There’s a scene in every version of Frankenstein where Dr. Frankenstein seeks to animate his creation. In the Kenneth Branagh version from the 1990s, he has an inanimate Robert De Niro in a big metal tube, which he then floods with fluid and electricity. And, of course, eventually De Niro starts kicking. The spark of…
During our getaway the other weekend to the coast near Año Nuevo State Reserve, we saw that there is a well-established elephant seal rookery at Año Nuevo Island and on the nearby beach. And better yet, we found that you can sign up for a guided nature tour and seal observation hike. That sounded like…
Each year, the Beloved runs a big scientific meeting during the first week in January. It’s the most time-consuming thing that she does all year. It’s a little bit of a bummer that it hangs there on the horizon during the holidays, but that’s the way things go sometimes. Because it’s a pretty big deal…
“I’ll be civil when the killing’s done…” Dave LaJoy I’m going to get right to the point: T.C. Boyle’s latest novel, When The Killing’s Done, ought to be the book that is the lens through which we scrutinize ourselves as a society – not Jonathan Franzen’s it-book from last year, Freedom. Focused on the Channel…
Look who stopped by outside my office window this afternoon. Maybe looking for a little late lunch? Friday Vistor1 Friday Visitor2 Pretty sure it's a red-tailed hawk, they're the most common raptor here. Glad I'm not a mouse. Read and post comments | Send to a friend
Pinot Noir Grapes Italian researchers this week announced the completion of the genome sequence of the pinot noir grape, something that I find sort of interesting. When you talk to oenophiles about the qualities of different wines, of course the variety of grape matters, but what really seems to be important to have an extra…
Stevil 