Feel constrained by your introductory college biology series and timetable? Why don't you just teach yourself instead.

Their offerings are focused on the life sciences at the moment, but I can see this easily growing. The next question is how to assess proficiency and scale against conventional college credit systems.

Of course, if you're doing it ( Read more... )

Cross-posted from Funranium Labs - Coffee Science Recent Developments (3/26/10)

Following a three week countertop exposure of Kona BBotE at room temperature in sealed bottles, the verdict is in: Black Blood of the Earth can survive shipping without prohibitive cold packaging.  I did testing with both air in the headspace of the bottle and ( Read more... )

You'd think I'd have learned by now not to lean against things in my career. I'd like to think I've at least learned to not stick things in my mouth for the geologist flavor test (NOTE: not recommended for arsenic minerals).

Yesterday, I discovered tar is sticky as I tried to asphalt myself with the pit railing.


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Cross-posted from Funranium Labs - Coffee Science (Recent Developments 3/7/10)

So, last week I finally got some quantitative analytical work done on the BBotE courtesy of some chemists who demanded to know exactly how much caffeine they were consuming and why it was so tasty.  Thus far, I've only had the qualitative results of "Yup, sure seems to ( Read more... )

It is a thing of unmitigated beauty! BEHOLD Stein #23!


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Funranium Labs field research operative leifvignirsson has taken it upon himself to administer samples of his stock of The Black Blood of the Earth (BBotE) to friends and co-workers.  After consuming his aliquot, Test Subject X-Ray Technician then embarked on a road trip to Sacramento.  Somewhere outside of our fair capital, he was pulled over and issued a ( Read more... )

Extreme case test subjects are important for boundary data in any study. Test Subject Philosopher was chosen due to my prior philosopher experiences in college. Anecdotal evidence suggest that philosophers are either teetotalers indulging only in self generation of endorphins and adrenalin or that they subsist on a diet almost exclusively composed ( Read more... )

Der wissenschaftenstein family, minus the 4.3L Chem Keg Dominator. Behold!


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It began life as a 2L bench top dewar for liquid nitrogen. Now it finds new meaning as it receives a retrofit just in time for Oktoberfest. Oh yes, my beer shall be the coldest and most sciencey.


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Do not, under any  circumstances, create the Black Blood of the Earth (BBotE) using a flavored coffee.  I can't speak to the flavor yet, but the environmental consequences are severe.

I just did this with a pound of french vanilla coffee, all at once.  1 pound of coffee + 2L of water = approximately 900mL of BBotE

When you get to the straining step ( Read more... )