Clipmarks | haraya's 'science' clips

Wacky Sci-Fi “Laws”

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:14:27 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks: If that’s not enough for you, check out Wikipedia’s list of eponymous laws.

Clip Source: www.mentalfloss.com

1. Hanlon’s Razor (aka Hanlon’s Law)

“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”

2. Sturgeon’s Law

“Ninety percent of everything is crap.”

3. O’Toole’s Corollary of Finagle’s Law

“The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum.”

4. Clarke’s Three Laws

The third is by far the most famous:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

5. Asimov’s Laws of Robotics

First law: A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
Second law: A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
Third law: A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

There’s also a Zeroth Law.

6. The Dilbert Principle

the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management.. (See also: the Peter principle

Tags: laws, science, science fiction, writers, humor, list, people, robots, work, life

Psychology, Sociology most politically correct fields

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:30:00 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

The first thing that Simmons does in the study with the database — which covers a range of disciplines and institution types — is to identify a politically correct cohort, reflecting largely common views on a set of issues that are seen as defining political correctness. He finds a set of issues that produce this cohort.

The views are the belief that gender gaps in math and science fields are largely due to discrimination; support for affirmative action; and belief that discrimination is a key cause of racial inequities in American society. Generally, members of this cohort see race and gender as fundamental — and share that belief much more than beliefs about the curriculum or scholarship, such that the study says that “multiculturalism trumps postmodernism.”

Via Tyler Cowen

Clip Source: www.insidehighered.com

The new study, which does so, was produced by Solon Simmons, co-author of last year’s report and an assistant professor of conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason.

Discipline

Moderately Correct

Politically Incorrect

Politically Correct

Non-Committal

Psychology

15.2%

21.7%

58.7%

4.3%

Sociology

48.2%

1.8%

44.6%

5.4%

English

30.2%

18.9%

41.5%

9.4%

History

50.0%

16.7%

31.5%

1.9%

Elementary education

40.0%

28.9%

24.4%

6.7%

Communication

35.6%

31.1%

22.2%

11.1%

Nursing

41.8%

25.5%

18.2%

14.5%

Art

46.3%

17.1%

14.6%

22.0%

Business (general)

27.0%

37.8%

13.5%

21.6%

Political science

58.3%

14.6%

10.4%

16.7%

Criminal justice

63.6%

25.5%

9.1%

1.8%

Economics

32.6%

51.2%

4.7%

11.6%

Marketing

31.8%

43.2%

4.5%

20.5%

Accounting

40.0%

4.0%

16.0%

Computer science

42.4%

48.5%

3.0%

6.1%

Biology

62.7%

19.6%

2.0%

15.7%

Finance

34.3%

0.0%

31.4%

Management information

19.4%

72.2%

0.0%

8.3%

Mechanical engineering

17.6%

50.0%

0.0%

32.4%

Electrical engineering

34.1%

19.5%

0.0%

46.3%

Tags: sociology, psychology, academia, academics

Periodic Table of Elements Printmaking Project

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:28:16 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks: Scroll down to see the table, and click on the thumbs for a larger view of the print and more info.

Clip Source: azuregrackle.com

96 printmakers

8 countries - Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Scotland, United States

29 states & Puerto Rico from the US are represented - Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Alternate print versions, work-in-progress shots,
as well as peer comments can be seen at the
Official Flickr Group

More information about this project, its inception, and
guidelines can be found at the Project Blog.

Ninety-six printmakers of all experience levels, have joined together to produce 118 prints in any medium; woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or any combination. The end result is a periodic table of elements intended to promote both science and the arts.

Tags: print, collection, periodic table, science, design, project, collaboration, chart

42 predictions

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 11:15:31 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: go play with the future

Clip Source: www.42predictions.com

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy the super computer Deep Thought predicts that the number "42" is the ultimate answer and key to the Universe.

Share your predictions and thoughts and see what the world is thinking about science and space exploration, climate change, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, presidential-primary politics, technology, war and peace, and today's major news events that are changing the course of history.

42 Predictions was created by the editorial team at The Daily Galaxy -News from Planet Earth & Beyond -an eclectic text and video presentation of fascinating news and original insights on science, space exploration, technology, and their reflections in film, books, and events.

Tags: predictions, future

Tavis Coburn Prints

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:34:23 GMT

clipped by: haraya

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Broken Hit Factory

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Stopping Pain

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Anxiety

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Mao Jordan

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Five

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Renovate

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Wonder of Science

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

The Greening

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Land of the Giants

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

DAINGER

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

Color Forecasting

Clip Source: shop.taviscoburn.com

The Corporation

Tags: prints, art, society, color, tavis coburn, life, capitalism, technology, collection

Mad about the man

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:39:00 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks: Comic by Kate Beaton.

History is Rad and she's going to come up with more.. List:
1- Soren Kierkegaard
2- Benedict Arnold
3- Agnes McPhail
4- Mary Shelley
5- Queen Elizabeth I
6- Emperor Norton
7- Benjamin Disraeli
8- Nikola Tesla
9- Genghis Khan
10- David Hume

Clip Source: www.katebeaton.com

Oh ladies, must you disrupt science with your emotions? And your underwear?

Tags: comic, illustration, cartoon, entertainment, humor, science, tesla, silly, fun

Which of these can't you live without?

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:22:39 GMT

clipped by: bignosemousie
clipper's remarks: Answers and more questions at the source.

Clip Source: www.mortonsalt.com

1) Which word comes from salt?

Salad
Salary
Salvation
Salute

6) What shape changed the history of salt?

The pyramid
The diamond
The cylinder
The pentagon

9) Which of these can’t you live without?

Money
Love
Salt
Chocolate

Tags: salt, trivia, history, fun, science

Vidgame to teach basic neuroscience

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:32:00 GMT

clipped by: haraya

Clip Source: www.boingboing.net

Neuromatrix is a new educational vidgame out next week that's designed to teach people neuroscience. It's marketed to ages 10-15. The developer, Morphonix, writes that they "are developing a series of video games which make abstract concepts of brain science fun and comprehensible to children and teens. Many software games spur kids to use their brains, but this is the first series of video games which also teaches children the science of their brains." From the game description:

You play a secret agent infiltrating a top-secret neuroscience research facility. Your mission: to track down and root out the Nanobots that have invaded the brains of the scientists there. If you fail, the Nanobots and the secret entity that spawned them will take over the Earth, reprogramming the human brain into docile submission.

Link to Neuromatrix page, Link to preview video (via Mind Hacks)

Tags: game, video games, neuroscience, education, science, technology, kids, learning, mind

Everything is made of atoms

Sun, 05 Aug 2007 03:58:38 GMT

clipped by: haraya

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

When the great American physicist and bongo-drums player, Richard Feynman, was asked to think of a single sentence that would convey the most important scientific knowledge we possess, he answered simply: "Everything is made of atoms."

Today we take this statement for granted. So much of modern science is built upon this most fundamental of concepts, from nuclear physics and modern chemistry to everyday technology, that it is remarkable to think that everything we know about atoms was only discovered in the past hundred years.

That knowledge has now advanced to the point where nuclear scientists are the threshold of a weird world filled with super heavy atoms and exotic nuclei, each existing for mere fractions of a second and holding the key to understanding how the universe is put together.

Tags: science, atoms, nature, world, universe, life

"Dumber in English"

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:58:23 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks:

Biophysicist and author Stefan Klein wants to ensure the future of German as a language of science. Our academic language is on the verge of atrophy, he says.
...
Anyone who only encounters scientific research in a foreign language pays a heavy price, even if he is a master of the idiom. "We are dumber in English" – this was the conclusion that researchers came to in Sweden and the Netherlands, where children were introduced to English on their first day of school. Lectures in English are part of every subject, but nevertheless, the test results are about ten percent lower on average than in courses taught in the mother tongue. In English seminars, students ask and answer fewer questions; they give the overall impression of being somewhat more helpless. Neither students nor teachers are generally aware of the problem, because they all overestimate their expertise in English.

The entire article is interesting.

Clip Source: www.signandsight.com

Five hundred hears ago, Luca Pacioli, a pioneer of modern mathematics and accounting, bade farewell to Latin as the language of contemporary science. Galileo Galilei followed suit, 100 years later.

a significant part of their contribution was in creating new terminologies for their new ideas, in the vernacular. Knowledge was to be accessible for all.

Today, scientists are headed towards a reversal of Pacioli's revolution. But how do they expect to win the sympathy of a public with which they no longer even have language in common? And will we soon reach a point where we no longer can discuss the results of new research in German because we can't find the vocabulary? Society is threatening to split: On one side will be those who employ an elite language, and on the other, all those who miss out on the latest developments. So the issue of whether German remains a language for science is not merely a question of national pride. It has to do with something far more momentous: democracy.

Tags: language, understanding, vernacular, science, communication, education, german, english

Researcher Links Storytelling, Math Ability

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:40:44 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks:

This study suggests that building strong storytelling skills early in the preschool years may be helpful in preparing children for learning mathematics when they enter school.

''It is also a nice finding, I think, because storytelling is something every parent can easily do and foster with their children, without the need to buy any fancy toys or materials,'' said O'Neill.

Given these findings, O'Neill is continuing in further studies, also funded by Science and Engineering Research Canada, to explore more precisely what aspects of storytelling are linked to aspects of mathematical ability.

Clip Source: www.scienceblog.com

Math and storytelling may seem like very different abilities, but a new study suggests that preschool children's early storytelling abilities are predictive of their mathematical ability two years later. In the study, three-and four-year-old children were shown a book that contained only pictures and were asked to tell the story to a puppet.

O'Neill looked at several aspects of children's storytelling ability. Some aspects captured grammatical complexity, such as children's use of relative clauses or the length of their sentences. Other aspects involved more perspective-taking on the part of the child.

Two years later, the children were brought back to the laboratory and were given a number of tests of academic achievement that included a test of mathematical achievement. What O'Neill found was that those children who scored highly on the mathematics test had also scored highly on certain measures of their storytelling ability two years earlier.

Tags: science, research, study, children, learning, math, storytelling, communication, brain

Eating Cheese Can Alter Your Dreams

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 06:27:12 GMT

clipped by: haraya

Clip Source: www.npr.org

According to a new study by the British Cheese Board, different cheeses can give you different types of dreams. None of the study volunteers reported nightmares from their bedtime snack. NPR's Melissa Block talks about the results of the study with Nigel White, secretary of the British Cheese Board.

by Melissa Block

Tags: study, cheese, dreams, food, science, mind, brain, eat

Science's 10 Most Beautiful Physics Experiments

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 06:08:20 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks: check out the source for descriptions and animations of the experiments.

Clip Source: physics-animations.com

Robert P. Crease, a member of the philosophy department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the historian at Brookhaven National Laboratory, recently asked physicists to nominate the most beautiful experiment of all time. Based on the paper of George Johnson in The New York Times we list below 10 winners of this polling and accompany the short explanations of the physical experiments with computer animations.

1. Double-slit electron diffraction

2. Galileo's experiment on falling objects

3. Millikan's oil-drop experiment

4. Newton's decomposition of sunlight with a prism

5. Young's light-interference experiment

7. Eratosthenes' measurement of the Earth's circumference

8. Galileo's experiments with rolling balls down inclined planes

9. Rutherford's discovery of the nucleus

10. Foucault's pendulum

Tags: science, experiment, list, videos, physics, beauty

Smokers' Weak Point Identified

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:25:08 GMT

clipped by: haraya
clipper's remarks:

The discovery gives neuroscientists fresh insight into the complex neurological circuitry of the addiction.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A man who abruptly quit his 40-a-day smoking habit after suffering a stroke has helped neuroscientists pinpoint a coin-sized craving-centre in the brain.

The man, a long-term smoker, suffered stroke damage to a part of the brain called the insular, and quit, telling researchers his body "forgot the urge to smoke".

Nasir Naqvoi at the University of Iowa and Antoine Bechara at the brain and creativity institute at the University of Southern California have since identified other patients who quit smoking suddenly after experiencing similar brain damage.

The discovery gives neuroscientists fresh insight into the complex neurological circuitry of the addiction. While neurosurgeons are not about to tackle smoking addiction with a scalpel, it may give scientists clues for developing drugs to combat addicts' urges.

The scientists trawled a database of patient records to investigate the effects of brain damage on behaviour. Their results are published in Science today.

Of 69 smokers who had experienced brain injury, 19 had damage to the insular. All had been smoking at least five cigarettes a day for more than two years. Thirteen with insular damage had quit smoking, 12 suddenly, and had no urge to smoke since. Of 50 patients with damage to other parts of the brain, only four had quit, often after considerable effort.

Tags: science, smoking, death, research, health, life, medicine, man, habit, neuroscience, brain, stroke, disease, addiction

Fantasy, Myth, Science Fiction

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:35:44 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: mythsoc.org

Genres: Fantasy, Myth, Science Fiction

The Labyrinth

A huge World Wide Web server for Medieval Studies sponsored by Georgetown University. Can be searched for specific topics, with subject menus for various national cultures, Arthurian studies, Norse culture, religious history, and much more.

The Endicott Studio of Mythic Arts

Online journal featuring works -- essays, reviews, artwork and more -- by writers, painters, sculptors, photographers, and performance artists in the Endicott circle (including Ellen Kushner & Delia Sherman, Midori Snyder, Charles de Lint, Jane Yolen, Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess, Thomas Canty, and others).

Bulfinch's Mythology

Search or browse through the three volumes: "The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes," "The Age of Chivalry or Legends of King Arthur," and "Legends of Charlemagne or Romance of the Middle Ages." Large collection of mythology links.

Encyclopedia Mythica
This is an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, legends, and more. It contains over 6100 definitions of gods and goddesses, supernatural beings and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world.

Myths and Legends

An excellent resource for web information on myths from all cultures (Anatolian to Welsh) plus folklore from Robin Hood to gothic horror. It's one-stop shopping for anyone starting to explore any of these areas.

Faerie Lands Forlorn

A lovely selection of poetry, art, tales and fonts from the Scriptorium (an online source of unusual fonts and graphic arts resources). Offers shareware and free downloads, as well as being a visual delight. Worth a visit!!

Science Fiction Resource Guide
A really impressive collection of information and links, which includes magazines, art, writers' resources, and music in addition to more easily available information on the genré.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database
An online index to over 60,000 historical and critical items about science fiction, fantasy and horror. Includes Mythlore.

Tags: fantasy, myth, science fiction, reading, books, scifi