Monthly Archives: September 2010

Spotty posting

Posted on 30 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

My mother is visiting from Oregon this week, so posting is going to be a bit spotty. We’ve mostly puttered around and eaten good things and chatted so far…which is pretty much how I define a good vacation. Tomorrow we’re … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 3 Comments

Speaking of science journalism…

Posted on 29 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

…this headline does NOT pass the test: What imagery! Bats, plural — it must have been a swarm of them, capturing the child and sucking her dry of blood, right? Well, maybe not. A vampire bat killed the child indirectly … Continue reading →

Posted in language | 4 Comments

Oh, no, the CHILDREN!

Posted on 28 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

Take a look at this screen capture and see if you can figure out why Sesame Street, the long-running American children’s show, decided not to air a guest appearance by singer Katy Perry: If you guessed “too much cleavage,” you … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, USA | 9 Comments

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 27 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

There is so much to love about Portugal, but sometimes I really crave a road like this one: A lonely highway, lined by tall trees, with a gorgeous mountain dead ahead. All I’d need would be a cooler in the … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper | 2 Comments

Saturday picture show

Posted on 25 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

The Telegraph has just put up a slide show of the 2010 winners of the CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year awards. The top prize was deservedly won by Florian Schultz for this entry: That’s a ginormous school of migrating … Continue reading →

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Truth in journalism

Posted on 24 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

Ed Yong has an excellent post on whether science journalists should “take sides” in their reporting, and I read it with a great deal of head nodding. The only thing I would add to his reasoning is that it shouldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 5 Comments

Beware of Greeks bearing bonds

Posted on 23 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

Residing in a nation sneeringly denigrated as one of the PIGS (Portugal, Italy [or Ireland], Greece and Spain), an oversimplified lump grouping of several EU nations with economic troubles, I have a special interest in learning what happened in Greece … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Europe, politics | 4 Comments

Court case over virtual chocolate milk

Posted on 22 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

This is one of those stories you can’t even make up: The Hershey Company is in a court battle with software developer Hottrix LLC over dueling iPhone apps that make virtual chocolate milk. Hottrix lawyer Jason H. Fisher said Monday … Continue reading →

Posted in life | 2 Comments

Hitting the electrical shop

Posted on 21 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

Recently my wife and I decided to replace the outlets for our central vacuum cleaner. They’ve been in need of replacement for some time, due to shoddy quality (I think the contractors who built our apartment were cutting corners), but … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Portugal | 7 Comments

Wallpaper Monday

Posted on 20 September 2010 by Fletcher DeLancey

There are so many lovely places on Earth to put up as my computer’s wallpaper, but sometimes I crave a larger point of view. This photo of Hurricane Danielle was taken from the International Space Station by an Expedition 24 … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper | 1 Comment