Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Blog Posts
- Unethical Diet
May 9, 2012, 21:03
A number of my students in CFB/PHY 3333 decided to write research papers about the hCG Diet. I was particularly interested in their papers because an…
- This Week in Propaganda and Pseudoscience (May 5 Edition)
May 5, 2012, 11:05
This was a good week for prime examples of propaganda and pseudoscience. Let's get started. 49 Cherry-Picked Questionable Authorities Can't Be Wrong T…
- Putting punctuation in politics
April 28, 2012, 08:21
While driving through the University Park neighborhood the other day, I saw the new Romney campaign sign on a lawn (see left). Seeing the sign for the first…
- Finding Fitbit
April 22, 2012, 17:13
I've been sick all week. The moment I arrived in Michigan for the MCTP Second SPring Symposium on the Higgs Boson, I started getting a scratchy throat and…
- Sign the petition: no platform for anti-vaccination message on American Airlines
April 22, 2012, 16:52
American Airlines is planning to run an anti-vaccination message from the Australian Vaccination Network, AVN. AVN is a mis-leadingly named organization that…
- Certified free of actual science content
April 21, 2012, 15:52
I doubt that this product contains no genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Humans have been breeding plants according to their useful functions - cold-weath…
- Physical Model Basin
April 21, 2012, 15:44
The University of Michigan's Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory contains a "Physical Model Basin" for testing various ship designs. It can hold 750,000 gallons…
- Storm clouds over Dallas
April 21, 2012, 15:39
After my American Airlines flight finally departed Dallas last Sunday (after a two-hour weather delay) we swooped around the path of a massive storm system.…
- An Open Letter To American Airlines: No Platform for AVN
April 19, 2012, 21:45
A child infected with measles, a disease easily prevented with a simple vaccination. From http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_harneis/4140374881/ Please find…
- An Analysis of Attacks on Science
April 14, 2012, 23:23
Preface: Many thanks to Profs. John Cotton, Randy Scalise, Ron Wetherington, and John Wise for their tireless efforts to promote science. Their perspectives on…
- Live Blogging from a screening of "Kansas v. Darwin"
April 12, 2012, 18:01
19:08: Conclusion of screening and talk. 19:07: ignoring the teaching of evolution is typical; it avoids the clashes with parents. 19:04: Q: Are there…
- Photos from Easter weekend
April 8, 2012, 09:10
Jodi cleans mint from the garden in preparation for making a fresh batch of limeade. Freshly colored eggs. The backyard. A drain near the green…
- Hidden by balloons
March 3, 2012, 18:45
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- Birthday girl
March 3, 2012, 18:44
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- Motorcyle Fail
March 2, 2012, 14:41
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- Snow/rain mix
March 2, 2012, 14:06
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- UFO over Allen
March 1, 2012, 09:26
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- DonorCycle
March 1, 2012, 09:25
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- The compulsion to tell tales of faith
February 29, 2012, 21:37
This semester, I am teaching a course designed to educate students about critical thinking and the scientific method. There is an inherent risk in teaching…
- Coasting under the High-5
February 26, 2012, 13:00
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- The demons begin to stir
February 23, 2012, 22:15
Peter Gleick's unethical subterfuge to obtain internal documents from the Heartland Institute has begun to give some interesting insights into this…
- Shameful
February 22, 2012, 20:15
Let me begin this post by saying the following. The Earth is warming, and has been doing so exponentially faster for more than a century. This warming was…
- Birth control and women's health - sidebar
February 14, 2012, 21:42
The Texas Freedom Network tonight reprinted a quote from a Texas-based organization that is against access to contraception. Here is the quote: “I am so…
- Logic bomb: campaign edition
February 14, 2012, 11:15
I have been following on Twitter all of the major Presidential hopefuls in the Republican Party, plus President Obama, and the major fact-checking and…
- Non-sequisantorum
February 12, 2012, 11:50
The following are statements from Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum, juxtaposed with images of the scientific evidence. See how long you can keep your brain…
- Remembering the Death of the Office of Technology Assessment
January 28, 2012, 10:55
This past week, Republican Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich tried to position himself as the big pro-science candidate (or, at the very least, the big…
- Remembering the hits, forgetting the misses
January 14, 2012, 19:05
Let me say that I have nothing against Tim Tebow. He seems like a fine young man. He's certainly very religious; although, ironically, he behaves in a…
- Sanctimonium Santorum, once thought extinct, reappears
January 5, 2012, 19:01
Many years ago, I commented on the seeming extinction of the species Sanctimonium Santorum . Like many species that were previously believed to be extinct,…
- Scenes from Oshkosh
December 29, 2011, 21:20
- Miller Park
December 28, 2011, 15:38
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- Scenes from Milwaukee
December 28, 2011, 15:35
Some photos from our afternoon in MKE.
- Thin ice
December 28, 2011, 12:55
What it says.
- Airport Security Alert
December 27, 2011, 22:33
A little piece of life as we were leaving Connecticut on our way back to Texas. Thank-you, airport security.
- Year in Review 2011: Occupy
December 27, 2011, 09:02
I photographed this in an abandoned pedestrian tunnel stairwell in Palo Alto, CA, in April of 2010. Seems prescient now.
- Nick Bilton on the physics of the FAA's "no electronics on takeoff" rule
December 27, 2011, 07:42
Me and a lot of my friends and family members are doing a lot of traveling during these holidays. A lot of us bring electronics with us to entertain during…
- From the Texas Freedom Network: 2011 Anti-science Quotes
December 26, 2011, 14:00
Fresh from the Texas Freedom Network (TFN), here are their favorite anti-science quotes of the year: http://tfninsider.org/2011/12/26/2011-in-quotes-the-war-on-…
- My personal favorite science moments of 2011
December 26, 2011, 08:00
There is too much interesting science that happens in a single year. No one person can capture it in a single article. I choose to focus on the things that…
- Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2011, 00:01
Sing, sad little Christmas bell!
- Popcorn science: One, big, federal household
December 23, 2011, 08:20
It's time for another popcorn science. An oft-repeated claim, backed by few thoughts or facts, is that the U.S. Federal Government should take a cue from…
- Christmas lightshow extravaganza
December 21, 2011, 18:43
The insane lightshow in the nearby town of Fairview.
- Wakeboarding at the Allen Station Park
December 20, 2011, 11:00
Some media of wakeboarding at our automated, boat-less park in Allen Station.
- The sound of a giant flock of birds
December 19, 2011, 08:00
In this area, incredibly large flocks of birds will descend on parking lots, the roofs of buildings, and any nearby trees. Here is what one of these flocks…
- The sounds of Sather Tower
December 18, 2011, 17:21
Here is some audio from Sather Tower at University of California-Berkeley. The Bells of Sather Tower
- The Tebow Distribution
December 17, 2011, 23:31
Author's Note: in the Dec. 18 game against the Patriots, the Broncos lost spectacularly. Chance giveth, and chance taketh away. I still stick to my…
- Head start
September 24, 2011, 10:56
In 1987, a distant star exploded. Here on Earth, it was named "SN1987a" - Supernova 1987a. Here are some basic facts about SN1987a: it occurred (51.4…
- It only makes sense in the light of Presidential aspirations
September 22, 2011, 21:56
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution." Almost 30% of humans carry the Human Papillomavirus. In women, HPV has been linked to 90%…
- Anecdon't
September 17, 2011, 13:46
The Republican Presidential Candidate debates (and all the media that encircles them) are a great place to look for examples of poorly applied thinking.…
- Back to the Mountaintop
September 11, 2011, 08:00
It's about 11 in the morning and the phone is ringing. The crappy red plastic cordless phone is ringing, and the cheap digital sound fills my one-room cottage…
- PoliSci: Galileo Galiperry
September 10, 2011, 12:39
In the most recent Republican Presidential Candidate debate , moderator John Harris from Politico put candidate John Huntsman on the spot about his criticism…
- The Greenhouse Effect Part 3: Gas Amplifier
August 21, 2011, 08:14
In part 1 of this series, I discussed the four laws of thermodynamics. These laws tells us that the total change in energy in a system, dU, is composed…
- PoliSci: Huntsman on Romney and Perry
August 18, 2011, 22:42
In a recent post, I noted that Republican candidate Jon Huntsman is one of only a few in the field of candidates who seems to have a clear grasp of basic…
- PoliSci: Perry on Science Education in Texas
August 18, 2011, 21:18
Let me just give a big shout out to our Texas-sized Governor, who just set back public impressions of the Texas science curriculum about 75 years. Oh, and…
- PoliSci: Perry on Climate
August 17, 2011, 21:06
Science is sometimes very helpful when trying to sort informed political candidates from uninformed ones; uninformed or misinformed candidates are likely to…
- The Greenhouse Effect Part 2: Hot Car, Hot Earth
August 16, 2011, 20:54
High temperatures in Texas have been above 100 for over a month. When we park our car to go shopping, there is rarely any tree shade in which to place the car.…
- The Greenhouse Effect Part 1: Temperature and Thermodynamics
August 13, 2011, 11:45
Most of the time, organizations like Media Matters are a bit too left-wing for my tastes. However, recently they blogged about a Fox News segment where a…
- Measuring Republican pH
August 3, 2011, 11:25
An interesting article from the British newspaper, The Guardian, explores how obtaining support from the Republican base is incompatible with accepting…
- Home!
August 2, 2011, 19:43
It's nice to be home at our house again. After all of the strange twists and turns that this summer has taken, it was nice to be excited to come home, watch…
- Bridge
August 2, 2011, 12:52
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- Heading home to Dallas
August 2, 2011, 12:48
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- Shannon Springs Park
August 2, 2011, 12:47
Hosts the annual Festival of Lights
- Scenes from the University of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma
August 2, 2011, 11:02
- Streetview
August 2, 2011, 09:59
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- Scenes from a half-unpacked house
August 1, 2011, 21:45
- More of the house
August 1, 2011, 19:00
More of my sister's new house
- Appliantology
August 1, 2011, 18:44
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- First run for missing parts
August 1, 2011, 18:13
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- The view
August 1, 2011, 18:12
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- Nationalism and fear on display
August 1, 2011, 15:26
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- More from downtown Chickasha
August 1, 2011, 13:40
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- Downtown Chickasha
August 1, 2011, 13:23
- Chickasha tornado damage
August 1, 2011, 11:58
- USAO sign
August 1, 2011, 11:26
Pride!
- Unpacking
August 1, 2011, 10:33
The unpack is in progress
- The House
August 1, 2011, 08:06
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- Whoa
August 1, 2011, 07:52
That's a big one.
- Smarty
August 1, 2011, 07:50
For my sister's sake, let us hope this work as advertised.
- Spid3r!
July 31, 2011, 22:03
The little friend living in the garage.
- New house!
July 31, 2011, 22:01
My sister's new home! We ogle it before tomorrow's move in.
- We arrived!
July 31, 2011, 18:33
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- Hilly country
July 31, 2011, 18:22
Hillier country picks up as we approach Chickasha
- Near Chickasha
July 31, 2011, 18:15
About 16 miles from Chickasha.
- Downtown Lindsay, OK
July 31, 2011, 18:08
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- Field of firetrucks
July 31, 2011, 18:01
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- Rearview Oklahoma
July 31, 2011, 17:59
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- Sights near Maysville
July 31, 2011, 17:56
- Fields off OK-19
July 31, 2011, 17:48
Green fields mixed with dry grasses and dead corn rows.
- Beautiful rock
July 31, 2011, 17:22
Blasting to build the highway revealed beautiful rock.
- Branded hillside
July 31, 2011, 17:13
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- Trees by the roadside
July 31, 2011, 17:08
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- Valero
July 31, 2011, 16:52
Near Overbrook, OK
- Oklahoma! There's no liquor but there's gambling!
July 31, 2011, 16:24
We cross the border into Oklahoma, the last liquor store behind us and a vast schizophrenic casino is ahead. We are indeed in God's country now!
- Valley View
July 31, 2011, 16:05
Some heavy equipment near the highway in Valley View, TX
- Horses in a dry field
July 31, 2011, 15:52
Horsea graze in a dry field.
- Lamps
July 31, 2011, 15:51
Lamps at a gas station north or Sanger, TX
- Denton
July 31, 2011, 15:36
We've just passed through Denton, TX after a very late lunch stop.
- Oklahoma bound
July 31, 2011, 14:27
With temperatures routinely above 100, I am headed north to Oklahoma to help my sister move into her new home. I'll post things here as we go from civilization…
- Books without Borders
July 31, 2011, 09:21
The closure of all Borders Bookstores and the liquidation of their inventory has gotten people talking about how electronic books are beginning to erode…
- I kan haz national debt?
July 30, 2011, 11:42
Data is the disinfectant for myth. The Mythbusters routinely use this on their popular TV show, and scientists use it every day. I've tried to use a…
- Recruiting scientists to Texas
July 26, 2011, 22:26
I enjoyed this quote from Matt Winkler, CEO of Asuragen and chairman of Mirna Therapeutics, regarding the recruitment of leading scientific talent to Texas. Ov…
- Helium Policy
July 24, 2011, 09:42
I was so busy this summer I forgot to shamelessly mention here that I was interviewed for a WFAA (DFW ABC affiliate) story on the importance of Helium to…
- More...
All right Steve! Heh, at the end I thought they were superimposing an A-bomb over the balloon, which seemed really weird. I guess it’s a rocket.