Author Archives: cicada

Poem of the Week: let’s hear it for descent with variations

Posted on February 16, 2007 by cicada

Let’s be honest: biologists sometimes get a little intoxicated by the beauty of the natural world. My friends know I will break off mid-conversation to crawl into the brush, mesmerized by a snake or a liverwort. My good china is … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Books, Poetry, Science, Wonder Cabinets | 3 Comments

Now, that’s meritorious

Posted on February 14, 2007 by cicada

Science scouts: much better than plain old girl scouts! Is it scary that I would qualify for so many merit badges? Actually, I could invent a few more, such as “I have administered illegal drugs of abuse to insects,” but … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Cephalopodmania, Frivolity, Science | 2 Comments

A tree of life? More like wildflowers

Posted on February 14, 2007 by cicada

Phylogenetic Tree Visualization I don’t really understand how this representation was created, beyond the involvement of a Walrus; but it’s amazing. According to the source: This picture is a visualisation of the entire tree of life. The tree of life … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Science | Comments Off on A tree of life? More like wildflowers

Don’t tell your psychiatrist

Posted on February 14, 2007 by cicada

Inkblot #4 Jason Krieger Rorschach blots are controversial diagnostic tools. But I’m digging these digital ink blots by Jason Krieger, editor of Phirebrush. If you think you see cow skulls or dead birds in these blots, that’s because there are. … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art | 2 Comments

A little reading is a dangerous thing

Posted on February 13, 2007 by cicada

I’ve been reading more than posting for the past week, and have a collection of odds, ends and lint to pass on. I have a love/hate relationship with the New Yorker. It’s just too much reading for me to keep … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Frivolity, Poetry, Science, Science in culture & policy | 1 Comment

Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir

Posted on February 12, 2007 by cicada

Núpstaðir Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir I ought to spend more time on flickr. I thought I was so clever to discover photographer Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir, when it turns out she is a flickr superstar with a Prius campaign behind her. You go, girl. … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art, Photography | 2 Comments

Oh look – it’s me

Posted on February 11, 2007 by cicada

Thank you to my long-suffering friends, who have needed the metaphorical SuperSoaker increasingly frequently. I’ll try to limit my obsessive introspection, I promise. I heart xkcd.

Posted in Department of the Drama, Frivolity | Comments Off on Oh look – it’s me

My new running partner

Posted on February 10, 2007 by cicada

Today I was joined on my daily riverside run by a bald eagle. Every time I passed him and got just out of sight, he flew directly over my head to a new perch up ahead. We played this leapfrog … Continue reading →

Posted in Frivolity | 2 Comments

Another da Vinci Mystery

Posted on February 10, 2007 by cicada

The Battle of Anghiari Chalk, ink, watercolor Anonymous and Peter Paul Rubens, after a lost mural by Leonardo da Vinci Way cooler than the Da Vinci Code: an ex-bioengineer is trying to find a lost Da Vinci painting behind an … Continue reading →

Posted in Artists & Art | 1 Comment

Poem of the Week: For all this, nature is never spent

Posted on February 9, 2007 by cicada

Poor Gerard Manley Hopkins. He’s frequently anthologized, yet I get the feeling people read his poems and go “Wha. . . .?” So he was a manic-depressive repressed Jesuit who invented his own words, rhythm and poetic theory. So his … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | 2 Comments