tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62225649021800696982012-01-14T21:45:46.931-09:00Life in Alaska, Politics and Scientific Disinformation.TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.comBlogger8491100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-40638809496544179952011-08-19T11:24:00.000-08:002011-08-19T11:24:37.759-08:00

Over the summer, while I was in the field, I was listening to a book called "Predictably Irrational." It was a great book about behavioural economics, a sort of wedding between the findings of psychology, and what it should tell us about economic decision making by individuals and large groups of people. It's a very good book, and a very practical book, because it's full of gems about how to use

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-72195684697458354582011-08-17T11:26:00.000-08:002011-08-17T11:26:52.167-08:00

Some sage advice from Rick Sinnott summarizing the research on bear attacks on Alaskans, and the best defence against them: Is a firearm better protection than bear spray? Bear spray -- a concoction of propellants and capsaicin (from red pepper) that burns the eyes and mucous membranes -- is effective up to about 30-35 feet. Dr. Tom Smith, Herrero and others assessed the effectiveness of

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-75118615750473856322011-05-13T17:00:00.003-08:002011-05-13T17:00:01.085-08:00

Here are some things that have always been issues, except for when they haven't been an issue at all. I'd first like to show the google timeline that I'm using is a generally good representation of what's important at a given time. The search I did was for 'War' You can pick out the major wars on this ol' graph. Bigger bars mean more was written about it at the time. A bar twice as big is twice

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-44814195061744677652011-05-11T23:46:00.000-08:002011-05-13T12:47:15.291-08:00

A moose decided to check out UAA's student union. Some suggested captions: Hey buddy, aren't you a little young to be taking college classes? More proof the university doesn't really care about the students: there's not even a sprig of willow in any of dining halls! You have to go off campus for some decent food! UAA decides to hedge their bets against UAF next hockey season by recruiting a new

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-10682914413870981242011-05-02T09:26:00.000-08:002011-05-02T09:26:39.495-08:00

Pilot bread is practically a staple in the bush, and it's pretty common to offer it to folks along with some coffee when they come by visiting.  It's also quintessential outdoor food for backpackers, hunters, rafters, and so forth, because the stuff is just indestructible. It's also incredibly calorie dense, and something like a 100 and change per cracker. You need a big chunk of club crackers to

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-58168847234093541292011-04-21T07:34:00.000-08:002011-04-21T07:34:41.287-08:00

Yes, I know the photo is on the wrong day! Photos on a Thursday? Why, it's unthinkable! I actually have photography block. I haven't seen anything and though, `wow, that's pretty` lately, and that's unsurprising. After all, we're in full-on melt-down mode here in Fairbanks. The snow is nasty, mud is getting all over, and ice is building up on any depression or level surface. Add to that the fact

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-27580937878709647282011-04-20T07:46:00.000-08:002011-04-20T07:46:26.563-08:00

... Paul could have tried to set up shop in Ester. That's my attitude towards the Goldstream General Store. About two years ago, you may recall there was a stink about the employees going on strike. The store used to be owned by some nice folks who decided to sell it quietly. So quietly that almost no one knew about it until it was done. The problem was the new owner had strong opinions about

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-1211780927829126922011-04-13T07:00:00.000-08:002011-04-13T07:00:18.137-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-27610534994117950332011-04-06T07:00:00.002-08:002011-04-06T07:00:07.579-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-8306160690790677752011-04-02T21:11:00.002-08:002011-04-02T21:11:45.216-08:00

Here's an announcement that was recently sent out over evol-dir: University of Alaska Fairbanks seeks a Unit Manager for the Life Science Informatics/ Epidemiology Biostatistics cores. These cores provide technical computing services, such as database development and management, data dissemination services, optimization of technical software, custom data analysis pipelining, maintenance of

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-6025844899877306712011-03-31T08:00:00.000-08:002011-03-31T08:27:31.313-08:00

The most excellent Dr. Palmer has written an interesting post on how she views many biology graduate students shoot themselves in the foot through focusing on the wrong skills in their tenure as students. While on whole I would agree with what she's written, especially the bits about non-transferable skills, I think the focus on `soft skills,` things such as lit reviews and public speaking, is

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-55731814122562668852011-03-30T07:00:00.002-08:002011-03-30T07:00:11.956-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-72528974162447687662011-03-23T07:00:00.002-08:002011-03-23T07:00:21.690-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-19692412284891455302011-03-21T07:32:00.000-08:002011-03-21T07:32:22.059-08:00

I had this written up last week, but for some reason never sat down at the computer and typed it up. I've been emptying out all those bottles I've been hanging on to with the intention of trying. Hopefully I have a Japanese beer in the queue, and an Aussie (Sorry, it's not Boag's Premium). I'm hoping to crack them open in the next week, once I'm done with this great pomegranate juice I found...

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-12424708075467428932011-03-16T11:46:00.001-08:002011-03-16T11:47:23.890-08:00

Data time, people! Behold, tables:   table { }td { padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; color: windowtext; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Verdana; vertical-align: bottom; border: medium none; white-space: nowrap; }.xl24 { }.xl25 { } Borough or Census area 2000 estimate 2010 estimate % change

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-28503558112381235942011-03-16T07:57:00.000-08:002011-03-16T07:57:49.598-08:00

The AK census data will be posted today at 10am, AKDT.  Before they post it, I want to make some minor predictions about what the data will show. This is like the Nenana ice classic, except I don't get anything if I'm right.  ;) Big winners - Anchorage and Fairbanks. Juneau will remain relatively flat (less than 2% growth if any). In South East, some of the islands in the Alexander archipelago

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-39377052662533495862011-03-16T07:25:00.002-08:002011-03-16T07:25:00.938-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-10993672488654681862011-03-14T16:18:00.000-08:002011-03-14T16:18:26.587-08:00

Last night, I was having dinner out at what I thought was a normal time, but thanks to DST was really nearly 9 at night. Consequently, the restaurant was very empty, and there wasn't many people to talk to or do the normal social things with while you wait for that one cook left around to fire up the grill again. I started watching TV, to kill some time. And let me say something that's been

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-38461814338289881322011-03-09T08:30:00.004-09:002011-03-09T08:30:00.345-09:00

What do you do when you're richer than any human could possibly want in a lifetime? If you're former Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myhrvold, you start out advocating searching for dinosaur vomit. After all, birds will sometimes spew, and what are birds, if not modern dinosaurs? But a man has to have a hobby between encouraging people to dig for Dino-Pellets. Nathan's is running a food science lab of his

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-67495934069634936802011-03-09T07:24:00.002-09:002011-03-09T07:24:57.253-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-82159931578334540032011-03-08T07:16:00.002-09:002011-03-08T08:01:14.698-09:00

I've said it before. Heck, I've said it here. Do not pet the moose. You do not share a deep spiritual connection with them. They won't recognize you as a kindred spirit.  They aren't your bestest friend in the world. Some of them may be quite cute, but forget about taking them home with you. It isn't going to end well for either of you. Even not counting car collisions, a moose is more likely to

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-25721942753421968742011-03-05T10:40:00.000-09:002011-03-05T10:40:39.937-09:00

I saw this on the lovable Orac's webamablog, a parody of the song "Billionare" about vaccination. Watch. It's hillarious.Almost as good is the blurb on the creater's YouTube channel:I'm a hospital physician and purveyor of educational medical satire. On staff at a major academic institution, I strive to practice only evidence-based comedy...everything on this site is clinically proven to be (

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-85383069787725668792011-03-02T07:00:00.001-09:002011-03-02T07:00:10.374-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-2116799196185949402011-02-24T07:30:00.001-09:002011-02-24T07:30:01.522-09:00

This is a beer I tried at the Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine festival, and it was the first amongst all of the beers I tried that day. This... this is excellent.  Alaskan Smoked Porter, by Alaskan Brewing Company The bottle is 65.1cl brown glass, with a single, simple label that has no clear indication of brewing date. Pouring it, the beer is a dark brown with a light beige head that fades to mere

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-43399000652816374502011-02-23T07:00:00.001-09:002011-02-23T07:00:02.167-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-3098571246823619262011-02-22T07:41:00.000-09:002011-02-22T07:41:01.140-09:00

One of the more common questions people ask is why they don't seem more moose hide clothing items around. It's a fair question: moose are large animals with lots of fur, so surely some of that is useful. And even many people who grew up knowing not to use moose fur for anything serious don't know why they shouldn't use it. It's a simple enough answer, though: the hair sheds like crazy. The hair

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-26973409352997745432011-02-21T07:57:00.000-09:002011-02-21T07:57:39.749-09:00

After reading over and digesting Nelson's (1998) "Development of migratory behaviour in northern white-tailed deer" the group had gradually come to the conclusion that the paper did not really belong in the otherwise good Canadian Journal of Zoology. The paper is very little more than a case study of the fates of 36 collared white-tail fawns. Case studies have their value, but the problem arose

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-71526541419930627902011-02-14T11:31:00.000-09:002011-02-14T11:31:55.046-09:00

Where last year's Yukon Quest's weather was unusually mild and fair, this year has been more par for the course - varying degrees of brutal. When I read about Hans Gatt going through the overflow, it sent shivers down my back (and not because it's cold inside). I've seen that situation before, and rarely does it end well for the person who goes through - especially in this weather. Right now, the

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-45428550311500990312011-02-09T07:05:00.000-09:002011-02-09T07:05:13.504-09:00

If you're like me, you'd put the 40 Mile winter hunt out of your mind, since it started back in December. However, if you still have interest in hunting it, the corridor along the highway will be open for a short period. You can read about it at the News Miner or at the 40 Mile Hotline (907 267-2310 in fairbanks, 8832971 in Tok).

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-33608571060450437232011-02-09T07:00:00.004-09:002011-02-09T07:00:01.862-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-40498187269160170492011-02-03T08:59:00.000-09:002011-02-03T08:59:18.984-09:00

The biomedical community is in biiiiig trouble now. Their secret is out. A "shaman" figured out why people age, die, feel old, and gradually get discoloured teeth. It's emzymes. According to his theory, which I must stress is 100% true, the body has a finite emzyme resource. Eventually, you will run out of your precious bodily fluidsemzymes and begin to age. He says most people run out at 25,

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-19850648764147597462011-02-02T07:00:00.001-09:002011-02-02T07:00:01.112-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-68441453180475739622011-01-27T11:25:00.001-09:002011-01-27T11:27:41.999-09:00

One of the major thrusts of the research I've involved with in the last few years is in the world of "domestic introgression." Some times, when we move animals around, there will be a pre-existing wild form of that species. For reindeer transplanted to Alaska, it's the endemic caribou. Some mink farms are in areas that already have a wild mink population. And a dog is nothing, if not a very

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-39573201262003151492011-01-26T07:34:00.000-09:002011-01-26T07:34:56.796-09:00

I was checking out Craigslist, when I noticed an interesting property up for sale: Arctic Circle Hot Springs is located in the heart of some of Alaska’s best gold county, access is by the Steese Hwy. 134 mile N. from Fairbanks, or from lighted and State maintained, 4,400ft airfield. This property is in need of much TLC however it is definitely one of a kind, and the potential to the right

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-2726310134718945642011-01-26T07:00:00.002-09:002011-01-26T07:00:02.579-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-80004261496545778642011-01-24T14:20:00.003-09:002011-01-24T14:20:00.468-09:00

I love Gizmodo.com because it's full of random gadgets, and I like gadgets. I don't own many, but I really like knowing they exist. Gadgets are all futuristic. But in this case... Here's a gadget for the lazy skier. The Skizee is a four stroke that you put behind you, which pushes you along like a snowmachine track. But the Skizee (that's the link to their company webpage) looks horribly awkward

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-21446603590645630982011-01-22T18:59:00.000-09:002011-01-22T18:59:02.899-09:00

Sorry for being absent. When the blog gets quiet, it’s because something in my life has either gone fantastically well, or horribly awry. Lately, it’s been more of the latter than the former. But I was taught not to complain when things go bad, so I won’t say more about that. I have been spending an awful lot of time out on the snowgo, hunting for a couple of things here and there. I’ve also

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-11259158480320101282011-01-19T07:00:00.000-09:002011-01-19T07:00:00.920-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-84144583394383477722011-01-12T07:00:00.001-09:002011-01-12T07:00:03.256-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-57271437519138779492011-01-07T07:00:00.001-09:002011-01-07T07:00:02.237-09:00

The sign allegedly translates to "Dependable handling of chemical products" (Sadly, I don't speak Dutch). Hat tip to Derek Lowe at In the Pipeline and Keeees (comment #1) for the link to the picture and translation.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-8045697940392337972011-01-06T08:29:00.000-09:002011-01-06T08:29:04.577-09:00

One thing I've always disliked about riding my snowmachine is that I have no idea how fast I'm going. I have a general feel for things, sure, and I divide it into two speeds - safe, and not safe (but fun). But the problem is that my speed gauge frosts over, and I can't actually read it all winter long. My snowmachine never gets hot enough to thaw the frost off the watchglass. That's got me

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-11515016996285505122011-01-05T23:02:00.001-09:002011-01-05T23:02:00.813-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-16473624119551979942010-12-29T14:24:00.000-09:002010-12-29T14:24:32.495-09:00

From the Tundra Drums: Troopers: Villages grateful for recent crime-sweep Published on December 29th, 2010 12:20 pm By MEGAN A. PETERS, ALASKA STATE TROOPERS SPOKESWOMANIn other news, the IRS says that tax payers love them, and are grateful for audits. I'm not saying that we shouldn't have law enforcement, but you can't have an objective story on police action if the story is written by the

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-33430427673897905792010-12-29T07:00:00.002-09:002010-12-29T07:00:05.941-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-65531563419374168052010-12-27T07:15:00.000-09:002010-12-27T07:15:00.312-09:00

I had skied out to the outdoor rifle range on Rifle Range Road at UAF, as a group I'm with has been using it for some competitions. I'd asked one of them I was with what this blue building - decrepit, boarded and chained up, and littered with sheds and ATCOs.  It seemed like a strange building for the University to keep around. After a while, I finally got around to asking some of the other

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-35572811001226834502010-12-23T23:18:00.000-09:002010-12-23T23:18:11.185-09:00

If you don't work with them, you'll be thwarted at all turns in your quest to pet a muskox. At the farm and at LARS, you're not allowed to pet them (for obvious reasons), and even once one's dead... There's no winning!

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-82753737166271986452010-12-21T07:00:00.001-09:002010-12-21T07:00:01.222-09:00

Don't worry everyone, we'll be right back to this in no time flat: Happy solstice!

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-45889739551775749212010-12-14T13:47:00.000-09:002010-12-14T13:47:35.509-09:00

For good or for ill, humans massively modify the world around them. From the perspective of other species, the majority of our modifications are "for ill." Some individuals realized that humans might irrevocably alter their favourite places, and thus was born the conservation movement out of local concerns. It wasn't until the 20th century that conservation of entire species really took off as a

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-14114326724336965812010-12-09T06:45:00.004-09:002010-12-10T14:36:15.843-09:00

When we teach our students predator-prey relationships, we tend to tell them a very basic story that have come from a few very good studies. It's not that all we have are simple models, but but we like to build up the basics before we dive into the complexities. Because when you get down to the complexities, a lot of counter-intuitive things happen which don't follow "common-sense" relationships.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-80046695038814977662010-12-08T13:23:00.000-09:002010-12-08T13:23:08.112-09:00

As much as I prefer NASA to own its own orbital fleet of rockets, this is really, really great news - the Dragon, a privately built rocket and space capsule built by SpaceX, has successfully achieved orbit and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean! This marks the first private craft that successfully achieved this feat. This is fantastic news, because it means that the day that I can take a vacation

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-32211369428927427782010-12-08T07:00:00.000-09:002010-12-08T07:00:11.170-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-64202331718224767132010-12-07T13:59:00.000-09:002010-12-07T13:59:03.334-09:00

In a move welcomed by educated people the world-over, Google plans on eliminating the capslock from their keyboards. I, for one, welcome this wholeheartedly. While I like having the option of having a capslock on my keyboard, I know that most people out there aren't ready for the awesome power that the capslock brings. I've lost count of the number of office emails I have got that SHOUT AT

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-76830418905921361862010-12-06T21:28:00.000-09:002010-12-06T21:28:09.603-09:00

There's now a yup'ik language wikipedia over at http://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/esu/Main_Page It's still in the early stages, and is in need of content - most of what's up there are single lines with a picture or two. Alngaksaitua im'umun mernurama.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-23782838220294998532010-12-01T12:04:00.000-09:002010-12-01T12:04:27.233-09:00

Here's a neat little video that explains how complexity can come about in through evolution. The animations on this are very well done! I enjoyed the bit about the sundew.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-27325969260367307372010-12-01T07:00:00.003-09:002010-12-01T07:00:06.810-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-61551928213299428382010-11-29T07:00:00.000-09:002010-11-29T07:00:04.771-09:00

Aside from being known as, in the words of Grounds Keeper Willey, "Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys," the French also have a considerable reputation for sloth. Not only do they insist on an extraordinary amount of time off for vacation (or extraordinary for Americans, who get practically none), not only do they tend to take long lunches, not only do they retire rather early, but their work week

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-1749298627853530612010-11-24T07:00:00.000-09:002010-11-24T07:00:06.001-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-85111786539842479362010-11-23T13:52:00.000-09:002010-11-23T13:52:43.860-09:00

Nov. 23, 2010 To: UAF community From: Brian Rogers, Chancellor Re: Classes canceled Nov. 24, university to remain open Classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks main campus and all UAF Community and Technical College locations will be canceled for Wednesday, Nov. 24, due to continued hazardous weather conditions. The university will remain open for business on Wednesday. Because road

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-88864847393872116592010-11-22T22:46:00.000-09:002010-11-22T22:49:36.144-09:00

Just how icy is Fairbanks right now? Here's a gem that I found via Alaskan Dave (who is not dead, judging by his twitter account) Down Under: http://yfrog.com/mgyv5pj Goldstream is better than that. Marginally. Just stay away from Ballaine.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-29162935391223792812010-11-22T18:18:00.000-09:002010-11-22T18:18:09.976-09:00

In case you hadn't noticed, Fairbanks is worse than a skating rink right now. When you add copious rain to freezing ground temperatures, you get sheets of ice and zero traction. I tried to get to work today, before getting as far as halfway through Goldstream and deciding that getting to work wasn't worth dying for. UAF has decided to do what they almost never do, and that's to close down

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-79979930381083332232010-11-22T07:00:00.000-09:002010-11-22T07:00:05.323-09:00

When you think of a massive dust storm, if you're like me, you probably don't think about South-East Alaska. I'm more likely to think of Saudi Arabia or Kuwait than Alaska's Banana Belt. And yet, there it is: That's a photo from NASA. So, what on earth are those massive plumes streaming off the coast from? Give it a guess, and then check out Phil Plait's answer. :) NASA does an awful lot of Earth

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-38779294727782407982010-11-18T07:00:00.002-09:002010-11-18T08:03:27.016-09:00

If you think the Sitka black-tailed deer is small, you should see some other, world-wide ungulates. Compared to the rest of its family, it's quite midsized! Don't believe me? I present to you, the pudú. See if you can spot the pre-orbital glands on the males. This actually makes the SBTD a pretty good proxy for other species, since the majority of deer species are of roughly equal size (or

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-47346441927898890282010-11-17T07:00:00.000-09:002010-11-17T07:00:09.242-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-9878281193884607342010-11-16T08:45:00.002-09:002010-11-16T09:19:41.969-09:00

I swung by Fred's West this morning to grab some gas and odds and ends I needed, and finally saw what all the construction was about - two massive foyers on the north and east side, for containing shopping carts. I'm not sure what the heck they're supposed to accomplish, aside from looking very impressive. And then it occured to me... Freds is now heating a massive, two story, glass lined foyer

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-45561594994821034672010-11-15T07:50:00.000-09:002010-11-15T07:50:52.941-09:00

There's a book out there by the name of "Disconnect" by Dr. Devra Davis, of U. Pittsburgh, that has been making rounds in the lay print due to the sensationalist claims it makes about cellphones and cancer. You've all probably heard about the alleged link between cellphones and cancer where people claim, on the thinnest of mechanistic argument, that cell phones can cause brain tumours. Various

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-30893906891689952622010-11-10T07:00:00.000-09:002010-11-10T07:00:06.284-09:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-44870526207228029832010-11-08T07:00:00.002-09:002010-11-08T07:00:09.565-09:00

It's starting to get cold over here, although we haven't really plumbed the sub-zero °Fs yet. But with the days getting shorter, and the temperature going down, winter is definitely here for the season. This much really hit me Saturday when I woke up after sleeping for nearly 12 hours. Don't bother me, I'm hibernating! In that vein, I want to share this surprisingly accurate list of ways to

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-3352591587115675252010-11-03T09:00:00.000-08:002010-11-03T09:38:22.713-08:00

Campbell saw no scenario where Miller would concede before the hand count. Lawyers are on their way to Alaska to help Miller battle over the numbers, he said. http://www.adn.com/2010/11/02/1532963/senate-drama-could-just-be-beginning.html#ixzz14F3iaARc Three predictions. 1) This will be tied up in litigation for at least 4 months. 2) The state supreme court will have to step in at some

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-54213341070632282952010-11-03T07:00:00.000-08:002010-11-03T07:00:04.394-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-42591659459722697732010-11-02T07:00:00.000-08:002010-11-02T07:00:02.412-08:00

It's that time of year again, when we scribble in bits of paper and then complain about how other people scribbled in their bits of paper for the next two years. Yes, it's time to vote! Alaska's had a wild and crazy senate race which most people are sick to death of at this point, but all signs point to it not being over. If Lisa comes close to the percents she's polling at, she'll be tired up in

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-70059968968421878212010-11-01T07:15:00.010-08:002010-11-01T07:15:00.428-08:00

It's been a while since I've written a science blog post, and not because I haven't been reading papers. On the contrary, I've had the exact opposite problem! I'd like to revisit some work done on moose on Isle Royal, Michigan, one of the best studied ecosystems in the US. Reading about the Isle Royal studies was part of what got me into biology to begin with. Isle Royal is an island in Lake

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-17282136591329432452010-11-01T07:00:00.002-08:002010-11-01T07:00:02.689-08:00

I had no idea there was such a thing as a Baltic Porter as a beer style - this is pretty dang good. As @T said, there are more beer styles than beers... if this is a Baltic porter, I must have more Baltic porters! Alaskan Baltic Porter Ale by Alaskan Brewing Company. 65.1 cL bottle - that's a strange volume. Still, a dark purple label with the vintage clearly noted. There's no head, just the

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-59404032307393047782010-10-27T07:00:00.001-08:002010-10-27T07:00:04.846-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-23509841810026489872010-10-26T07:00:00.001-08:002010-10-26T07:00:02.069-08:00

Here's a picture of the copper river outside of chitna, when I went down there this year supposedly to fish. I never really did get a chance, since the water level was all wrong, and I had to go home soon after. But Chitna is a great place. The Chitnites are easy to get along with, there's a great little bar in 'town' (Uncle Tom's), and when things aren't so crowded, its easy to get to talking to

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-75074698842375189032010-10-25T07:00:00.002-08:002010-10-25T07:00:04.504-08:00

A friend of mine went to Montana for graduate studies in linguistics - she's studying to be a speech pathologist - and was apparently in a conversation with someone down there about Yup'ik. She'd told him that Yup'ik has an incredibly elaborate set of demonstratives (ways of saying "This" or "That"), and when she told him that there were 30+ demonstratives, he refused to believe her. :p But it's

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-78526386663662232082010-10-22T08:47:00.000-08:002010-10-22T08:47:44.733-08:00

There's this wonderful story making the rounds about how an engineer in Washington used a basic knowledge of physics to save the life of an elderly driver passed out behind the wheel. You can read all about it at the Seattle Times. Mr. Innes saw the driver of a truck was passed out and heading for a busy intersection, but the vehicle was still going. So he took his van, got ahead of the truck and

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-85954391225163959312010-10-21T13:07:00.000-08:002010-10-21T13:07:15.444-08:00

While I'm 'nomming' my lunch (As the cool kids say), I was reading about this interesting group of critters. See, I learnt a rule in college that says you should never eat anything bigger than your head. Clearly, these egg eating snakes have never heard of this rule. You can read more about them over at Jerry Coyne's blog, WEIT. While mammals have a reasonably diverse group of modes of feeding,

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-13298241377035046642010-10-20T07:00:00.000-08:002010-10-20T07:00:08.550-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-138756566840970912010-10-19T07:31:00.000-08:002010-10-19T07:31:03.191-08:00

This morning, I was listening to KUAC when I heard a story about Doctors who had been disciplined in the past, but were now receiving money from pharmaceutical companies. You can read the original ProPublica story here. I think most people are vaguely familiar with this happening - or at least I hope most people are - but along with that story came a wonderful utility to find out if your doctor

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-3065211575116122352010-10-18T07:00:00.001-08:002010-10-18T07:00:00.494-08:00

  Jubelale by Deschutes, Oregon. The bottle is a typical 12 oz Deschutes bottle, with a purple label that informs me that Jubelale is a "festive winter ale," and little else. There's a best by date stamped by the UPC, but no indication when it was bottled. You can smell the hops before you've even poured; the beer is a dark oak colour, just edging on transparent, with little evident carbonation.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-44088711842566192912010-10-13T07:30:00.001-08:002010-10-13T07:30:00.518-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-83160516129402290972010-10-12T07:40:00.000-08:002010-10-12T07:40:35.041-08:00

About 70 days ago, the big question for the Detroit Red Wings was whether or not Mike Modano would sign on with the team for a year contract. Modano is an amazing player, and one of the all-time goal leaders. He is also a local boy, having been raised in Michigan. But Modano is also old for an athlete, having turned 40 in June. And his season average goals has been on the decline for some time.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-55398241268647250372010-10-12T07:06:00.000-08:002010-10-12T07:06:29.896-08:00

I can't resist sharing this comic from the always funny, though sometimes NSFW, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-23482921926526001042010-10-11T07:00:00.000-08:002010-10-11T07:00:00.404-08:00

Here in Alaska, we only get senate candidates who go on unemployment, and then argue unemployment should get removed,  lie about why they won't release their records,  fail to pay their taxes,  apply for low-income resident hunting licenses that they aren't qualified for,  want to abolish the federal minimum wage, apply for medicare money, which they're vehemently against, accept farm subsidies

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-64131658744107118312010-10-08T04:00:00.001-08:002010-10-08T04:00:10.972-08:00

Other scientists out there! Hi. Can we agree that Fst, as wonderful as it's been, has run its course? It was a good idea - a great first crack at population genetics. When Wright came up with it, it was a wonderful idea. And for some applications - those where heterozygosity is generally low (I'm looking at you allozymes) - it works quite nicely. But once you're outside the Hs of .4 to .6, your

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-53240978169780154122010-10-06T07:44:00.000-08:002010-10-06T07:44:16.149-08:00

I'm on a few professional mailing lists, which are good for various questions, finding out about conferences, new journals, and so forth. One of which is Evol-Dir, one of the oldest biology mailing lists on the internet. This morning, I got a very interesting announcement from Evol-Dir. While I can't take advantage of it myself, perhaps someone of you can. The prize is a free trip to North

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-32675420030843322452010-10-06T07:00:00.000-08:002010-10-06T07:00:01.071-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-28667155120050309882010-10-04T09:30:00.001-08:002010-10-04T09:42:09.966-08:00

I just read that there's serious talk about there being a Myst movie. For those of you who haven't wasted as much time on computers as me, Myst is a puzzle solving game where you wander around an island pulling levers, getting inside a tree, and trying to unsink a ship. It's actually far less boring than you think, and is a great, non-violent puzzely game for getting the kids to think. But it's

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-90812895293224998902010-10-01T07:53:00.000-08:002010-10-01T07:53:40.883-08:00

Yeah, I know I've been hiding for a bit. Hopefully my situation will change soon, but until then, here's something neat I saw in the Tundra Drums: Someone modified a Polaris 6 wheeler to act as a mini-ambulance. I'm surprised no one thought of the idea sooner - now that I see it, it's pretty obvious. The problem is that ambulances can't really work in most villages because of poor roads, or often

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-80707218141052076062010-09-29T07:00:00.000-08:002010-09-29T07:00:02.917-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-12295522129230535322010-09-24T08:30:00.001-08:002010-09-24T09:14:10.236-08:00

For you code geeks out there, this is too funny to pass up. Amid all the stupid that happened in the Swedish Elections viz. nazis (sorry Sweden. :( ), some more anarchical voters subbmited votes for... well, they did a write in vote for an SQL injection attack. :P They were counting on people compiling their vote and entering it as written, so when the vote 'software' hit it, it would think it

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-33715654271805243452010-09-23T12:00:00.002-08:002010-09-23T12:00:01.993-08:00

I've been reading a lot about the economics of drugs lately (again, I don't touch the stuff myself, but this stuff is fascinating!), and it was very interesting to see a blog post by Marginal Revolutions, a wonderful economics blog, discuss the groups most actively lobbying against the legalization of marijuana. Before you click, care to guess? ... It's the Police and beer distributors. At

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-64970987599867678282010-09-22T07:00:00.000-08:002010-09-22T07:00:01.445-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-45414081338411415822010-09-17T12:00:00.002-08:002010-09-17T12:00:01.887-08:00

Very particular consumer expenses. Since I'm apparently in a controversial mood today, there's a neat link I found called priceofweed.com. You can probably guess what it's about. While I don't do them, I find drug economics very interesting. The products are illegal, expensive, and in some cases dangerous to acquire, and yet according to the Author of Freakanomics, crack dealing has much the same

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-18936665563285937842010-09-17T08:00:00.002-08:002010-09-17T08:48:46.880-08:00

What happens when someone performs an act that's entirely legal in a majority of countries including the one they're in, causing no material harm to any person, through making an artistic political statement? They have to change their identity and hide from death. That's exactly what happened to Molly Norris, of Draw Mohammed Day. Now, I won't pretend like the situation is not a bit more complex

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-24151615742559096852010-09-16T07:47:00.000-08:002010-09-16T07:47:40.360-08:00

Here's a gambit you might recognize: "Just because you are anti-evolution doesn’t mean you are anti-science," [John May] said. "I deeply respect science [...]"It's a similar gambit to the "I have tons of black friends" gambit, or sentences that go "I'm not a homophobe, but I'm about to say they sleep with Satan himself." Sure he deeply respects science... as long as you're not talking about

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-24753024439501953182010-09-15T09:43:00.002-08:002010-09-15T09:43:24.541-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-24966551825398709532010-09-12T16:22:00.000-08:002010-09-12T16:22:22.045-08:00

Hello! You might have noticed I've been absent for a little bit again. I was out in the field again, wrapping up the season with some various and sundry work. I've run into a tiny snag in my personal life, and although I'll try to have some posts out, it'll definitely be fewer and longer between posts until everything is peachy again. In the interim, here's a moose staring at you.

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-44640630615324797812010-09-08T10:40:00.001-08:002010-09-08T10:40:00.469-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6222564902180069698.post-28298330307230392692010-09-01T10:39:00.000-08:002010-09-01T10:39:00.413-08:00

TwoYakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004999495564178762noreply@blogger.com0