Monthly Archives: June 2013

Not Very Aerodynamic

Posted on June 13, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Though this van parked on Commonwealth Ave. probably wasn’t knifing through the wind anyway: He who dies with the biggest hood ornament wins?

Posted in Automobiles, Boston | Comments Off on Not Very Aerodynamic

Cities Can’t Be Pedestrian- and Car-Friendly

Posted on June 13, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Like it or not, they have to choose. I promise I won’t turn this into a ‘pedestrians rights’ blog, but, while putting together this post I stumbled across the following figure: If you keep car speeds under 30 mph, pedestrians … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | 13 Comments

Links 6/12/13

Posted on June 12, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: On The Danger Posed By Non-Expert Critiques Published To Large Audiences (wonderful snark) The Creation of a Superbug (excellent) So You are Thinking of Doing a PhD … take this simple test Other: A Day Without … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 6/12/13

McSweeney’s Inadvertently Discovers the Microbiome

Posted on June 12, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

This is snark from the satirical website McSweeney’s about the NSA, but it’s actually not bad microbiology: I can assure you, in no uncertain terms, that the NSA is not asking for samples of your fecal matter. We will not … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Microbiome | Comments Off on McSweeney’s Inadvertently Discovers the Microbiome

Myriad and Second Opinions

Posted on June 12, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

I’ve discussed before how awful it is that Myriad Genetics has patented the ability to use the BRCA genes to test for high risk of breast cancer. That said, Rose-Ellen Lessy raises a good point I haven’t seen discussed much … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, Cancer, Genetics | 1 Comment

Links 6/11/13

Posted on June 11, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: ResearchGate to nowhere? Amazonian Treasure Trove Yields 15 New Bird Species Genetically modified cotton helps farmers escape malnutrition Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought Rebutting (again) the Persistent Flow of Disinformation on VAM, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 6/11/13

Thoughts on the Irrationality of Giving Up This Much Liberty to Fight Terror

Posted on June 11, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Conor Friedersdorf has a good post about the too-high price too many are willing to pay to stop terror (emphasis his; boldface mine): Of course we should dedicate significant resources and effort to stopping terrorism. But consider some hard facts. … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Civil Liberties, Terrorism | 4 Comments

Links 6/10/13

Posted on June 10, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: I am highly skeptical of the CHORUS system proposed by scientific publishers as an end run around PubMed Central Not Your Granddaddy’s Garbage Burners: Why Burning Waste for Energy Fights Climate Change Vitamins: stop taking the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 6/10/13

Raise the Top Tax Rates. Raise Them Now

Posted on June 10, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Here’s why: $1,250 for a haircut. That’s more than the average Social Security recipient receives in a month. To say that this sort of income inequality is corrosive would be an understatement. It’s one thing to travel first class on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, We're Really Fucked | 1 Comment

We Didn’t Give Away Our Information–It Was Extorted From Us (The Death of Contracts)

Posted on June 10, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

In the discussion surrounding the NSA spying revelations, I’ve seen a few people mention how people have freely given away their personal information. For instance, David Sirota writes: As I noted on CNN, when it comes to civil liberties, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties, Internet | 2 Comments