Fake journals and copyright takeover: Why the public should care about open access to published scientific results

Open access week” sounds suspiciously like a boondoggle, not unlike “dairy week” or “safety week”. Is this just another excuse for meetings, punch and cookies, or is there something more to the issue?

Maui students explore the universe through fun and radio

Students at the Paia Youth and Cultural Center (PYCC) in Paia, Maui, teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and started a new radio show for their low-power radio station, Radiopio, in a show, called “Astrofacts”. The spots take a fresh look at some important questions about the universe, such as black holes colliding, intergalactic weather and interviews with leading astronomers. The spots are likely to make you laugh out loud.

Robots at your service

If you could design your own person robot, what would you ask it to do? My ideal service robot would apply sunscreen to my back before I head to Hookipa to surf.

Centipede’s poisonous claws up close

Last night a giant centipede (about 6 or 7 inches long) slithered out from under a cabinet and across the tile floor, heading for my bare feet. I screamed, but have enough experience with giant centipedes in Hawaii to know what to do: Grab scissors, slice, dice and flush. The claws continued to wiggled in a creepy prehistoric way long after I severed them from the rest of the body. So I flushed them, too.

Mauna Kea, Hawaii, now preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope

In the official statement released today by TMT Corporation, the board of directors who selected Mauna Kea over Chile expressed “a strong commitment to respect the long history and cultural significance of Mauna Kea to the Hawaiian people, and has committed annual funding for local community benefits and education in Hawai‘i.” There has been strong opposition among some groups to any scientific activity at the summit. Exactly how much funding, for what specifically and who will receive was not disclosed.