Lady Pirate Science Bloggers

Ahoy there, mehearties! Since it be Talk Like a Pirate day, I know yer probably wantin’ to be off ridin’ the waves, plundering the countryside, drinkin’ rum by the gallon and other piratey tasks, but first, there be a battle brewin here that I’d like to tell ye about. Arrrrgh! Who says a woman can’t be a pirate? Er, wait, I mean, who says that a woman can’t be an A-list science blogger? No, wait... why can’t a woman be a pirate AND an A-list science blogger? Anyone who assumes she can’t ought to be walkin’ the plank.

So, who ought to be walkin’ the plank, then? Try The Scientist, who recently published an article about favorite life science blogs (fer some sort of vote). A few bloggers, who the New Scientist considered to be "A-list", were asked t' choose their favorite blogs. A number from our ship, the mighty ScienceBlogs, made that A-list... but, alas, not one woman. Now, I know and ye all know, that I’m no captain of the blogosphere, I be just a fractal-slingin’ wench who gets a bit of notice now and again... but there be some of my fellow female science bloggers, like GrrlScientist, who’ve been sailing these waves much longer than I have, not to mention, are also wonderful biologists and writers, and who deserve some recognition on such lists.

So what be yer problem, New Scientist? You scurvey dogs! Walk the plank!

Arrghh... now that I got that out of my system (and since a few of my swashbuckling SciBlings have t’ issue under control) let’s have some fun. More importantly, let’s prove that not only do women make great science bloggers, but they make excellent pirates as well!

Captain JayBeard’s crew (that is, JayIsGames.com) mentioned this bit of treasure last week in the Weekend Download collection, well before Talk Like a Pirate Day. If ye not be having to set sail right away, check out Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy, a free downloadable game full of piratey goodness. In the game, ye be Nelly Cootalot, and ye must explore the seas in order to prove your mettle as a pirate, as well as return some displaced spoonbeaks to their proper habitat. (First things first; you’ll be having to find where the spoonbeaks be, and be learnin’ the ways of a pirate.) Along the way, you’ll get the chance to meet some salty characters, and have a few hearty laughs.