From Observation to Insight

Kid in my class: Hey, wanna hear a chemistry joke?

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:44:18 -0700

Kid in my class: Hey, wanna hear a chemistry joke?
Teacher: sure.
Kid: I heard Oxygen and Magnesium were going out. OMg!
Teacher: oh, that's funny!
Teacher: ...
Teacher: ...
Teacher: ...except it'd be MgO. So it's wrong.

Photo

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:06:26 -0700

outofthecavern: manafromheaven: emlikesthis: prouverily: I...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:05:26 -0700

outofthecavern:

manafromheaven:

emlikesthis:

prouverily:

I don’t usually watch Kitchen Nightmares

but when I do everyone is fucking psycho

tHIS IS LIKE THE SCARIEST THING IVE EVER SEEN also yes good the comic

I LOVE THIS SHOW

Hahaha I watched that this morning.

mightyenarc: slow the fuck down there aristotle youre like 3...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:00:37 -0700

mightyenarc:

slow the fuck down there aristotle youre like 3 years old wearing a fucking hard hat

3ridan: the scariest thing about teenage girls is all they have to do is laugh near you and they...

Wed, 15 May 2013 15:59:17 -0700

3ridan:

the scariest thing about teenage girls is all they have to do is laugh near you and they instantly make you feel like total shit

kaiyves: star-light-and-film-grain: astrotastic: astronomerinp...

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:20:27 -0700

kaiyves:

star-light-and-film-grain:

astrotastic:

astronomerinprogress:

astrotastic:

project-argus:

Ann Druyan and Neil deGrasse Tyson… IN SPAAAACE!

(But, really, does this mean she’ll be a bigger part of the show this time?)

FrEAKinNG OUuoT

(I’M TAKING THIS AS A YES)

ANN YOU LOOK LIKE SPACE THIS PLEASES ME

I wish I could describe to you the sound that I made

Is it just me, or does this look kind of like it could be a promo shot for a series about a pair of sci-fi detectives?

kaiyves said exactly what I was thinking.

Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), the author of the SOPA bill, proposes new criteria for NSF Grants

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:05:00 -0700

The new chair of the House of Representatives science committee has drafted a bill that, in effect, would replace peer review at the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a set of funding criteria chosen by Congress. The legislation, being worked up by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), represents the latest—and bluntest—attack on NSF by congressional Republicans seeking to halt what they believe is frivolous and wasteful research being funded in the social sciences.

Last month, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) successfully attached language to a 2013 spending bill that prohibits NSF from funding any political science research for the rest of the fiscal year unless its director certifies that it pertains to economic development or national security. Smith’s draft bill, called the “High Quality Research Act,” would apply similar language to NSF’s entire research portfolio across all the disciplines that it supports.

ScienceInsider has obtained a copy of the legislation, labeled “Discussion Draft” and dated 18 April, which has begun to circulate among members of Congress and science lobbyists. In effect, the proposed bill would force NSF to adopt three criteria in judging every grant. Specifically, the draft would require the NSF director to post on NSF’s Web site, prior to any award, a declaration that certifies the research is:

1) “… in the interests of the United States to advance the national health, prosperity, or welfare, and to secure the national defense by promoting the progress of science;

2) “… the finest quality, is groundbreaking, and answers questions or solves problems that are of utmost importance to society at large; and

3) “… not duplicative of other research projects being funded by the Foundation or other Federal science agencies.”

NSF’s current guidelines ask reviewers to consider the “intellectual merit” of a proposed research project as well as its “broader impacts” on the scientific community and society.

Two weeks ago, Republicans on the science committee took to task both John Holdren, the president’s science adviser, and Cora Marrett, the acting NSF director, during hearings on President Barack Obama’s proposed 2014 science budget. They read the titles of several grants, questioned the value of the research, and asked both administration officials to defend NSF’s decision to fund the work.

On Thursday, Smith sent a letter to Marrett asking for more information on five recent NSF grants. In particular, he requested copies of the comments from each reviewer, as well as the notes of the NSF program officer managing the awards.

In his letter, a copy of which ScienceInsider obtained, Smith wrote: “I have concerns regarding some grants approved by the Foundation and how closely they adhere to NSF’s ‘intellectual merit’ guideline.” Today, Smith told ScienceInsider in a statement that “the proposals about which I have requested further information do not seem to meet the high standards of most NSF funded projects.”

Smith’s request to NSF didn’t sit well with the top Democrat on the science committee, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). On Friday, she sent a blistering missive to Smith questioning his judgment and his motives.

“In the history of this committee, no chairman has ever put themselves forward as an expert in the science that underlies specific grant proposals funded by NSF,” Johnson wrote in a letter obtained by ScienceInsider. “I have never seen a chairman decide to go after specific grants simply because the chairman does not believe them to be of high value.”

In her letter, Johnson warns Smith that “the moment you compromise both the merit review process and the basic research mission of NSF is the moment you undo everything that has enabled NSF to contribute so profoundly to our national health, prosperity, and welfare.” She asks him to “withdraw” his letter and offers to work with him “to identify a less destructive, but more effective, effort” to make sure NSF is meeting that mission.

Smith’s bill would require NSF’s oversight body, the National Science Board, to monitor the director’s actions and issue a report in a year. It also asks Holdren’s office to tell Congress how the principles laid down in the legislation “may be implemented in other Federal science agencies.”

It should be noted that Lamar practices Christian Science and doesn’t believe in the use of medicine. He also denied global warming is caused by human behavior. And he sponsored the SOPA ( Stop online piracy act), and the PCIP ( Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act).

police officer: good evening do you know why we pulled you over

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:30:09 -0700

police officer: good evening do you know why we pulled you over
me: no
police officer: It's because you're a fucking nerd

"My biggest fear is that eventually you will see me the way I see myself."

Sat, 11 May 2013 22:39:22 -0700

“My biggest fear is that eventually you will see me the way I see myself.”

- Anonymous (via sadexistences)

heathyr: there’s nothing more disappointing than falling in love with someone’s work and then...

Sat, 11 May 2013 17:48:00 -0700

heathyr:

there’s nothing more disappointing than falling in love with someone’s work and then finding out that the creator is a complete douchebag

If you aren’t blaring rock music while doing your lab calculations, you’re doing it...

Sat, 11 May 2013 14:14:16 -0700

If you aren’t blaring rock music while doing your lab calculations, you’re doing it wrong.

stickylittlekitten: this-is-the-fun-vee: moriartyhasthetardis: ...

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:14:43 -0700

stickylittlekitten:

this-is-the-fun-vee:

moriartyhasthetardis:

Goodness.

notanotherginger: oldmanyellsatcloud: wildcat2030: Hoping to...

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:10:49 -0700

notanotherginger:

oldmanyellsatcloud:

wildcat2030:

Hoping to give new meaning to the term “natural light,” a small group of biotechnology hobbyists and entrepreneurs has started a project to develop plants that glow, potentially leading the way for trees that can replace electric streetlamps and potted flowers luminous enough to read by.

The project, which will use a sophisticated form of genetic engineering called synthetic biology, is attracting attention not only for its audacious goal, but for how it is being carried out.

Rather than being the work of a corporation or an academic laboratory, it will be done by a small group of hobbyist scientists in one of the growing number of communal laboratories springing up around the nation as biotechnology becomes cheap enough to give rise to a do-it-yourself movement.

The project is also being financed in a D.I.Y. sort of way: It has attracted more than $250,000 in pledges from about 4,500 donors in about two weeks on the Web site Kickstarter. (via A Dream of Glowing Trees Is Assailed for Gene-Tinkering - NYTimes.com)

Reblogged before, but worth an update: These guys got more than funded, with still 28 days to go. Not bad for a DIY biotech lab.

The DIY “bio-hacking” movement is awesome.

Send me an emoticon ~(˘▾˘~)

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:07:40 -0700

misjudgments:

(✿◠‿◠) — you’re cute

(◡‿◡✿) — you make me happy

\ (•◡•) / — i like your blog

(¬‿¬) — can i touch you

ƪ(♥ε♥)ʃ — can i marry you

(╥﹏╥) — i wish we talked

(っ◕‿◕)っ ♥ — i wanna hug you

凸(¬‿¬) — i hate you but i love you

ಠ_ಠ — i don’t like you/your blog

(ﾉ °益°)ﾉ彡 ┻━┻ — i wanna kick you in the nuts

redcloud: egryan: Read the new Hyperbole and a Half. Sh. Just...

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:14:23 -0700

redcloud:

egryan:

Read the new Hyperbole and a Half.

Sh. Just do it.

If you have ever experienced clinical depression, this is brilliant.

Lol, this little comic explains Depression to the dot.

Photo

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:13:13 -0700

DO IT

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:10:37 -0700

01: Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
02: Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
03: Your views on drugs and alcohol.
04: Your views on religion.
05: A time you thought about ending your own life.
06: Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
07: Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
08: A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
09: How you hope your future will be like.
10: Discuss your first love and first kiss.
11: Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
12: Bullet your whole day.
13: Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
14: Your earliest memory.
15: Your favorite tumblrs.
16: Your views on mainstream music.
17: Your highs and lows of this past year.
18: Your beliefs.
19: Disrespecting your parents.
20: How important you think education is.
21: One of your favorite shows.
22: How have you changed in the past 2 years?
23: Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
24: Your favorite movie and what it’s about.
25: Someone who fascinates you and why.
26: What kind of person attracts you.
27: A problem that you have had.
28: Something that you miss.
29: Goals for the next 30 days.
30: Your highs and lows of this month.

I'm so fucking bored please.

majesticjackfrost: DO YOU EVER LOOK AT YOUR FOLLOWERS AND REALIZE OUT OF THE MILLIONS OF BLOGS THAT...

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:07:30 -0700

majesticjackfrost:

DO YOU EVER LOOK AT YOUR FOLLOWERS AND REALIZE OUT OF THE MILLIONS OF BLOGS THAT ARE ON HERE THEY DECIDED TO FOLLOW YOU LIKE HOW DID YOU FIND ME THANK YOU YOU ARE ALL GREAT I’D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY

Please don't get tired of me.

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:06:57 -0700

It happens every time. People lose interest in me. They get tired of me. Suddenly, they don’t bother hitting me up anymore. The conversations become shorter. They forget about me and I just become a distant memory. I wonder if it’s my fault sometimes. But then I realize that people never stay in my life. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

grodus: i’ve had this in my drafts saved until it was time

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:55:55 -0700

grodus:

i’ve had this in my drafts saved until it was time