Monthly Archives: July 2013

The U.S. Is Now a Banana Republic: The Breakdown of Property Law Edition

Posted on July 25, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

I’m so stunned by this, I can’t even find the appropriate snark (boldface mine): An Ohio bank is refusing to reimburse a Vinton County woman whose house they unjustly repossessed while she was out of town. Katie Barnett recently returned … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The Rule of Law | 4 Comments

Links 7/24/13

Posted on July 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: The Daily (Chum) Bucket: Observations from R’lyeh: An Elasmobranchinomicon (a diary about sharks) Jonathan Franzen: ‘Egypt is the worst place to be a migratory bird’ The genome sequence of the colonial chordate, Botryllus schlosseri (long-range sequencing … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 1 Comment

Karmann Ghia

Posted on July 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

No, that is not the name of a supermodel. While people typically think of the Beetle when they think of Volkswagen, Volkswagen did have one stylish design, the Karmann Ghia. Last weekend, I observed one on Commonwealth Ave., Back Bay, … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Boston | 5 Comments

Because Organized Vagrants and Pacifist Grandmothers Are a Clear and Present Danger

Posted on July 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

One of our great counterterrorism failures are the government fusion centers–these are supposed to be information clearing houses that focus on terrorism and share information among local, state, and federal agencies to prevent intelligence lapses. That’s the idea anyway. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties | 1 Comment

Links 7/23/13

Posted on July 23, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: What Is It Like To Have a Photographic Memory? Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Widespread in Hudson River, Study Finds What Should We Teach About the “Tree of Life”? (also see this comment) How much urine can a Kaiju … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 7/23/13

I Guess I’m an Air Conditioning Moderate

Posted on July 23, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Or something. While this Boston Globe piece arguing against the widespread use of air conditioning will get bashed heavily, I did agree with this part: When experts look at A/C use in America, they immediately see a spot of illogic: … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Global Warming | 8 Comments

Nate Silver and the One-Eyed King in the Land of the Blind

Posted on July 23, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Amidst all of the hubbub over Nate Silver’s departure from the NY Times, Kevin Drum notices something disturbing (boldface mine): At the same time, this tidbit from Politico about Silver’s decisionmaking process while he was weighing competing offers from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Experts, Polling, Statistics | 4 Comments

Links 7/22/13

Posted on July 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Why you think your phone is vibrating when it is not The New Flight of the Ibis Serengeti Lions Observations on Cottonmouths and Leeches New Study of Foragers Undermines Claim That War Has Deep Evolutionary Roots … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 2 Comments

Not a Bad Way to Spend a Saturday Evening

Posted on July 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Observed on the Boston Common:

Posted in Music | Comments Off on Not a Bad Way to Spend a Saturday Evening

Accentuate the …Normative?

Posted on July 22, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

While it might be a constant joke that economists and humans don’t think in the same way, consider this description of economists’ views of unions: Most economists, for instance, see the weakening of trade unions in the U.S. and other … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Philosophy Shit | Comments Off on Accentuate the …Normative?