undoubtedly you have read headlines such as this already, today the New York Times published an article in its Science Times section stating that not only was some of the data faked in Hwang’s research on stem cells, it probably all was. The South Korean researcher claimed […]
Posted in Opinion on Dec 13th, 2005
[Blogging, Daily Kos, Space, Space Advocacy]Normally I would not be writing a story about the Daily Kos, not because of any political leanings I have, but because it is not a mainstay of reasoned thinking that I would want to promote. But today, I found something that I think is absolutely wonderful. A […]
Posted in In The News, Opinion on Dec 12th, 2005
[Grand Theft Auto, Video Games, Violence]Concerned parents and reactive legislatures have for years decried the increase levels of casual violence in video games. Grand Theft Auto has become the lightning rod in this remarkably juvenile public discussion after the murder of three people was attributed to that game. In response to its critics, […]
Posted in In The News, Opinion on Dec 9th, 2005
[AGU, Aurora, Magnetic North Pole, Northern Lights, Radiation]There is a question that all scientists face with their work: “what is the societal relevance of your research?” We all answer it in different ways, but Joseph Stoner, a paleomagnetist (someone who studies the magnetic history of our planet as recorded in rocks and sediments) from […]
Posted in Opinion on Dec 8th, 2005
[Election, Politics, Reform]What is it about our particular political and election system that we love so much? Here are a few ideas that have been floated for changes recently:
Posted in Opinion on Dec 8th, 2005
[Blogging]Chances are, if you are reading this you’ve heard a great deal about the transformative power of blogs. If not, here are a few examples I’ve run across. Tuesday, on NPR’s Diane Rehm show, Dan Burstein (co-author of Blog!: How the World of Blogs And Bloggers Is Changing Our Culture) referred to them […]
Posted in Informative Articles, Opinion on Dec 7th, 2005
[Earthquake, Overhyped, Skyscraper, Taipei 101]For those of you, like me, who had no idea what Taipei 101 is, it is the new tallest building in the world. Completed in 2004, it stands over 508 meters (1667 ft) tall. Recently, an increase in microtremors in Taipei has had people asking if this new massive […]
