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Stop eating your pet's food

Apparently people are eating their pet's food, and they're getting salmonella poisoning in return...

A scientific reference manual for US judges

Science and our legal system intersect frequently and everywhere - climate, health care, intellectual...

Rainbow connection

On the way to work this morning, I noticed people pointing out the train window and smiling. From...

Neutrinos on espresso

Maybe they stopped by Starbucks for a little faster-than-the-speed-of-light pick me up....

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Becky JungbauerRSS Feed of this column.

A scientist and journalist by training, I enjoy all things science, especially science-related humor. My column title is a throwback to Jane Austen's famous first line in Pride and Prejudice

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Love Star Wars + have access to filming device = chance of a lifetime!

Love Star Wars + have access to filming device = chance of a lifetime!

Oct 06 2009 | comment(s)

In the parlance of those younger tech addicts of the acronym persuasion - OMG. Times a million.

You can be in Star Wars.

"Whaaaaaaaat?!?", you exclaim while knocking the X-Wing model on your desk over in your haste to push your glasses back up your nose and flip your Jedi robe back over your shoulders.
Want to prevent neighbors from stealing your wi-fi? Redecorate.

Want to prevent neighbors from stealing your wi-fi? Redecorate.

Oct 05 2009 | comment(s)

Most people have at one time or another hitched their internet connection on to someone else's wi-fi signal, or have had others use theirs. Annoying? Yes. But it could also get you in trouble if the snooper is engaged in illegal activity, says The Working Guy's Christopher Null.
It's not just about slowing down your connection; while they're downloading Mad Men via bittorrent, you could be on the hook for their actions.

Wireless security and encryption systems are fraught with problems and insecurity, and other methods to restrict your signal to a small area are cumbersome at best.
Walmart - the new farmer's market?

Walmart - the new farmer's market?

Oct 05 2009 | comment(s)

Can Walmart sell nutrition better than the U.S. government? Honestly, it might be able to, says agricultural trade policy analyst Sallie James in this NPR report.

James says it's not economically feasible for the vast majority of Americans to buy and eat local foods, and it will be difficult not only to get many people within reasonable distance of a local market, but also to create enough production to feed America's 300-million-plus population.
Thinking Your Way To Happiness

Thinking Your Way To Happiness

Oct 01 2009 | comment(s)

Mind over matter. Think happy thoughts. Don't worry be happy. Accentuate the positive.

Is happiness really that simple?

Sure, it's easy to say, "Think positively." But to actually do it? Not so much.1 We spend bazillions of dollars trying to buy happiness and yet somehow we're not satisfied.2 I don't have any money left to spend, so my options are (a) a life of misery and despair, or (b) find a cheaper alternative.

The Coldplay Proof, and searching the InterGoogle
Galileo, The Medici, And The Age Of Astronomy - Capitolo Finale

Galileo, The Medici, And The Age Of Astronomy - Capitolo Finale

Sep 29 2009 | comment(s)

Galileo merged the fields of cosmology and astronomy, thanks to his telescope, which gave scientists a more accurate way to observe and define the heavens. His telescope helped shift authority in the observation of nature from men to instruments. From backyard astronomers to the Hubble Telescope to the Vatican Observatory, Galileo’s impact on astronomy is both formative and lasting.