Monthly Archives: October 2013

It Is Now Physically Impossible For An Adult to Fit on a Plane

Posted on October 28, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Check this out: Seventeen inches. If you’re able to hog both armrests, add about four inches. I’m not a big guy–no one ever says, “Mad Biologist, you need to drop twenty pounds.” I’m also a smidgen below average height, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Transportation | 57 Comments

Social Security and the CPI Cuts: A Solution to a Bogus Non-Crisis

Posted on October 28, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Very few scientists or science writers are so wealthy that they can ignore what happens to Social Security, so you might want to read this. Once again, despite its immense unpopularity, our political betters including some Democrats and the Obama … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Democrats, Fucking Morons, Social Security | 3 Comments

Links 10/27/13

Posted on October 27, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: How many hours have been wasted parsing unstructured text in biological databases? All One Species? Report: Feeding antibiotics to livestock is bad for humans, but Congress won’t stop it End harassment: Sexual harassment is a stain … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | 1 Comment

Yes, Obama Is a Rockefeller Republican

Posted on October 27, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Brad DeLong provides very important historical context for President Obama’s policies: I remember what policies Barack Obama has in fact pursued: George H.W. Bush’s tax policy. Mitt Romney’s health-care policy. John McCain’s climate-change policy. George H.W. Bush’s foreign policy. Bill … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Democrats | 1 Comment

Burke’s–and Conservativism’s–Original Sin

Posted on October 27, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Conservative philosopher Edmund Burke–one conservatives will cite to remove the “Fuck you, I’ve got mine. Besides who cares about those people?” dross from their arguments–in real life didn’t live up to his own ideals. Burke had massive debt worries, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives | 3 Comments

Links 10/26/13

Posted on October 26, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Is “Scientific Data” ever-finer salami-slicing, or is it reducing time to data publication? Bigwigs fingered in Hwange elephant poisoning GTEx is throwing away 90% of their data Houston, We Have Dengue Fever How Much Money Do … Continue reading →

Posted in Lotsa Links | Comments Off on Links 10/26/13

I Wish Democrats Would Run on This Platform

Posted on October 26, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Meet Kshama Sawant, who is running for Seattle City Council: …there is nothing particularly radical when it comes to the core of Sawant’s councilmanic agenda. Sawant was advocating for a $15-an-hour minimum wage a year ago, back before it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Democrats, Fucking Morons | 3 Comments

The Resource War No One Expects?

Posted on October 26, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Well, this does not bode well (boldface mine): The world will officially run out on October 2, 2020… Confectionery giants revealed there are just not enough cocoa plantations across the globe to feed the demand. They warned we would need … Continue reading →

Posted in Food | Comments Off on The Resource War No One Expects?

Links 10/25/13

Posted on October 25, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Poachers kill 300 Zimbabwe elephants with cyanide Air Pollution Definitively Linked To Cancer “It’s not only peer-reviewed, it’s reproducible!” The ocean is broken Despite End of U.S. Shutdown, Antarctic Research Projects Still Getting Cancelled Other: A … Continue reading →

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Late Night Flowers

Posted on October 25, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Observed on Commonwealth Ave., Back Bay, Boston:

Posted in Boston | Comments Off on Late Night Flowers