Muse In Vivo

On faking it and making it.

2010-09-07T00:04:00.001-04:00

One of the major lessons I've learned so far in graduate school has been to trust my own bullshit. By "bullshit" I don't mean research - in fact I pride myself on doing good science, and become angry if I feel like I haven't been. (More on that, eventually.) I don't mean term papers or interpretations of readings either. Though there's some bullshit involved there, it's not the type I'm

Elaborating on my last post...

2010-08-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

Here are my Top Upcoming Responsibilities, in order of time-dependence: Alcohol. (Look, there's a fine line between a slacker who likes to party vs. being depressed and coping with it via freely available self-medication but DON'T JUDGE ME YOU DON'T KNOW ME and oh goodness I hope my colleagues aren't reading this and thinking I'm awful and/or in need of help right now /stream of consciousness.)

This is my life right now.

2010-08-12T23:07:00.002-04:00

I'm doing the periodic productivity thing. Oy.

Prop 8 Links

2010-08-09T01:01:00.000-04:00

Gayle Force has the best writeup of Prop 8 I've seen on the internets. There are a lot of Prop 8 writeups though. Go forth and read about it, if you'd like!

Sunday foolishness :)

2010-08-08T17:14:00.002-04:00

I was a huge marching band geek in high school. If there are any fellow band geeks reading this, what's your favorite marching arrangement? :)

On Sluts

2010-08-07T15:47:00.004-04:00

This article about sluthood is pretty awesome, and I totally relate. I went through my own period of explicit sluthood* just before embracing feminisms, and I found it empowering in a number of similar ways. Like Jaclyn, "Sluthood gave me the time and space to nurse a shattered heart. It gave me a place where I could exist in pieces, some of me craving touch, some of me still too tender to even

NYT muddles through my field

2010-08-06T19:55:00.003-04:00

The NY Times published a piece that tries very hard to look at popular predictions about Greece's economy through a lens of cognitive-neuroscience decision making theory. Two authors were involved - one works for an investment firm, the other is a neuroscientist.According to this article, "[T]here are lessons to be learned from neuroscience on what distorts our cognitive abilities that are

So, here's what I've been up to...

2010-08-06T04:05:00.003-04:00

Since I last posted, I...completed data collection for a series of studiesfilled out an IRB progress report for said studies, 'splainin why I had to collect an extra 17 subs more than my original estimationnot quite yet started crunching the statstheoretically started writing the manuscript (the methods section counts, eh?)ended a relationship, then started one, then ended one, THEN got back in

Renewal

2010-08-05T01:50:00.003-04:00

Hi, all.I don't know if anyone still reads this... but if you do:A lot has changed. But a couple things have stayed the same, and this is what is inspiring me to renew the blogging effort.Thing 1: My mother "discovered" that she is an emotional empath.Thing 2: A "friend" of mine casually used the word "faggot" as an insult. On the eve of the overturning of Prop 8. Fucking... fuck. I made

SPRING BREAK!! Let me now post a video that directly relates to my research!

2010-03-06T03:47:00.002-05:00

Superbowl Commercials

2010-02-08T15:13:00.002-05:00

Being infected with the Big Fat Feminist mind-virus, it's kind of difficult to sit and watch mainstream ads/TV with The General Public.So it brings joy to my heart to log online the next day and see my favoritest people say exactly what I was thinking about these Superbowl ads. (Mostly a lot of: "MEN MEN MEN MENNNNNNNNNN.... MEN MEN MEN MENNNN! WE'RE MEN! WE'RE MEN!"Best and worst, via

Graduate school: A study in exhaustion

2010-02-04T23:51:00.003-05:00

This semester has been somewhat more hardcore than last semester. What with classwork, managing the research team, coding and organizing my set of experiments, and maintaining my sanity... blog posting is at the very bottom of my priority list. I'm sure you understand.In the meantime, check out FWD/Forward: Feminists with Disabilities. This is a blog I check nearly every day, and they always

Avatar link dump

2010-01-04T14:23:00.005-05:00

I have not seen Avatar yet.. I am planning on it, though. If you've seen it, or if you're thinking of seeing it, you should look at what the blag-o-web has to say about its sociological aspects. (Critically analyzing media: it's what I dig.)When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like "Avatar"?Intentions be damned, Avatar is racist (Pt 1)More on race and racialism in Avatar (Pt 2)Ohhhh ...

Science is interesting!

2010-01-02T19:28:00.001-05:00

Why I am taking Dispatches from the Culture Wars off my recommended reading list

2009-12-14T13:20:00.003-05:00

This comment thread.My comment can be found here, and it says all that I needed to say.

They're slicin' up HM's brain today!

2009-12-03T09:41:00.002-05:00

Follow this link: http://thebrainobservatory.ucsd.edu/hm_live.php to see HM's brain get all sliced up by a microtome! It's very exciting - they're doing the hippocampus today, which should be neat.

Happy autumn feasting!

2009-11-27T17:56:00.001-05:00

... and now for something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

It's not just one day.

2009-11-21T12:57:00.003-05:00

Remembering our trans sisters and brothers who have been killed is not something that should only happen one day a year. It's something we should do every time we hear about a person being dehumanized, degendered, assaulted, or harassed because s/he is trans. Because every 'it' or 'tranny' joke, every 'she's REALLY a he', contributes to a culture where trans people are abused and killed in

Water has an enthalpy of condensation of about 539 calories per gram.

2009-11-17T13:04:00.004-05:00

Better known as: steam will burn the fuck out of your hand.To rephrase: You must go read this awesome cooking blog.

This would have been useful back in my OChem days!

2009-11-16T01:15:00.001-05:00

Sources for the paper I'm working on

2009-11-14T22:55:00.002-05:00

Aarsland, D., Alves, G., & Larsen, J. P. (2005). Disorders of motivation, sexual conduct, and sleep in Parkinson's disease. In W. J. Weiner, K. E. Anderson & A. E. Lang (Eds.), Behavioral neurology of movement disorders (pp. 56-64). Philadelphia: Raven Press.Baddeley, A. (1998). Working memory. C R Acad Sci III, 321(2-3), 167-173.Banich, M. T. (2004). Cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology.

The AMA, the FDA, marijuana, Marinol, Sativex, and Barack Hussein Obama

2009-11-12T09:43:00.005-05:00

The AMA has recommended a change in the classification of marijuana to facilitate medical research on it!I am actually presenting on this in class:As part of my presentation, I'll be talking about how the FDA has denied the scientific evidence for the efficacy of marijuana for medical purposes... but at the same time the FDA has approved Marinol, which is delta-9 THC but not plant-derived, for

Evolution rock anthem!

2009-11-09T13:38:00.001-05:00

Why you suck at things when you're sleep deprived.

2009-11-02T01:33:00.003-05:00

According to some new research by Todd Maddox at U of Texas, sleep deprivation makes the thinky part of your brain, the frontal cortex, get all sucky.Yeah, we all knew that, right? But what we didn't know is that it doesn't really affect the instinct-y part of your brain, the striatum. Which is why, for example, you're still OK at doing routine tasks (take out the milk, take out the cereal,

My Wii:

2009-10-31T17:12:00.001-04:00

Check out the synaptic cleft.

2009-10-23T22:09:00.002-04:00

AWESOME.

2009-10-15T01:30:00.004-04:00

A good friend once told me that part of the role of government is to intervene in large-scale Prisoner's-Dilemma type situations. I think that's a fantastically succinct way to put it.Being categorically against that kind of government intervention basically outs you as someone who thinks you have some sort of "right" to snitch in a prisoner's dilemma. Even if it's worse for everyone, yourself

Working with the IAPS: Cute overload meets Rotten.com

2009-10-07T23:29:00.002-04:00

The International Affective Picture System! IAPS for short.These pictures, they make you feel things. In a standardized way.See this guy here wanted to study emotion, so he got this set of pictures together and showed them to people, and he had them rate how good/bad the pictures made them feel, and also how intensely the pictures made them feel that way. And then he averaged these scores.So

Ahhh so busy!

2009-09-30T01:02:00.001-04:00

Grad school is like being kicked in the face all day by an adorable kitten. Yeah, it's not exactly unpleasant, but you're still getting kicked in the face all day.On that note, it is time for some brainless cuteness.

Pittsburgh Police

2009-09-27T14:47:00.002-04:00

Starting from the WPU lawn:Starting from the Schenley Plaza:This is MY fucking campus these cops are locking down; I've been part of similar "curiosity sit-ins". Those lawns are where I used to sit and smoke my cigarettes; it's between two of the busiest buildings on campus and RIGHT NEXT TO THE DORMS. I know, being a Pitt alum, that when you see something like riot cops marching in formation

Fallacies 101

2009-09-23T21:53:00.002-04:00

Cherry-picking and ad hominem.Orac and White Coat Underground make my life a little bit more worthwhile.

fMRI is a useful tool - you just have to use it right!

2009-09-23T14:17:00.004-04:00

Some dudes at Dartmouth put a dead fish in an fMRI scanner, "instructed" it in a task, and (using crappy statistical methods) found a couple significant voxels in the fish's brain. This is used to demonstrate the importance of using good statistical methods in analyzing fMRI data so that you minimize the false positives. (There's a good summary over at Neuroskeptic.)But for some reason, my

I've been so freakin' busy...

2009-09-21T23:03:00.004-04:00

...I don't even have time for video games. But that won't stop me from trying, damnit! I started the original Fallout game on the PC, and a combination of limited time and me sucking has led to very very little progress.Here's a good gameplay overview. It's comfortably Dungeons-and-Dragons-esque, and it has that Ultima Online 2.5-D style. I love the 1997 graphics, and so should you.Because I

I am a big fat lying liar!

2009-09-18T14:17:00.003-04:00

So...On Thursday, I had an in-class presentation that would have made me late for the Great Faith Debate... and additionally the person who was supposed to drive me was overloaded with work. So I didn't have a ride.You can read about the debate on Reuters, and there's a decent blogospheric review done by Josh Colwell.Looking at the review, it didn't look like I missed much. And instead I went

Omg meatspace.

2009-09-15T01:50:00.002-04:00

Something you should all have figured out by this point: graduate school keeps a person busy.BUT I do have a neat little surprise for any loyal readers!I'm going to The Great Faith Debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D'Souza with a couple of friends. This happens on Thursday evening, and I plan on writing it up here for you guys.So stay tuned!

The sound of computation:

2009-09-07T22:59:00.001-04:00

PalMD is my new hero.

2009-09-07T14:47:00.003-04:00

This. This this this. THIS.Bremner: If you're going to criticize Pharma for something (insufficient evidence, poor sources, conflating bias with fact).. make sure you're not doing it yourself. Glass houses. Stones. Etc.PalMD is the coolest mofo on the planet.That is all.(If you know me personally, feel free to call me up for details.)

The coolest thing about grad school...

2009-09-06T02:56:00.004-04:00

The coolest thing about grad school is being able to socialize with respected, influential people as if they were peers. I'm still squee-ing every time I talk to someone whose reputation precedes them, and I'm in absolute disbelief that they actually take me seriously.On a semi-related note, a couple science-bloggers have been commiserating with me on a topic that I find suddenly more relevant

One more argument against the existence of deities...

2009-09-04T13:00:00.001-04:00

My pal takes on some silly ad campaign trying to convince us heathens that God is realz0rz, and is also Jesus. He makes some good points - I especially like his refutation of the anthropic principle (though no one can best Douglas Adams' puddle analogy). I'm not going to approach the subject that my good friend Noisy Queer Vegan covered, as he's taken care of that quite well indeed, but I will

One more drop in the ocean

2009-08-29T13:36:00.003-04:00

Yet another reason why we need healthcare reform. Steph's story is not the exception - it's the norm.

I've gotten into the habit of eating again, damn.

2009-08-26T16:38:00.005-04:00

Yes, you can actually break a habit. It's called extinction. Now, that does not mean that a habit cannot reemerge given the right environmental triggers, as the author does note. But it's a little disingenuous to say that you cannot break a habit. Ask any behavioral psychologist. Or neuroscientist, for that matter.Your brain is a little more plastic than this idiot wants you to think it

Open season on idiot liber-trolls! Come'n get 'em!

2009-08-25T02:24:00.006-04:00

Some idiot doesn't realize that public healthcare programs are more efficient than our private one, additionally doesn't realize that a public healthcare option is NOT the same as a single-payer healthcare system and is proud of his ignorance, what else is new. But he did have some pretty good suggestions!So, after I repeat your mantra, may I go put on my brown shirt and swastika? Why don't we

Daily Mail headline generator

2009-08-22T15:39:00.002-04:00

"COULD THE METRIC SYSTEM DESTROY YOUR DAUGHTERS?""IS FEMINISM INFECTING THE COUNTRYSIDE WITH AIDS?""WILL NEW LABOUR TURN COMMON SENSE AND DECENCY GAY?""HAVE GYPSIES BURGLED THE ROYAL FAMILY?"Omg, omg, this is too funny.H/T Kate Harding

Light dance

2009-08-20T16:34:00.001-04:00

I love science videos!H/T Phil Plait

Cool brain-science-y links

2009-08-19T15:23:00.002-04:00

Positive psychology (which I had only just heard of this past week, heh!)Shopping neuroscience. Very cool.

Holy crap, graduate school keeps you busy!

2009-08-19T02:11:00.002-04:00

Who knew?!

Message to men who have trouble dating because of clinical-level anxiety.

2009-08-11T23:56:00.005-04:00

Get your fucking anxiety treated by a professional like the medical problem that it is.Do not use it to justify predatory means of picking up women.Thank you, Tycho. Gabe, thank you for being an example... and then maybe learning something from it. Protip for both of you idiot manboys: Women are, surprisingly, NOT objects to be acquired, but people! With thoughts! IMAGINE THAT. I'd like to

Silly name, not-too-shabby articles

2009-08-11T01:45:00.002-04:00

This FaithWorld blog isn't actually too bad.Here's one fairly good article about the contributions that the cognitive sciences make to the study of religion. (To summarize: our brains automatically assume agency even where none exist.)And another one that speaks fairly well about brain imaging.However, the site does seem to allow for some weird nebulous religiosity... but I think I can allow it,

My new desktop wallpaper

2009-08-09T16:47:00.002-04:00

From the CreoZerg! I <3 PZ sometimes...OK, now back to settling into my new place, which involves no small amount of basking by the pool and having my roommate cook tasty dinners for me. By next week, maybe I'll feel up to tackling some SCIENZE!!

Mmmmm, summer!

2009-08-04T17:43:00.002-04:00

I'm moved!

2009-08-02T02:04:00.001-04:00

I am now in Florida!I celebrate with stupid human tricks:YAY BRAINS!

False dilemmas and snake oil, from Greta Christina?

2009-07-29T16:07:00.004-04:00

Greta Christina, your Fat-Positive Diet post was almost perfect. Seriously, as both a skeptic and a FA advocate, I enjoyed both of your posts.But when I read this, I knew I needed to say something:And when I start thinking that this weight loss thing isn't that big a deal and I can have that ice cream if I want it, it helps to imagine my old age, and to think about whether I want to be spending

You mean polls can be biased?! SAY IT AIN'T SO...

2009-07-28T00:50:00.005-04:00

Onenewsnow is one of the most unintentionally hilarious sites out there, as illustrated by this poll of theirs:What is the impact of positive portrayals of homosexuality on network and cable TV?Desensitization to sinIncrease in homosexual experimentationMarginalization of traditional valuesIncrease in Christian outreach to homosexuals Ow. Owwwww. Ow. The pain, the agony, the stupid. I

I'm never too busy to post neuroscience linkies!

2009-07-27T17:48:00.004-04:00

Whenever you're letting your mind wander, not thinking about anything in particular, there's a few areas in your brain that have coordinated, cyclic activity levels. This activity is suppressed whenever you decide to concentrate on a task. This brain network has been labeled "the default network", and it's theorized to play a role in abstract simulations.If you want to read a little about it,

Graduate school preparation...

2009-07-24T01:51:00.004-04:00

Departure date: Aug 1TA training begins: Aug 7Class begins: Aug 23? 24? Shit. I should know this.Things I've done:Acquired housing (and an awesome roommate, to boot!)Sent my immunization record to the new universitySent all appropriate forms from the Welcome Packet to the new UBoxed up my cat's litter pan, food dish, water dish, and poop scooper to pre-ship to my new place (so my cat will have

I have a very good idea.

2009-07-23T02:42:00.003-04:00

I want to do a pop-up style neuroscience kids' book, with a slidey thing to demonstrate action potential propagation.(c) me.

Big Ben's civil suit

2009-07-22T14:31:00.004-04:00

As a native Burgher who isn't a woman-blaming fuck, I need to take a second to counter this "gold-digger" narrative coming from almost everyone I know regarding the woman taking Big Ben Roethlisberger to civil court over an alleged rape.The alleged rape happened a year ago. If the she really had been raped, why wouldn't she have called the police then? Gotten a rape kit done? Pressed criminal

Blog Silence

2009-07-16T00:13:00.002-04:00

So, you guys should be used to semi-periodic blag silences from me by now, right?I'm moving several hundred miles on Aug 1 to start graduate school, and what with getting my old place all cleaned up, doing obligatory Family Stuff, managing a surprise summer relationship, seeing all of my friends before I leave, and maintaining my sanity... I suppose you can forgive me for spending more time in

Penny Arcade

2009-07-06T17:01:00.003-04:00

The story arc going on right now at Penny Arcade is simply magnificent.It starts here, and then is continued here. After #2, you can just hit "next" and page through them.I can't wait for #5.Also, it's as important to check the "News" tab when reading PA as it is to check the alt-text for xkcd.

I haven't forgotten about you, Stephanie!!

2009-07-06T15:36:00.002-04:00

Hokays, so I got tagged by Steph Zvan about 90 years ago in blagoweb time, and in this moment of perusing youtube I should really get on with it.I'm supposed to pick out the worst cover song, and then the best. I haven't been ignoring you, I've just been carefully researching. (Also, ignoring everyone. Not just you! Lol.)So the very worst? Alanis - My Humps. Ok, yeah, I know it's supposed to be

I have a motherfucking bachelor's in this subject - WHY DID I NOT LEARN THIS?

2009-07-06T03:27:00.003-04:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_psychologyI knew NOTHING in that above link.The University of Pittsburgh fails to teach me adequately where MY FUCKING FIELD came from. Why do I have to hear about Freud in every damn class, but NOTHING about ANY of these people?Oh yeah, brown people don't count. Gotcha./Fume.

Gender discrimination among playwrights.

2009-07-03T14:03:00.005-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love reading feminist critiques of science journalism?Echidne of the Snakes opens a can of science whoopass on journalists who cannot read the studies about which they report.To make a long story short, it had been reported in several news outlets that a recent study showed that female directors and managers give worse ratings to female-authored plays, thus women are

A brief lesson for any whackjob libertarians reading this:

2009-06-29T22:52:00.007-04:00

The data does not support your contention that a strictly private healthcare system is more efficient or cheaper than a public one. No, you will not even have to wait longer for a doctor's appointment.I know, I know, that's not what you've been led to expect. Just read this. Marvel at its reliance on actual data. That sensation you're feeling? It's cognitive dissonance. Sometimes, people come

A brief note about Pharyngulan commenters.

2009-06-25T01:46:00.005-04:00

Commenters like Troy are seriously idiotic fucked up monsters, and they make me want to find the servers that host Pharyngula's comment threads and burn them to the ground. Or at the very least, to never ever ever read said threads again.Commenters like Rev. BigDumbChimp give me hope for humanity. Don't ever stop "feeding the trolls" by correcting their asshattery; if no one speaks up and says

WANT

2009-06-23T19:22:00.003-04:00

I am an unbelievable sucker for silly books that attempt to proselytize to me.

I've been hooked

2009-06-19T04:18:00.002-04:00

The Sims 3 is the reason why I haven't been posting... or doing laundry.. or doing much of anything, actually. It is a fantabulous game.Here is a small example of why.Now I'm going back to my Sims family!BTW: BUY THIS GAME.

For encouragement.

2009-06-15T03:15:00.001-04:00

And He saw the light was good, because now He could see what He was doing

2009-06-15T00:04:00.002-04:00

TONIGHT WE DANCE WITH LORD STANLEY

2009-06-12T23:16:00.002-04:00

Teaspoons.

2009-06-11T05:35:00.004-04:00

I've been up all night, spending some time with The New Dude, then home to read and fret and read and fret some more. The internets can be a rough place, even when I stay in more-or-less happy places like Scienceblogs and Feministe and Racialicious. Even if I'm not going to get slapped in the face with misogyny or racism or general ignorance... blogs tend to be full of Big Scary Issues, and

Domestic Terrorism

2009-06-10T15:24:00.003-04:00

First there was the abhorrent shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, which I've just found out was disgustingly successful in achieving its aims - Dr. Tiller's clinic has been closed. The success of this form of domestic terrorism is horrifying. This is not new, and so long as we do nothing about it, it will continue.And now I hear about this shooting at the Holocaust Museum in DC. Seeing the

Silence is the Enemy.

2009-06-02T21:18:00.003-04:00

Do you care about the institutionalized rape of women and children? Want to do something about it?Go here. Frequent the linked blogs. Thank you.

My posting might be a little slack this week...

2009-05-31T18:55:00.003-04:00

^-- The Outer Bank, which is where I am. I'll be here until Saturday. So... well, just expect some brief roundups, and maybe beach pictures.

Omgomgomg - SCIENCE.

2009-05-29T05:00:00.006-04:00

This. Is. Awesome.A new Nature study demonstrates two dopamine pathways - one tuned for salience of reward, and one tuned for salience of general value (both punishment and reward).Go. Read. Now. I'll wait until you get back.*fidgets, squirms*OK, isn't that freaking awesome?!! Did you see the differences in firing patterns during the air puff vs. juice for the second set of neurons? That's

Antifeminist Links

2009-05-25T05:39:00.003-04:00

I use StumbleUpon to ... well, stumble upon new and interesting things on teh interwebs. I click the button, it sends me to something new, based on the interests I plug in. (FYI, I totally recommend this service. It's fantabulous.)But sometimes people submit the most ridiculous antifeminist things...Such as 18 General and Contradictory Criticisms of Women, where I am informed about all the

Citation Needed

2009-05-24T16:09:00.002-04:00

Let me lay out my bias ahead of time, here. I am absolutely squicked out by vaginal birth. If and when I ever have a baby, I want either a Cesarean, a needle in my spine, or a lot of nitrous oxide.But my pro-Cesarean and pro-medical-care views are not the only problem I have with this ridiculous article.I'm only going to address the most egregious lines from it, because otherwise I'd be here

DOOOOO ITTTTTT!!!

2009-05-23T08:26:00.001-04:00

[California] Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, has written legislation to allow the legal sale of marijuana to adults 21 years and older for recreational use. His Assembly Bill 390 would charge cannabis wholesalers initial and annual flat fees, while retailers would pay $50 per ounce to the state.From AP, as reported by the Miami Herald.

Fangirl Joygasm!

2009-05-23T07:28:00.003-04:00

Zomg PZ Myers wrote this article for the LA Times and it's basically the best way I could have ever imagined anyone would ever talk about atheism. I liked PZ before this article, no denying it. He's at the top of my blagroll. I've always thought he was pretty groovy. But this? This changes everything.PZ Myers, if you came to Pittsburgh this summer (before August 1 when I move out of state for

Ida, The Missing Second-Aunt Thrice Removed

2009-05-21T02:22:00.002-04:00

You guys do know that an awesome transitional apey/monkey-lookin fossil was found, right? A really, really pretty one. It's kinda been hyped just a little bit recently.Just a little bit.Well, member of the Sciborg collective Coturnix has an absolutely intense link roundup about Ida on his blog. So, go over there and read about it to your heart's content.

My first troll!

2009-05-19T20:05:00.007-04:00

Today was the date of the Allegheny County primaries. I voted, and I hope you did too (if you had the opportunity).I've already shared a couple of my picks with you. Having a terrible memory, I checked in on that post to write down my preferred candidates... and found that I had acquired a troll! Lovely!My good anonymous friend had been telling me about PA Super Lawyer Phil Ignelzi when all of

Brief late-night roundup

2009-05-19T03:40:00.002-04:00

Yes.No.Wtp?

Like an ice pick in your eyeball.

2009-05-14T23:55:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking a lot about lobotomies lately.There's not much easily-Googled info about the specifics of prefrontal lobotomies. I mean, yeah yeah you can look at the Wikipedia page, and Neurophilosophy has a nice roundup of the history, and there's stories from lobotomy survivors. Any one of those links will give you a good idea about the effects of a lobotomy. Typically, lobotomies make

Two things I have issues with:

2009-05-12T21:06:00.004-04:00

Numero uno:This is why I do not read DailyKos. Here is a sane response to it, with lots of refreshing comments.Numero dos:Obesity is (apparently!) bad for you!!! What's the problem with that, you ask? Even if those conclusions are completely correct... Firstly, is there really a good way to prevent oneself from being fat or to become thin once one is fat? Is there really? (If you give me the

Recommendation for music lovers

2009-05-10T20:10:00.002-04:00

Pandora Radio is spectacular for anyone who loves music. Here's how it works. You enter in a song or an artist, and it creates a radio station based around the musical qualities of that song or artist. This process uses the Music Genome Project, which is totally sweet. You can "seed" as many songs/artists as you like. Then, when it's playing songs, you can give them a "thumbs up" or a "thumbs

Privilege: What is is, and what it ain't.

2009-05-07T20:57:00.003-04:00

I happened across this quote in the comments section of Sociological Images:I think the reason for using an “everyman” instead of an “everywoman” is because women, being women, have specific experiences as women. A female character is aware of her gender. An everyman character can have both male and female experiences, and become somewhat androgynous (ie. Nemo). It’s privilege, I admit. White

Links I've posted on Facebook recently

2009-05-07T06:51:00.004-04:00

I'm very lazy, and have been enjoying my summer relaxation immensely, so you'll forgive me if I just link dump on you and then go along my merry way.The new revision of the DSM is unnecessarily pathologizing sexualities. Sigh. KEEP YOUR STUPID OUT OF MY BEAUTIFUL SCIENCE.A big Fuck You Very Much to the anti-LGBTQQ haters out there.Dr. Free-Ride always has good discussions, this one about math

I've been a very, very bad blogmistress.

2009-05-04T19:38:00.003-04:00

Firstly, I've been away so long that I've missed ridiculous things, that I wish I'd had the time to participate in. Like Blogging Against Disablism Day! And countless carnivals that I need to catch up on.But the most egregious error I've made is not updating my blagroll. How on earth is it that Steph Zahn wasn't on my roll there?! She was my first legitimate commenter! And it was missing

IF YOU LIVE IN ALLEGHENY COUNTY, AND ARE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE, CHECK THIS OUT PLZ.

2009-05-04T19:08:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: A helpful commenter provided more info to one of the jurists; if you're interested, also read the comments.The local primaries in Allegheny county, PA are coming up on May 19th, and the most confusing race is the one for the Court of Common Pleas. It's confusing because there are 15 candidates running for 5 primary spots, and there's a lot of info to digest.The Post-Gazette has some

I'm baaaack!

2009-05-01T19:57:00.004-04:00

I've earned my bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh, with a double major in neuroscience and psychology and a minor in chemistry.Woo! Go me!That being said, I will actually have time to blog n'at. Not right now, no. But soon. Thank you all for your eternal patience!At the moment I'm in the middle of a big Axis & Allies game with the Ex-Dude. However, I do have a small

Sciborg link dump

2009-04-01T13:34:00.003-04:00

What is high-fructose corn syrup, and why is it "bad for you"?What does Richard Dawkins think about the Pope?What do the SciBorg feminist womens do to amuse themselves (and us) on April 1?And now I have to go run some more participants. Weeee!

So since I've been busy...

2009-03-21T13:21:00.002-04:00

Yeah yeah yeah, the last month of college is pretty hectic. Yinz understand, I'm sure.I'm graduating in a month though! :D :D :DSo while I'm running subjects and analyzing datums and studying my ASS off and writing papers, and thus unable to blag as well as I'd like, you guys should go over to Isis' haaaaaaus. She's sponsoring this awesome undergraduate award thingy, and clicks on her site =

OMG WANT

2009-03-13T21:01:00.004-04:00

So. Animal rights, eh?

2009-03-07T16:05:00.003-05:00

I've been running around my future graduate school this weekend for an open house, so forgive me for not posting.I'm being a slacker today, but I still don't generally have time to post. So I'll just reproduce a comment I wrote on a (vegan, animal-rights-supporter) friend's facebook.Hai there!There's some cool stuff on http://scienceblogs.com/ right now about animal rights/welfare/testing,

THE DEATH FAT

2009-03-03T13:51:00.002-05:00

... is apparently not so deadly after all.This looks to me like "normal" has been inappropriately defined. But hey, what do I know...

Dear Dr. Isis,

2009-03-03T11:52:00.002-05:00

I like being your little chicken.But I am getting cranky waiting for ze evidence. You teased me this past week, you did! You started out all promising and stuff, and quoted that dude who said that faith is, contrary to what many people seem to think, actually based on evidence. And I got all excited and read frantically ahead...But I was let down. Because neither you, nor him, have actually

If I do not have time to write about science, I can at least point you to those who do!

2009-03-03T10:33:00.003-05:00

Neurophilosophy has an amazing post up about the reconstructive nature of memory.Also, Neurotopia reviewed the serotonin system(s). Ahh, 5-HT... I know so much about you, yet so little.Steph Zahn at Almost Diamonds told us this nice story about propranolol. I like to see the personal side to these things. (Read about the science of propranolol, I don't know, anywhere really. ;)Speaking of, Not

N00b reviews: Street Fighter 4

2009-02-28T18:43:00.003-05:00

Oh, and also my Dude picked up Street Fighter 4, because he cannot deny himself anything. For the past week or so, he's been hammering on his fancy-ass arcade-style controller and calling me over to show me the digitized ass-kickery that he's slowly mastering.As far as serious 2d fighters go, I generally prefer the Mortal Kombat series myself, just because I grew up with it and the movie amused

I seriously thought this was a real disorder when I first heard about it, and I got all excited.

2009-02-28T18:37:00.002-05:00

It explains so much!!I certainly know people who suffer from Pugilistic Discussion Aphasia.I wasn't very fond of the anti-Pharma sentiment there (I'm totally a Big Pharma fangirl. [Just so you don't get the wrong idea, I'm also a big Evidence-Based-Taking-All-Factors-Into-Account Regulation and Responsible Practices fangirl.])Anyway, back to neurophysiology homework.Yay, HHSIM.

What any open atheist will hear at some point.

2009-02-28T01:49:00.002-05:00

This. This, this this.Also, sorry about the lack of posting. Midterms, you know. They will be over soon, and we'll get back to a more regular schedule. Promise.

N00b Reviews: House of the Dead 4 - Overkill

2009-02-21T21:43:00.003-05:00

I have always been a huge fan of the Time Crisis gun-controller games that you occasionally see in arcades. Knowing this, my dude picked up a copy of House of the Dead IV: Overkill for the Wii so that we could go all 2-P on its ass.And, both of us being huge dorks, we sat down and played entirely through the game in one sitting on its normal setting. (Also available with Extra Monsters.)