For an atheist, I tend not to talk much about religious matters anymore. When I first came “out” as an atheist, it was an interesting topic of discussion for me, but I quickly bored of it. Still no evidence for god? Okay, move along. I’m much more interested in the immediate harm of anti-vaxxers and…
Posts Tagged ‘ rant ’
More harm that my brain can fathom at the moment…
What’s the harm in believing pseudoscience? Iraq Swears by Bomb Detector U.S. Sees as Useless Colonel [Hal] Bidlack said, “When they say they are selling you something that will save your son or daughter on a patrol, they’ve crossed an insupportable line into moral depravity.” Someone in that company, ATSC (UK) Ltd, must know that…
In Charlottesville, Boobies Gain (Limited) Acceptance
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…
Remembering September 11th… Skeptically
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…
Yet another Ponzi scheme…
Ponzi schemes have been a hot topic in the news ever since Bernie Madoff was charged with being the center of such an operation late last year. These are fraudulent financial investment schemes in which investors lose their money to the perpetrator at the center. Last week, an Albemarle County man was charged with running…
Now I'm pissed
We’ve been inundated with a pretty strong message from the McCain campaign and the Republican party for some time now, most strongly in the past few days, that of this “pro-American and anti-American” idea. It seems that only small town, religiously motivated, factory-working, McCain-voting, war-fighting people are really American. And I’m calling bullshit. Here’s Nancy…
Bang, Zoom, to the… ISS
NASA has recently pushed for a waiver that will allow the US to use Russian spacecraft to get to the ISS once the shuttle is retired and before a suitable replacement is built. However, in a more recent statement, NASA says that it will prefer to use private spacecraft rather than Russian craft, on the…
Astronomy Podcasting for Everyone, and Carnival of Space
Hmm… it seems my sleep schedule is all frakked up again. And tomorrow I have to get up early to get some work done, write a meeting abstract due that afternoon (OMG my first conference talk?!), have our weekly group meeting, then hit the road to Pennsylvania for a little Lyco reunion! Phew… Despite my…
LHC startup! And teaching science…
If you haven’t already heard today, the Large Hadron Collider was started up beautifully earlier today in Europe. I anxiously await the fantastic results that the experiments will bring! And if you weren’t convinced by the report that clearly stated that the LHC will NOT destroy the Earth, since natural cosmic ray events happen regularly…
Crackers and Dancing
First, a PSA. If you are doing construction work in a townhouse development where people are still living, please do not turn up the bass on your car to “head pounding” at 7:30 in the morning. Grrr! Next, I love Rebecca over at Skepchick for her latest post on the “Cracker Debacle.” I have yet…
Help CosmoQuest
On March 22, 2013 we found out that many NASA EPO programs will be suspended as a direct result of US budgetary sequestration. We are proactively working to raise money to make sure that CosmoQuest can continue to support its staff and its programs.
Your donation will support science education that produces science!
Total Raised: $3,385 (as of 2pm CDT, 4/18/2012)
About Nicole Gugliucci
I’m a brand new post-doc in astronomy working as part of the CosmoQuest team. My thesis focused on radio astronomy instrumentation. That means, I got to build cool telescopes that will open up new frontiers in the universe. I also love to teach, both in a classroom setting and informally. I'm happy to talk about the universe with anyone who will listen, and I am skeptically curious about all things.Also blogging at…
