Something i have joyfully rediscovered are the youtube clips/ads for the multiplayer video game Team Fortress 2. Despite only seeing this game being played, the clips are hilarious and worth watching. Meet The Engineer
reminds me strongly of my electrical engineer brother, my biomedical
engineer friend Zachary, and my civil engineer cousin, giving me strong
reason to believe it applies to all Aggie engineers. They recently
released a short called Expiration Date, which brought this whole thing back to the forefront of my mind. Did i immediately have to sit and re-watch them all? Yes.
So i was hanging out with the lovely KateB the other evening, and the topic of conversation turned to ground squirrels. In brief, ground squirrels are members of the Xerinae subfamily of rodents, containing ground dwelling marmots, pararie dogs, and chipmunks (versus the standard tree squirrel) . i grew up in an area that did not have chipmunks, but those are probably the most adorable. However, given their small size, the query was whether they are permitted as pets in Wisconsin (and refer here for highly detailed chipmunks-as-pets info). There's not a whole lot of clear answers here, but a few resources imply that this is not allowed without a license.
While also at Kate's, she was looking at glass bangles as wedding jewelry. Bangles are a traditional accessory, and there seem to be a lot of customs associated with them, usually varying by region. Red and ivory or green bangles are apparently given to brides on their wedding day. For some states, these are gifts from specific family members (mother of the groom, or an uncle, or the bride's family). Green indicates fertility and is gifted in the southern part of India. It is documented that for some places, the honeymoon is said to be over when the bride breaks the last glass bangle. Further, in various places more solid (ivory or iron) bangles are tied to a husband's happiness and well being; when these break, it is highly inauspicious. Kate's mom had heard that in some places, when Indian ladies hear of their husband's (presumably unexpected) death, they immediately smash their wrists to break the bangles present. i did find some documentation of that one as well, but usually in rural places.
Tim Duncan is not yet retiring from playing for the Spurs! YAY! Also, from this Duncan/Letterman interview comes the quote, "No whining on the yacht." And finally, an article entitled, "Why Tim Duncan is not LeBron James".
i tend to sing at my running and cycling partners. This past Saturday, Asuka and i were riding along when i burst out into the old school Battle of New Orleans - "they ran through briers and they ran through the brambles and they ran through the places where the rabbits wouldn't go...". While it's an old song, i was not quite sure how old it was - 'Not from 1814, but probably 50-60? Maybe?' Looks like it was first released in 1959 by Jimmy Horton, so 55 years ago.
It turns out, and i find this fascinating, that there is a website that compiles all of the public fireworks displays for the state of Wisconsin.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Fresh Principle, Bob Dylan/Ketch Secor and writing credits, mosquito blood meals, cyanoacrylates, and 'camera'
In case you missed it like i did, here is Archimedes' Eureka moment redone in the manner of the Will Smith, cleverly called the Fresh Principle.
The World Cup continues! Turns out, a maraca-type instrument called a caxirola has been sanctioned as the official instrument of the 2014 World Cup, seeing as the vuvuzela has been banned.
The Old Crow Medicine Show song Wagon Wheel has been surprisingly popular, even hitting mainstream radio as performed by Darius Rucker. The interesting backstory is that in the song originated as a sketch in 1973 by Bob Dylan, with the melody and chorus played during a recording session and never finished (and apparently attributed by Dylan to Arthur Crudup). Ketch Secor and Chris Fuqua of OCMS picked up the song in their teens and finished it, and it was released in 2004 to very broad acclaim with joint writing credits shared between Dylan and Secor (no, dudes, that song is EVERYWHERE). On the newest OCMS album (here via NPR's first listen), something similar occurred in the song Sweet Amarillo, in that an unfinished song sketch ("sweet Amarillo, you stole my pillow and you ruined my mind"? What?) from that same Dylan session was later completed by Secor and the guys from OCMS. My main beef here is that the man has a dreadful accent when saying both Amarillo and Llano Estacado. (Apologies, it's bothering me quite a bit. Please don't spit the words, dude.) Also from NPR, Kelly AT linked an article documenting a case of 'beat deafness', wherein a patient cannot clap/dance in a synchronized fashion to music.
The mosquitoes have been pretty bad this year. i've posted before regarding factors which will enhance your attractiveness to mosquitoes (type 'O' blood and emission of carbon dioxide), but it was a point of contention at a recent bonfire that female mosquitoes require a blood meal for egg production. i got the order slightly wrong; female mosquitoes require the proteins found in blood meals for egg production, not after the eggs are generated, but the point still holds - both male and female mosquitoes are to blame, as females wouldn't go after blood if reproduction wasn't the goal. Curiously, from a recent NYTimes article, " In recent research tracking human DNA in mosquito blood meals in Thailand, Dr. Harrington found that some people were consistently bitten over and over, while others never were. No clear patterns of age or gender emerged, she said. ". i'm sorry, guys.
In recent events, i found a good instructable for DIY skin sutures in case of deep lacerations. Two close friends would not let me use said instructable, vetoing in favor of liquid bandage (skin glue). The glue holds, but not as well as i'd like. i made the comment the other day that you CAN use actual superglue on lacerations, as done during the Vietnam war, but it does contain a few less desirable ingredients than skin glue - the common adhesive is cyanoacrylate. Also, if you're looking for cringe-worthy comments, i suggest checking out this commentary section. If you cut off a finger, please get yourself to the emergency room and let a professional reattach it.
Today i learned that the word 'camara' means 'vaulted room' in latin. Its current use stems from 18th century device called a camera obscura, or " "dark chamber" (a black box with a lens that could project images of external objects), contrasted with camera lucida (Latin for "light chamber"), which uses prisms to produce on paper beneath the instrument an image, which can be traced ", from this dictionary entry.
The World Cup continues! Turns out, a maraca-type instrument called a caxirola has been sanctioned as the official instrument of the 2014 World Cup, seeing as the vuvuzela has been banned.
The Old Crow Medicine Show song Wagon Wheel has been surprisingly popular, even hitting mainstream radio as performed by Darius Rucker. The interesting backstory is that in the song originated as a sketch in 1973 by Bob Dylan, with the melody and chorus played during a recording session and never finished (and apparently attributed by Dylan to Arthur Crudup). Ketch Secor and Chris Fuqua of OCMS picked up the song in their teens and finished it, and it was released in 2004 to very broad acclaim with joint writing credits shared between Dylan and Secor (no, dudes, that song is EVERYWHERE). On the newest OCMS album (here via NPR's first listen), something similar occurred in the song Sweet Amarillo, in that an unfinished song sketch ("sweet Amarillo, you stole my pillow and you ruined my mind"? What?) from that same Dylan session was later completed by Secor and the guys from OCMS. My main beef here is that the man has a dreadful accent when saying both Amarillo and Llano Estacado. (Apologies, it's bothering me quite a bit. Please don't spit the words, dude.) Also from NPR, Kelly AT linked an article documenting a case of 'beat deafness', wherein a patient cannot clap/dance in a synchronized fashion to music.
The mosquitoes have been pretty bad this year. i've posted before regarding factors which will enhance your attractiveness to mosquitoes (type 'O' blood and emission of carbon dioxide), but it was a point of contention at a recent bonfire that female mosquitoes require a blood meal for egg production. i got the order slightly wrong; female mosquitoes require the proteins found in blood meals for egg production, not after the eggs are generated, but the point still holds - both male and female mosquitoes are to blame, as females wouldn't go after blood if reproduction wasn't the goal. Curiously, from a recent NYTimes article, " In recent research tracking human DNA in mosquito blood meals in Thailand, Dr. Harrington found that some people were consistently bitten over and over, while others never were. No clear patterns of age or gender emerged, she said. ". i'm sorry, guys.
In recent events, i found a good instructable for DIY skin sutures in case of deep lacerations. Two close friends would not let me use said instructable, vetoing in favor of liquid bandage (skin glue). The glue holds, but not as well as i'd like. i made the comment the other day that you CAN use actual superglue on lacerations, as done during the Vietnam war, but it does contain a few less desirable ingredients than skin glue - the common adhesive is cyanoacrylate. Also, if you're looking for cringe-worthy comments, i suggest checking out this commentary section. If you cut off a finger, please get yourself to the emergency room and let a professional reattach it.
Today i learned that the word 'camara' means 'vaulted room' in latin. Its current use stems from 18th century device called a camera obscura, or " "dark chamber" (a black box with a lens that could project images of external objects), contrasted with camera lucida (Latin for "light chamber"), which uses prisms to produce on paper beneath the instrument an image, which can be traced ", from this dictionary entry.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
human resting pulse rate, GoT themes, Spurs!!!, soccer, German words, Chicken Fat
Somehow, the average human adult pulse rate came up in conversation the other night. According to various sources, normal resting adult human heart rates are from 60-100 beats/minute. Some folks, usually runners and other endurance athletes, have lower resting pulse rates (with the world record listed at 27 beats per minute, recorded on a guy named Martin Brady in 2005. This guy's name is apt, as the term for low heart rate is 'bradycardia'.) So, Rup and Bryan, there's nothing wrong with at least my heart rate (usually in the 40s, but tested the other night at 52. It was during a Spurs game... and i'm out of shape).
In recent news, here are covers of the Game of Thrones theme as done by a Dixieland band and performed by an 'extra low' bass section.
Part of me thinks this is a good idea, and the rest of me hates the idea that i'd have to give any number to not worry about my safety.
It's been a really awesome week for my own taste in sports - my Spurs won the NBA championship in game 5 (their 5th since 1999). i AM proud to be a Spurs fan; they're all decent human beings in addition to being a great team. Interestingly, the NBA championship referred to them as basketball champions of the world, and given that the team has the most international players in the NBA, i guess that's partially true. Additionally, the World Cup has finally started. i suppose i'm cheering for the US this year, given that the b@d@ss team captain is my countryman.
Something i've always wondered recently found address, as linked in this article, Americans call it soccer as a sort of riff on 'association football', "
Apparently the word 'squirrel' is difficult to say if you're a non-native English speaker. Fair enough; i cannot pronounce the German variant. A handy and entertaining flowchart of compound German animal names further addresses this, "Eichhörnchen comes from the Old and Middle German eichorn, which has nothing to do with oak trees or horns. In this case, the eichcomes from the ancient Indo-Germanic word aig, which means agitated movement, combined with the now obsolete suffix -orn. Somewhere in history a superfluous h was added (along with the diminutive -chen ending) but the original meaning remained. " Speaking of Germany, i learned the other day that in Germany, making an ice cream dessert that looks like spaghetti is a thing called spaghettieis. Honestly, that might not be terrible at all.
Watching sports means watching commercials, and Apple has a commercial featuring a song whose chorus seems to consist of, 'Go, you chicken fat, go!'. This struck me as really odd, and prompted conversation of its use as an insult, but further research indicates that it's meant to be encouraging "give that chicken fat back to the chicken and don't be chicken again". The song was released in the 1960s as a part of President Kennedy's US Physical fitness program, and sent to be played at schools across the US on a daily basis.
In recent news, here are covers of the Game of Thrones theme as done by a Dixieland band and performed by an 'extra low' bass section.
Part of me thinks this is a good idea, and the rest of me hates the idea that i'd have to give any number to not worry about my safety.
It's been a really awesome week for my own taste in sports - my Spurs won the NBA championship in game 5 (their 5th since 1999). i AM proud to be a Spurs fan; they're all decent human beings in addition to being a great team. Interestingly, the NBA championship referred to them as basketball champions of the world, and given that the team has the most international players in the NBA, i guess that's partially true. Additionally, the World Cup has finally started. i suppose i'm cheering for the US this year, given that the b@d@ss team captain is my countryman.
Something i've always wondered recently found address, as linked in this article, Americans call it soccer as a sort of riff on 'association football', "
A
smaller
minority
of
fans
are
aware
of
the
fact
the
name
“soccer”
appears
to have
originated
in
England
at
the
end
of
the
19th century,
and
was
then
adopted by Americans. "
Apparently the word 'squirrel' is difficult to say if you're a non-native English speaker. Fair enough; i cannot pronounce the German variant. A handy and entertaining flowchart of compound German animal names further addresses this, "Eichhörnchen comes from the Old and Middle German eichorn, which has nothing to do with oak trees or horns. In this case, the eichcomes from the ancient Indo-Germanic word aig, which means agitated movement, combined with the now obsolete suffix -orn. Somewhere in history a superfluous h was added (along with the diminutive -chen ending) but the original meaning remained. " Speaking of Germany, i learned the other day that in Germany, making an ice cream dessert that looks like spaghetti is a thing called spaghettieis. Honestly, that might not be terrible at all.
Bryan: so the google doodle was Belgium
Bryan: not Germany
silly European countries having sideways flags of each other
me: seriously
Germany's is horizontal?
Bryan: yes
also black red yellow apparently
so different order
i apparently can't be bothered to pay close enough attention
me: that's something i only pay attention to if it means poison
Bryan: red on yellow kills a fellow?
Watching sports means watching commercials, and Apple has a commercial featuring a song whose chorus seems to consist of, 'Go, you chicken fat, go!'. This struck me as really odd, and prompted conversation of its use as an insult, but further research indicates that it's meant to be encouraging "give that chicken fat back to the chicken and don't be chicken again". The song was released in the 1960s as a part of President Kennedy's US Physical fitness program, and sent to be played at schools across the US on a daily basis.
Friday, June 6, 2014
creme-stuffed chips ahoy, dishwasher video, the Spurs and the Heat
Bits and pieces of the week:
i came across this report of Chips-Ahoy cookies filled with Oreo creme (and birthday frosting, and apparently BROWNIES?!). Still haven't gotten any myself, but that's certainly in the plans. Ryan linked reports of a chocolate covered Oreo duplex from South America, in the manner of alfajores, and that also looks pretty worthy (but i think doublestuff would be better). While perusing the wikipedia page for alfajores (they come in a bunch of different varieties), i noticed a link to the page for Murcia, a city in Spain. Something may need to be said about my mild dyslexia that i had to read it several times before i noticed it didn't say 'Murica.
In brief, someone sent their GoPro video camera through a dishwasher wash cycle while recording (via Huff Post). It's surprisingly fascinating for a 4 minute clip. There are a lot of conclusions which one can draw from this. My initial question was about lighting (which is incredibly well done, with " Using a Hero 3. I had two light sources reflecting at different angles. This was my third attempt. The biggest problem I had to overcome was the heat and battery time. ", as reported on the youtube clip.) Another might be that this is as good a advertisement for a GoPro as any crazy extreme sport video. Seriously. Finally, this is also a good reminder about the importance of pre-rinsing your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher; those jets don't look like they're doing a ton.
My Spurs are in the Finals, against the Miami Heat. Miami Heat player LeBron James made comments earlier this week saying that the Spurs don't care for them, " "They don't like us. They don't," LeBron James told news reporters Monday in Miami. " (boohoo, Mr. James). In a reaction article today, i saw the line "The Spurs, whose demeanor and remarks are normally as plain as sandwich bread, were a bit taken aback by James' reaction ", which is a very nice bit of imagery given that the Spurs are just steady-kneeled, supportive athletes. Additionally, in last night's game played in San Antonio, the air conditioning fail in the arena. IT was apparently a circuit breaker issue, and building managers didn't want to reset it in case it also caused the lights and scoreboard to fail, so they left it. Mr. James developed heat cramps in the 4th quarter, and had to quit the game with several minutes left, being carried off the court. This has apparently launched a whole course of something termed "LeBroning", being carried by two friends, with the best article i've seen also featuring Gatorade here. Also, it was a Spurs blow-out, 110-95 points.
i thought this was pretty cool, a bracelet promoting blood donations.
Also, though i managed to spray myself twice with bacterial lysates today in lab while isolating a recombinant protein, my bench was visited by a tiny jumping spider visitor. Totally adorable, and i herded it to a safer place before proceeding.
i came across this report of Chips-Ahoy cookies filled with Oreo creme (and birthday frosting, and apparently BROWNIES?!). Still haven't gotten any myself, but that's certainly in the plans. Ryan linked reports of a chocolate covered Oreo duplex from South America, in the manner of alfajores, and that also looks pretty worthy (but i think doublestuff would be better). While perusing the wikipedia page for alfajores (they come in a bunch of different varieties), i noticed a link to the page for Murcia, a city in Spain. Something may need to be said about my mild dyslexia that i had to read it several times before i noticed it didn't say 'Murica.
In brief, someone sent their GoPro video camera through a dishwasher wash cycle while recording (via Huff Post). It's surprisingly fascinating for a 4 minute clip. There are a lot of conclusions which one can draw from this. My initial question was about lighting (which is incredibly well done, with " Using a Hero 3. I had two light sources reflecting at different angles. This was my third attempt. The biggest problem I had to overcome was the heat and battery time. ", as reported on the youtube clip.) Another might be that this is as good a advertisement for a GoPro as any crazy extreme sport video. Seriously. Finally, this is also a good reminder about the importance of pre-rinsing your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher; those jets don't look like they're doing a ton.
My Spurs are in the Finals, against the Miami Heat. Miami Heat player LeBron James made comments earlier this week saying that the Spurs don't care for them, " "They don't like us. They don't," LeBron James told news reporters Monday in Miami. " (boohoo, Mr. James). In a reaction article today, i saw the line "The Spurs, whose demeanor and remarks are normally as plain as sandwich bread, were a bit taken aback by James' reaction ", which is a very nice bit of imagery given that the Spurs are just steady-kneeled, supportive athletes. Additionally, in last night's game played in San Antonio, the air conditioning fail in the arena. IT was apparently a circuit breaker issue, and building managers didn't want to reset it in case it also caused the lights and scoreboard to fail, so they left it. Mr. James developed heat cramps in the 4th quarter, and had to quit the game with several minutes left, being carried off the court. This has apparently launched a whole course of something termed "LeBroning", being carried by two friends, with the best article i've seen also featuring Gatorade here. Also, it was a Spurs blow-out, 110-95 points.
i thought this was pretty cool, a bracelet promoting blood donations.
Also, though i managed to spray myself twice with bacterial lysates today in lab while isolating a recombinant protein, my bench was visited by a tiny jumping spider visitor. Totally adorable, and i herded it to a safer place before proceeding.
Monday, June 2, 2014
SNARE-mediated exocytosis, lefthanded?!, average scientists, name/age correlation, Asparagus season, etc
The talented Kate recently made this spectacular animation of exocytosis by SNARE-mediated vesicle fusion. Great work, Kate!
i forgot about this song until i saw it mentioned on an NPR article covering songs-to-be-played-with-the-vehichle-windows-rolled-down. Ah, summer.
Halfway through writing a statement up about lab supplies that need to be ordered on the whiteboard in lab this morning, i realized i was using my left hand to write. My (dominant) right hand was gloved and holding media. Given that the statement was legible, and i didn't have to think very hard (obviously) about writing it, i am going to conclude that another skill picked up in grad school is ambidexterity. Can i list that on my CV? (sigh)
This article, regarding a career in science and how the author sometimes doesn't "feel like a real scientist. Besides the fact that (he does) science every day, (he doesn't) conform to the image—(his) image—of what a scientist is and how we should think and behave ", makes equal parts comforting and 'yikes' points. i'm comforted by the fact that other people don't always want to be at their benches instead of outside in the sun, or do not have an affection for Star Wars, or don't feel like they know everything about everything. i like that he states, " I know I have arrived where I am through privilege, good fortune, and circumstance. Anything I genuinely earned could not have been earned without those precursors ", because indeed i understand that the ability to do science as a profession is a privilege. i'm a little concerned about the apparent boastfulness of grant writing or other scientific statements (this does happen, and i cringe when i see it), or that he apparently doesn't like lab work (why/how can you do this if you don't like benchwork?) , but i appreciate that he wrote it, and that he refers to himself as a practicing scientist. There's been a bit of convergence lately on this topic; this cyanide and happiness comic alludes to people really liking a certain fact about science, but forgetting all the minutia and research it represents. Also, regarding preconceptions about scientists, "This Is What A Scientist Looks Like" is also a thing.
Regarding fire ants, this is pretty cool (but i keep wondering how they keep from getting stung like mad).
A recent thing that has appeared on FB is this nifty Nate Silver article titled, "How to Tell Someone's Age When All You Know Is Her Name." i find it super interesting that for all of my family members with those particular names, their ages do fall within the designated age ranges.
These chopsticks are outrageously priced, but the commentary is amusing.
It is asparagus season here in Wisconsin. At the Saturday morning Farmers' Market, it's one of the few green things currently available. i've previously mentioned the solo cookery book Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant, a compilation of essays about cooking for oneself, and the asparagus situation calls to mind this wonderful article, 'How To Be an Asparagus Superhero', about eating asparagus every day while it's in season (and set in Michigan, which is basically a less snowy/awesome Wisconsin). Referenced in there is a statue of a woman selling asparagus, somewhere in Germany, which i was just compelled to track down.
This song (Song for Zula, by Phosphorescent) is featured (in somewhat of an incorrect context) in the movie The Amazing Spiderman 2. It's am equal parts mellow and addictive song.
And finally, this article came up on the NYTimes the other day, describing how, when asked a question to which they don't know the exact answer, women are much more likely to answer 'i don't know', rather than give an incorrect or imprecise answer, where men are more likely to give a less accurate/incorrect/speculative answer. Yup.
i forgot about this song until i saw it mentioned on an NPR article covering songs-to-be-played-with-the-vehichle-windows-rolled-down. Ah, summer.
Halfway through writing a statement up about lab supplies that need to be ordered on the whiteboard in lab this morning, i realized i was using my left hand to write. My (dominant) right hand was gloved and holding media. Given that the statement was legible, and i didn't have to think very hard (obviously) about writing it, i am going to conclude that another skill picked up in grad school is ambidexterity. Can i list that on my CV? (sigh)
This article, regarding a career in science and how the author sometimes doesn't "feel like a real scientist. Besides the fact that (he does) science every day, (he doesn't) conform to the image—(his) image—of what a scientist is and how we should think and behave ", makes equal parts comforting and 'yikes' points. i'm comforted by the fact that other people don't always want to be at their benches instead of outside in the sun, or do not have an affection for Star Wars, or don't feel like they know everything about everything. i like that he states, " I know I have arrived where I am through privilege, good fortune, and circumstance. Anything I genuinely earned could not have been earned without those precursors ", because indeed i understand that the ability to do science as a profession is a privilege. i'm a little concerned about the apparent boastfulness of grant writing or other scientific statements (this does happen, and i cringe when i see it), or that he apparently doesn't like lab work (why/how can you do this if you don't like benchwork?) , but i appreciate that he wrote it, and that he refers to himself as a practicing scientist. There's been a bit of convergence lately on this topic; this cyanide and happiness comic alludes to people really liking a certain fact about science, but forgetting all the minutia and research it represents. Also, regarding preconceptions about scientists, "This Is What A Scientist Looks Like" is also a thing.
Regarding fire ants, this is pretty cool (but i keep wondering how they keep from getting stung like mad).
A recent thing that has appeared on FB is this nifty Nate Silver article titled, "How to Tell Someone's Age When All You Know Is Her Name." i find it super interesting that for all of my family members with those particular names, their ages do fall within the designated age ranges.
These chopsticks are outrageously priced, but the commentary is amusing.
It is asparagus season here in Wisconsin. At the Saturday morning Farmers' Market, it's one of the few green things currently available. i've previously mentioned the solo cookery book Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant, a compilation of essays about cooking for oneself, and the asparagus situation calls to mind this wonderful article, 'How To Be an Asparagus Superhero', about eating asparagus every day while it's in season (and set in Michigan, which is basically a less snowy/awesome Wisconsin). Referenced in there is a statue of a woman selling asparagus, somewhere in Germany, which i was just compelled to track down.
This song (Song for Zula, by Phosphorescent) is featured (in somewhat of an incorrect context) in the movie The Amazing Spiderman 2. It's am equal parts mellow and addictive song.
And finally, this article came up on the NYTimes the other day, describing how, when asked a question to which they don't know the exact answer, women are much more likely to answer 'i don't know', rather than give an incorrect or imprecise answer, where men are more likely to give a less accurate/incorrect/speculative answer. Yup.
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