Monthly Archives: February 2014

Links 2/28/14

Posted on February 28, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Alan Alda, Spokesman for Science FUND THE PEOPLE!!!!!!! Sausage Made With Bacteria From Baby Poop Isn’t as Gross as It Sounds Can aspirin fight cancer? The medicine-cabinet staple seems to be a powerful weapon, though it’s … Continue reading →

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A Question For the Advocates of Teaching Kids to Code

Posted on February 28, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Over the last couple of weeks, there has been some chatter around the internet about teaching kids to code. In the U.S., Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is not only pushing this initiative, he’s teaching (or learning with) his kids … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | 3 Comments

It Is Not For Economists To Decide If Unions Are Bad

Posted on February 28, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Image by Bettmann/CORBIS Evan Soltas writes (boldface mine): So there are two ideas here, the potential and the uniqueness of unions. Wasser says unions still have potential and that labor’s gains from unionization are unique. I disagree on both. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Basic Human Decency, Civil Liberties, Economics, Unions | 5 Comments

Links 2/27/14

Posted on February 27, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: New Exhibit Remembers Passenger Pigeon 100 Years After Extinction 1,000 years old ‘microbial Pompeii’ unlocked It Takes How Much Water to Grow an Almond?! Hiring in Biotech is Tricky. But Algorithms Won’t Save the Day Lemmings … Continue reading →

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Of Course, Ted Nugent Would View This Differently

Posted on February 27, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Rockwell Kent, Heavy, Heavy Hangs Over Thy Head: Kent meant this as a commentary on the fragility of the Cold War detenté, but, sadly, gun nuts would view this very differently…

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Another Triumph For Campbell’s Law: Trapping Massachusetts Kids Behind “Data Walls”

Posted on February 27, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

“The more any quantitative social indicator (or even some qualitative indicator) is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Massachusetts | 4 Comments

Links 2/26/14

Posted on February 26, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Absurd Creature of the Week: This Fish Swims Up a Sea Cucumber’s Butt and Eats Its Gonads What’s happening with Staphylococcus aureus? Meth Panic! American Media’s Drug Hysteria Vilifies Poor People. New report by Dr. Carl … Continue reading →

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Keeping Terrorist Sabotage of Our Infrastructure in Context

Posted on February 26, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Or, it’s the natural disasters, stupid (boldface mine): Our energy systems are so big, complex and spread out, that they are doomed to fail on occasion, sometimes in ways that cascade catastrophically through the system. The electrical grid is especially … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Terrorism | 2 Comments

An Arizonan Legal Debate

Posted on February 26, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Hopefully, Arizona Gov. Brewer will come (or will have come) to her senses and veto SB1062, which would allow businesses to not serve people on religious grounds, which translated into English means no gay people served–even rightwing Fox News refers … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Conservatives, Democrats, Fucking Morons | 3 Comments

Links 2/25/14

Posted on February 25, 2014 by mikethemadbiologist

Links for you. Science: Cambridge stool bank helps meet growing need for fecal transplants Dept. of Energy Support for Particle Theory: A “Calamity” (across fields, ‘big science’ groups are getting hammered. This is very short-sighted) NHLBI data shows grant percentile … Continue reading →

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