I realized that not everyone who reads this blog may be cognizant of the funniest, nerdiest webcomic on the planet. So today I am correcting that problem. xkcd (www.xkcd.com) finds the humor in math, science, and geek pop culture. Research can be an incredibly serious academic pursuit, and it’s important to be able to step back and be entertained by it every once in a while. xkcd a good reminder that science is both fun and practical. And not only is the webcomic generally hilarious, but the associated blog is great too. For example, an entry from last week discusses a very funny real-life use for complex math. Please … explore and enjoy!

Science, science everywhere, so let’s drink up! Here is a nice mix of news that may make you revisit your ideas of how our world works. For all those global warming skeptics out there, we have ice shelves the size of large states breaking up; for other the supernatural believers  in addition to this video) this revelation of the NJ UFO hoax; for all those people who think that the perpetuation of poverty is a choice, we have a new study on how poverty affects brain development; for energy Luddites who think our grid modernization hinges on proper energy storage, we have something for them too; and for Jim, we have a story about how awesome being funny is. Enjoy!

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That onion article i posted earlier reminded me of a great NY Times article i read recently on memory and jokes, specifically, why is it so hard to remember jokes. I love this part: (continue reading…)