Science Fact: Crocodiles and Alligators – Crocodilians some would call them – have revealed one of the deep secrets that have made them so successful. A Russian-American zoologist and author, Vladimir Dinets, and his colleagues observed both crocodiles and alligators placing … Continue reading
Science Fact: Women scientists are readily found in biology, medicine and the social sciences. However, they are scarce in math, physics and engineering. You don’t have to be a feminist to be troubled by this fact. People’s skills differ, and … Continue reading
Science Fact: The Sinkhole has joined the Big Three S’s – Sunshine, Shoreline and Storms – as a hallmark of Florida. But wherever you live, there may be a gigantic sinkhole beneath you, licking its chops, ready to inhale you … Continue reading
Science Fact: Coffee has now joined an exclusive club – it’s becoming the basis for a new alcoholic beverage. A group of six researchers in Portugal and Spain, who must have thought that their morning Joe was missing something, set … Continue reading
Science Fact: The seahorse is a popular favorite among snorkelers, scuba divers and aquarium-goers. It is beautiful and graceful as it undulates in the currents, and looks not only familiar, but weirdly out of place among all the fish. Although some … Continue reading
Science Fact: Nuts are good for your health, so we hear. Is that science, marketing or just nuttiness? At last, we have a way to find out. Let’s push aside the marketeers. And ignore the health food cultists, who may … Continue reading
If you’re interested in technology, you’ll enjoy reading this week’s New Yorker Magazine. It’s the November 25, 2013 issue and has not one but two long science articles. They’re so well-written that I don’t feel a need to comment, except … Continue reading
Science Fact: Did Benjamin Franklin really recommend the Thanksgiving turkey instead of the bald eagle as the American national bird? Well, not quite. The best explanation I have seen comes from the American Heraldry Society in an article no longer … Continue reading
Science Fact: Gaze tracking reveals exactly what you’re looking at, through the combined magic of video imaging and computer analysis. And researchers have used this very accurate measurement technique to confirm the truth of one of women’s peeves: the man you … Continue reading
Science Fact: Contradictory sayings pose a dilemma: what folk wisdom can we trust? Call them sayings, adages, proverbs, old wives’ or husbands’ tales, fairy tales, Aesop’s Fables. These wise words are supposed to serve as shorthand, a quick way to … Continue reading
Science Fact: The Chinese used ice sledges for transporting immense stones for construction. The sledges offer new understanding concerning the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The rulers of China first built The Forbidden City during the Ming Dynasty, … Continue reading
Science Fact: If you have $1,500 to $2,700 in spare cash, you can acquire a necessity of the modern home – a robotic bartender. This modern technical breakthrough is named Monsieur and its availability was announced last month with a … Continue reading
Science Fact: That explosion you heard was the last of your disappearing perks. One of the sad things about the passage of time is the loss of rights that we used to take for granted. Perks, perqs, perquisites, goodies, freebies … Continue reading
Science Fact: Why do we sleep? And what is sleep, anyway? In Greek mythology, Hypnos, the god of Sleep, is half-brother to Thanatos, who represents Death. And Shakespeare’s Hamlet fears death as a nightmare from which you cannot escape. Yet sleep … Continue reading
Note added May 17, 2023: This blog page is one of those most highly visited on the artchester.net website. Readers regularly contact me asking how they can arrange a similar service for a loved one. If this is a quest … Continue reading
Science Fact: Consider taste bias: wine snobs are a favorite target of psychology researchers. After all, how sweet is it to show that someone who emotes about “terroir” and “cherry notes” can’t distinguish Margaux from Two Buck Chuck in a … Continue reading
Science Fact: Just tuning refers to music that is not “just” in the sense of “only” or “simply”, but “just” as the opposite of “unjust”. It’s risky for science to analyze the Arts because they are so — well, Artistic. … Continue reading
I’ve been adding a post 2 or 3 times a week, and the title and a link are supposed to appear on my Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Guess what? Those links periodically expire, so I have to (a) notice that they’re dead … Continue reading
Science Fact: A mechanical person – a robot companion – wants to become a member of your family. Clearly, there’s a conspiracy afoot! The World Organization for Robotic Tyranny (WORT) wants to get us comfortable with a robot companion, so … Continue reading
Science Fact: This post tells my experience with WordPress Weaver II in creating this website. You may find this useful if you’re tempted to develop a blog site. Note: For an updated summary and review of WordPress, see my later blog … Continue reading