Happy 4th of July memestreams!

Here in the States, we celebrate our independence every 4th of July by blowing up things in the sky.

In fact, ever since Taoist monks created fireworks, cultures around the globe have used them to ward off evil spirits, pray for happiness, celebrate birth, death, weddings, the new year… just about anything.

Consider it a basic truth of the human condition: we like things that go boom.

And for almost as long as fireworks have been around, photographers have been taking dark and blurry photos of them.

But listen up: Firecracker photography may seem difficult, but follow some simple rules and you’re virtually guaranteed good results.

Photojojo » 11 Tips for Sparkling Fireworks Photos

I hope to see more of this type of thing....taking literature and "livening" it up a bit with some zombie action!! Totally got to grab a copy of this. In the mean time, I just picked up "Why we make mistakes" which I haven't started yet, but a friend recommended it...looks like fun.

Acidus wrote:

Jill is reading this. It is excellent.

RE: Just add Zombies

Can burning excess fat be as easy as exhaling? That's the finding of a provocative new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who transplanted a fat-burning pathway used by bacteria and plants into mice. The genetic alterations enabled the animals to convert fat into carbon dioxide and remain lean while eating the equivalent of a fast-food diet.

The feat, detailed in the current issue of Cell Metabolism introduces a new approach to combating the growing obesity problem in humans. Although the proof-of-concept study is far from being tested in humans, it may point to new strategies for borrowing biological functions from bacteria and other species to improve human health.

Technology Review: Making Fat Disappear

Ooo...can't wait to check these video lectures out! Thanks Noteworthy!

Navigate the mind-expanding universe of Gödel, Escher, Bach with MIT OpenCourseWare:

What do one mathematician, one artist, and one musician all have in common? Are you interested in zen Buddhism, math, fractals, logic, paradoxes, infinities, art, language, computer science, physics, music, intelligence, consciousness and unified theories? Get ready to chase me down a rabbit hole into Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach. Lectures will be a place for crazy ideas to bounce around as we try to pace our way through this enlightening tome. You will be responsible for most of the reading as lectures will consist primarily of motivating the material and encouraging discussion. I advise everyone seriously interested to buy the book, grab on and get ready for a mind-expanding voyage into higher dimensions of recursive thinking.

Check out the video lectures.

From the archive, on Hofstadter:

What do we mean when we say "I"?

Freeman Dyson:

After Gödel, mathematics was no longer a single structure tied together with a unique concept of truth, but an archipelago of structures with diverse sets of axioms and diverse notions of truth. Gödel showed that mathematics is inexhaustible. No matter which set of axioms is chosen as the foundation, birds can always find questions that those axioms cannot answer.

Dr. Nanochick on the Geek Test:

I feel truly geeky because I can think of something that should have gotten me geek points that wasn't on the list -- owning the "Real Genius" DVD and reading "Gödel, Escher, Bach."

Gödel, Escher, Bach: A Mental Space Odyssey

Chocolate! A fundraiser that supports the cystic fibrosis foundation! I have attended this event in the past, and it is wonderful. If you are in the Atlanta area and like chocolate, I highly recommend.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation - Georgia Chapter

The Caitlin Rhododendron is a beautiful pink scented rhododendron that was created by Dr. Jim Marcellus through the crossing of the Fortune and Hummingbird Rhododendrons, and named after his granddaughter.

Its my great uncle Jim who had a major influence in my interest in science at an early age - this is just one of many reasons:) He has made a new flower - and it is soooo beautiful!

Official Flower

on May day! W00t!

Rad - I can't wait to finish up this whole thesis thing so I can get back to crafting.

Missile Command Circle Skirt - Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Word!

Stanford biologist raps science - San Jose Mercury News

Make your own word cloud....I am SOOOOO making a word cloud of my thesis, as several of my classmates have done - it ends up looking really rad and nerdy.

Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds