Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jul 5, 2011, 9:00 am
Though you see it cheaply plastered across postcards and knick-knacks, aloha is a very deep and meaningful word in Hawaiian. Its exact origin is somewhat up for debate, though etymologists have said it comes from alo, which means sharing or present, oha meaning joy or affection, and ha, meaning ener...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 13, 2011, 9:47 pm
Recently, in a post titled "Ecologists: Time to End Invasive-Species Persecution", Brandon Keim discussed a comment published in Nature which argued that the ecological community unfairly vilifies the various plants and animals we've transported around the globe. In some sense, the authors are right...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 13, 2011, 9:32 pm
Yes, yes it is. (HT @Oxymoronics) Read the comments on this post...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 13, 2011, 12:16 pm
The finalists have been chosen, and they are a fantastic bunch! Here are the top 9 which made it in: Cosmic Variance: The Fine Structure Constant is Probably Constant Dr. Carin Bondar: Sacrifice on the Serengeti Empirical Zeal: Blind Fish in Dark Caves Shed Light on the Evoluti...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 11, 2011, 9:41 am
After day after day of me urging you to vote, the results are finally in for the Semifinalist round for the 3 Quarks Daily Science Blogging Prize. Some great posts have made the cut - including these ones by Scicurious, Evelyn Mervine, Allie Wilkinson, Brian Switek, and those Southern Fried Boys. &...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 9, 2011, 7:23 pm
If you didn't already know because, by chance, you missed my tweets, posts, and facebook updates, there is a science blogging contest going on RIGHT NOW. The 3 Quarks Daily Science Blogging Prize is currently narrowing down the top 20 posts from 87 nominees. To get through the gauntlet, a post has t...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 9, 2011, 3:21 pm
If you didn't already know because, by chance, you missed my tweets, posts, and facebook updates, there is a science blogging contest going on RIGHT NOW. The 3 Quarks Daily Science Blogging Prize is currently narrowing down the top 20 posts from 87 nominees. To get through the gauntlet, a post has t...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 9, 2011, 11:18 am
If you didn't already know because, by chance, you missed my tweets, posts, and facebook updates, there is a science blogging contest going on RIGHT NOW. The 3 Quarks Daily Science Blogging Prize is currently narrowing down the top 20 posts from 87 nominees. To get through the gauntlet, a post has t...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 7, 2011, 4:30 pm
Today's post is by the fantastic and phenomenal Zen Faulkes. Be sure to check out his blog after you read it! Note; I'm writing this guest post because this week, I'll be a visitor in Christie's current stomping grounds, Hawaii, attending the summer meeting of The Crustacean Society. Ch...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 7, 2011, 12:59 pm
There are still two days of voting left - so go forth and vote! Even a few votes might make the difference between a post making the cut and falling behind. Here's the full list of entires. There are a ton of great ones - you should read them all! But, I'd be lying if I said I didn't w...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jun 4, 2011, 11:19 am
I've been so busy in NYC for the World Science Festival and seeing friends and family that I completely missed that the voting is open for the 3 Quarks Daily Science Blogging Contest! There are 87 entries duking it out for a place among the top 20 semi-finalists - see the full list here...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - May 23, 2011, 6:05 pm
3 Quarks Daily has announced their third annual science blogging prize! This year, the final results will be judged by none other than Lisa Randall, theoretical physicist extraordinaire from Harvard University. Nominations are open now, and are for any post published between May 22nd, ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - May 11, 2011, 3:56 pm
Lionfish are one of my favorite animals (I study them, after all). They're stunningly beautiful. Of course, they're also a devastating invasive species. Though they've only been in the Atlantic Ocean for some 15 years or so, they've taken over reefs, eating everything in their path. They've been fou...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - May 2, 2011, 3:13 am
Osama Bin Laden is dead. At least, that's what we've been told, and I tend to believe such things. But how do they know it's him? Well, they have the visual evidence and the body, for one. But to be certain it's not a look-a-like, the government has taken steps above and beyond to make ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 27, 2011, 4:38 am
Who would have thought I'd return home from my Tuesday night exercise class to see this: That's right. I now have 2000 twitter followers - a full four days ahead of the deadline, too! That means the Twitterverse has spoken, and it has commanded a science remake of Friday. I mus...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 26, 2011, 11:20 pm
So, as you might have seen from the picture, I crashed PZ Myers' recent talk at the Society for Developmental Biology. He said a lot of good things - about science communication and the need to make a more direct connection between scientists and the general public, among other things. But the one t...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 19, 2011, 4:45 am
So I have this bad habit of ending up in twitter conversations with Scicurious. Last time, I ended up looking at the taste of dolphin semen. This time I have somehow agreed to a challenge: if I get to 2000 twitter followers by the end of April, I'll do a remake of Rebecca Black's Friday. ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 18, 2011, 11:26 pm
See? Photo by Andre Seale You're looking at Me, Lucia Malla (a fellow blogger, but in Portugese! How cool is that?!) and, of course, PZ Myers, just after he got leid. Isn't he just glowing? We managed to track down PZ Myers at the Society for Developmental Biology's West Coast Re...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 18, 2011, 11:43 am
In which I embarrass myself even more. You can download it here Lyrics: PhD (rewrite of Travie McCoy's "Billionaire") I wanna get my PhD so fricking bad Get all of those jobs I never can I wanna be on the cover of Science Magazine And all your future research wi...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 12, 2011, 6:47 pm
In case you missed it, I delve into the concept of animal happiness and whether wild animals are happier than others in a new post on SciAm's Guest Blog. So hop on over and check it out! Read the comments on this post...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 8, 2011, 7:43 pm
Remember how I sang that awesome evolution rewrite of that song for open mic night at Science Online 2011? No? Oh, I see. You weren't at Science Online 2011. Or, worse, you were, but you missed my stellar performance. No worries - I've been strong-armed into turning it int...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Apr 1, 2011, 12:10 am
GoDaddy.com Chief Executive Bob Parsons feels absolutely no remorse for his choice to engage in elephant hunts in Zimbabwe. He posted this boastful video saying it's one of the most 'rewarding' things he does (warning - strong stomach required), and continues to defend it even after coming under fir...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Mar 28, 2011, 12:18 pm
I have to confess, when I saw a global map of average penis size flying around twitter, I was like a eighth grade boy finding his first nudie magazine - I couldn't help but take a peek. After a brief heart attack (it's in cm, not inches), my inner scientist started asking silly questions. You know, ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Mar 21, 2011, 1:00 am
National Geographic has chosen two noble causes for this year's Expedition Granted. The one who wins will get $10,000 to help fight for the cause they are most passionate about. This is what Nat Geo has to say about the contestants:For Dash, that means saving the population of monk seals from extinc...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Mar 11, 2011, 5:27 pm
I was over at my friend Kira's house last night, having some wine and pizza and helping her relax before her PhD defense this afternoon. There was nothing abnormal about the evening at that point, though soon enough, that would change. Within the hour, we would first hear reports of a tsunami warnin...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Mar 6, 2011, 11:37 am
To a biologist, there are only a few key elements that determine if something is alive: it must undergo homeostasis (stable internal state), metabolism (use energy to maintain organization and homeostasis), respond to its environment, adapt over time and reproduce. It sounds like a simple set of rul...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Feb 21, 2011, 1:40 pm
Hey fellow bloggers and fans of blogs! I'm happy to report that Tom Paine's Ghost has announced the return of the Post with the Most! The contest rewards a $100 cash prize to the most powerful blog post. Posts are judged on their clarity, originality, integration (must contain at least ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Feb 3, 2011, 10:54 am
Peta recently stirred up quite a lot of controversy with their banned superbowl ad claiming that "studies have shown that vegetarians are better lovers." Of course, no such research exists, but somehow in trying find where that came from (no pun intended) I ended up in a twitter conversation about d...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 31, 2011, 8:19 pm
As you might have noticed, I've added a new badge to the left sidebar. That's right - you can start submitting posts for next year's Open Laboratory already! So find your favorite science blog posts from around the interwebs that were published in the past couple months and get submitting!
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 28, 2011, 10:33 am
Sexual assault is no laughing matter - unless, of course, the would-be rapist isn't human. Who doesn't giggle when they see a small dog humping someone's leg? But what many people don't realize is that reverse bestiality - where an animal makes unwanted sexual advances on a person - is a true proble...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 27, 2011, 1:28 pm
Citrus fruits are delicious. Their delicate balance of sweetness and tartness is a biochemical masterpiece. It's no wonder that they, of all nature's tasty options, are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade, with over 105 million tons produced annually. But these tempting prod...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 25, 2011, 5:11 pm
"I am not a pretty girl - that is not what I do." Ani DiFranco A few weeks ago, I received a facebook message. It was from a male admirer of my blog (and his fiancée, coincidentally). In it, he said "You are GORGEOUS, and your tits look absolutely incredible." I froze. I know it w...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 25, 2011, 1:39 pm
One of the most rewarding sessions I was a part of was "But it's just a blog!" run by Hannah Waters, Psi Wavefunction, Eric Michael Johnson, Jason Goldman, Mike Lisieski and Lucas Brouwers. The main question was: how do new bloggers get noticed and read in a sea of emerging science blogs? Furthermor...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 24, 2011, 9:10 am
If you believe the maxim "the more the merrier," then you would have LOVED the session which I am proud to say was my first as a moderator. I wasn't alone - nine other fantastic people worked with me. Our collective goal was to do the impossible: to give a complete 101 on how to explain science in b...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 21, 2011, 11:08 am
The ToBo Lab fish crew learning how to ID parrotfish from fish expert Rich Pyle aboard the Hi'ialakai "Visual storytelling through science/nature photography" was the fourth session I attended at Science Online 2011. Run by ace photographer and journalist Allie Wilkinson and photography...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 20, 2011, 6:26 pm
When I was a child, I picked up a book called Last Chance to See. You've probably heard of the author - he's world renowned for his humorous science fiction which has secured his place in the hearts of geeks everywhere. But this book wasn't about travelling the universe with a trusted towel; it wasn...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 20, 2011, 2:26 pm
As an avid lover of the outdoors, I was super excited to see that there was an entire session at Science Online 2011 dedicated to discussing technology's place in the wilderness. All of the panelists are well versed in taking tech out of the city. Miriam Goldstein has used technology ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 19, 2011, 11:35 pm
This might sound narcissistic, but ever since some time early in high school, I've believed that someday, somehow, I will write a book. What kind of book keeps shifting as I grow up and my outlook on life changes, but the overall theory that I will eventually be an author has persisted. So of course...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 18, 2011, 5:09 pm
I arrived in North Carolina on Thursday night at around 6 pm. The next morning, I was barely coherent, after an amazing keynote speech, open mic night, and far too late an evening involving ocean bloggers and alcohol. I managed to cup some coffee, then make my way to my first blogging related event ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 18, 2011, 1:30 pm
Trying to describe the experience of Science Online to someone who has never been is like trying to explain the taste of a pineapple. You can get vague details across - tangy, sweet, juicy - but the full experience can never be imparted verbally. I'm not even going to try to explain what it was like...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 14, 2011, 3:38 pm
Last night was the first night of Science Online 2011. The food and keynote were fantastic, but the real party was back at the hotel afterwards for the Open Mic Night! At the request of many, here are the lyrics to the song I sang: Extinctionʼs A Bitch (to the tune of ʻBitchʼ by Mere...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 8, 2011, 9:59 am
Photo by Sara LeeAnn Banevedes I don't think Brian Alexander is a bad guy or a misogynist. He writes the Sexploration column for MSNBC, so sure, his job is all about selling sex stories to the public. He even wrote a book about American sexuality. But I don't personally think he has a burning hatred...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Jan 7, 2011, 1:32 pm
When the deadline for Open Lab rolled around way back at the beginning of December, there were close to 900 science blog posts in the running for the coveted 50 slots. Over the past couple months, Jason and his team of reviewers have whittled down those submissions, til only 1/18th remain. Yes, that...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Dec 25, 2010, 11:44 pm
Tis the season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the sunny isle of Oahu! For more pics, check out my Facebook Album! Hale is the hawaiian term for a house or dwelling. Read the comments on this post...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Dec 9, 2010, 3:32 pm
Most animals reproduce sexually. This means that every individual has to find another individual to mate with - and they have to convince that other that they're worthy of the privilege. More often than not when it comes to picking that special someone, it's the girls that get to be choosy. Females ...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Dec 4, 2010, 5:35 pm
So, I've been totally MIA lately. I want to apologize - I had two major grant application deadlined and my qualifying exams (to keep me in my PhD program) which, with their powers combined, totally ate up my free time. But that's all done, so I'm back, and will be blogging again soon! Read the comm...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Nov 8, 2010, 7:41 pm
When I first read Brian Switek's blog, I had no idea he was going to write a book. It was long before PepsiGate and before I was even a scibling. Back then, his blog, Laelaps, was still on ScienceBlogs, which is how I happened to stumble across it. I loved it from the first post I read, and instantl...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Nov 5, 2010, 8:29 pm
It's official! The results are in, and thanks to all of you, I came in first place in the $10,000 Blogging Scholarship! I know I owe a lot of people thanks (all 135,000 some odd of you!), but first and foremost I'd like to thank PZ Myers. Without his support, the outcome would have bee...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Nov 4, 2010, 9:37 am
I couldn't help but be intrigued that my stiffest competition for winning the $10,000 Blogging Scholarship was a makeup blogger. What is it about cosmetics that is so appealing? Why do people wear makeup, and what might have caused early man to play around with blush and lipstick? Well, like everyth...
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Christie W. posted an article on Observations of a Nerd - Nov 1, 2010, 7:46 pm
One of the toughest concepts to grasp about evolution is its lack of direction. Take the classic image of the evolution of man, from knuckle-walking ape to strong, smart hunter: We view this as the natural progression of life. Truth is, there was no guarantee that some big brained primates in ...
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