CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-23 18:15:40 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Super Science Circle - May 2013 Edition

Need more science in your Google+? Well, here's all the science you can handle! Enjoy my latest, heavily curated edition of the Super Science Circle.

Please share this circle... for Science!

For the uninitiated, I maintain a circle of 450+ people who are active on Google+ and regularly post on Google+. In this circle you'll find scientists, journalists, astronauts, educators, and science enthusiasts. By importing this circle into your own circles, you'll immediately gain a vibrant and fascinating feed of amazing science stories.

I recognize that it might be too much science, so I suggest you create a brand new temporary circle and evaluate the people in the circle. Only transfer the keepers to your permanent circles. Then, when I update the circle next month, rinse and repeat.

Are... more »

2013-05-23 12:45:52 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

Bear and Princessa
These are my sister's Pomeranians. I think they are cute with their haircuts. I think Bear is in the first picture and Princessa is the shy one on the doggy bed. It's a day early for #FidoFriday  but +Tiffany Henry and +Andy Bohm reminded me of these pictures when they posted a haircut version of Freeman.
http://goo.gl/0Urgw
http://goo.gl/43Fqq

2013-05-21 04:56:04 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 18 +1s)

It's raining but doesn't look like it
It's actually raining hard with thunder and lightening. This was taken with my HTC One using night mode. I plan on posting more about the HTC One when I get a chance.

2013-05-20 22:53:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Think/Feel feat. Chelsey Scheffe - Beat Connection

Yeah, I'm on a Beat Connection kick.

I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much

Late last night,
If only you would be alright
You lie, when I tell you
The light, light, light, don’t tell I’m sober
If I try, try, try, try
Might just as well, well,
Give it up, up, up, up
And not let you down, down, down

But I won’t cause I can’t go, no, no, no
Then I know

I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much

I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you, too little think too much
I feel you,too lit... more »

2013-05-20 22:01:33 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Palace Garden, 4 AM - Beat Connection

Palace Garden 4 AM, I attempted to lose myself again
Seeing signs on the red sand walls telling me to dance like I never danced before
You glimmer in the light, move into the rhythm of the summer night
Best believe it's old news, take me to the river let me show you

Palace Garden 4 AM, she's under my arm, I am under her skin
In an attempt to seal the deal, step away for a minute, let the tension build
You glimmer in the light, move into the rhythm of the summer night
Best believe it's old news, take me to the river let me show you

Take me when you go, no one has to know
A shimmer in the night is all I needed
A shimmer in the night is all I needed

Take me when you go, no one has to know 
A shimmer in the night is all I needed
A shimmer in the night is all I... more »

2013-05-19 13:39:32 (8 comments, 8 reshares, 29 +1s)

Sticky, stinky vomit
Have a look at this video from How stuff works:
http://goo.gl/EhNno It's about Fulmar chicks. Their defense mechanism is to regurgitate an oily substance onto whatever target is within 5 ft. The sticky oil makes it difficult for predatory birds to fly. When they go to wash off the sticky oil, they can drown as the oil messes up their buoyancy too.

Image source and more details form Scientific American.
http://goo.gl/dnkAr

#ScienceSunday  

2013-05-17 04:54:50 (10 comments, 1 reshares, 30 +1s)

Another reason I love NewEgg
NewEgg has some of the best prices and selection for computer hardware. Now that they've beaten another patent troll, I'm happy to give them more of my business.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/newegg-nukes-corporate-troll-alcatel-in-third-patent-appeal-win-this-year/

2013-05-16 12:53:23 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 12 +1s)

You can still add text to images
I'm not sure what +Bobbi Jo Woods was talking about.
http://goo.gl/k3zLj
Edit the add text icon was below the image after I uploaded it. You also can still add text to images already in your albums.
Edit2 I do agree with +Bobbi Jo Woods about the new "more" format where less text is visible. I've said elsewhere that it caters to the TL;DR crowd.
Image via Reddit

2013-05-16 02:30:18 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Mathematics poem
Interesting poem about immigration in England.

2013-05-15 12:51:03 (15 comments, 6 reshares, 24 +1s)

Stream rank bug fixed: Howdy
Word on the G+ street is that the stream ranking algorithm bug has a temporary fix. My stream seems to be back to normal. For those that don't know or weren't affected by the bug, streams were stuck on a few set of posts. Even if I switched to other circles, the feed was still not getting enough new posts. If you go to someone's profile, you would notice you missed about every 3rd post of theirs. Although I'm not posting as much these days, you may have thought that my posts were stagnant due to the bug. For those that are happy to have their streams back to normal howdy. For those that recently added me, howdy and here's a couple of posts for you.
* Adding you back*
http://goo.gl/BcHTU

Stop spamming people with community invitations
http://goo.gl/mqymv

Image via Reddit

2013-05-13 18:06:01 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

See Emily Play - Pink Floyd

Emily tries but misunderstands, ah ooh
She often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
Soon after dark Emily cries, ah ooh
Gazing through trees in sorrow hardly a sound till tomorrow
There is no other day

Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
Put on a gown that touches the ground, ah ooh
Float on a river forever and ever, Emily
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play

#MusicMonday

2013-05-13 12:20:33 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Best.  Ad.  Ever.

No - seriously!  

The folks at +Howl at the Moon Indianapolis sure do know how to make an impression!!

2013-05-13 05:11:03 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

On to the next round
Here's an awesome goal from my guy Pavel Datsyuk.

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlp=8467514&event=DET213&cmpid=embed-share-video

2013-05-13 03:31:21 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Green latex
Patagonia in collaboration with Yulex, is maked green wetsuits. I mean really green. These are made from the Guayule plant. Guayule, Parthenium argentatum is from the aster family and is being used as an alternative source for latex.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenium_argentatum

More from Treehugger
http://goo.gl/6Ajwk

Hypoallergenicity of guayule rubber particle proteins compared to Hevea latex proteins
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0926669094901228

A quick, late post for #ScienceSunday  

2013-05-12 05:25:39 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 24 +1s)

Go back to FB
Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of people new to G+ are doing this? This is a nice follow up to:
Stop spamming people with community invitations
http://goo.gl/mqymv

Image via Reddit

2013-05-11 16:50:18 (24 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

I've never heard of this Eddie Cuffin bloke before, and now I wish I was back at that state of blissful ignorance mere hours ago. This guy is a real class act. What a catch! Right? Oops, my fingers slipped there, I actually meant to type " What a piece of shit ".

2013-05-11 16:10:35 (9 comments, 30 reshares, 50 +1s)

Pumpcast News #awesomesauce .
I couldn't stop laughing. This guy is hilarious.

h/t +Lori Dunn and +PJ Perdue 

2013-05-11 15:11:47 (8 comments, 3 reshares, 15 +1s)

[+] Should non-scientists make decisions on importance of science? [+] 

As most, if not all of you have seen here on Google+, let alone in the news, the sequestration has decimated not only Science Education & Public Outreach, but slashed actual scientific funding for the future. 

Many people, including (and maybe especially) politicians question the importance of the scientific research being done now, let alone the return on research being done in the future. When we're playing the numbers game, it's so incredibly easy to be short-sided and focus on the quickest return on an investment. So let me make this exceedingly clear:

*Science research is not a lottery scratch-ticket!*

You don't go into your local market, put down $5, scratch the card and hope you recover your costs or even make a bit of a profit. Scientific research hasl... more »

2013-05-10 12:04:54 (8 comments, 26 reshares, 38 +1s)

Confused Shiba Inu
You've probably seen this so don't be confused. It isn't new. I found this on Reddit a while ago and forgot to post it.

#FidoFriday Currated by  +mel peifer, +Lisa Lisa, +Suhaib Ayaz, and +Wes Lum

2013-05-08 17:27:00 (17 comments, 2 reshares, 15 +1s)

Warning! Community invitations:

Spamming without knowing it?

When you invite people or pages to a community:

Invite people sends a notification - SPAM!

Share community just shares a public post in your followers stream - GOOD!

Please don't invite all your circles or people you don't know.
That is spamming.

We get up to 50 spammy community invitations every day. This page is not interested in anything else except Google+ and we already belong to all the communities we need.

Muting or blocking the profile who sends these is unfortunate but will be done.

Profiles and Pages can stop people outside their circles contacting them

- For businesses and entrepreneurs it's not recommended to limit the "Who can send you notifications" because then even the... more »

2013-05-07 23:08:13 (3 comments, 3 reshares, 17 +1s)

How I see my dog VS how my dog sees me.

You can read the rest of the comic here:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/dog_how_see

2013-05-07 15:49:55 (2 comments, 7 reshares, 16 +1s)

This is, hands down, without a doubt, the best advertising I've ever seen.

Zachary Quinto vs. Leonard Nimoy: "The Challenge"

2013-05-05 14:51:35 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 13 +1s)

Weinberg, Dawkins, and the universe
This is a great discussion exploring all kinds of questions, especially touching on some points of contact between physics and the 'grand' religious or quasi-religious questions, including the issue of fine-tuning of physical constants, anthropic selection from a larger reality, what we know about the early universe from experiments, and what we think we know. Its clear from the thunder in the first few minutes that they've angered the Gods....

In case you weren't aware, Steven Weinberg is one of the main co-fathers of the Standard Model, a Nobel laureate, and wrote the book (all 3 volumes) on quantum field theory, so as someone very familiar with the currently most fundamental frameworks he's among the most trustworthy and well-prepared to discuss these matters.

One of the physical issues they tackle early on is... more »

2013-05-04 12:42:49 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 22 +1s)

Timing is everything
Too bad I missed #MayThe4thBeWithYou and #DanceParty

via Reddit

2013-05-04 05:01:47 (7 comments, 6 reshares, 18 +1s)

Not Dora the Explorer
Dora is a peregrine falcon. With a camera mounted on her back, you can see her take out a duck in mid-air. Her speed and maneuvering is amazing.
Reminds me of this BBC piece with another peregrine and goshawk.
Flying with the fastest birds on the planet: Peregrine Falcon & Goshawk - Animal Camera - BBC

Also check out a similar post from +Erin Kane 
A goshawk hunts in super-slow motion
http://goo.gl/zDl4Z

#ScienceEveryday  

2013-05-03 13:07:31 (8 comments, 6 reshares, 39 +1s)

Naki'o story shows the good in humans
He was found in the basement of a foreclosed home in Nebraska with litter mates. His mom was dead. Found frozen in a puddle, he lost a large part of his hind limbs and a bit of the front limbs and part of his tail to frostbite. I'd like to believe that Naki'o's mom found the basement to give birth. If she was left abandoned with the house, I'd like to give that person frostbite with liquid nitrogen. A Puppy's Voice in Ft. Collins, Co brought the puppies from Nebraska to Colorado, where Christie Pace, a veterinary technician became Naki'o's champion.

It was painful for Naki'o to walk on his nubs and Christie realized he needed help. Enter OrthoPets. Martin Kaufmann, founder and owner, helped make prosthetics for Naki'o and donated three of them. Christie was able to get enough donations for one of thep... more »

2013-05-03 03:22:50 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 29 +1s)

Pictures from my trip to the ISMRM conference in Salt Lake City
Last week I was at the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. I had a little time on the last day to walk around Salt Lake City. The flowers around the Mormon temple were beautiful. So enjoy #FloralFriday  

2013-05-02 18:27:19 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Making Google+ Hangouts Even More Awesome
Posted by +Dori Storbeck 

Yesterday we launched two new features that make the Hangouts experience even better. Here's what's new:

Hangouts Remote Desktop App A new app that gives you the ability to interact face-to-face with someone while also taking control of their computer (with their permission, of course). This is great for distance learning, troubleshooting, helping customers - you name it! Check out the following post to find out more: http://goo.gl/7Mo4Y

More phone participants We’ve increased the number of phone participants allowed in Hangouts from 2 to 5. While you’re at it, check out the new calling experience. Hungry for more info? Here’s the launch post: http://goo.gl/lHM4e

Give these new features a try and let us know what you think!

2013-05-02 04:00:08 (4 comments, 20 reshares, 48 +1s)

Mom's version of The Matrix
Pretty funny video some guy put together based on his mom retelling The Matrix.

2013-05-01 03:31:44 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 21 +1s)

Bobbit worm, Eunice aphroditois
Besides looking interesting, the bobbit worm has an interesting feature. It's hemoglobin is extracellular.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1164035/
Hemoglobin is the oxygen carrying protein in our red blood cells (RBC), i.e., it is intracellular. What that means is, unlike our blood, the bobbit worm has free hemoglobin; just floating around. That might not seem amazing to you but here's why it is amazing. In mammalian blood, hemoglobin is protected from oxidation inside the RBC by many other proteins  You've seen iron rust. That's oxidation and hemoglobin's oxygen binding component has iron. When iron is oxidized it can generate free radicals which are toxic. That's why you hear people recommending anti-oxidant rich fruits/vegetables. When iron is oxidized and creates free radicals it is called Fentonchem... more »

2013-04-30 18:44:01 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 16 +1s)

When girls fart

2013-04-30 18:43:16 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 20 +1s)

Lord Nibbler
Lord Nibbler (born 274 BC), known mostly as just Nibbler, though discovered on the planet Vergon 6 by Leela, Fry, and Bender shortly before its destruction, is in fact a Nibblonian. He has existed since shortly before the dawn of time.

Gender: male
Species: Nibblonian
Age: 3285
Planet Formerly: Eternium, Vergon 6
Currently: Earth
Profession: Ambassador to Earth
Source of dark matter for Planet Express
Planet Express crew member

I'll try to post something more original tonight.

#HappyBirthdayLP_NoTinFoilHatRequired
#HappyAlienDayLacerantPlainer
#AliensAmongstUs
#LPSAmazingAnimalFacts

Source: http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Lord_Nibbler

2013-04-30 15:34:31 (9 comments, 7 reshares, 10 +1s)

Lunch with Kari Byron of +MythBusters for GirlStart.org
I just got a note from +Julie Shannan about +Girlstart annual luncheon.
More info here:
http://www.girlstart.org/news-and-events/annual-luncheon

Support +STEM Women on G+ by helping girls get into STEM.

2013-04-30 05:47:17 (20 comments, 0 reshares, 29 +1s)

Bruneau Dunes - To tame a land
I had an awesome time camping with +Gnotic Pasta,  +Mary Owens, and company, at Bruneau Dunes State Park, just outside of Boise, Idaho. The dunes are deceptive. A few meters from the top, the grade changes pretty dramatically. It was worth the effort. The Bruneau canyon was spectacular too. I can't wait to go back to go camping in the mountains. We lucked out and the clouds cleared so we could see the Whirlpool Galaxy, Messier 51
http://www.universetoday.com/35997/messier-51/
I mentioned +Virtual Star Party to Greg, one of the telescope operators there. It would be awesome if he follows up with +Scott Lewis or +Fraser Cain so everyone can check out the skies without light pollution.

http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/bruneau-dunes

2013-04-30 03:57:25 (15 comments, 0 reshares, 14 +1s)

Another unknown bug for +Chris Mallory.
This bug is from my back yard and it's still #HappyBugsDayChrisMallory.

2013-04-30 03:55:26 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

To tame a land - Iron Maiden
How could I not think of To tame a land while climbing Bruneau Dunes in Idaho?
#MusicMonday  

2013-04-30 03:47:54 (0 comments, 3 reshares, 12 +1s)

In the eyes of the fly
We always wondered how that happens. We love jokes and memes, in addition to science on #ScienceSunday  Just tag +ScienceSunday and one of the curators, +Rajini Rao +Allison Sekuler +Robby Bowles and +Chad Haney . It also helps if you circle +ScienceSunday 

BTW, for some fly science, did you see our botfly re-share yesterday?
https://plus.google.com/b/109783903175191665261/+sciencesunday/posts/fSC3n7ZJMrN

How about some bug eyes
https://plus.google.com/b/109783903175191665261/114601143134471609087/posts/Z356W4orqT1

Microfly anyone?
https://plus.google.com/b/109783903175191665261/+sciencesunday/posts/4aUdm3DvUWd

Alkali flies?
https://plus.google.com/b/109783903175191665261/+sciencesunday/posts/hc8ttYnbtjs

Fly Genes?https... more »

2013-04-30 03:47:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Grasshoppers of Mozambique: What they tell us about survival strategies

The New York Times has a great piece (http://goo.gl/8wHqH) on some of the bugs of Mozambique, including those shown below, photographed by the amazing +Piotr Naskrecki (if you haven't circled him yet, give his page a look, and check out his blog: http://thesmallermajority.com)

From the story, "Earlier this year, scientists from Harvard spent two months documenting insects in Mozambique. This was the first step in a long-term project, led by the biologist E. O. Wilson, to survey all life — and then help restore it — in the Gorongosa National Park, which was nearly destroyed by the country’s civil war. To avoid killing his portrait subjects, one of the entomologists, Piotr Naskrecki, built an open-air studio of white fabric that the bugs were free to flee if they wanted. Some did, forcingNaskrec... more »

2013-04-30 03:46:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Jitter-bug
+Rajini Rao and +Feisal Kamil were talking about super hero based on insects. How about bugs in cartoons?

2013-04-30 03:42:46 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 13 +1s)

Unknown bug in the Dominican Republic
I saved this for quite a while, just for +Chris Mallory 
#HappyBugsDayChrisMallory

2013-04-30 03:29:27 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

Run to the hills - Iron Maiden
Continuing #MusicMonday , run to the dunes hills. I just got back from camping in Bruneau Dunes in Idaho. Let me tell you, there's no running up those hills.

2013-04-29 18:23:32 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

To be continued - DJ Cam
As the name says, #MusicMonday  will be continued.

2013-04-29 16:14:42 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 13 +1s)

Flowers from the Mormon temple in Salt Lake City for #MonochromeMonday . 

2013-04-26 18:53:19 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 22 +1s)

Floral quickie
Here's a quickie for #FloralFriday  as I'm busy today. I'll post more flower pics later.

2013-04-29 11:52:16 (18 comments, 1 reshares, 22 +1s)

Czech mate
I was lucky to bump into this guy today. He's from the Czech Republic. As many of you know, it's hard to get a a pure German Shepherd Dog in the USA without hip displasia.

Happy #FidoFriday  curated by +mel peifer +Suhaib Ayaz +Wes Lum and +Lisa Lisa .

2013-04-26 18:49:06 (18 comments, 2 reshares, 35 +1s)

Canis dirus
This is the skeleton of the dire wolf. I'll post more info later.
Here's the Wiki for now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dire_wolf

http://www.naturalworlds.org/wolf/history/Canis_dirus.htm

So yes, Dire Wolves are not just in video games.
#ScienceEveryday and #fidofriday

2013-04-24 18:50:18 (14 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Helpful Tips for Communities
posted by +Natalie Villalobos 

A few folks have asked the Google+ Help Page how they can turn off invites to join new communities, as well as notifications from communities they’re already a part of. Thus, we present you with some super easy ways to manage your G+ popularity :)

How to manage invites to Communities
You can modify who can send you invites by going to Settings under the gear icon (https://www.google.com/settings/plus) and choosing at the top of the page who can send you notifications - Anyone, Your Circles, Extended Circles, Only You, or Custom. Select whichever one is best for you. This will affect all of your notifications - not just that of Communities, so choose wisely.

You can also go to the Communities section further down the page in Settings and select if you’d like notifications pushed to youremai... more »

2013-04-24 04:41:23 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 20 +1s)

Suma a Kamlari - Girl Rising
This was an interesting piece on NPR about Suma and the film Girl Rising. Suma was a Kamlari. Kamlari are like indentured servants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamaiya
It is inspiring how Suma found education to rise above her status. Read more here:
http://www.theworld.org/2013/03/girl-rising/

Image source: http://girlrising.com/

2013-04-24 04:28:16 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 12 +1s)

Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
Happy #Earthday and #musicmonday .

Woo ah, mercy mercy me
Ah, things ain't what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north and south and east

Woo, mercy, mercy me, mercy
Ah, things ain't what they used to be, no no
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury

Ah, oh mercy, mercy me
Ah, things ain't what they used to be, no no
Radiation underground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying

Oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?

Oh, na na
My sweet Lord, no, no, no, na na
My lord, my sweet lord

2013-04-21 15:27:15 (13 comments, 6 reshares, 28 +1s)

You've been slimed
Here's an interesting +NPR piece on hagfish slime (http://www.theworld.org/2013/03/hagfish-clothes/). Scientists have been looking for strong yet lightweight fibers, preferably from a renewable source. For example see my post about spider silk.
Open the Spigot for Science
http://goo.gl/SGMDI

Happy #ScienceSunday
Too busy for a longer post today. Don't forget to circle +ScienceSunday if you haven't already. Mention the curators, +Rajini Rao +Allison Sekuler +Buddhini Samarasinghe +Robby Bowles and me, so that your #ScienceSunday  post doesn't get lost in never-never-land.

Image Source: http://goo.gl/x4CCB