Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for September, 2009

Attempting a Personal Mission Statement

Posted in personal on September 27, 2009 | 2 Comments »

I recently had the chance to talk with Jeffery Bennett, astronomer and author from Boulder, CO, during his recent visit to Charlottesville.  After giving presentations to four elementary schools with his children’s books chronicling the fictional space journeys of a dog named Max, he gave a talk at UVa about the search for extraterrestrial life, [...]

Read Full Post »

“Glorious Dawn”

Posted in Sagan, astronomy, belly dancing, science, videos on September 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

I know everyone has written about, posted, or tweeted this video in the last few days, but I do love it so much. The music is BEGGING for a cool tribal fusion-y choreography.  There’s a 3/4 shimmy in there, and slow up-to-down figure 8 in the chorus, no?  Time to break out the Asharah DVD. [...]

Read Full Post »

Astronomers Fighting Multiple Sclerosis Need Your Help!

Posted in Charlottesville, charity on September 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

A few of our athletically inclined graduate students in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Virginia are going to participate in a bike ride to raise money for multiple sclerosis at an event called Best of the Blue Ridge.  MS is chronic and often crippling autoimmune disease.  The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is [...]

Read Full Post »

In Charlottesville, Boobies Gain (Limited) Acceptance

Posted in Charlottesville, rant, sex on September 18, 2009 | 12 Comments »

All kinds of chitter-chatter has been erupting in Charlottesville in reaction to the Hook publishing an article* on successful UVa alumni that posed for Playboy while in college. The article itself is not the issue, but some object the tiny but fully nude photos that accompany it (so that should tell you, but I’ll say [...]

Read Full Post »

Another Defense of Science

Posted in humor, music, pseudoscience, science, skeptic, videos on September 17, 2009 | 4 Comments »

I was taking a break the other day and following some fun Twitter links to a story about Eddie Izzard’s marathon of marathons, which is a really cool and inspiring story.  (Sorry, I don’t remember who tweeted it first!) This is just days after I watched “Circle” again, and nearly spilled my wine laughing at [...]

Read Full Post »

Nutty Pareidolia

Posted in fun, pareidolia, videos on September 15, 2009 | 2 Comments »

Here’s a quickie for you, while I’m working away diligently.  It’s a cute site that George IMed to me (from across the office) yesterday called This Peanut Looks Like a Duck.  Because if the Virgin Mary can show up on a piece of toast, the Great Duck will not be outdone. In fact, lots of [...]

Read Full Post »

Remembering September 11th… Skeptically

Posted in personal, rant, skeptic on September 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »

I never know quite what to say from year to year on this anniversary.  I used to have a LOT to say, now I reserve a moment of quiet reflectiveness.  But maybe I can move away from the emotional aspect just a bit and talk about my first run-in with 9/11 conspiracy theories. Going back [...]

Read Full Post »

Dragon*Con Post-Op

Posted in Dragon*Con, Galileo, astronomy, bsg, cool, critical thinking, culture, events, fun, fundraising, iya2009, outreach, personal, picture, podcasts, science, skepchicks, skeptic, telescope, travel, twitter, ufo on September 9, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Holy. Frakkin. Wow. So, I attended, no, experienced my very first Dragon*Con. It was on a scale of something that I have never seen before. Tens of thousands of freaks and geeks, many in costume, descended upon downtown Atlanta to laugh, squee, drink, and just be themselves (or whoever they want to be) for a [...]

Read Full Post »

Grassroots Skeptics launches today!

Posted in Charlottesville, Dragon*Con, skeptic on September 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Edit 9/7: Link fixed!  Wow, I suck at typing… Go visit it now, seriously. Today is the first day of Dragon*Con, and thus the first day of the Skeptrack (watch it here!).  You can celebrate skeptically one more way by heading over to Grassroots Skeptics, a new effort to connect skeptically minded people in local [...]

Read Full Post »

The Chiropractic state of Charlottesville

Posted in Charlottesville, chiropractic, critical thinking, free speech, health, medicine, science, skeptic on September 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »

There has been much ado about Simon Singh and the libel lawsuit filed against him by the British Chiropractors Association in the last few months.  If you look over to the right at the “Keep Libel Laws out of Science” link, it’s easy to tell what side I fall on.  To briefly, briefly summarize the [...]

Read Full Post »