Hammy the Hamster Rides Again

In today's installment, Hammy eschews scientific research for a good old fashioned daredevil stunt.



Hmmm ... there could be a physics lesson in there somewhere. Just don't tell PETA.
[HatTip2 Spot Motorcycles, and thanks to Ken A of The Cooks Den for providing me with the proper source to credit.]

Alzheimer's: A Baby Boomer Epidemic

Maria Shriver writes:

Alzheimer's: A Baby Boomer Epidemic

I am a child of Alzheimer's. For many years, my father, Sargent Shriver, would testify before Congress for increased funding for his beloved Peace Corps -- and for all the War On Poverty programs he started. My father was an idealistic, intelligent, optimistic public servant, sharp and witty, his mind a beautifully-tuned instrument that left people in awe and inspired. That was then...today he doesn't know my name or who I am. When my Dad was diagnosed in 2003, I felt confused, powerless and alone. There was little information -- and even less hope. My mother, my four brothers and I felt we were entering a world that was terrifying and incomprehensible. Like cancer, people didn't talk about Alzheimer's back then -- they whispered about it. It was a diagnosis shrouded in shame.

I have recently been through this tragic experience myself, but I try to keep in mind that it is not just my tragedy. Many other people are going through this now, and so very many more will be facing this in the coming years as their parents age.

[Via Huffington Post]

(Breaking) Wind Energy

[Via Fred Bortz's blog]

Fred Bortz writes: In reading the current issue of New Scientist, I found a pointer to a blog entry called "Bug eats electricity, farts biogas."

Needless to say, I had to learn more.

Yeah, that sort of grabs my attention too. Fred is referring to the article Bug eats electricity, farts biogas in New Scientist, which literally proposed using wind to create wind ...

Wind power is capricious, while solar cell output drops off at night or on cloudy days. That fluctuating output poses big problems for electricity grids that rely on steady levels throughout the day. Proposals to deal with the ups and downs of green power supply have included better batteries or redesigning the electricity grid.

An intriguing new idea involves "feeding" surplus power to the microorganisms instead, which combine it with carbon dioxide to create methane. That could then be stored and burned when needed. The method is sustainable too, as the carbon is taken from the atmosphere, not released from long-term storage in oil or coal.

Now if only we could harness THIS GUY. Better yet, what if we could harness the latent energy of fart jokes? (I wonder if I could apply for a patent on that?)

Y e s or N o

[via Pharyngula]

Oh for crying out loud, it's a "Yes or No" question: Do you believe in evolution?



Chris Matthews has great fun with this.

When Pigs Fly

With all the hype about the swine flu, I could resist posting this ...



... and at the left-uppermost are the news media, who have consistently over reported the seriousness, and failed to retract their errors when they later get it right, allowing the bad information to keep circulating. I actually heard one local news anchor give one estimate for the number of deaths in Mexico, and then just a few minutes later giver another LOWER number. Is it a pandemic, not a pandemic, and we should be appropriately cautious. Hysterical new media sources don't help things one bit.

[From GraphJam, of course]

*** Update ***

Greg Laden has much more extensive comments on the swine flu and the real reasons we need to be concerned. Greg has a great Bill Maher clip too.

*** Another Update ***

This editorial from Nature.

Red Mercury

I found this article recently on Anne Marie's Chemistry Blog:

Sewing Machines Believed to Contain Red Mercury

Do you have an old Singer sewing machine? If so, it may be worth $50,000! BBC is reporting on a sewing machine hoax in Saudia Arabia in which people are rushing to buy old Singer sewing machines based on the belief that they might contain red mercury.

I think my grandmothers old Singer is still in the family somewhere, but it's primary value is the memories in evokes.

Still, this might be a useful method of generating income; First I need to identify some bit of old junk in my basement, then start a rumor that such items contain an element of rare value, wait for the price to go up, and then I can cash in!

So ... you know that old Toro lawn mower engine blocks contain an unusually high concentration of pink antimony, an element that has become increasingly rare since the last Soviet era processing plant closed down a few year ago. It's quite valuable, but I'd be willing to let my old lawn mover go for a very reasonable price ...

[image Chuck's Lawn Mower Page, which, to my amazement and pleasant surprise, is well worth a visit in itself. Go figure.]

Chicks Dig Math

Chicks Dig Math!!!

But not these chicks ... sorry ... not these ladies ... well ... maybe they do. It's hard to say.

[image http://www.kismetgirls.com/]


Now THESE chicks really do dig math, and you can read about the innate mathematical ability of chicks at 90Beats. Sorry, make that 80Beats. Hey ... I was within 10 ...


[image Livingromcom]





But as long as I am confusing subjects, how about more chicks women and math?


[image Eat.Sleep.Geek]




and more

[image GaySocialites]










and more.

[image CPBN]