Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
Gravity’s rainbow, indeed. It’s hard not to be impressed—if not downright terrified—by the screaming meteorite that buzzed Russia last week, and only a day before an asteroid the size of an apartment building passed us with only about 17,000 miles to spare (for reference, the Moon is about 250,000 miles away). ...Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
“We” in this instance refers to humanity. Some background. Edge.org is a sort of “online salon,” a virtual Algonquin Roundtable where people engage in high-minded conversation and debate on a wide variety of issues, most of which I do not even understand. Every year, they pose an “annual question” and post ...Friday, November 30th, 2012
Those of us who have been called—and consider ourselves—“bookworms” rather like the tactile feel of a printed book. But another type of bookworm prefers the taste of a good book—and, it turns out, these “worms” provide a detailed record of certain species of insects. The “bookworm”—of the entomological, not intellectual, variety—is ...Wednesday, November 7th, 2012
Last week, Sandy wasn’t the only thing happening in the world—there were also things that rhyme with Sandy. Like candy. Last week was Halloween, of course, and as one Brooklyn-based friend of mine (with a seven-year-old child) put it on The Facebook Machine, “Did you think Halloween was canceled this ...Monday, November 5th, 2012
I think there has been enough comment on Sandy elsewhere on the Intertoobz and in meatspace, so no one needs me to rehash all the stories, explanations, and arguments. For those interested, here is a good recap from the New York Times’ Dot Earth blog.Friday, November 2nd, 2012
Slightly off-topic (shock!) but I have always been fascinated by the Easter Island statues. A 2010 book, The Statues That Walked, corrects some of the myths about the Easter Islanders, and presents the results of experiments aimed at determining how a primitive people got those giant monoliths (called moaì) from ...Friday, November 2nd, 2012
Anyone who has ever wrestled with a lobster or a particularly stubborn crab leg in a seafood restaurant could perhaps sympathize with poor Tyrannosaurus Rex, trying to chow down on a Triceratops. In particular, how the heck do you eat one of those things, what with the big bony shield ...Monday, October 29th, 2012
Apologies to The Drifters... OK, so today everyone—on The Facebook Machine and even in the real world—is talking about the so-called “Frankenstorm,” aka Hurricane Sandy. I always associate the name “Sandy” with singer/actress Sandy Duncan, so my mind has been riven with images of a giant, 100-foot Sandy Duncan attacking the ...Friday, October 26th, 2012
I have a friend who is so lactose intolerant (how lactose intolerant is he?), he won’t even let milkmen move into his neighborhood. Thank you, I’m here all week; enjoy the buffet! Anyway, here is one of those stories that just may freak some people out, but I tend to be ...Friday, September 28th, 2012
Last week, the 22nd annual Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded at a lively Harvard University ceremony (Going Green’s invite must have gotten lost in the mail). The Ig Nobels fête researchers who have made legitimate, but often quite silly, contributions to science. The ceremony is basically a Monty Python-like parody ...
