Not that I "have a life" but, as much as I enjoy science, I have a hard time listening to NPR on Friday nights so that I can catch "Science Friday" with Ira Flatow (pronounced "phlato"). I was out and about last night and caught the show. It was immensely entertaining and they clued me in to this video from their website. Watch it and understand what makes science so interesting to me.
"Imagine everything you see in those videos being controlled by a computer that could fit inside a poppy seed"
Saturday, August 30, 2008
More cool science
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16 comments:
So you think torturing flies for science is a good thing, eh? How'd you like to be glued to stick and suspended in midair, huh, huh, what about that?
I thought this was going to be a video about McCain, because of that bit about the poppy seed brain.
I was concerned about that Ric and did some further reading. Turns out that flies, knowing their lifespan is about 2 weeks, actually want to participate. That whole "flight simulator" is thought to be the ultimate "fly trip".
I'm very glad they didn't accidentally photograph the fly with David Hedison's head.
Unrelated advice to fundies: Eat more poppy seeds.
Cool video, although it's just going to compound the guilt I feel when killing a fly.
Somehow, after years of regular listening, SciFri has fallen out of my time budget. Thanks for the reminder. Could I also have a spare hour to add to my week?
@ Ex - wow. First David Hedison reference I've heard since ???
@ Brendan - They have compound eyes, you have compound guilt. Eh... consider it a wash.
Come to think of it, a poppy seed is probably smarter than McCain.
I think you made that up about the 'fly trip'. You'd actually have to get inside the mind of a fly to know that, and I don't believe you can do that. Too scary. Unless of course you use an 'Evo simulator'.
All joking aside, the poppy seed quote is really an amazing thing to think about.
You're asking a lot with this crew of readers (not to mention the author), Maria. But, OK, all joking aside - it is extremely amazing and the reason I highlighted the quote.
I also liked the part where he said how much it annoys him whenever people refer to insects as "simple" organisms. We forget when watching the work of an individual ant that none of that is possible without a "control center". Yes, their brains are not as complex as ours - just unbelievably, incredibly complex!
Life is so much more fascinating than it would be if the god of the desert existed. It's hard for me to understand why people need mystical explanations when the natural ones are so profoundly superior.
Obviously it's because the mystical explanations are so mystical.
You went across the street to Starbucks this morning didn't you? I think I can tell when it's home-brew and when you walk for it.
You've got it backwards. It's the homebrew that's potent and mystical. Starbucks is just coffee.
Speaking of coffee, Wikipedia has a nice photo of what a spider does to its web if you give it caffeine. It looks a little like cubism. Even if it's not mystical, it's a pretty nice substance.
maria -
omigoodness, that explains a lot about my mind. From now on, weak tea and vermouth.
Pretty goddamned awesome, Evo.
Obviously it's because the mystical explanations are so mystical.
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