Monthly Archives: July 2011

Sunday, 31 July 2011

Posted on 31 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

12:30 – Well, the budget melodrama continues, with both sides proposing imaginary budget cuts, coupled with very real increases in spending. Reid’s proposal is particularly cynical. He counts as “cuts” money that would never have been spent anyway, such as … Continue reading →

Posted in government, politics, science kits | 8 Comments

Saturday, 30 July 2011

Posted on 30 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

09:28 – The big news this morning is that I’m almost certain not to bear a premature baby, and it’s all because I use Crest Pro Health mouthwash. Granted, the study was a small trial, but still the results are … Continue reading →

Posted in news, personal | 7 Comments

Friday, 29 July 2011

Posted on 29 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:45 – It’s interesting, in the same way that watching a train wreck is interesting, to watch the maneuvering of FIGS (France, Italy, Greece, and Spain) versus FANG (Finland, Austria, Netherlands, and Germany). The former, along with Portugal and Belgium, … Continue reading →

Posted in ebooks, government, news, politics, science kits, The Home Scientist | 14 Comments

Thursday, 28 July 2011

Posted on 28 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:40 – Heads-down work all day yesterday on the biology book. Or as heads-down as it gets with a 5-month-old puppy pestering me constantly. The front matter and introductory chapters are complete, as are the Group I sessions on Mastering … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, government, politics, writing | 8 Comments

Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Posted on 27 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:27 – My 30-day estimate may have been optimistic. Only three business days after the crisis summit, yields on Spanish and Italian bonds had already returned to pre-summit levels, and both countries are having difficulties selling their bonds even at … Continue reading →

Posted in government, news, politics, science kits | 4 Comments

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Posted on 26 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:16 – Reading about the Norwegian mass murderer, there’s something I don’t understand. He thinks muslims are invading and taking over Europe, forcibly spreading their hateful beliefs to a previously civilized part of the planet. Okay, I get that. He’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

Monday, 25 July 2011

Posted on 25 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:55 – Hmmm. Moody’s has downgraded Greek debt to Ca, which is almost-but-not-quite default. Moody’s notes that the likelihood they’ll further reduce Greece to a C rating, or actual default, is “virtually 100%”. Meanwhile, Spanish bond yields–or was it Italian … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, government, news, politics, science kits, writing | 3 Comments

Sunday, 24 July 2011

Posted on 24 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

10:12 – Here’s a torrent worth grabbing: a 32.5 GB file that contains thousands of pre-1923 articles by The Royal Society, all of them out of copyright in the US. It’s long past time that someone did something about JSTOR … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, government, politics, science, The Home Scientist | 19 Comments

Saturday, 23 July 2011

Posted on 23 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

10:45 – My poor FedEx guy must hate me. Yesterday, he delivered several large boxes that contained a couple thousand polyethylene dropper bottles in different capacities and a hundred laboratory splash goggles. I’ll use the dropper bottles to build prototypes … Continue reading →

Posted in business, ebooks, government, home science, politics, science kits | 5 Comments

Friday, 22 July 2011

Posted on 22 July 2011 by Robert Bruce Thompson

08:55 – Following the crisis summit, there’s lots of joy in the EU. The feeling among people who don’t understand much about economics is that Greece is saved, the Euro is saved, they’re all saved. Economists and market analysts know … Continue reading →

Posted in chemistry, culture, government, home science, lab day, politics, science, science kits | 5 Comments