You've probably the playful whistling of dolphins and the majestic songs of whales, but some marine mammals just don't get the appreciation they deserve when it comes to acoustics -- probably because they sound creepy or hilarious.
Sea sounds: sci-fi seals, screaming manatees
Science & Technology + biology, manatees, marine mammals, ocean sounds, pinnipeds, sirenians, spectrograms
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Secret of Kells: proving that Christianity and paganism can get along, beautifully
Books, Movies & Entertainment + cartoon saloon, illuminated pages, ireland, tomm moore 
The Secret of Kells has been out for awhile, but I watched it again recently and think it worthy of sharing just in case you haven't seen it yet.
I love how the film subtly incorporates the character of illuminated pages and traditional Celtic artwork into its visual style, and the way its plot gracefully weaves Irish pagan beliefs into Christian legend. Read more
Pacific Rim could use more of its awesome fight scenes
Books, Movies & Entertainment + guillermo del toro, jaegers, kaiju, legendary pictures, pacific rim, warner bros 
Eric and I watched Pacific Rim opening weekend, entranced by flashy commercials of glorious monsters and glittering machinery. Sometimes I go to a movie for its emotional or intellectual appeal; this was not one of those times. However, determined to elevate itself from the ranks of the entertaining but vacuous robot flicks like Bay's Transformers, Pacific Rim devotes time to character development -- too much, in fact. I found myself rolling my eyes (along with Eric) and anxiously waiting for the next Kaiju to strike. The upside is that when the battles do come, they rage violently and beautifully. Nevertheless, I felt deprived by the number of fight scenes: a meager three, if I recall correctly. Still, despite its glaring flaws, Pacific Rim not only succeeds in being a smarter and more satisfying film than Transformers, it delivers a wonderful visual feast of flesh-and-metal fights.
Rating: 3.5/5 Read more
Why I take my notes the old-fashioned way, on paper
Education + grades, notes, psychology 
The benefits of taking notes electronically seem intuitive. They have improved legibility. They are easier to search. Best of all, thousands of pages worth of paper notes take up just megabytes on a hard drive, saving precious space and weight in one's backpack. Speaking of paper, they save trees: in fact, at a school that emphasizes environmentalism, writing on paper even seems like a faux pas.
How to get published in Biological Conservation journal
Science & Technology + biological conservation, henry david thoreau, peer review, research, richard primack, scientific publications 
Richard Primack, editor-in-chief of the journal Biological Conservation and professor at Boston University, came to the Duke Marine Lab to give a presentation on some of his research -- which used famous poet Henry David Thoreau's journal to track changing flowering dates and thereby track global warming. I rather enjoyed his talk.
Primack also discussed his position as editor-in-chief of Biological Conservation, and shared the following common reasons for why papers get rejected, which I'll share.
All about Squilla empusa, the American mantis shrimp
Science & Technology + beaufort, biology, invertebrates, mantis shrimp, squilla empusa 
Note: This was written for a school project. It will be featured as a chapter in an Apple iBooks textbook released by Duke University about Beaufort marine invertebrates.
Latin Name: Squilla empusa (Mantis Shrimp)
Taxonomy: Animalia (Kingdom) > Arthropoda (Phylum) > Crustacea (Subphylum) > Malacostraca (Class) > Hoplocarida (Subclass) > Stomatopoda (Order) > Unipeltata (Suborder) > Squilloidea (Superfamily) > Squillidae (Family) > Squilla (Genus)
Review: Paper Mario: Sticker Star falls flat
Video Games + intelligent systems, mario, nintendo, paper mario, RPGs 
I had high hopes for Paper Mario: Sticker Star, as a fan of the series ever since Paper Mario came out on the N64. However, with the exception of the graphics--which are beautifully, cleverly, intricately intertwined with the game's paper and cardboard world--Intelligent Systems has gutted everything that made Paper Mario worthwhile.
No excuse for Nintendo's backwards downloads policy
Video Games + 3ds, accounts, digital downloads, intellectual property, nintendo, piracy 
Why does Nintendo lock digital games to the console the game was originally purchased on, rather than linking them to the customer's account?
Lost Ark Arcade: video game paradise in Greensboro
North Carolina, Video Games + arcades, greensboro, lost ark, pinball, small businesses 
If you love video games and live within three hours of Greensboro, you owe it to yourself to visit the Lost Ark Arcade, an answer to my dream of finding a true arcade like the ones my father got to enjoy in his youth.