CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-06-19 04:09:26 (5 comments, 6 reshares, 50 +1s)

The Nerdiest Cocktail Party Ever
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0044676
This study used EEG caps to measure how alcohol affects brain function in a real-world setting. My only question is: where do I sign up for the followup? ;)

I wonder what new things we'll learn by doing more studies in natural environments instead of in a laboratory. Yay for silly-looking new technology! Speaking of which, I wonder how Google Glass will be used for research. It has lots of potential for gathering data, that's for sure.

via http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/seriouslyscience/2013/06/18/behold-the-nerdiest-cocktail-party-ever/ and +Jennifer Ouellette 

2013-06-18 17:53:43 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 16 +1s)

This is an interesting interview with +Amy Robinson, creative director of +EyeWire (http://eyewire.org/), a citizen science game where you help map the 3D structure of neurons! +Scott Lewis and +Buddhini Samarasinghe (who I had the pleasure of meeting last weekend!) ask Amy about how she ended up doing all the cool stuff she's doing.

My favorite advice from this hangout: email researchers who do work you're interested in and ask them questions! Because 1) you don't have to be an expert to talk to experts, and 2) most of them love getting fan mail!

#ScienceEveryDay  

2013-06-18 02:44:12 (9 comments, 11 reshares, 51 +1s)

Boot up into Minecraft

"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly." https://github.com/Overv/MineAssemble

Sure, because why not make a clone of Minecraft written in assembly language.  :D

2013-06-15 19:39:25 (44 comments, 18 reshares, 141 +1s)

Are Americans flunking science?
A new national survey commissioned by the California Academy of Sciences reveals that the U.S. public is unable to pass even a basic scientific literacy test.

Over the past few months, the American government has allocated hundreds of billions of dollars for economic bailout plans. While this spending may provide a short-term solution to the country's economic woes, most analysts agree that the long-term solution must include a transition to a more knowledge-based economy, including a focus on science, which is now widely recognized as a major driver of innovation and industry. Despite its importance to economic growth, environmental protection, and global health and energy issues, scientific literacy is currently low among American adults.

According to the national survey commissioned by the California Academy of Sciences:
... more »

2013-06-14 17:32:13 (18 comments, 47 reshares, 124 +1s)

Sandworm Spice Roll

A delicious monstrosity inspired by Dune. Watch out for the almond teeth!
http://kitchenoverlord.com/2013/05/28/bitchin-bread-battle-day-16-return-of-the-sandworm/

2013-06-14 03:52:45 (19 comments, 15 reshares, 49 +1s)

America's 50 Worst Charities
http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/

At the top of the list is the Kids Wish Network; for every dollar they raise, less than 3 cents actually goes to helping kids. I know it takes money to run a charity, but that's an awful ratio! Maybe when it comes to charities, smaller is better? What do you think?

More details in the Tampa Bay Times article here:
http://www.tampabay.com/topics/specials/worst-charities1.page

2013-06-13 17:04:55 (1 comments, 5 reshares, 19 +1s)

This community was started by +Natalie Villalobos and +Google Developers as a place for women (and men!) in the tech space to discuss and collaborate on projects. A great way to support the +STEM Women on G+! :)

2013-06-12 22:14:00 (30 comments, 14 reshares, 79 +1s)

Today I learned: a typical person eating 2500 calories a day runs on the same amount of energy per second as a 120-watt light bulb. 

"In other words, that's all I need to dream, wake, dress, shower, work, walk to a restaurant, order a salad, ask myself how much energy am I using, and then look it up, think about it, and write this essay. I can power all trillion cells (of me) for a day at the same rate that it takes to light one 120-watt light bulb."
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blogland/2013/jun/10/watts-lunch-or-why-humans-are-light-bulbs/

Wow, that makes me feel so efficient! Or perhaps I should say... wow, 120-watt light bulbs are so inefficient!  They burn all that energy and can't even cook dinner, read books, or post on Google+. 

Here's the calculation:

1 kilocalorie (dietary calorie) = 4,184 joules
2500ki... more »

2013-06-10 16:36:43 (11 comments, 14 reshares, 79 +1s)

http://youtu.be/Np450xMSncE

2013-06-09 18:00:01 (11 comments, 6 reshares, 82 +1s)

Beautiful bugs! Metamorphosis is just as awe-inspiring to me now as it was when I first started collecting bugs as a little kid.

"This type of cocoon is known as a "open-network cocoon" and is unlike other cocoons in that it doesn't completely enclose the pupa in silk. Instead, it only partially surrounds it, likely enabling better airflow to control for humidity and may help prevent fungi from growing on, and eventually killing, the pupa. This cocoon very likely belongs to a moth in the family Urodidae, which is known for making this type of lattice-structured cocoon surrounding its pupa."

+ScienceSunday  #ScienceSunday  

2013-06-09 16:49:21 (13 comments, 11 reshares, 53 +1s)

Virtual Star Party on Google+

Every Sunday night we hook up a bunch of telescopes into a live Google+ hangout and showcase the night sky. We've been doing this for well over a year now, and have seen every planet (and Pluto), the Sun, Moon and most of the deep sky objects out there. Join us some night for a mixture of live astronomy and space geekery.

Circle the +Virtual Star Party to learn more.

2013-06-08 17:22:59 (44 comments, 4 reshares, 140 +1s)

Instead of #Caturday , some folks are celebrating #Haturday ! So I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring -- specifically, my wide-brimmed fedora. :) This is what I wore to my high school prom.

2013-06-08 16:28:14 (15 comments, 58 reshares, 155 +1s)

Orchestra on a plane

(Music starts at 1:10) A quartet from the Philadelphia Orchestra got stuck on a plane to China, so they entertained the other passengers by playing Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American” Finale.

via http://www.openculture.com/2013/06/philadelphia_orchestra_gets_stuck_on_a_plane.html

2013-06-08 01:41:23 (9 comments, 64 reshares, 203 +1s)

Adding real-time video effects with HTML5 video
Seriously.js is a real-time video effects compositor for the web built with HTML5, Javascript and WebGL. Check out the demo: http://seriouslyjs.org/

via +Wayne Radinsky and +Claudia Doppioslash 

2013-06-06 17:53:46 (2 comments, 5 reshares, 14 +1s)

Smokin' Science Circle
We took 500 active profiles from the  +Science on Google+: A Public Database and put them into this circle.  Be careful, this circle is smokin' hot! #scienceeveryday    

Don't forget to check out the Science on Google+ Community: http://goo.gl/mTTxX

Database
Search Communities: http://goo.gl/Rvyez
Search Pages: http://goo.gl/WCohT
Search Profiles: http://goo.gl/Yz8KR
Add Profile or Page to Database: http://goo.gl/yEg7M
Add Community to Database: http://goo.gl/zh0xJ

2013-06-06 16:17:20 (4 comments, 4 reshares, 28 +1s)

We can now fly helicopters ... using only our minds!

Well, miniature helicopter robots, at least. Full-sized helicopters might not be a good idea just yet. The research paper is available free (and it has lots of pictures!):

Quadcopter control in three-dimensional space using a noninvasive motor imagery-based brain–computer interface
http://iopscience.iop.org/1741-2552/10/4/046003/article

2013-06-06 04:31:57 (15 comments, 46 reshares, 106 +1s)

Animation is a super easy business, because, you guessed it, the computer does everything. Just set the right language and make sure you can communicate with your character. That's pretty much it.

2013-06-05 22:31:14 (3 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

In 2007, I partnered with Davis Guggenheim, Jeff Skoll and a talented team of movie-makers to bring the discussion of the climate crisis and how to solve it into the mainstream. Seven years later, the discussion continues and the stakes have never been higher. Every day we continue to see the terrifying power of rising global temperatures—from  stronger storms to larger floods, from fierce wildfires to parching droughts, from rising seas to the extinction of species —we must halt the climate crisis. 

Join Jeff Skoll and me as we discuss the climate crisis and its solutions—live on Google+ on June 11th at 2PM EST. We want to hear from you. Please submit your thoughts, ideas and experiences to the Science on Google+ Community and we will pick the most insightful responses . 

I look forward to hearing from you. Post your ideas here: http://ow.ly/lKmN5

2013-06-05 15:12:31 (29 comments, 8 reshares, 45 +1s)

A friendly critique of the "teach kids to code" movement... 

2013-06-05 02:56:29 (4 comments, 26 reshares, 76 +1s)

Algorithm to make any picture by playing Tetris

Maybe the most complicated, roundabout way to draw an image... which is exactly why this is so neat! "By rotating, positioning and dropping a predetermined sequence of pieces, the Tetris Printer Algorithm exploits the mechanics of Tetris to generate arbitrary bitmap images."

Detailed explanation (with pictures, and I love explanations with pictures!):
http://meatfighter.com/tetrisprinteralgorithm/

2013-06-05 00:20:49 (16 comments, 8 reshares, 88 +1s)

Google+ Swag Bag Bragging

Thanks +Katie Yates and +Will Houghteling for sending these surprise bags to everyone in the Google+ Faculty community! I will now become a walking G+ advertisement to show my appreciation. :D

2013-06-04 02:02:53 (4 comments, 17 reshares, 52 +1s)

On Animation and Designing Interfaces
https://medium.com/design-ux/926eb80d64e3

"Folks keep throwing around the word “delight” when referring to animation and cute interactions. Cool and great for those guys. Guess what though? Animation can be used functionally too. It's not just an embellished detail."

2013-06-03 20:02:41 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 58 +1s)

The blue on this building is the bluest blue I've seen all year (outside of my computer monitor). I think I want my future house to be this color. With neon orange trim. ;)

2013-06-02 17:54:37 (12 comments, 23 reshares, 68 +1s)

The Psychopath Test

All about the line between sane and insane, and the vast grey area in between.

2013-06-02 03:47:10 (13 comments, 23 reshares, 123 +1s)

Periodic Scrabble

Scrabble and the Periodic Table each just not geeky enough for you on their own?

SCoRe MoRe FUN WITh BOTh

Elemensus combines the best of word play and chemistry to challenge you like never BeFORe.

Only the letters and letter combinations from the periodic table can be used to form words, which ups the ante over Scrabble considerably (according to one calculation, only about 15% of the legal Scrabble words are allowed with the periodic table constraints: http://yanwong.me/?p=316). And while you are challenging the language centers of the brain, you just might soak up a bit more chemistry along the way.

If you'd like a head start learning which words are legal before trying the game yourself, check out Mark Nandor's site for a listing of valid chemwords: http://www.nandor.org/math/chemwords/chemwords.htm and visit... more »

2013-06-01 00:09:56 (32 comments, 2 reshares, 92 +1s)

It's my first time at jury duty and I'm juror #1! I think that means I win! First place! ;) I wish everyone called me "number one" instead of using my name. Makes me feel like a Starfleet officer.

2013-05-31 15:53:41 (23 comments, 16 reshares, 56 +1s)

17th Century Ergonomics
From the Folger Shakespeare Library: 
http://collation.folger.edu/2013/05/learning-to-write-the-alphabet/

"Place your body right forward, as it shall be most seemly and easie for you: and tourne not you head too much aside, nor bed it downe too lowe, for auoyding of wearines and paine: and for such as haue occasion to sit long, I would wish them to sit soft, for their better enduring to write ..."
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/05/hovv-yov-ovght-to-hold-your-penne/276366/

This also applies well to sitting in front of your computer. Good posture is good posture. And remember to sit soft, whatever that means! (Buy a comfy desk chair?)

2013-05-31 14:11:08 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 25 +1s)

Tune in to the White House #WeTheGeeks Hangout tomorrow at 2pm ET to learn how experts are working to find asteroids before they find us: http://at.wh.gov/lyvVe

2013-05-30 00:39:58 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

In this week's hangout scientists from the ISOLDE facility at CERN explain how the facility fulfils the old alchemical dream of changing one element into another!

This hangout follows on from last week's hangout, where we spoke about the latest ISOLDE news of pear-shaped atomic nuclei and a fundamental property of the rarest element on Earth (Hangout with CERN: Going pear-shaped).

Join this "Hangout with CERN" broadcast live on Thursday 30 May at 17:00 CEST, on CERN's Google+ and YouTube pages, with a recording later available on YouTube.

You can post questions in advance in the comments below or on Twitter to @CERN with the hashtag #askCERN . We'll pick the best ones to answer and we may even invite you to participate in the live hangout!

Read more about ISOLDE here:
http://home.web.cern.ch/about/experiments/isolde

Want... more »

2013-05-29 17:07:56 (20 comments, 9 reshares, 60 +1s)

Changing Gut Bacteria Through Diet Affects Brain Function

"Four-week intake of [probiotic yogurt] by healthy women affected activity of brain regions that control central processing of emotion and sensation."

Looks like this is the first of these studies to find this effect in humans. *eats some yogurt* Then again... they didn't clarify if these brain-changing effects were beneficial or not. Hmm.

The research paper:
Consumption of Fermented Milk Product With Probiotic Modulates Brain Activity
http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(13)00292-8/abstract

Photo by Barbara Gallardo http://goo.gl/8UgVX

2013-05-29 06:03:56 (12 comments, 25 reshares, 84 +1s)

This will make you yawn

2013-05-29 04:06:52 (31 comments, 9 reshares, 108 +1s)

Can't .... stop ... internetting! I've been on the computer so long tonight, I'm no longer aware of my own body. Maybe... maybe I am the internet. O_o Have you ever felt like that?

Photo by Patrick Brosset http://goo.gl/mpWGB

2013-05-28 17:44:33 (9 comments, 33 reshares, 66 +1s)

A Linguistic Dissection of 7 Annoying Sounds Teenagers Make

My favorite is the pulmonic ingressive nasal velar trill. It's amazing how much we can say without using words!

http://theweek.com/article/index/244460/a-linguistic-dissection-of-7-annoying-teenage-sounds

2013-05-28 03:02:10 (25 comments, 39 reshares, 105 +1s)

Remember that xkcd comic about how birds are dinosaurs and thus the world is good? (http://xkcd.com/1211/) Well, Jack Horner wants to build a dinosaur from a chicken and make the world even better! ;)

It can be hard to believe that a bird is a dinosaur. Like Horner says, if you tell that to any 6th grader they'll say, "But look at the velociraptor. The velociraptor is cool! The chicken is not." And then they demanded: "Fix the chicken!"

So in the last part of this talk (after about 9:37), Jack Horner discusses how he plans to fix the chicken.

2013-05-27 04:09:55 (14 comments, 20 reshares, 83 +1s)

Scientist Paper Dolls

Not only do they have a Carl Sagan, they also have Nikola Tesla, Grace Hopper, Albert Einstein... even +Philip Plait! See them all: http://madartlab.com/tag/paper-doll/

PS: Happy #ScienceSunday !

2013-05-23 15:22:16 (8 comments, 4 reshares, 44 +1s)

I think we should bring this back. Everything retro comes back into style eventually, right? :D

via boingboing.net/2013/04/16/vintage-ad-for-cockroach-racin.html

2013-05-23 03:42:56 (111 comments, 1210 reshares, 1465 +1s)

How to Learn Anything

"The major barrier to skill acquisition isn't intellectual... it's emotional." An excellent reminder of how easy it can be to learn a new skill. Kaufman says it only takes 20 hours!

Update: I'd like to add a counterpoint to balance Kaufman's message. I love his talk and it feels intuitively true to me, but there's also another side to the story.

Sometimes it's more fun to learn inefficiently! I love leisurely learning, like following tangents or indulging in reading too many books. :) Every field of study has its own culture and community, its own legends and weird trivia and rich backstories. Exploring and immersing yourself in those strange new cultures is half the fun!

So on top of those 20 hours focused on efficiency, I think it's just as important to have at least a few hours of... more »

2013-05-22 00:57:19 (5 comments, 10 reshares, 43 +1s)

How Radiolab Is Made

"A peek into how the podcast comes together, and what it's like to work at Radiolab. If you're a fan of the show, help us make more Radiolab with a contribution -- and if you donate now your gift will be matched by a group of generous listeners at radiolab.org/donate

Special thanks to David Fine and American Hipster. Their complete Radiolab video can be seen at americanhipsterpresents.com"

2013-05-20 16:48:37 (8 comments, 20 reshares, 54 +1s)

Why Do We Talk?

Meet "the scientists beginning to unlock the secrets of speech - including a father who is filming every second of his son's first three years in order to discover how we learn to talk, the autistic savant who can speak more than 20 languages, and the first scientist to identify a gene that makes speech possible."

This documentary is broken up into 6 parts. Here's the rest:
Part 2 - Why do we talk? - BBC Horizon
Part 3 - Why do we talk? - BBC Horizon
Part 4 - Why do we talk? - BBC Horizon
Part 5 - Why do we talk? - BBC Horizon
Part 6 - Why do we talk? - BBC Horizon

2013-05-20 03:36:05 (6 comments, 5 reshares, 87 +1s)

Random Avatar Attack!
Hi, I'm Charlie and I draw stuff. One of the things I draw are these nifty avatar portraits. Here's one of willing participant +Liz Krane. Hope you dig it, Liz!

http://CDowd.com/avatars

2013-05-19 23:25:51 (104 comments, 568 reshares, 1450 +1s)

Just in case anyone hasn't seen this awesome little explosion at 130,000 frames per second. #ScienceSunday  / +ScienceSunday

2013-05-19 16:07:02 (43 comments, 20 reshares, 88 +1s)

This was YouTube's suggestion after I was done watching the earlier linked Abbott and Costello video.

Seriously, people? Did two-thirds of people really sleep through trigonometry class?

When not knowing Math can cost you $15,000

2013-05-18 14:49:24 (95 comments, 294 reshares, 658 +1s)

"Moran Cerf is a neuroscientist who has shown how to project patients’ thoughts onto a screen in front of their eyes by implanting electrodes deep inside their brains and reading the activity of cells. Oh, and he used to rob banks."

2013-05-18 04:37:04 (14 comments, 30 reshares, 81 +1s)

How an 11-Year-Old Uses His 3D Printer
http://www.onthemedia.org/blogs/on-the-media/2013/may/16/an-11-year-old-and-his-3d-printer/

If you had a 3D printer when you were 11, what would you have used it for?

I would've made lots and lots of bugs and dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. :) Oh! And dragons! And robots, pirates, tigers, miniature desserts, freeform blobs, molds and stamps for my silly putty, and silly buttons.

2013-05-17 18:07:23 (4 comments, 5 reshares, 25 +1s)

Tidying Up Art

Does the messiness of abstract art ever bug you? Wish you could clean it up? That's exactly what this guy does! My favorite part is his tidying up of a Jackson Pollock painting. :D

This is his book: http://www.amazon.com/Tidying-Up-Art-Ursus-Wehrli/dp/3791330039

2013-05-17 04:10:18 (13 comments, 22 reshares, 121 +1s)

"I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book." - Groucho Marx

Photo by Stéfan http://goo.gl/GJ7wa

2013-05-16 22:44:35 (4 comments, 10 reshares, 71 +1s)

Tomorrow, the White House is kicking off "We the Geeks," a new series of Google+ Hangouts to highlight the future of science, technology, and innovation here in the U.S.

Our first hangout includes an extraordinary panel of innovators from around the country who will discuss the elements of an "all hands on deck" effort to pursue Grand Challenges.

Tune in tomorrow at 2pm ET: http://at.wh.gov/l4lUD

#hangoutsonair   #WeTheGeeks  

2013-05-16 16:10:07 (15 comments, 14 reshares, 35 +1s)

Dictionary of Numbers - Chrome extension puts numbers in human terms

For example, 30 degrees Celsius doesn't register in my American brain, but "the melting point of butter" does. :)

"Dictionary of Numbers searches through the page for numbers it can understand, and when it finds one, adds an inline explanation for that number in human terms. "
http://www.dictionaryofnumbers.com/

2013-05-16 13:43:10 (4 comments, 8 reshares, 70 +1s)

[A bit of satiric comedy :) ]

Ever have the problem where you're trying to filter out melodramatic, close-minded, impetuous, or spoiled individuals, but combing through each circle becomes a bit tedious? Do you ever think, "Wouldn't it be great if there was a telltale psychological indicator revealing the maturity, sensibility, and poise (or lack thereof) of people in your circles?"

Us too. That's why starting today, we're happy to announce a great new feature we think you'll really enjoy. It's called the "initiative to Delete, Uncircle, Mute, and Block", or iDUMB for short.

Here's how it works:

Start by monitoring your stream very carefully. The moment a new update is rolled out, people will begin to make extremely negative, rebellious, hyperbolic, reactionary, and/or self-centered comments. (In other words, they... more »

2013-05-15 18:12:13 (37 comments, 9 reshares, 44 +1s)

Changing my gender to male on Google+ improved my What's Hot experience

Earlier today, +Kimberly Chapman told me about a little experiment she'd done. She'd opened a tab on her browser and directed it to plus.google.com/explore, a stream that enables you to see the hottest content on Google+. In another tab, Chapman changed her gender on her Google+ profile from female to male, and then loaded the Explore page into another tab.

The difference was astonishing. "As a girl, I get stupid warm-fuzzy meaningless shit," Chapman writes on a post (http://goo.gl/ZDBxT). "As a guy, I get nerdy stuff. This is not okay. I get that [What's Hot] algorithms are based on what people click, like, share, comment on, etc. Fine. But I challenge anyone to give me one good reason why there should be such a drastic difference in less than ten seconds by simply changing... more »