Carie Small, she of the famous Lingerie Football League, showed up at the Star Wars Celebration this past weekend and sent fanboys into a tizzy. Because she dressed as Princess Leia. And looked way better than the crazy cat lady who played the actual Princess Leia.

Gunaxin has all of the pics but be forewarned, if you are a scientist or science enthusiast, you may never leave their site again. Read the rest of this entry »

Want a belt or shoes made out of human skin but don’t want to deal with all of the tiresome Nazi comparisons?   [Hu]man Leather, a UK company, is taking all of the flak for you.

Apparently, people bequeath them their skin (I guess it will get weird if it turns out people who donate their bodies for organs end up as wallets but the company will not disclose its sources) and they use it to make stuff.  Like clothing, you know, that covers your skin.
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I assumed this was digital enhancement at first, but no, those family members holding cameras in their kitchen are real.

Watch and learn how Cuban babies break it down.

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Nothing says quality science like appearing in the Archives of Sexual Behavior and this week is no exception. There are 4 types of orgasms, it turns out, in two categories – ‘good’ and ‘not so good’.

Well, for men, orgasms are like pizza, so even if they are bad they are pretty darn good so we will have a hard time understanding this not-so-good stuff.

-In the latest study, data collected by Mah and Binik (2002) on the dimensional phenomenology of female orgasm were subjected to a typological analysis. 503 women provided adjectival descriptions of orgasms experienced either with a partner (n = 276) or while alone (n = 227). and those became four orgasm types which varied in terms of pleasure. Two types, collectively labelled “good-sex orgasms,” got higher marks than those alone while two other types, the “not-as-good-sex orgasms,” got low marks. -
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Want to get knee-capped in France? End up in the wrong crowd disagreeing on the best method to pour champagne. It makes being a Steelers fan at a Raiders game pale in comparison.

Scientists in France say an angled, down-the-side way is the best to preserve taste and fizz. Also scientifically validated: Chilling champagne before serving enhances taste.

Gérard Liger-Belair and colleagues say the tiny bubbles, formed during the release of large amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, are the essence of fine champagnes and sparkling wines. Bubbles help transfer the taste, aroma, and mouth-feel of champagne. Therefore the how of pouring a glass of bubbly can have a big impact on gas levels in champagne and its quality. But no scientific study had been done. Luckily we have France, where scientists have nothing better to do.
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Four verses about recombinant protein expression, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray Crystallography and Cryo-Electron Microscopy.
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“Open Access – Open Data” is an expert conference being held December 13th-14th in Cologne that will take a closer look how the Open Access movement has developed within the last five years and what is going to happen within the next five to ten years. Additionally, it will investigate the “Open Data Movement” that is gaining acceptance (see Jean-Claude Bradley).

In addition to Open Access for publications, the conference will also concentrate on Open research data. A closer look into the Berlin Declaration reveals that this aspect of open science was mentioned in 2003 but access to research data has only recently been put on the agendas of libraries, data centers and research institutions.
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Muslim terrorists (you know who you are) beware; we let you force us to have body-cavity searchers for iPods and hair gel and we’re okay taking off our shoes for no apparent reason but messing with the Miss USA pageant could be the last straw.

If you aren’t familiar with the Miss USA pageant, it is a copycat of Miss America. Why do we need two? For the same reason we need two political parties though, other than forced sodomy zones mandated by Democrats and forced Bible studies classes mandated by Republicans, I can’t find a difference between them – because they make money for people.
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I had a sore throat this afternoon so I came home early to rest (translation: be babied by the wife; she gave birth and it’s dismissed as part of a natural cycle but if I get a cold I expect to be doted on) and remembered the Penguins versus Canadiens game was on television so I flipped it on.

After the first period (Pens down 2 to 0, because they are goofing off and trying to pass, basically to me, since they sure were not passing to each other) a broadcaster did a quick interview with Brian Gionta, who was kind enough to score after about 30 seconds, and what I saw startled me.

Take a look at this screen cap taken on my phone:

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Not sure America is a better place than 20 years ago? I sure am.

A band named Murphy’s Law played in Philadelphia at an Old City bar and three fans showed up in full Nazi dress. Why so? The front man, Jimmy G, formerly went by the name Jimmy Gestapo. Ironically, he is a Jew. I bet that caused some mishigas at family gatherings.
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