Malcolm Gladwell thinks Chris Anderson's Free might not be worth its price . Seth Godin disagrees .

The current financial crisis elicits explanations, excuses, and blame from the full breadth of the political spectrum. There are no shortages of would-be saviors to our pallid pocketbooks, and none loom as large as government-sponsored humanitarianism. It's a view in

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." — Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina , p. 1

Swift on the heels of the new definition of tolerance , the meaning of hate is being slowly eroded by the tides of cultural abuse.

President Obama's visit today to Five Guys in D.C. (a favorite of my own, when I'm in an artery-clogging kind of mood) likely made some burger-flippers happy and some Secret Service officers nervous:

tags: Bat Falcon , Falco rufigularis , South America , nature , National Geographic , streaming video This female bat falcon, Falco rufigularis , makes dazzling mid-air catches over Mayan ruins in Guatemala to feed her chicks [2:15]

tags: , , , , , Dahlias.Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side on West 81st street at Central Park West. Image: GrrlScientist, 29 June 2009 [larger view]. |

tags: , , , , , The first Seychelles Paradise-flycatcher chicks, Terpsiphone corvina, to fledge successfully outside La Digue Island, Seychelles for over 60 years are flying on Denis Island. Image: David Hosking []. |

tags: , , , , , Purple Passion Flower, Passifloraceae (not sure which species this is). Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side on West 81st street at Central Park West. Passersby were curious as to why I was crawling into

tags: Michael Jackson , Moonwalking Bird , birds , behavior , funny , streaming video I am an ornithologist and aviculturist, which means that I research birds scientifically as well as breeding and raising them. So after the shock of

tags: , , , , [Mystery birds] photographed at Galveston, East Beach, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: , 19 May 2009 [larger view]. Nikon D200 ,Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/800s f/8.0

tags: , The Gates to HEL.Image: GrrlScientist, 17 February 2009 [larger view].I am somewhere at the airport, waiting for my flight to glorious Helsinki, Finland. Since I've spent some time visiting this lovely city during the winter months, I am

Due to our incredibly crappy economy, there has been a change in the advertising policies at ScienceBlogs recently. Which leads me to ask, what do you think of those Russian Brides ads that are popping up here recently? I ask

tags: Harry Potter , ADHD , humor , funny , satire , streaming video I thought this video spoof might bring a smile to your face while we all wait for the upcoming premier of the Harry Potter film, Harry

tags: Taco Bell , Onion News , humor , funny , satire , streaming video In this ONN report, we learn that Taco Bell has a new menu: it boasts zero environmental impact because they will rely solely on synthetic,

The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 579 - 520 - 192 - 178 - 169 out of 195 candidates registered. I am in second place. If you've already voted, then please encourage your family, friends, colleagues and

Image: wemidji ().Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power) -- Sir Francis Bacon. Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically

tags: , , , , , Dahlias.Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side on West 81st street at Central Park West. Actor Alec Baldwin lives in this building, by the way. Image: GrrlScientist, 29 June 2009 [larger view].