Science & Society

Dickens Created Victorian Christmas, And That Imagery Shapes Christmas Now

December 25, as we all know, is Jesus Christ’s birthday, a Christian celebration in which the myth of three kings who travelled far and wide to give gifts to the “new born king” inspires the modern Christian tradition of gift giving. Early gifts used to b ...

Article - The Conversation - Dec 22 2019 - 10:00am

TMT Roadblock To Come Down Construction Not To Go Up. Construction Time Is Over On Mauna Kea. UPDATE

A fter months of delay the construction of TMT will not be able to start in 2019.  With the start of construction on hold for an indefinite period.  Some take this as a win for the protest, striking a blow against inequality, homelessness, underemployment ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Dec 26 2019 - 7:32pm

2019 Predictions Partially Correct

I n December of last year I made some predictions for 2019. So how did I do? Those predictions spanned science and technology and followed from things which were in the works in 2018.  When it comes to space flight we were all perhaps a bit too optimistic ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Dec 31 2019 - 5:39pm

Predictions!  What The 2020’s Are Likely To Bring In Science And Technology.

L ook forward to a decade where the quantum computer becomes practical, we travel around the Moon, and inch closer to understanding of quantum gravity. Predicting the future in any detail is impossible but we can look at what people are working on now and ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Jan 1 2020 - 12:42pm

US Killed Soleimani Confirmed- Big Step In For Tat With Iran- Open War Unlikely- No WWIII

Short summary: Soleimani is an Iranian leader, who is highly respected in Iran, and played a key role in the fight against ISIS. However, he was classified by the US as terrorist because of his position as leader of the Quds, a numerically small black ops ...

Article - Robert Walker - Jan 5 2020 - 3:13am

Am I The Only Black Trans Woman In Physics?

T ransgender women of color who have an advanced degree, MS or PhD, in Physics, and who have made, or make some part of their living by doing physics are rare.  So far as I know I am the only one. ...

Blog Post - Hontas Farmer - Jan 5 2020 - 9:55pm

The Muddled Debate About Pesticide And GM Crops

Does the adoption of GM crops lead to more or less pesticide use?  This is a frequent topic of debate, but generally one that misses the point.  Both sides make the same erroneous assumption that all pesticide use is, by definition, a bad thing.   ...

Article - Steve Savage - Jan 6 2020 - 10:14am

For Mice And Men, Dose Doth Make The Poison

Every day, I make my wife two or three cups of coffee. I am serving her a phenol-laced liquid, containing 826 volatile chemical substances, 16 of which are known by the state of California to cause cancer. ...

Article - Norm Benson - Jan 14 2020 - 10:39am

Most Americans Get Science News From Corporate Media- And That's Bad

Though every politician and both U.S. parties claim to be pro-science, that isn't reflected in corporate media coverage. The New York Times will publish conspiracy theories drafted by US Right To Know, a corporate front group created by Organic Consum ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 15 2020 - 10:44am

Liza Gross And The Credibility Hole Science Media Must Crawl Out Of

ABC News recently suspended Brian Ross (four weeks without pay) for fabricating an unsubstantiated story that matched his ideological beliefs about Republicans and President Donald Trump and which caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to plummet. This wa ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 15 2020 - 10:45am