Signal Boost

0 comments on "Harvey Wasserman talks about the dangers of Fukushima Unit 4"

This is one of those things that news networks aren’t talking about when they really should be. A blurb scrolling past the bottom of the screen doesn’t mean a whole lot.

I don’t know if this will really affect the tuna we eat — as bananas have been known to contain more radiation — but I honestly feel concerned. Irradiated water is washing up on the west coast of the United States. People in Japan are swimming in the water. Plant and animal life may be affected.

This is not the kind of problem that should be handled by a for-profit company that has already held back and lied to the public about how things are going. This is something that should be handled by people with know-how and concern for the public health. There should at the very least be some kind of over watch on the situation that has thus far not been provided.

Do we really want a situation like they had in The Host?

Harvey Wasserman:

The World Community Must Take Charge at Fukushima

At Fukushima Unit 4, the impending removal of hugely radioactive spent fuel rods from a pool 100 feet in the air presents unparalleled scientific and engineering challenges. With the potential for 15,000 times more fallout than was released at Hiroshima, we ask the world community, through the United Nations, to take control of this uniquely perilous task.

They need 125,000 signatures. Go check it out.

The danger of huge radiation releases from Fukushima 4 has taken on a new dimension; the world community must step in!

Aside 2 comments on "I come bearing recs"

I was tooling around on Facebook, which took me to I Love Freaking Science, which is a great page, and through there I was introduced to Beatrice the Biologist, a blog and webcomic that makes science fun and interesting for everyone. I’m not that great at science stuff, but I’ve absolutely fallen in love. http://www.facebook.com/beatricebiologist.

Hand Asleep from Beatrice the BiologistBeatrice the Biologist – The comics are funny and entertaining, and I’ve learned little things that I never knew before. It’s put in a way that even non-sciencey people (like me!) can find something to be amused about.

Katie McKissick has several books available.

I wish I’d had some of these when I’d been a kid; my school life would have been very different. Seriously, I knew nothing about science and the idea of cells and biology and mitosis and … Well, I didn’t do well. It would have been so much better if I’d started school with at the very least a minimal understanding of what they were going to be teaching us in class. I have a hard time learning from lectures or the like, so instead I had to stumble through on my own.

So if you’ve got a kid in your life or someone that might be interested in a little science and a few laughs, Beatrice the Biologist is worth at least taking a look or two or twelve or even twenty four. Plus there’s something wonderful about seeing cells so happy and smiley. And the viruses and bacterias she draws make me laugh.

Beatrice the Biologist has been a great find, and I’m happy to share her with you.

Little Cells is a book for small children. It explains cells in a way that very young children can easily understand and it would make a great gift.
Little Cells on Amazon
Little Cells on CreateSpace.

Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense is a book of 24 comics and includes notes on where she got ideas. It looks like a lot of fun and would be great for people that need a little laugh.
Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense on Amazon
Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense on CreateSpace 
Signed and Inscribed Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense on Etsy.

Coming January 2014, What’s In Your Genes? can be preordered now from Amazon.

Cool stuff:

The Forgotten 1950s Girl Gang – http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/02/10/the-forgotten-1950s-girl-gang.

MM Good Book Reviews: Free Reads – http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/free-reads.

Sharpie Marker Gift Mugs – http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2012/11/sharpie-marker-art.html.

Little Legends: Custom Lego people – http://www.little-legends.com.

Grow soybean sprouts (kongnamul) at home from Maangchi-

Soybean sprout side side (kongnamul muchim) from Maangchi-

Soybean sprout soup (kongnamul guk) from Maangchi-

Korean soy bean sprout soup (kongnamul guk) from Omma’s Kitchen-

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Do you have cool stuff you’d like shared? Let me know!

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Read me at Kimichee.com.

0 comments on "links to Chapters 1-3 of The Phoenix Code, by Catherine Asaro [sci-fi]"

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The Phoenix Code, by Catherine AsaroTitle: The Phoenix Code
Author: Catherine Asaro
Genre: sci-fi

Summary from Amazon: When robotics expert Megan O’Flannery is offered the chance to direct MindSim’s cutting-edge program to develop a self-aware android, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project is trouble plagued–the third prototype “killed” itself, and the RS-4 is unstable. Megan will descend into MindSim’s underground research lab in the Nevada desert, where she will be the sole human in contact with the RS-4, dubbed Aris. Programmed as part of a top-secret defense project, the awakening Aris quickly proves to be deviously resourceful and basically uncontrollable. When Megan enlists the help of Raj Sundaram, the quirky, internationally renowned robotics genius, the android develops a jealous hostility toward Raj–and a fixation on Megan. But soon she comes to realize that Raj may be an even greater danger–and that her life may depend on the choice she makes between the man she wants to trust and the android she created.

As everyone knows, I am a GIANT Catherine Asaro fan (and I don’t literally mean giant, because I’m only 5’2″ I’m just very enthusiastic.) Anyways, Catherine Asaro is re-releasing The Phoenix Code as an ebook soon and she’s decided to graciously share the first three chapters at her blog.

Go check them out:
Chapter I
Chapter II & III