What I've Been Reading on the Internets

I've been collecting up links for the past month or so without actually getting around to blogging about them, so I present them here with little comment:

The khymos molecular gastronomy blog explains some common misperceptions about chemicals.

Slactivist has a thought-provoking post about literalism and the Bible. There is a lot of passion in the comments, and I'll just say that I read the post pretty much like commenter David.

Science news has a cool article about the Fibonacci numbers and the mathematical lives of plants. Yes there is order in the natural world!

Slate explains how an unassuming font took over the world over the past 50 years, in the Helvetica Hegemony.

Scientific American explains why corn is "kind of the worst thing ever." Bottom line: it's bad in the diet, it requires farming methods that are bad for the environment, and corn-based ethanol is not a good solution to our energy problems.

Jennifer Ouellette of Cocktail Party Physics takes a look back at the work of early epidemiologists trying to figure out how cholera was spread and points to current efforts to improve the water supply in developing countries.

Shelley Batts at Retrospectacle has an interesting post about caffeinated soap.

New Scientist has put together answers to the most common questions about climate change. It has answers to all those objections to global warming that the talk radio types like to spout off about.

Larry Moran points to the seven warning signs of bogus science. It's a handy guide if you find yourself on one of those web sites touting the latest miracle health cure.

The New York Times has a very sad op-ed about vegan parents who have starved their babies to death. It wasn't intentional, they were just completely ignorant of the fact that a baby will not thrive on a diet of soy milk and apple juice. I don't understand why some people are so keen on denying their own biology: we are omnivores and the best way to provide protein, calcium, cholesterol and vitamins to growing children is through animal products.

Whenever there's a tragedy all the pundits work themselves into a lather and start pointing fingers at their favorite bogeyman. After the Virginia Tech shootings Cynical-C collected statements on who is to blame. I find it sickening that anyone would take that as an opportunity to spout off, but I guess that's what they are paid to do.

There is a post on Metafilter about the 70th anniversary of the Golden Gate bridge, with link to a video of opening day 1937.

Improbable Research takes a closer look at the 5-second rule.

Live Science gives us the strange history of cheese.

Finally, 2 buck Chuck is five years old - yay for cheap wine that comes with a cork.

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