Archive for July 4th, 2008

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How to Turn Your PC into a Science TV

Friday, July 4th, 2008

Step the First

Download Miro Player, the free and open-source RSS aggregator for video podcasts. I’m sure there are others, but Miro is, to my experience, the sleekest and most user friendly.


Miro Player

Miro (Formerly “Democracy Player”)

Step the Second

Subscribe to the following shows:

  • Nova’s Science Now presents engaging science from a longtime standard in documentary-making.
  • PBS has a HUGE collection of classic clips from their documentaries. Awe inspiring, wonderful stuff!
  • National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles are great, short clips to enchant you.
  • dh love life is Daryl Hannah’s regular video blog exploring sustainable living. Fun and thoughtful (although a bit too new age at times).
  • EcoGeeks’ Wild Classroom has it’s misses, but overall it’s a worthy subscription.
  • Wired Science often introduces me to the more “out-there” science news.
  • Dr. Kiki’s Food Science is fun, entertaining, and involves the chemistry in your kitchen. Highly highly recommended.
  • Science Sensei is my favorite of ScienCentral’s videos. His kung-fu is superior.
  • TED Talks takes the world’s most intriguing intellectuals and gives them 18 minutes on the soapbox.
  • Every episode of Seed Salon takes two great minds and allows us to be a fly on the wall for their dinner conversation.
  • Evolution Entertainment is a recent addition to my playlist, also of remarkable quality.
  • Life on Terra is my absolute FAV. It’s hard to believe there are documentaries of this caliber for free online.

There are many many more shows out there. You can do a search on “Science” from your Miro Player to find them. There’s more content than I can keep up with. Enjoy!

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Science Etcetera, Venusday 20080704

Friday, July 4th, 2008
  • Have a moment of Zen with some stunning aerial photos of Dutch Tulip farms, copyrighted, so below is a photo of a Portland, Oregon farm to entice you.

  • A tulip farm near Portland, OR and Mount Hood.

    A tulip farm near Portland, OR and Mount Hood.
    Credit: Jas&Suz
  • Language is an inherent faculty of the brain, and various languages express it differently.
  • The world happiness index has risen substantially since 1981.
  • Science is harder than English (PDF), according to a new study, and making a C in Biology is the same as a B in Sociology.
  • Over the next two years, the German Research Centre for Geosciences will store 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide 600 metres below the Earth.

  • Carbon Sequestration

    Carbon Sequestration
  • Fitness for Thought: Study of Weight Watchers VS Fitness Centers found Weight Watchers people lost about 9 pounds, but it was mostly lean tissue, not fat, while Fitness Center people lost very little weight, but lost a lot of abdominal fat. Unfortunately, this makes Fitness people give up because they don’t see results, despite getting them.
  • Hypermiling is cool, but some practices are downright dangerous.
  • The Berkeley Pit in Montana is an acidic environmental disaster left over from the Anaconda Mining Company, one of the deadliest places on Earth. Now researchers have found an extremophile algae living on its surface, producing oxygen that neutralizes the acid.
  • Liquid Magnet Sculptures: