Homely Scientist

Thanks to Geek Dad I bring you some full moon facts like:
21 Scientists have long battled to explain the “moon illusion” – whereby the full moon appears to be larger the closer it is to the horizon. The phenomenon is understood to be caused by human perception rather than the magnifying effect of the earth’s atmosphere.

and
15 According to superstition a male child is more likely to be conceived at full moon.

countered by:
35 An analysis of the birthdays of 4,256 babies born in a clinic in France found no relationship between the full moon and fertility.

The next full moon is June 30th so, …read more

Comments Off

 D.light design is taking a problem head on.  Kerosene lanterns are nearly universal light sources for much of the world.  But, kerosene is dangerous, expensive, and probably not the best choice.  LED lights on the other hand: 
D.light Design was born out of a Stanford University class project, and it currently has five employees. Chief Executive Sam Goldman spent four years in the Peace Corps in West Africa, where he says he lived with a family that used kerosene lamps to light its home after sundown. Goldman discovered firsthand that not only are the lamps dangerous–one of the children was permanently disfigured in a …read more

Comments Off

Pope Benedict XVI might not get kudos, or even consideration, for his green leanings, but he can certainly put his money (not to mention buildings) where his mouth is:
Yes, indeed, it’s a definite move toward green as the roof of the Pope Paul VI auditorium will be replaced next year with solar panels, a reflection of Pope Benedict XVI’s concern about energy use and conservation. Source: » The Vatican Goes Green » Blog Archive   Alice Hill’s Real Tech News – Independent Tech
So why, frankly, aren’t more places doing this?  How many large roofs are just sitting there doing nothing but …read more

Comments Off

As if there was any doubt what so ever:

Hat tip to Brad Feld, who is also a total geek, btw.
Technorati Tags: geek test

Comments Off

June is Men’s Health Month (it’s Father’s Day soon after all) and our theme is, well men’s health.  Here’s the problem with men and men’s health.  We take it for granted and often rather ignore things that are wrong with us.  I am not an exception to this rule, but I do try.
Here’s what we, as men, need to remember–people love us and want us to be around.  We need to make sure we get our exams as we get older (I’ve got a few I’ve been putting off).  We need to not ignore stuff like pain and such.
Don’t make …read more

1 Comment

 There are very few medical advances that hold both tremendous promise and equal controversy as embryonic stem cells.  Stem cells have the ability to “become” (grow into) any cell in the body.  Embryonic stem stems are the most powerful stem cells, for obvious reasons–they need to make a complete person.  One problem, the only source of embryonic stem cells are human embryos and obtaining them, means destruction of the embryo.  I will not get into this controversy here.  I read today that scientists have been able to take stems cells from mice skin and make them behave like embryonic ones:
(AP) Three …read more

Comments Off

LEGO ice cubes now those look cool.  Now for a geek dad just buying the mold is just out of the question:
First things first: Making your own Lego ice cube trays is emphatically not cheaper than buying them straight out from from Lego. It is probably more fun, and since I wanted to learn mold-making, it gave me an excuse to buy a few materials and take a stab at it. Details after the jump. Source: Geekdad – Wired Blogs
Man I wonder what will happen when his kid wants a car!

1 Comment