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Of all our country’s illegal drugs, cannabis is by far and away the most popular. Depending on where you live, it may not even be illegal for much longer. On Tuesday two states, Washington and Colorado, voted to legalize marijuana … Continue reading
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I don’t read the New York Times regularly, and it’s not because I don’t like them specifically — I just don’t read newspapers anymore. I get my news from a bunch of different sources depending on what I want to … Continue reading
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve exchanged some emails with Chad Orzel, a physicist and fellow science blogger (you can read his entertaining and surprisingly informative blog at Uncertain Principles). He’s also the author of a book called How to … Continue reading
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In August of 1951, a strange epidemic struck the sleepy little town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in France. Over the course of a single day, hundreds of people lost their minds. A little boy tried to strangle his grandmother. A man realized … Continue reading
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I almost hate to admit it, but when I was younger there was a time when I liked Guns ‘n Roses, and even today I still like some of their music. (I tried singing “Mr. Brownstone” at a karaoke bar … Continue reading
This blog reached a new milestone recently. For one, the total hit count for Puff the Mutant Dragon just broke 100K. There are now over 250 people following this blog via RSS feeds, email, etc, which represents a ∞% increase on … Continue reading
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How many TV shows can you name that star a chemist as hero and feature references to reductive amination and x-ray crystallography? I can think of only one. Breaking Bad is by far and away my favorite show on TV. It’s … Continue reading
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I have a confession to make: I love illegal drugs. Heroin makes me happy. I’m crazy about cocaine. I’m mad about meth and I love LSD. And not because I’ve ever taken any of these drugs or ever would. No, … Continue reading
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Yes, I know, I said I would be closing up shop for a few months. But I saw a paper just today that was kinda intriguing, so I couldn’t resist the temptation to share it here. Aside from this my … Continue reading
Unfortunately and much as I hate to do this, this blog is going on a temporary hiatus once again. My list of personal and work-related commitments is just getting out of hand, and it’s going to be tough for me to … Continue reading
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When I was growing up, my family was deeply religious, and they had some interesting beliefs. We had a book at our house, for example, entitled “Dinosaurs and the Bible”. I was surprised recently to find this strange book is … Continue reading
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Race is a word with an ugly history. Powerful countries have often used supposed differences between “races” as an excuse to conquer and enslave nations with technology less advanced than their own. In the 18th and 19th centuries, European scholars … Continue reading
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This is a GoogleMaps picture of a farm near Goldsboro in North Carolina (map). The two salami-colored ponds on either side are lagoons, but not the kind where you want to swim. They’re open basins full of feces. To get … Continue reading
