one.point.zero - Colin O'Brien's weblog
June 29 2008
The brain appears to make up its mind 10 seconds before we become conscious of a decision.
January 06 2008
Interesting audio interview with Michael Pollan concerning his latest book: In Defense of Food. His previous bestseller, The omnivore’s dilemma, was one of the finest texts I’ve ever read about food.
January 02 2008
Clay Shirky on science and religion.“The Doctrine of Joint Belief isn't evidence of harmony between two systems of thought. It simply offers permission to ignore the clash between them.”
October 28 2007
Thought-provoking profile of James Lovelock and his definitely funereal outlook for the planet.
October 19 2007
How it all ends
May 18 2007
Beware of female van drivers at the supermarket checkout.
February 03 2007
The semantics of climate change“When a scientist talks about reducing greenhouse gas emissions ... he or she means just that; actually reducing them. But what it is coming to mean in the political lexicon is something very different”
February 02 2007
Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by an Exxon-funded lobby group to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today.
January 12 2007
The formula for procrastination: E x V/ÃD
December 09 2006
An interesting article that goes some way into explaining why people don’t change even when faced with overwhelming evidence they’re heading at full speed towards an unstable if not deadly future.
November 28 2006
The American science teachers’ association has refused free copies of the film An inconvenient truth for classroom viewing as it may conflict with some of their financial supporters. One of them being Exxon.
update: and a well-deserved worst person in the world award.
November 07 2006
Fear of (climate) change
There’s an argument taking place at the Climate Ark.
This guy’s daughter gets scared by climate change, so he goes ranting against scientists in the comments there. I had a bit of compassion for the guy’s hot-headed reaction until I read his second comment. Sadly, many people think like him.
August 14 2006
Colin Camerer on our fear of terrorism“Statistics show that you are far more likely to die in a car accident or by a heart-attack. But we have no idea what the probability of a terrorist attack is, and that frightens us”
August 04 2006
Men and women think differently. But not that differently.
July 11 2006
Mice can feel each other’s pain. That puts animal testing under another light.
July 04 2006
Go to bed early tonight.
May 30 2006
Evolutionary biologist Steve Jones“The most important difference between evolutionists and creationists is that scientists are always prepared to say, I don't know … That's one thing that believers never say, because it's all written down in a big book.”