Monthly Archives: July 2007

I can’t stop watching this

Posted on July 19, 2007 by cicada

glumbert.com – Kinetic Sculpture The sculptures of Theo Jansen Via Endicott Redux

Posted in Artists & Art, Museum Lust | 2 Comments

The Holy Vending Machine of Alexandria

Posted on July 19, 2007 by cicada

Back when I was six or seven, my personal computer was a cassette-tape driven TRS-80, and my favorite game was Pyramid. Pyramid was an endearingly primitive choose-your-own adventure game, in which you gave the program commands it rarely understood, hoping … Continue reading →

Posted in Museum Lust, Retrotechnology, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 3 Comments

Jennifer Trask

Posted on July 18, 2007 by cicada

Coeleoptera Pendant Jennifer Trask Ornamentum Gallery Jennifer Trask’s reliquary-like ornaments contain natural specimens like feathers, beetles, wings, and snakeskin. She is represented in the collections of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Museum of Arts and … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Museum Lust | Comments Off

Genetics of autism: is it safe to marry an engineer?

Posted on July 16, 2007 by cicada

from xkcd.com A few months ago, I dreamed that I attended a cocktail party, where I mistook Simon Baron-Cohen (the neurobiologist) for his cousin Sacha Baron Cohen (better known as Borat). I don’t know why either of them was in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Science | 13 Comments

Ow, my eyes

Posted on July 15, 2007 by cicada

The famous Rotating Snakes illusion I was in the subway yesterday when the repeating pattern of concrete blocks started messing with my head. I did a little research later, but couldn’t find anything about the illusion I experienced (probably because … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity | 3 Comments

Aesthetic outsourcing: arthropod artisans

Posted on July 13, 2007 by cicada

Peacay just let me know about this cool article in Cabinet Magazine, written by Jeffrey Kastner. The aquatic caddisfly constructs a shell-like “case” for itself out of debris in its environment. For years, artist Herbert Duprat has been supplying his … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Biology, Frivolity | 5 Comments

The End of Jane

Posted on July 12, 2007 by cicada

Apparently Conde Nast has pulled the plug on Jane Magazine. I’m depressed. Jane was trash, but always amusingly, smugly arch in its trashiness. The result was a sometimes disorienting pastiche of fashion, gossip, and quirky cultural surprises. Case in point: … Continue reading →

Posted in Science in culture & policy | 3 Comments

Lakewold

Posted on July 10, 2007 by cicada

a girl whose hair is yellower than torchlight should wear no headdress but fresh flowers -Sappho (translated by Mary Barnard) I’ll be traveling for the next three weeks, so posts will be sparse. But I’ll be on the lookout for … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, Photography | 2 Comments

My physics envy: derailed by pesky exponents

Posted on July 10, 2007 by cicada

Earlier, it seemed like everyone in the biology blogosphere (including me) voiced their opinion on whether biology is perceived to be easier than physics, and whether that explains why we see so much inaccurate popular biology perpetrated by non-biologists. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity, Science | 1 Comment

A batch of biology education links

Posted on July 10, 2007 by cicada

The Science of Addiction Time Magazine Graphic by Fielding Cage and Joe Lertola • Time currently features a solid non-specialist article on the biology of addiction, including some nicely executed web graphics showing brain structures (above) • These little “Brain … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Education | Comments Off