Tillerson Embarassment

Those of us concerned with climate change are especially concerned with the nomination of former Exxon chief Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State. Well, Rex Tillerson was just confirmed by the US Senate. Donald Trump is the least liked president ever for this point in a term. And, Rex Tillerson is now the least…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/30/tillerson-embarassment/

Public Opinion On Patriots, The Wall, Obamacare, Trump Taxes

Two Polls came out a few days ago, but I’m afraid that the news cycles have been swamped and they may have been missed. Here are some simple graphics. Plenty more data can be found at Public Policy Polling, and see RM on MSBNC below for more.

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/30/public-opinion-on-patriots-the-wall-obamacare-trump-taxes/

The Norms of Society and Presidential Executive Orders

The title of this post is based closely on the title of a statement posted by my friend Stephan Lewandowsky, representing the Psychonomic Society. The post is the official statement by this scientific society responding to President Trump’s recent activities, and it begins, Last Friday was Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls on the day of…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/30/the-norms-of-society-and-presidential-executive-orders/

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

It sounds a lot like two hands clapping, but quieter, because you can only do it by slapping your thumb against a couple of your other fingers and not to hard. This, of course, leaves open another important philosophical question. Is a thumb a finger? A while back my friend Massimo Pigliucci took Neil deGrasse…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/29/what-is-the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/

Can you be forgiven for committing a horrible crime if you have a brain tumor?

Asking for a friend… But seriously, this is a real question. For example, several years ago, Herbert Weinstein tossed his wife out the window of their Manhattan apartment, after killing her, following an argument. He was well known to be a non violent person, and there was really no good reason for him to murder…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/27/can-you-be-forgiven-for-committing-a-horrible-crime-if-you-have-a-brain-tumor/

The Lady in the Statue Has Died: RIP Mary

Mary Tyler Moore has always had a certain amount of grace, and just now, she had the grace to wait until a reasonable time after the spate of celebrity deaths that captivated the Internet for weeks to pass on to the great Newsroom In The Sky. She played Laura Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/25/the-lady-in-the-statue-has-died-rip-mary/

Scratch Programming For Kids, By The Cards

Last October I reviewed Scratch Programming Playground, by Al Sweigart. You will recall that Scratch is a programming language that uses drag and drop elements to construct a program. Individual objecgts, including “sprites” that can move around on the screen, as well as static graphic elements, sounds, etc. get their own code, and this code…

source http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2017/01/25/scratch-programming-cards/