Photo
April 18, 2012
100 notes
A Flower That Smells Like Poop and Resembles Vagina Dentata. #1 - Is it possible to get these flowers delivered?  If so, Valentine’s Day can’t come soon enough. #2 - The author, Cyriaque Lamar, uses this line: When the beetle eventually emerges[from the flower], it is sated, drenched in genetic material, and living proof that natural selection is sometimes guided by a cosmic unknowable middle school student.  Somewhere, a Penis-Fart kelp plant lies waiting to be discovered. (via A flower that smells like poop and resembles vagina dentata)

A Flower That Smells Like Poop and Resembles Vagina Dentata.

#1 - Is it possible to get these flowers delivered?  If so, Valentine’s Day can’t come soon enough.

#2 - The author, Cyriaque Lamar, uses this line:

When the beetle eventually emerges[from the flower], it is sated, drenched in genetic material, and living proof that natural selection is sometimes guided by a cosmic unknowable middle school student.  Somewhere, a Penis-Fart kelp plant lies waiting to be discovered.

(via A flower that smells like poop and resembles vagina dentata)

Photoset
April 15, 2012
6,888 notes

devilishkurumi:

let me introduce everyone to my favorite animal in the universe

some fun facts:

  • Found in the Sahara, fennec foxes are small, nocturnal mammals.
  • They are the smallest species of canid in the world.
  • Their ears are so sensitive, they can hear prey moving underground.
  • They grow up to 16 inches long and 8 inches tall. (adorable)
  • Their ears can grow up to almost 6 inches long.
  • Fennec foxes are the only type of fox capable of living in a domestic environment (other than the domesticated silver fox).
  • They are the national animal of Nigeria.
  • I want a million of them.
One more fun fact: inspiration for the fox character in Le Petit Prince
Photo
April 12, 2012
547 notes
Food and Aging Anna Tendler, who is not only a makeup blogger but a total peach of a human, recently posted about her skin care routine, and mentioned that she eats lots of vegetables and drinks plenty of water.  Well, Anna, I am happy to tell you that there is a lot of exciting biochem behind that skin advice.  What does diet have to do with skin? There are these molecules called Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE).  They’re basically a fat or protein molecule that’s had a piece of sugar stuck to it.  Anyway, they are super destructive and can wreck the natural order of long chains of proteins.  You are made of long chains of proteins, so this has implications for pretty much every disease, from Diabetes to Atherosclerosis to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. In terms of skin care, however, a molecule that is capable of reacting with long protein chains would not be great for maintaining the collagen fibers that keep skin wrinkle-free. But what about AGEs and clear skin? Additionally, these AGEs fit into RAGE receptors on your cells (did not make these up), and cause cells to release a bunch of inflammatory products.  Inflammation involves the release of chemicals that can destroy your cells and cause swelling. Like the interference with protein chains, chronic inflammation is also implicated in pretty much every disease you can think of, including acne.   So where are these AGEs coming from?   Some your body just makes, but you can also eat them.  If you cook meat or fat with sugar in the absence of water (think browning meat) you’ll make loads of AGEs that won’t be incredibly forgiving once they’re in your body.   Bottom line? Eat lots of whole unprocessed foods.   If you’re cooking meat, try to do it without sugars, or at least get lots of water into the cooking process.  (as an ardent shake-shack fan, this one bums me out) Steam your veggies instead of cooking in oil when you can maybe throw some raw veggies in there, too.   For hard-core orgo nerds:   here is a great study that I pulled a lot of info from. It describes the mechanism behind AGE interactions with proteins in much more detail!

Food and Aging

Anna Tendler, who is not only a makeup blogger but a total peach of a human, recently posted about her skin care routine, and mentioned that she eats lots of vegetables and drinks plenty of water.  Well, Anna, I am happy to tell you that there is a lot of exciting biochem behind that skin advice. 

What does diet have to do with skin?


There are these molecules called Advanced Glycation End-products (AGE).  They’re basically a fat or protein molecule that’s had a piece of sugar stuck to it.  Anyway, they are super destructive and can wreck the natural order of long chains of proteins.  You are made of long chains of proteins, so this has implications for pretty much every disease, from Diabetes to Atherosclerosis to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. In terms of skin care, however, a molecule that is capable of reacting with long protein chains would not be great for maintaining the collagen fibers that keep skin wrinkle-free.


But what about AGEs and clear skin?


Additionally, these AGEs fit into RAGE receptors on your cells (did not make these up), and cause cells to release a bunch of inflammatory products.  Inflammation involves the release of chemicals that can destroy your cells and cause swelling. Like the interference with protein chains, chronic inflammation is also implicated in pretty much every disease you can think of, including acne.  

So where are these AGEs coming from?  

Some your body just makes, but you can also eat them.  If you cook meat or fat with sugar in the absence of water (think browning meat) you’ll make loads of AGEs that won’t be incredibly forgiving once they’re in your body.  

Bottom line?

  • Eat lots of whole unprocessed foods.  
  • If you’re cooking meat, try to do it without sugars, or at least get lots of water into the cooking process.  (as an ardent shake-shack fan, this one bums me out)
  • Steam your veggies instead of cooking in oil when you can
  • maybe throw some raw veggies in there, too.  

For hard-core orgo nerds:   here is a great study that I pulled a lot of info from. It describes the mechanism behind AGE interactions with proteins in much more detail!

Text
April 11, 2012
29 notes

Too much of a just okay thing?

Can you turn orange from eating too many carrots?

Yep.  That beta-carotene can pigment your skin just like it does your carrot cake.

How many carrots would I need to eat?

Partially depends on how bioavailable the carrots are.

As in, are you eating them raw? (more carrots needed)

juiced? (fewer carrots needed).  

Also, since beta-carotene, aka vitamin A, is fat-soluble, the less body fat you have the more likely you are to store this orange-molecule in your skin.

Benefits of eating carrots to the point of turning orange?

Sweet tan bro!

Disadvantages of eating carrots to the point of turning orange?

You probably have an eating disorder and should talk to a doctor.  Best of luck :(

Photo
April 11, 2012
13 notes
Cool, 10,000 followers!  Thanks for following guys!! It’s been hecka fun to write so far (like, so fun.) Also, heads up on the tabs:  If school is a bust I’m going into the business of quark-flavored ice cream.  It will be strange, and it will becharming.

Cool, 10,000 followers!  Thanks for following guys!! It’s been hecka fun to write so far (like, so fun.)

Also, heads up on the tabs:  If school is a bust I’m going into the business of quark-flavored ice cream.  It will be strange, and it will becharming.

Link
April 06, 2012
52 notes
A Quantum Theory of Mitt Romney - NYTimes.com

New York Times did a piece using quantum theory (yes!) to explain Mitt Romney’s campaign.  If you are like me and need science analogies to understand politics, homeboy has got you covered in this article.

The basic concepts behind this model are:

Complementarity. In much the same way that light is both a particle and a wave, Mitt Romney is both a moderate and a conservative, depending on the situation (Fig. 1). It isnot that he is one or the other; it is not that he is one and then the other. He is both at the same time.

Probability. Mitt Romney’s political viewpoints can be expressed only in terms oflikelihood, not certainty. While some views are obviously far less likely than others, no view can be thought of as absolutely impossible. Thus, for instance, there is at any given moment a nonzero chance that Mitt Romney supports child slavery.

Uncertainty. Frustrating as it may be, the rules of quantum campaigning dictate that no human being can ever simultaneously know both what Mitt Romney’s current position is and where that position will be at some future date. This is known as the “principle uncertainty principle.”

Photo
April 06, 2012
80 notes
realcleverscience: 8bitfuture: RoboBonobo project hits Kickstarter. The project at the Bonobo Hope Great Ape Trust Sanctuary wants to see the apes given personal, internet connected keyboards they can carry around with them to better communicate with people and other apes. As well as letting the apes communicate with humans, it is hoped the software can be developed to work the other way: It is also useful for humans if they can just speak the sentences and have the app translate them automatically to visual lexigram sequences. And the creepy robot pictured above? That’s the next step in the project, which would allow the apes to control a robotic ape: Finally, we would like the bonobos to use the Bonobo Chat app to control their environment using simple lexigram commands -  to operate vending machines, open doors, watch movies and, hopefully,  to control robots.  We believe that controlling robots might be a good way for the bonobos to interact with guests and visitors outside their caged areas. They could play chase games or squirt guests with an an on board watergun.  They could operate the robot out of site by navigating using an on board camera.   Damn. Now here are people thinking just outside the box enough while still making use of available, emerging tech. I’m really curious as to where this will - and could - go. p.s. The photo just cracks me up… and kinda freaks me out! And you can access the kickstarter campaign here.  They need 17K more, and if you pony up $500 you get to skype with a bonobo!!!

realcleverscience:

8bitfuture:

RoboBonobo project hits Kickstarter.

The project at the Bonobo Hope Great Ape Trust Sanctuary wants to see the apes given personal, internet connected keyboards they can carry around with them to better communicate with people and other apes.

As well as letting the apes communicate with humans, it is hoped the software can be developed to work the other way:

It is also useful for humans if they can just speak the sentences and have the app translate them automatically to visual lexigram sequences.

And the creepy robot pictured above? That’s the next step in the project, which would allow the apes to control a robotic ape:

Finally, we would like the bonobos to use the Bonobo Chat app to control their environment using simple lexigram commands -  to operate vending machines, open doors, watch movies and, hopefully,  to control robots.  We believe that controlling robots might be a good way for the bonobos to interact with guests and visitors outside their caged areas. They could play chase games or squirt guests with an an on board watergun.  They could operate the robot out of site by navigating using an on board camera.  

Damn. Now here are people thinking just outside the box enough while still making use of available, emerging tech.

I’m really curious as to where this will - and could - go.

p.s. The photo just cracks me up… and kinda freaks me out!

And you can access the kickstarter campaign here.  They need 17K more, and if you pony up $500 you get to skype with a bonobo!!!

Photo
March 28, 2012
26 notes
Super powers for regular people Part 1: Force Fields! Jean Grey is able to create force-fields by manipulating electromagnetic fields.  Though Jean Grey is an Omega-level mutant, this may be a power achievable by us mere wild-type mortals.  You might remember capacitors from introductory physics, those metal plates that can store a charge from a battery source and, unlike a battery, discharge all of those electrons all at once.  Super capacitors have the ability to unload an enormous charge almost instantaneously, and through this could possibly be used to create electromagnetic fields that could stop or even repel incoming metal projectiles.  Since metals are conductors and absorb electricity, a high-powered electromagnetic field could slow their momentum, reduce the amount of impact they would have on an object, change their direction, or possibly even melt them.  Imagine sending molten metal back at the bad guys.  The sentinels don’t stand a chance! For this to work, you’d need to be wearing this metallic super-capacitor as armor, along with a battery to replenish the charge.  You’d also need to control exactly when you discharged this force field, because it will only last for a fraction of a second.  Lucius Fox, I totally have a job for you.

Super powers for regular people Part 1: Force Fields!

Jean Grey is able to create force-fields by manipulating electromagnetic fields.  Though Jean Grey is an Omega-level mutant, this may be a power achievable by us mere wild-type mortals.  You might remember capacitors from introductory physics, those metal plates that can store a charge from a battery source and, unlike a battery, discharge all of those electrons all at once.  Super capacitors have the ability to unload an enormous charge almost instantaneously, and through this could possibly be used to create electromagnetic fields that could stop or even repel incoming metal projectiles.  Since metals are conductors and absorb electricity, a high-powered electromagnetic field could slow their momentum, reduce the amount of impact they would have on an object, change their direction, or possibly even melt them.  Imagine sending molten metal back at the bad guys.  The sentinels don’t stand a chance!

For this to work, you’d need to be wearing this metallic super-capacitor as armor, along with a battery to replenish the charge.  You’d also need to control exactly when you discharged this force field, because it will only last for a fraction of a second.  Lucius Fox, I totally have a job for you.

Photo
March 27, 2012
3,167 notes
jtotheizzoe: jessbennett: In a room of 25 engineers, only three will be women. Tumblrs aiming to curb the STEM divide: * IAmScience * This is What a Scientist Looks Like * Big Black Glasses * Malibu Einstein * It’s OK To Be Smart Who am I missing?? (h/t ashdryden) Thanks to Jess for picking this up! Let’s add to this list. Who ya got? Thanks for the nod, jessbennett!

jtotheizzoe:

jessbennett:

In a room of 25 engineers, only three will be women. Tumblrs aiming to curb the STEM divide:

* IAmScience

* This is What a Scientist Looks Like

* Big Black Glasses

* Malibu Einstein

* It’s OK To Be Smart

Who am I missing?? (h/t ashdryden)


Thanks to Jess for picking this up! Let’s add to this list. Who ya got?

Thanks for the nod, jessbennett!

Text
March 15, 2012
31 notes

Learning about Learning

So I’ve had some people write to me and ask about help with specific subjects.  I can’t really offer that, but I have been teaching and tutoring for a while, and can definitely tell you my big teaching/learning/studying secret.  

VOCABULARY PRACTICE!!  It’s 100% important and necessary to explicitly practice vocabulary for literally every subject, from english to organic chem.

A lot of times people will just learn new vocabulary while they read a chapter, but the problem here is that it’s a lot to digest, you’re not going to really be comfortable using that word after one page, and you risk misunderstanding every other concept you read that mentions that word.  When people say they read a page and had no idea what just happened on that page, it’s almost always because there was a vocabulary term they didn’t even know they didn’t understand.  

My advice has always been to get the vocabulary words necessary for whatever chapter you’re about to read before you even read the chapter.  Make a list, get the definitions, and make them useable (a friend who took the class last year or a teacher can help you put definitions in understandable words if the dictionary definitions are kinda worthless.)   Here is a social studies example: 

If the textbook introduces filibuster to you as:

“utilizing a technique for obstructing legislation by making long speeches and introducing unnecessary amendments”  

You will have a much easier time if you’ve already created a filibuster flashcard that just reads,

“OMG STFU already senator.”  Always cultivate pith.


I know this sounds like it will add to your workload, but trust me, you’ll read the chapter much much faster, you’ll be more engaged in what’s being said because you understand it better, and you’re less likely to get frustrated and check tumblr.  


Also, let me know if you come up with a particularly choice definition so I can give you the big ups you deserve!

Tags: education vocabulary teaching learning