n-Categories, recursion, and the philosophy of Math

A particularly fascinating, and downright tough to grasp area of Mathematics is Category Theory. Basically, a Category is like a Set, but with more going on.
For a cool primer, click here.
Some of you might not know the precise definition of a category; let me state it just for completeness. A category consists [...]

10 Questions in Brain Science

Discover posted 10 questions currently perplexing brain scientists.  It isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a great list:
 1. How is information coded in neural activity?
2. How are memories stored and retrieved?
3. What does the baseline activity in the brain represent?
4. How do brains simulate the future?
5. What are emotions?
6. What is intelligence?
7. How is time represented in [...]

Evolving Evolution

Wonderful Essay about the Evolution of the ideas of Evolution:
Darwin wasn’t the first to consider that men today had changed from earlier forms, although Darwin was much closer to the truth than other intellectual peers. The Ionic philosopher Anaximander proposed an idea that later would come back, in new form, as the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis.

The Cult of the Amateur, Stephen Colbert, and Peer Review

 There is a movement pushing for science bloggers to use a little Icon (below) to let their audience know that they are writing about something that has a more weighted scientific value.

They now ask if their Icon could help answer Andrew Keen’s argument (Colbert takes him for a walk)

Portland’s Street Car Extention … Over Compensation?

Here in PDX we’ve been dealing with a bunch of construction to extend our street car. Over at Jack Bog’s Blog (another local), it’s all the fuss …
The current liars’ budget says that the new line will cost $147 million to build. At four miles of new streetcar (and I think it may be [...]