https://shahidnaeemblog.com/2015/02/16/notes-from-an-increasingly-lonely-planet-1-bioslaves-and-the-human-convertitron/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/untitled-1-e1424045405477.jpgBiodiversity and HumanityWhat if we could convert all life into humans?https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ecosystem-services-overview2.jpgMasters of the Biosphere - The role of nature is to serve humanity, and not much more.The dominant theme in modern environmentalism is the idea of ecosystem services - nature's value is in its service to us and not much else matters.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/matter-replicator.jpgMatter replicator vs Human ConvertitronThe Matter Replicator in Star Trek science fiction converts matter into whatever you want. The Human Convertitron is the same hypothetical machine, only it converts matter into humans.2015-02-16T00:17:55+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2015/01/26/if-the-earth-were-flat-iggy-and-jim-could-go-to-tokyo-on-the-nebuchadnezzar/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nebuchadnezzar-tree.jpgNebuchadnezzar's dreamKing Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a tree that reached the heavens and could be seen from everywhere on Earth - support for flat-Earth theory.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/iggy.jpgIggy Azalea giving physics lessons.Iggy Azalea could give physics lessons to James Inhofe.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/flat_earth_membership_certificate.jpgflat_earth_membership_certificatehttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/fast-lane.jpgFast lane, from L.A. to TokyoThe tyranny of sphericity means that one cannot simply go from L.A. to Tokyo following a straight-line path (right). You have to go in an arch (left). Annoyingly, the right line is 309 miles longer, even though it looks shorter.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cessna-21.jpgJames Inhofe and his CessnaJames Inhofe recklessly endangering human life with his twin-engine Cessna (background).https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/02-orlando-ferguson-flat-earth-map.jpgFlat Earth Society map fileThe Antarctic is not a continent, but a wall of ice and rock marking the ends of the Earth.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/nebuchadnezzar.jpgThe Nebuchadnezzar hovercraftThe Nebuchadnezzar form the "The Matrix." It probably has a flat-earth navigation system. 2015-01-26T00:16:03+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2015/01/03/the-yo-momma-solution/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/cde5b-gaia.jpgcde5b-gaiahttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/mother-goddess-e1420304830560.jpgMother goddess.A primitive representation of mom.2015-01-04T04:09:46+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/12/30/home-is-where-you-hang-your-childrens-childrens-hat-life-at-the-bottom-of-the-sea-and-elsewhere/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/deep-sea-submerisibles.jpgdeep sea submerisiblesDeep sea submersibles - letting us see a word that is largely pitch black.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/deep-sea-fish.jpgdeep sea fishLiving in the hadal zone; screen grab from the HADES video of a fish that makes its home at the bottom of the ocean.2014-12-30T17:43:07+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/11/20/were-here-after-all-thank-god/2014-12-26T12:51:33+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/11/28/horses-and-insurgents/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wordpress-horses-and-insurgents-pic-4.jpgWordpress horses and insurgents pic 4Ancestors of horses and an Indian insurgent.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wordpress-horses-and-insurgents-pic1.jpgWordpress horses and insurgents picThen (50 thousand years ago) and now. The center shows a satellite image of Khana National Park (green area above the diagonal which is the park boundary) vs. agricultural transformation (whitish areas left of the boundary). Pictures on top and left are from the park, while pictures on the bottom and right are of the surrounding landscape. I took all these pictures on a single day in August, 2009 and the figure was published in an article. Naeem, S. and R. DeFries. 2009. La conservation des espèces, clé d'une adaptation climatique durable., Institut du développement durable et des relations internationals. Sciences Po., Paris, France. https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wordpress-horses-and-insurgents-pic-2.jpgWordpress horses and insurgents pic 2India adrift. Cruising from the south after her split up with Africa and Australia and her abandonment of Madagascar, she crashed into Eurasia. The mountains to the north are the crumpled regions of the crash. Part of her western region is known as Pakistan.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wordpress-horses-and-insurgents-pic.jpgWordpress horses and insurgents pic2014-12-26T12:41:47+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/12/04/interstellars-environment-in-imax/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2-universityof.jpgNASA image of agricultural landIn the movie, "Interstellar," the physics was inventive, but carefully thought out while the environmental science was environmental ideology.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/heres-the-crazy-physics-you-need-to-know-to-understand-interstellar.pngheres-the-crazy-physics-you-need-to-know-to-understand-interstellar2014-12-26T12:39:04+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/12/07/bustards-beetles-and-viagra/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/spanish-fly.jpgSpanish fly - actually a beetle.The Spanish fly is actually a blister beetle ( Lytta vesicatoria) whose noxious defensive chemical is toxic to people and bustards, but its toxin, cantharidin, in small amounts, is believed to be an aphrodisiac. https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bustard-hunting-party.jpgBustard huntingPosted widely on the web, a picture of a bustard hunting - the modern way.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/houbara-bustard-e1417972379356.jpgHoubara bustardThe houbara bustard,; example of the ridiculous reasons species go extinct.2014-12-26T12:38:13+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/12/16/waterboarding-america/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/waterboarding-composite.jpgwaterboarding compositeSenator Imhofe sanctioning the waterboarding America and Vice President Cheney sanctioning waterboarding.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/senate-committee-report.jpgsenate committee reportSenate Committee report on CIA enhanced interrogation.2014-12-26T12:37:17+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/12/23/children-of-the-tree-of-life/https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/children-of-the-tree-of-life21.jpgchildren of the tree of life2When does tribalism start?https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/children-of-the-tree-of-life2.jpgchildren of the tree of life2https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/bees.jpgbeesBee diversity; what the kids are looking at in the box.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/kids-bees.jpgkids beesOn Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, children learn about bee diversity. Germans and Tanzanians are working together to preserve biodiversity so that they may better survive upcoming climate change.https://shahidnaeemblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/children-of-the-tree-of-life.jpgchildren of the tree of lifePakistani children.2014-12-26T12:36:09+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/11/16/now-wherere-those-chocolates/2014-11-16T17:04:20+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/2014/11/15/exhilarating-but-draining/2014-11-15T15:04:06+00:00monthlyhttps://shahidnaeemblog.com/about/2014-11-15T14:04:47+00:00weekly0.6https://shahidnaeemblog.comdaily1.02015-02-16T00:17:55+00:00