David Ng from The World's Fair has decided to start another meme.... Here's the lowdown:

Anyway, this meme asks that you come up with your own scientific eponym. What's that exactly? Well, first read this excellent primer by Samuel Arbesman, which basically provides a step by step description of how to do this effectively. Then have a go at your own blog. If all goes well, I'd like to create a page at the Science Creative Quarterly, that collects (and links to) the good ones.

So onto the Higgins-Levinthal Dictum:

Also known as "the why fat smoking republicans are responsible for 9/11 number".

Do you want to know why you aren't getting comments on your blog? Do you wonder why you manage to piss off everyone you come across?

Your answer is here! This fabulous new equation will determine how many comments you will get for your obnoxious posts!

Thanks to Lowk and Andrew (who both sent in versions) of our fancy new equation!

a = How many non-overlapping groups you piss off
b = How offensive comment is
c = How stupid/gullible group is
d = How likely group is to do vanity searches on themselves and not be able to restrain themselves from commenting.
e = size of group (note the inverse correlation!)
k = some as of yet unknown constant.

By the way.... this same post was essentially posted here a while ago.

An entertaining posting on craigslist:

Survival Of The Fittest
Date: 2007-08-30, 2:03PM EDT

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.

Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the "loser," and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.

I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world.

Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.

When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3x5 card reading, "Please use this M&M for breeding purposes."

This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this "grant money." I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.

There can be only one.

Please help Shelley out. Look what a beautiful girl she used to be - and now she's in and out of prison and a Meth addict. So head over to Retrospectacle and let her know she's still beautiful even though her teeth are rotting out.

You can also check out the dancing elf version of the Shelley's right here.