Author Archives: Sam

In My Defense

Posted on 2012/01/22 by Sam

As those of you who check this site more than three times a year may have noticed, posting has been…er…slow this fall. But there was a reason: The talk is open to the public for anyone in Seattle who is … Continue reading →

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How to Catch the Biggest Fish

Posted on 2011/09/02 by Sam

Pouring December rain, the crummy’s windows all steamed up, Our tree-planting crew was talking salmon fishing during lunch When Piss-Fir Willie matter-of-factly announced, “Due to my natural modesty I didn’t mention it to you boys, But I caught me a … Continue reading →

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Where do hummingbirds go during a hurricane?

Posted on 2011/08/28 by Sam

Irene is dying out over northern New England. Most of the worst-case scenarios seem not to have occurred, though there has been a great deal of damage and flooding regardless. The hurricane in New England made me think of the … Continue reading →

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Ice and Fire

Posted on 2011/08/18 by Sam

This video is pretty unreal. Winter in Hell from Enrique Pacheco on Vimeo. Shot by Enrique Pacheco, and brought to my attention by Julia Whitty. Iceland is one of the strangest and most awesome places I’ve been, and getting to … Continue reading →

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What Science is Really Like

Posted on 2011/08/09 by Sam

Posting has been a bit slow of late–I’ve been in the bunker, working on my thesis. This rage comic came across my radar last week, and it might be the truest thing I’ve ever seen written about the scientific “method.” … Continue reading →

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La Beluga Mariachi

Posted on 2011/08/08 by Sam

Mariachi Connecticut serenades a beluga whale at the Mystic Aquarium. This video has over 1.2 million views, but it needs more. Watch it, fools. H/T to my friend Arielle for sending this.

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Standing on Shoulders You Didn’t Know Were There

Posted on 2011/07/18 by Sam

If you’re a scientist, almost all of your professional reading comes in the form of scientific papers. These days, that usually usually means between 10 and 20 pages of fairly dense information packed into a PDF. This format is great … Continue reading →

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The Most Repulsive Barnacle in the World

Posted on 2011/07/11 by Sam

There is some truly nasty stuff out there in the ocean. All kinds of parasites. Male anglerfish. Penis fencing and traumatic insemination. Lampreys. Even those studying the “cute” marine mammals aren’t safe. Ever hear of blowhole sex? How about murderous, … Continue reading →

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Independence Day on Lake Union

Posted on 2011/07/05 by Sam

I spent a good portion of today on the shores of Lake Union, which is located right in the middle of the city of Seattle. This afternoon was the Wooden Boat Festival at the Center for Wooden Boats. There were … Continue reading →

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Oppie, In His Own Words

Posted on 2011/06/28 by Sam

In the time since the last post I wrote about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Bomb, I’ve finished “American Prometheus.” Highly, highly recommended. I also came across a video (from 1965) of Oppie repeating the famous quote I used for … Continue reading →

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