National Geographic's Aggressive E-marketing Appeals

I've received five email marketing appeals from National Geographic Live in December 2008 for their Seattle public education work:

Has anyone seen an e-appeal this aggressive? It's not very effective. I unsubscribed.

National Geographic Genographic Project

Went to the final National Geographic Live! lecture in Seattle last night. The lecturer was Spencer Wells, leader of the Genographic Project. Wells is the author of The Journey of Man. Well's is a brilliant mind and talented, charismatic speaker.

The Genographic project seeks to gather 100,000 DNA samples from people around the world to help track genetic markers that help deepen our knowledge about the migratory paths humans took after leaving Africa 60,000 years ago.

Through DNA testing, they've found a handful of primary migratory routes which led to the differentiation in our species.

For $99, you can submit your own sample and support the project. In return, you'll receive information about your own genetic history - and the path with which your ancestors migrated from Africa over the past 60,000 years.

Chart of Growth Mt. St. Helens Lava Dome

Cool chart from the Seattle Times showing the growth of Mt. St. Helen's new lava dome to the height of the Space Needle.

Girl with rare disease doesn't feel pain

Interesting AP article from today's Seattle PI about a five year old girl in Georgia who suffers from a rare disease that prevents her from sensing pain. The disease is called CIPA - or congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis.

Earlier this year, the Seattle PI did a touching series on a boy suffering from progeria, a rare disease that accelerates aging.

Mt. St. Helens earthquake frequency increasing

Read the article here:

Small earthquakes at the rate of one or two a minute today had seismologists keeping a close watch on Mount St. Helens.

...

"Standing on the rim, from what geologists tell us, would not be a good idea," said Peter Frenzen, monument scientist.

Scientists planned to fly over the 8,364-foot mountain today to test for carbon dioxide and sulfur gases, which could indicate whether magma is moving beneath the crater. They also planned to set up additional seismic sensors and global positioning devices to measure activity.

Insect splatometer tests indicate population decline

From the Daily Grist, certainly takes the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle to an entirely new level...

THE WINDSHIELD BENEATH MY WINGS Splatometers Reveal Possible Insect Decline in U.K.

Many bird populations in the U.K. have declined precipitously in recent years -- for instance, house sparrows have dropped by 65 percent since 1973 -- and some scientists suspect that a cause is a possible corresponding decline in the insect populations upon which the birds depend. To test the theory, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds organized the Big Bug Count, a massive, all-volunteer effort in popular research. Nearly 40,000 volunteers affixed "splatometers" -- cardboard counting grids -- to their front license plates, stopping every 20 to 80 miles to count the number of smashed insects. A total of 324,814 bugs died for science, an average of one every five miles. "Many people were astonished by how few insects they splatted," said project coordinator Richard Bashford. While the organizers acknowledge that the count doesn't conclusively point to a decline, they promise further splatometer deployments in coming years to establish comparative measurements.

straight to the source: BBC News, Alex Kirby, 01 Sep 2004

Missing toddler found alive

Interesting story about a 3 year old found alive after three days in the woods. It reminds me of a book I read that highlighted how kids under 5 years of age tend to survive in these types of situations because they rely on their built-in instincts of self-preservation but by the time children are older, society has de-emphasized/discouraged reliance on these instincts. The same link has a sad note about a twelve year old that hasn't been found, but is presumed dead.

Thanks's NASA for keeping me inspired about our humanity

For anyone needing a break in between beheadings or compassionless property owners, just check out the NASA sites on Saturn and the Mars rovers. I particularly like the "Organics?" photo above.

Somehow in the midst of Bush and Osama's attempts to create a new holy war, I find the fact that we're successfully sending robots out into our solar system to explore other planets amazingly refreshing and inspiring. I think this is the best we can be.