Category Archives: Weekly Wrap-up

Greek Feast Friday

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This Weekly Wrap-up is on the small side. It has been a very busy week. I tried to get ALL THE THINGS! done, and I did reasonably well. I even managed to stay (moderately) sane. The boy and I hung out with friends, went on hikes, snuggled a lot, and enjoyed our last week home together. It will be odd to only spend full days with him on the weekend, but I’m sure we will both get used to it.

This weekend will also be busy: ’cause I’m buying a car. Crazy! The last time I owned a car was ten years ago. It will take some time for me to be fully comfortable being a driver again. I have to thank my wonderful mother for coming down and helping out, and everyone else who has put up with me for the past week. Super kudos to my long suffering husband, Mr. Portmandia.

Tonight, I have another meeting with a co-Copywriter Conclave member, and we have lots of good stuff to talk about. I have been working on getting our August event for Peter Bowerman up and running. In addition to an Intel employee, I am also the Treasurer for the Conclave. Life is certainly keeping me busy.

Because everything has been so frantic lately, I decided to treat myself and have friends over for a tasty dinner tonight. There will be Greek delights: tabouli, olives, pita, hummus, dolmas, and my Sweet Summer Salad. My lovely friends will be bringing beer and dessert! Just the thing to get the weekend started.

On to the links!

  • An interesting paper about empathy and cradling bias in Autistic children.
  • island_fox_sleeping.jpg.492x0_q85_crop-smartDwarf foxes have been brought back from the brink of extinction, and are doing really well. Plus, they are very cute. Look at that little guy sleeping in the sun. I have envy.
  • Here is a really neat map from Growing Blue, showing the world’s water stress levels (water shortage). It is definitely worth a look.
  • A great post from Scientific American about the rise of energy efficiency firms, and how they are schooling traditional utilities.
  • And, lastly, for the ten-year-old in all of us, an article about poop transplants. It may be gross, but the process can be amazingly helpful for people with ongoing stomach issues.

I’ll be back on Monday with some writing or grammar advice, and an update on the new job.

As always, thanks for reading, please share. 

 

The Weekend is Here!

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And what a wonderful weekend it is. I have very exciting news! I have been hired on to Intel’s MCG (mobile communication group), and I’ll start on June 10th. This means that I have a ton of stuff to do between now and then, including . . . buying a car, eep!

I have decided to keep this blog up, and to keep working on side projects. If you, or anyone you know needs a writer, or an editor, please contact me. Even if I can’t work on your project, I have a whole group of talented writers/editors that I can put you in touch with.

Now for the links!

  • Human news first, a lovely article by National Geographic on Empathy and Alzheimers. 
  • A young boy was woken from a vegetative state using stem cells from his preserved cord blood. This treatment has very interesting potential.
  • A Maine doctor decides to ditch insurance and charge his patients much less. Affordable health care? What an idea.
  • From Sci-News, genetic scientist have eliminated schizophrenia-like symptoms in lab mice. This could be great news, as schizophrenia is notoriously hard to treat with drugs or therapy.
  • In the plant world, we have managed to “reawaken” ancient plants. These plants were under glaciers for centuries, and have started growing after exposure. Pretty neat.
  • 32314184_705013c48b_oIt seems that some plants can sweat when they get overheated, and the pictures are beautiful.
  • In some (maybe?) bad science, or at least poor reporting, a mammoth has been found amazingly persevered. The specimen is said to have still flowing blood, and fresh looking meat. Which makes me wonder what mammoth barbecue would tase like.
  • A 160-million year old avian skeletion is causing controversy. Even if the specimen isn’t the earlest bird, it is still an important discovery.
  • Rio hosted a pterosaur symposium in May, 2013. I would have loved to be able to go hang out in Rio and talk about pterosaurs, maybe next year. Either way, the link has a lot of great information about pterosaurs.
  • Undated handout photo of Megaleledone selebos, one of the four new species of octopuses that researchers have discovered in Antarctica that come replete with anti-freeze venomAnd, finally, Antarctic octopi have been found with cold resistant venom! How cool is that. And the little guys are super cute! For new species have been found, and scientists are wondering what kind of medical applications the cold resistant venom could have.

There you have it, the Weekly Wrap-up.

As always, thanks for reading, please share. 

Earl Grey, Hot

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We have made it to the weekend! The combo of vacation allergens and the return of the Portland spring/winter have kicked my butt. I’m sucking down tea, and sleeping a ton, in the hopes that I can stave off getting even more sick. At least I have fun things to read.

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The two dino nerds, photo credit Dylan Benito.

I’m thankful that I managed to get a few things done before I started feeling poorly. Mainly, I got to go see Brian Switek read at Powell’s! Then I took him out for beer. It was the Portland thing to do. I have been following Brian’s blog, Laelaps, for a number of years, and we recently started talking on Twitter. I was very excited to hear that he had written a second book, My Beloved Brontosaurus, and was coming to Portland on a book tour. The book is great. It is engaging, has a ton of scientific facts, and manages to be fun, and funny. It is a must have for the dinosaur enthusiast.

Thank you for coming to Portland, Brian, and letting me take a goofy photo of the two of us.

I managed to find some great links this week too. As always, there is a ton of great science in the news.

  • Per the title of this post, from Space.com, 3D food printers in space! Of course, the first thing printed will be pizza. My StarTrek dreams are that much closer to being realized.
  • Do you have blue eyes? I do, and it seems that we share a blue-eyed common ancestor. Science Daily reports the blue eyed mutation is found at the same spot for everyone, on the OCA2 gene.
  • I have two great pieces to share that Carl Zimmer wrote: the first The Girl Who Turned to Bone, a story of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.
  • The second, and your autism article for the week: the genetic cause of autism may be found on the MET gene. MET is a gene found in both humans and dogs, and may be part of serotonin transfer. MET could be a good place to research cause and effect.
  • Since we are on a Dinosaur kick, how about an article about Dino poop?
  • Straight from Wil Wheaton’s mantra, “Don’t be a dick.” Scientists have found a way to train people not to be jerks. I like this idea.

That’s what I’ve got for the week, now I’ll be going back to bed. I hope you all have a fantastic, health-filled weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with the grammar lesson for the week. Any suggestions?

As always, thanks for reading, please share. 

Vacation Wrap-up!

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Life is good! My guys and I all took the train up to Vashon Island for my mom’s birthday. We have lots of good things planned for the weekend, including a swank overnight in Seattle with my guy. As always, the Island is an allergy-tastic, wonderland. But! I have some cool links for you all. Just because I’m on vacation, doesn’t mean I can’t find things for you all to look at.

Speaking of Seattle:

  • The New York Times has a great post about national fruit parks. One is slated to become the Beacon Food Forrest in Seattle. There are many other public fruit venues springing up around America. 
  • Want to know more about the Beacon Food Forrest? Check out Why Don’t You Try This?
  • Feathered dinosaurs? Here are the 10 Best Recent Dinosaur Discoveries. Suck on that Jurassic Park.
  • NPR writes about a new set of closed-captioned glasses are going to help the hard-of-hearing-movie-going-public. These glasses will have closed captions on the inside of the lens. I’m looking forward to owning a pair of these.
  • This is the physical therapist, Optimal Results, that I have gone to in Portland. They have been great for my health. This is an awesome piece on Physical Therapy for Fibromyaliga.

For your media this week, Col. Hadfield’s version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity:

Col. Chris Hadfield is my new hero. For those of you not in the know, he is a Canadian astronaut who just came back to Earth after a five month stay in the International Space Station. He has made a ton of amazing experimental video about what happens to things in Space. You should definitely check him out.

With that, I’m off to enjoy my vacation.

As always, thanks for reading and please share. 

It’s the Weekend!

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This will be a short post. My wrists are acting up and typing isn’t helping. I do have some good links to share, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone by not posting. Science ahoy!

First up:

  • Valley Fever, something I had not heard of before, is on the rise, reports the Washington Post. An interesting article, especially if you live in an arid region. 
  • ScienceOnline talks about the male pill. I think birth control would benefit from having more choices.
  • If you are of European decent, you’re probably related to everyone else from Europe. My family is already big enough, so a few more members won’t phase me. Hi all!
  • Finally, a megafauna extinction humans didn’t cause. Check out this article by ScienceDaily about the Australian big game extinction.
  • As an author, and a nonconformist, this book cover, gender-flip article by the Huffington Post really resonates with me.
  • And your autism article for the week. How ‘balanced’ coverage harmed the diagnosis. This mainly relates to the idea that vaccines cause autism. An idea that has been disproven many, many times.

Your photo for the week:

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Image credit Shane Gross, Shutterstock. Taken from a funny article about finding ambergris, otherwise known as whale vomit. It’s worth a read.

As always, thanks for reading, please share. 

Human Health

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Most of the cool things I found this week were human related. My lovely mother is a nurse, and I grew up talking about health and wellness at the dinner table. Needless to say, I have a strong stomach when it comes to gross dinner conversation. I have a healthy (har har) appreciation for medical news. I love new innovation in medicine. I was excited to see so many good articles in the news this week. Here are a few of the best ones.

I give you some great links to check out:

  • A interesting post from Double X Science explaining all those statistics in regards to the giant increase in Autism diagnosis. Basically  it’s not as bad as it sounds.  
  • From the New York Times Science section, the story of an amazing, groundbreaking surgery for a two year old girl born without a windpipe. Doctors used the girl’s stem cells and plastic fibers to create the new windpipe. This is the sixth surgery of its kind, and the first preformed in the United States.
  • Cannibalism in the United States! Cosmic Log reports on Jamestown’s lean years, and anthropological evidence that early colonists resorted to cannibalism. Creepy, and fascinating.
  • In food related news, Discover gives good reason why companies should label their GMO products. An interesting, objective read. I highly recommend it.

_Your photo for the week, Eocypselus rowei, possibly the common ancestor for swifts, and hummingbirds. Found in Wyoming, the fossil is around 52 million years old. As you can see, the specimen is incredibly well preserved, so well that microscopic features were visible. This is very cool.

As always, thanks for reading! Please share. 

Saturn and Sponges and Volcanoes, Oh MY!

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This has been a fun week for science news. There has been a lot of cool things that have come about, including a big volcanic explosion in East Russia, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The photos that have come out of the region are amazing! Check this out.article-2313109-196E5DD2000005DC-528_964x642Impressive, right!? This is the Plosky Tolbachik volcano. You can read the article, and check out more photos on the UK Daily Mail site. Trust me, the photos are worth it.

On to the science links! There is a mixed bag today, including:

  • An article from ABC Science explaining the cloud system found in Saturn’s Rings.
  • From The Guardian, a quick video about sending humans to live on Mars. This is a real thing! In our lifetime, there could be people living on Mars.
  • Cool health news from ISNS, tiny nanosponges have the potential to soak up infections and venom in our blood.
  • From e! Science News: There is an upcoming vaccine with the potential to help Autism symptoms by killing off Colstridium bolteae. C. bolteae, is a stomach microbe that causes diarrhea and other stomach aliments that are often found in people with ASD.
  • Also from e! Science News: There are a group of scientists that have found the Earth’s core is around 1,000 degrees hotter than previously thought. Pretty neat.

On a personal shout out, friend and local Portland artist, Carli Davidson from Carli Davidson Pet Photography has a book coming out this fall. It’s called Shake and is filled with amazing pictures of dogs mid-shake. Her photography is beautiful, and the dogs are hilarious. Pre-order the book through her website. How can you deny a face like this? Photos are the sole property of Carli Davidson.Carli Davidson Pet PhotographyThat’s what I have for the week. I hope you all have an amazing weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with a new episode of Grammar Grit. Just an FYI, I don’t have any jobs lined up next week. Contact me at dylanbenito@gmail.com for any of your writing or editing needs.

Thanks for Reading, please share.

 

 

Weekly Wrap-up

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As most of you know by now, it has been a hard week for the United States. We have, so far, been safe here in Portland, but my heart goes out to those in Boston, and West, Texas. On the international front, my heart goes out to any citizen hurt by terror campaigns, industrial accidents, and life in general. I am hoping that the world can have a better week as we come to the end(ish) of April.

To retaliate against the scary things going on in the world, I have collected a few fun links, and a great link about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It made so much sense to me when I read it, both in terms of my way of processing the world, and my son’s. I hope it can help some other people too.

On to the links!

  • From The Daily Beast, A Radical New Autism. This really is a great read.
  • In the start of the body news, a new vaccine patch could really help distribute life saving vaccines to countries with limited access.
  • From Pink News UK, (I love them) a 5,000 year old transgendered skeleton (buried as a female, but the skeleton showed male markers) was discovered. The woman was buried facing east, and surrounded with ceremonial jugs.
  • For the guys, Circumcision Alters Penis Bacteria. The picture that goes with this article is priceless. Thus ends the body news for the week.
  • And Oregon, you are awesome. Oregon names a State Microbe, one that is essential for making beer, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, otherwise known as yeast.

Your photo of the week comes from the amazing Elena Kalis‘ photography site. She takes underwater photos that will blow your mind. Check her out.

underwater_cosply09-1

 

As always, thanks for reading, please share. 

So Much Good Stuff!

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It has been a good week. My migraine finally went away, I have brought in some editing and writing work, and I had a great meeting with my Freelancer’s group. It feels so nice to be validated. No job is too small. Keep that in mind. I would be happy to write blog posts for your business, or take on quick editing projects. A well written and edited piece can make your business shine.

Most of my news comes from Twitter. I like social networking, but Twitter has taken awhile to grow on me. One of the things I am using it for now, is to get the word out about my business, and connect with other writers. Thankfully, there are a dearth of writers on Twitter and a great number of rad scientists! Feel free to add me @dylanbenito. I think I am finally getting the swing of it, and I am enjoying it much more.

On to the links!

  • An NPR article about cities saving the Earth. The gist: If we all moved into cities, our wildlife would stand a much better chance, and we would use less resources. 
  • Our Hypothetical oldest ancestor, named Shrewdinger! By popular vote.
  • An amazing site, by the Kennis brothers. They are the guys behind the recent hominid reconstructions featured on NatGeo covers. The photos are amazing.
  • Juan Cole (great source for news on the Middle East, fantastic author), posts about Denmark’s  upcoming wind-power capacity. Fifty percent by 2020!
  • The Oatmeal posted about the Mantis Shrimp, and it is amazing. If you like science, or comics, or awesomeness, it is well worth the read.
  • Also awesome, this video about animal eating habits. You might pee.
  • The cutest thing EVAR! A new bat genus was discovered in South Sudan. PANDA BAT!

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This is one of the cutest things I have seen in a long time. And, I’ll stop freaking out about the cute bat now.

And there are many other things out there. I have been writing my tail off, so I don’t have any great book recommendations for you all. At least not science type books. The book I’m reading right now is about a woman behind Pope Innocent X, Mistress of the Vatican. So far, it is a fun historical read. If you like that kind of thing, check it out.

Thanks for reading! Please share. 

Autism Awareness Month

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I was going to have an awesome post about Autism Awareness Month, and then I got a migraine. I have a couple of cool links you all should check out, and I will try to properly write about this important issue next week.

With the rise in diagnosed cases, I’m sure that most of you know someone on the spectrum. If you know me personally, you know that my kid is on the spectrum, and he is rad. Just like most people with Autism. I think it’s important for neuro-typical people to understand this isn’t a disease, or bad way of being, it is just a different way of thinking and viewing the world. I will share more of our personal story and more links next week.

For now, onto the links:

  • From Download the Universe, we have a great review of two books on Autism. Asperger Love, by Amy Harmon and Straight on Till Morning, a collection of essays written by Autistic people. I am looking forward to reading both of these titles. 
  • There is an awesome Kickstarter going right now, This is what Autism Looks Like, headed by Carole Burns. The video is great, and they need some help to meet their goal by the end of May. Go contribute a dollar and spread the word.
  • And finally, a link to the Autism Society. It is a great website to check out if you want more information.

Hopefully I’ll be feeling better in the next week and I can share some really great stuff. Thanks for hanging with me.

Thanks for reading. Please share.