Monthly Archives: January 2013

How the Compulsive Centrists Enable the Very Partisanship They Bemoan

Posted on January 25, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Reed Richardson, in a superb post, writes the following (boldface mine): Judging by the rest of the article and his [Fournier’s] curt, somewhat dismissive one-word Tweet, though, I suspect it’s difficult for him to answer because he, like many other … Continue reading →

Posted in Compulsive Centrist Disorder, Fucking Morons, News Media | 1 Comment

Links 1/24/13

Posted on January 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Data-driven science is a failure of imagination (not always) Polynesians reached South America, picked up sweet potatoes, went home Examining Common Arguments Against Influenza Vaccination Clues to Prehistoric Human Exploration Found in Sweet Potato Genome Harvard … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 1/24/13

This Is the Core Customer for the NRA

Posted on January 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

It used to be said that Harley Davidson had the best brand loyalty as it was the only company whose customers would actually tattoo the corporate logo onto their bodies. That might be kinda nuts, but the NRA customer is … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives | 6 Comments

Reconsidering the Easter Island Collapse (and the Irony of Jared Diamond’s Interpretation of It)

Posted on January 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Barbara King recently asked “Why Does Jared Diamond Make Anthropologists So Mad?” It’s not my place to speak for anthropologists (I’m not Mike the Mad Anthropologist), but I do know what has made me very skeptical of Diamond’s claims: his … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Easter Island, Ecology, Environment | 3 Comments

Links 1/23/13

Posted on January 23, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Three Questions About HPV Vaccination Overselling the microbiome: University Bern press release uses slight of hand to make mouse study seem to be about people (mice aren’t people) Mathematicians aim to take publishers out of publishing … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 1/23/13

Virginia Attorney General Cuccinelli Distorts King’s Legacy

Posted on January 23, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Virginia Attorney General and Ken (‘get all up in TEH WIMMENZ VAGINAS!’) Cuccinelli uttered this about Martin Luther King (boldface mine): On Monday, MLK Day, Cuccinelli again made the comparison between his fight against the federal requirement that birth control … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullshit As a Load Bearing Structure, Conservatives, Fucking Morons | 1 Comment

Open Access: It’s the Funding, Stupid

Posted on January 23, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Related to a point I made about funding and open science, DrugMonkey explains how the real stumbling blocks to open access publishing are funding agencies (boldface mine): This whole thing is getting ridiculous. I don’t have the unfettered freedom to … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Publishing | 2 Comments

Links 1/22/13

Posted on January 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Statistics and reality Lance Armstrong in the scientific literature: Questions abound Citing religion, some health workers refuse flu shots Getting a flu shot can be sticking point with healthcare workers Your Brain in a Shootout: Guns, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 1/22/13

I Want This Job

Posted on January 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Well, not really, but this Onion send-up of TED talks and social media is really funny:

Posted in Humor, Internet | Comments Off on I Want This Job

Guns, Honor, and the Dubious Freedom to Be an Asshole

Posted on January 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Josh Marshall makes a good point about the ‘non-gun’ culture (boldface mine): In the current rhetorical climate people seem not to want to say: I think guns are kind of scary and don’t want to be around them. Yes, plenty … Continue reading →

Posted in BANG! BANG!, Civil Liberties, Civility Trolls | 8 Comments