Lost post. argh. In brief, i wrote up this post the other night and it was accidentally deleted, then blogger autosaved it and i couldn't get it back, so i threw my hands in the air and gave up that evening. First World problems?
Jack, Holly and i were getting coffee at the Library (not the one with books) actually a while ago, and my coffee arrived in a mug that featured "Lutefisk happens." Jack looked at my mug and inquired "Exactly what is lutefisk?" Holly and i answered, basically, that it is fish soaked in lye. "But isn't lye toxic?" Well, yes, but you rinse the majority of it out before you eat it. "Why? Like, who would ever think this is a good idea?" and Holly and i handwaved something about preservation and possibly a soap-making/fish prep accident. So, i looked into it. Lutefisk is indeed fish that has been soaked in lye, but there's a little more to it. It tends to be a white-fleshed fish of some type; haddock and pollock are less smelly, with cod being the more traditional, more smelly type. The fish is first completely dried, and as such, can no longer be fully reconstituted using water; it has to be soaked in lye. Before eating, the lye has to be removed; this is done by soaking it in water for several days, changing the water daily. The fish is then pretty delicate, and it's either baked or steamed then served. Apparently, the northern American Midwest has the brunt of the world's lutefisk eating; it's the main feature of various Midwestern community events in the winter. A super interesting Smithsonian Magazine article details quite a bit of this phenomenon (opening even at a church event in Madison). Other curious things-of-note include the fact that Swedish Americans prefer their lutefisk with a heavily spiced sauce whereas Norwegian Americans, as purists, use only melted butter. The origins are lost in the mists of time, but seem to agree with my handwaving speculation featuring a soap-making incident. Other notables include the humor-related portion of the wikipedia article.
A lot of food preservation techniques from Nordic countries involve burying/fermenting food. There's a apparently popular winter buffet in Iceland, Þorramatur, that features meats prepared in a traditional manner. These include stuff like a a boiled sheeps' head, and fermented shark. The latter, Hákarl, has the reputation of being possibly the most offensive food in the world. A brief quote from the wikipedia article, "Hákarl is traditionally prepared by gutting and beheading a Greenland or basking shark
and placing it in a shallow hole dug in gravelly sand, with the
now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark is then covered
with sand and gravel, and stones are then placed on top of the sand in
order to press the shark. The fluids from the shark are in this way
pressed out of the body. The shark ferments in this fashion for 6–12
weeks depending on the season ". And why might people eat this? Another quote, same article, "Eating hákarl is often associated with hardiness and strength". Okay.
Other foods-prouduced-by-alkaline substances include hominy. Hominy is corn that has been treated with either calcium hydroxide (also called lime, not the fruit) or lye. This process of treating corn with calcium hydroxide is called nixtamalization, and has been in use since early Mesoamerica to help draw niacin out of the corn and make it more bio-available. (Deficiencies in niacin were later established to cause diseases like pellagra, as seen in studies done at UW by Conrad Elvenjem.) This process is also responsible for allowing ground corn to be formed into dough, thus formed into tortillas and tamales, etc. Grits are basically ground-up hominy, while polenta is ground corn that hasn't been treated with lime, etc.
Speaking of lime (the actual fruit this time), my lovely cousin Lauren was in Cozumel last year with her family, accidentally spilled lime juice on her knees, and ended up with burns. This is apparently not uncommon; the pyhtophotodermatitis is apparently caused by compounds called psoralens. The combination of UV and psoralens cause burns on skin. Yikes. It looks like figs contain particularly large amounts of psoralen, along with aging celery. (More reasons for me to not eat celery, though i really, really love figs.)
And here's a curious website called Super Hero Supplies, with proceeds benefiting a writing program in New York. Even more curious is a website where you can sign up for monthly shipments of menstrual supplies (including just shipments of chocolate). i came across it via the blog She Lets Her Hair Down, which i occasional peruse, subsequently attempting and failing at hair styles.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
Phenol, treacle, Ender's Game movie?!
Just a few notes.
At boardgame night last night, a few of us (okay, 7) played the game Quelf. At one point, everyone had to go around the circle naming a sort of alcohol, and Rup said 'Phenol'. i called him on it (i apologize), and there ensued a bit of googling to semi-noncredit phenol as an alcohol. Rup was arguing anything with a free hydroxyl group is an alcohol; i said i'd look into this and address it on the blog. So, phenol does have a free hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to a benzene ring. This means that the carbon to which it's attached is not saturated (4 single bonds; it's got a double bond to one of the other carbons); alcohols are hydroxyl groups attached to saturated carbons according to IUPAC.. As such, it's classified as an 'enol'. Curious note about phenol, in a very, very diluted form it is the active ingredient of the oral analgesic Cholorseptic. Applied straight up (or accidentally pouring it on oneself during RNA or DNA extraction preps) will yield skin burns. (And for further note, and this is not meant as sole guiding instruction, rinse your skin thoroughly, make a 1:1 dilultion of PEG300 or 400 and water, and rinse with that. Then, seek medical attention.)
The licorice i'm currently enjoying lists treacle as an ingredient. Treacle is what remains after the refinement of sugar (ya know, like golden syrup). The non-solids removed by bone char or activated carbon. Also, as the term treacle was originally applied to antidotes for poisons, snakebite, etc, the root of the word comes from a latinization of the Greek word "concerning venomous beasts".
Mad props (Many forms of proper respect) to Holly for linking the tumblr of the post-production movie version of Ender's Game. (And she also gets props for finally convincing me to read the book as well as the sequels. Bean FTW.) Equal parts excited and apprehension (how true to the book will it be?).
Due to my family, i grew up listening to a very large amount of John Denver's music (for which i hold a soft spot). NPR's First Listen this morning features an album with his music covered by various artists. Some are close to the originals, some are a little further afield. i think Amos Lee's version of Some Days Are Diamonds might be my fave of the covers? Hmm.
At boardgame night last night, a few of us (okay, 7) played the game Quelf. At one point, everyone had to go around the circle naming a sort of alcohol, and Rup said 'Phenol'. i called him on it (i apologize), and there ensued a bit of googling to semi-noncredit phenol as an alcohol. Rup was arguing anything with a free hydroxyl group is an alcohol; i said i'd look into this and address it on the blog. So, phenol does have a free hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to a benzene ring. This means that the carbon to which it's attached is not saturated (4 single bonds; it's got a double bond to one of the other carbons); alcohols are hydroxyl groups attached to saturated carbons according to IUPAC.. As such, it's classified as an 'enol'. Curious note about phenol, in a very, very diluted form it is the active ingredient of the oral analgesic Cholorseptic. Applied straight up (or accidentally pouring it on oneself during RNA or DNA extraction preps) will yield skin burns. (And for further note, and this is not meant as sole guiding instruction, rinse your skin thoroughly, make a 1:1 dilultion of PEG300 or 400 and water, and rinse with that. Then, seek medical attention.)
The licorice i'm currently enjoying lists treacle as an ingredient. Treacle is what remains after the refinement of sugar (ya know, like golden syrup). The non-solids removed by bone char or activated carbon. Also, as the term treacle was originally applied to antidotes for poisons, snakebite, etc, the root of the word comes from a latinization of the Greek word "concerning venomous beasts".
Mad props (Many forms of proper respect) to Holly for linking the tumblr of the post-production movie version of Ender's Game. (And she also gets props for finally convincing me to read the book as well as the sequels. Bean FTW.) Equal parts excited and apprehension (how true to the book will it be?).
Due to my family, i grew up listening to a very large amount of John Denver's music (for which i hold a soft spot). NPR's First Listen this morning features an album with his music covered by various artists. Some are close to the originals, some are a little further afield. i think Amos Lee's version of Some Days Are Diamonds might be my fave of the covers? Hmm.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
sledding, etc
It is snowing today. March 23rd, and it's snowing, big heavy aggregated swirly flakes from the east.
Don't get me wrong, i adore it, and it bodes well for my non-air conditioned apartment comfort this summer that it's not 65 degrees outside. It's been a particularly good year for sledding. The question always turns, where does one go sledding in Madison, WI? There are a few websites that outline some hills. In my opinion, there are three worthy of sledding as an non-child. These would be Elver Park's sledding hill, out on the far west side. This one's a north-facing slope, plenty steep, and is close enough to the crosscountry ski trails and ice skating rinks to make use of their lights (which stay on until 10pm). Radar Hill is on the far east side, in Hiestand park. It's super steep, south-facing, and is sort of 'V' shaped. Sanatorium hill is a west-facing slope, adjacent to Warner Park on Northport Dr. and nearly directly across Lake Mendota from UW. It's super long, but not nearly as steep (i had the best luck getting a running start and sledding on my stomach). Also, it's part of the city's human services, so it's well lit and deserted at night. We saw a fox (okay, i mistook it for a raccoon because it was the first i'd ever seen in vivo; also, ADORABLE) and 20 something deer (and then we left, because the deer all wandered into the woods on the south side of the hill, abutting the road, and we didn't want to flush the deer into the street and traffic). These were rather fearless animals; the fox was about 10 feet away. Later, i found that the cemetery behind the Sanitarium might be haunted, which explains the fearless animals? Hmm.
Random-ish arc from N. Gaiman's blog, i clicked on a Neatorama link due to it's stunning photography. This lead to both this site featuring some gorgeous pictures (and sometimes slightly creepy content), and this explanation of the terms cheesecake and beefcake, as they related to humans (i had no idea that 'cheesecake' dated back to the 17th century).
i'm drinking a very, very strong nearly bitter cup of the coffee gifted by an amazingly thoughtful and considerate friend, and it's pretty glorious. Thanks, Holly!
My undergrad institution's nerd club is hosting their annual convention this weekend, featuring George R. R. Martin. i was looking around at the website this afternoon and noticed a club called Bronies Anonymous for Magical Friendships, or BAMF. Rock on, TAMU.
Also, the singer Janis Joplin had two tattoos (and another article regarding the wrist one here). Apparently, she was one of the first tattooed celebrities.
Don't get me wrong, i adore it, and it bodes well for my non-air conditioned apartment comfort this summer that it's not 65 degrees outside. It's been a particularly good year for sledding. The question always turns, where does one go sledding in Madison, WI? There are a few websites that outline some hills. In my opinion, there are three worthy of sledding as an non-child. These would be Elver Park's sledding hill, out on the far west side. This one's a north-facing slope, plenty steep, and is close enough to the crosscountry ski trails and ice skating rinks to make use of their lights (which stay on until 10pm). Radar Hill is on the far east side, in Hiestand park. It's super steep, south-facing, and is sort of 'V' shaped. Sanatorium hill is a west-facing slope, adjacent to Warner Park on Northport Dr. and nearly directly across Lake Mendota from UW. It's super long, but not nearly as steep (i had the best luck getting a running start and sledding on my stomach). Also, it's part of the city's human services, so it's well lit and deserted at night. We saw a fox (okay, i mistook it for a raccoon because it was the first i'd ever seen in vivo; also, ADORABLE) and 20 something deer (and then we left, because the deer all wandered into the woods on the south side of the hill, abutting the road, and we didn't want to flush the deer into the street and traffic). These were rather fearless animals; the fox was about 10 feet away. Later, i found that the cemetery behind the Sanitarium might be haunted, which explains the fearless animals? Hmm.
Random-ish arc from N. Gaiman's blog, i clicked on a Neatorama link due to it's stunning photography. This lead to both this site featuring some gorgeous pictures (and sometimes slightly creepy content), and this explanation of the terms cheesecake and beefcake, as they related to humans (i had no idea that 'cheesecake' dated back to the 17th century).
i'm drinking a very, very strong nearly bitter cup of the coffee gifted by an amazingly thoughtful and considerate friend, and it's pretty glorious. Thanks, Holly!
My undergrad institution's nerd club is hosting their annual convention this weekend, featuring George R. R. Martin. i was looking around at the website this afternoon and noticed a club called Bronies Anonymous for Magical Friendships, or BAMF. Rock on, TAMU.
Also, the singer Janis Joplin had two tattoos (and another article regarding the wrist one here). Apparently, she was one of the first tattooed celebrities.
Friday, March 22, 2013
cookie cutters, justin timberlake and cary grant
Rather astonishing pop culture cookie cutters (no, seriously), courtesy of LZ, who purchased the Picard face-palm ones to make lab-meeting cookies.
Some Jimmy Gold... the History of Rap part 4. Also a Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake joint venture, a rather astonishing barbershop quartet version of SexyBack. (Regarding barbershop quartet origins.. " In the last half of the 19th century, U.S. barbershops often served as community centers – a place where most men would gather. Barbershop quartets originated with African American men socializing in barbershops; they would harmonize while waiting their turn, vocalizing in spirituals, folk songs and popular songs. This generated a new style, consisting of unaccompanied, four-part, close-harmony singing. ".) Since we're on the subject of Mr. Timberlake, he's got a new album out, the first in 6 years, and as such has been making the media rounds to promote it. Apparently, Tom Ford has designed his new wardrobe, and such has garnered much hype, including several comparisons to Cary Grant. Cray Grant's own style was a self-invention, rather interestingly. Also, something i did not know was that there were rumors of a romantic relationship with longtime roommate Randolph Scott, another actor know particularly for westerns. All of the women present in both Grant's and Scott's lives denied these rumors, and clipped from Scott's wiki article, "According to biographer Robert Nott, "They lived together on and off for about ten years, because they were friends and wanted to save on living expenses (they were both considered to be notorious tightwads)."".
Courtesy of my labbie Ryan, this what-should-we-call-grad-school that's a little applicable...
Some Jimmy Gold... the History of Rap part 4. Also a Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake joint venture, a rather astonishing barbershop quartet version of SexyBack. (Regarding barbershop quartet origins.. " In the last half of the 19th century, U.S. barbershops often served as community centers – a place where most men would gather. Barbershop quartets originated with African American men socializing in barbershops; they would harmonize while waiting their turn, vocalizing in spirituals, folk songs and popular songs. This generated a new style, consisting of unaccompanied, four-part, close-harmony singing. ".) Since we're on the subject of Mr. Timberlake, he's got a new album out, the first in 6 years, and as such has been making the media rounds to promote it. Apparently, Tom Ford has designed his new wardrobe, and such has garnered much hype, including several comparisons to Cary Grant. Cray Grant's own style was a self-invention, rather interestingly. Also, something i did not know was that there were rumors of a romantic relationship with longtime roommate Randolph Scott, another actor know particularly for westerns. All of the women present in both Grant's and Scott's lives denied these rumors, and clipped from Scott's wiki article, "According to biographer Robert Nott, "They lived together on and off for about ten years, because they were friends and wanted to save on living expenses (they were both considered to be notorious tightwads)."".
Courtesy of my labbie Ryan, this what-should-we-call-grad-school that's a little applicable...
Monday, March 18, 2013
corned beef, guiness, priest salaries, etc.
Yesterday was the Feast of St. Patrick, and my cohort had a get-together. Holly made corned beef, which is apparently more of an Irish-American thing than a traditional Irish dish (it was made and exported from Ireland, but too prohibitively expensive for most to eat there) . The 'corned' part refers to the old English for 'corns' or grains of salt, used during the salt-curing process. A question last night was 'why is it so red?' to which i yelled, repeated, Nitrates!. Double-checking myself, sodium nitrate, one of the chemicals referred to as saltpeter, is added during the curing process and binds to the meat's hemoglobin and forms a stable, red-colored complex. Tyler, being awesome, earned himself a(n additional) Guiness at the local liquor store by belting the Irish classic Danny Boy (he did own up that the words were present). i'm super happy that he did this; i only know the first line ('Oh, Danny Boy/ the pipes, the pipes are calling'), and would have probably sounded like these Muppets.
Curiously, the old Guiness slogan was "Guiness is good for you!", and it might be (Should i feel a little pride that that study is out of UW? i do, actually.) And, because it does contain a small amount of iron, it might have be recommended at one point for pregnant women: this probably isn't the best idea.
This is an interesting article detailing the use of the word 'junk' in relation to food (the arc being old, damaged rope was called junk; Sailors referred to salted, tough meat as junk, and... there ya go.)
There was a brief discussion regarding the new Pope. It was inquired as to whether priests are provided with a pension. Yes, they are. Catholic priests in the US make the least amount of pretty much any clergy, apparently, but are given room/board, healthcare, transportation monies, and funds for job-related expenses like subscriptions, books and conferences paid for. Also, education is expensive, and their education is paid for by the Church. Rup, an article directly regarding the Pope Emeritus' retirement package can be found here. And the question of regnal names came up (the name change the pope makes), so the wiki-article is here; "The custom of choosing a new name began in AD 533 with the election of Mercurius. Mercurius had been named after the Roman god Mercury, and decided that it would not be appropriate for a pope to be named after a Roman god. Mercurius subsequently decreed that he would be known as John II. ". Since we're on the subject, there was probably not a female pope (Pope Joan), and there are antipopes, or figures/groups outside of the Church who feel that they have a rival claim.
Argo was actually really excellent. Was the line 'Argo f*ck yourself' real? Apparently so.
Curiously, the old Guiness slogan was "Guiness is good for you!", and it might be (Should i feel a little pride that that study is out of UW? i do, actually.) And, because it does contain a small amount of iron, it might have be recommended at one point for pregnant women: this probably isn't the best idea.
This is an interesting article detailing the use of the word 'junk' in relation to food (the arc being old, damaged rope was called junk; Sailors referred to salted, tough meat as junk, and... there ya go.)
There was a brief discussion regarding the new Pope. It was inquired as to whether priests are provided with a pension. Yes, they are. Catholic priests in the US make the least amount of pretty much any clergy, apparently, but are given room/board, healthcare, transportation monies, and funds for job-related expenses like subscriptions, books and conferences paid for. Also, education is expensive, and their education is paid for by the Church. Rup, an article directly regarding the Pope Emeritus' retirement package can be found here. And the question of regnal names came up (the name change the pope makes), so the wiki-article is here; "The custom of choosing a new name began in AD 533 with the election of Mercurius. Mercurius had been named after the Roman god Mercury, and decided that it would not be appropriate for a pope to be named after a Roman god. Mercurius subsequently decreed that he would be known as John II. ". Since we're on the subject, there was probably not a female pope (Pope Joan), and there are antipopes, or figures/groups outside of the Church who feel that they have a rival claim.
Argo was actually really excellent. Was the line 'Argo f*ck yourself' real? Apparently so.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
popes, blood cells, motivational running posters
Curious sidenote; i've been far more interested in the papal election than in any presidential, etc. election. This has been discussed with my father ("What, you were worried they wouldn't find anyone?") and a labmate or two ('Well, with presidential elections, you know it's either going to be one choice or the other...'). i think my favorite article about the conclave was a historical perspective put up by the Vatican news radio page, notably: "So in 1254 he called a council of the Church at Lyon and this Council determined the rules for councils at future elections. Cardinals were to enter the conclave on the tenth day after the death of the late pope. They were to live in a dormitory with no partitions between the beds. Curtains between beds were not introduced until 1351 as a matter of fact. There was to be no written or verbal communication with the outside world and if no election was made within three days after entering the conclave the cardinals were to receive only one meal a day from outside. And if after a total of eight days they had still not reached a decision they were to receive only bread and water. The first conclave under the new rules took place in 1276."
My labbie Ryan got a text that white smoke was seen over the Vatican (quick overview; all 115 of the Church's cardinals get together in the Sistine Chapel for two sessions a day, at the conclusion of which they vote. 2/3's vote carries the papacy. The ballots are then burned, and the resultant smoke emitted over the roof.. If the vote did not elect a pope, the smoke is black. If a pope was elected, the smoke is white; it's a nice immediate marker for the populace gathered, as the conclave is done in isolation), and immediately we took to livestreaming the events happening in St. Peter's Square, and the eventual "Habemus Papam" announcement. (Also, technology is AWESOME.) So, Pope Francis is from Argentina of Italian descent, holds the degree of a chemical technician, is a Jesuit, likes soccer and to tango and 76. An article i read today recounted that at dinner with the cardinals after the announcement, “He toasted us and he simply said, ‘May God forgive you,’ which brought the house down,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said." i can appreciate a pope with a sense of humor.
Holly, i'm pretty sure you've seen this, but here's an Arrested Development/Papal smashup tumblr.
Also, today we discussed whether or not giving blood would be an effective means of weight loss (not just from the volume, as it's only a small amount, but more from the metabolism generated by having to replace red blood cells). The real question was, does the body immediately replace those cells, or are they replaced over the next 8 weeks? i googled around, and the answer is that the body DOES gear up to replace them: peritubular-associated cells in the kidneys sense the decrease in oxygen levels in the blood due to red blood cell loss, produce the cytokine erythropoietin (yes, THAT erythropoietin) which stimulates red blood cell (erythrocyte) production in the bone marrow (there seems to be a 5-ish day lag). Studies have been done regarding replacement of total hemoglobin (tHb); "RESULTS: After donation of approximately 550 mL of whole blood, the lost amount of tHb of 75 ± 15 g (8.8 ± 1.9%) was recovered after a mean of 36 ± 11 days (range, 20-59 days)."
For funsies, Runner's World has some pretty entertaining motivational posters (Brandon linked a sampling found here, but a total grouping can be found on the RW site). Also, the Hey Runner Girl meme site updated about 2 weeks ago.
My labbie Ryan got a text that white smoke was seen over the Vatican (quick overview; all 115 of the Church's cardinals get together in the Sistine Chapel for two sessions a day, at the conclusion of which they vote. 2/3's vote carries the papacy. The ballots are then burned, and the resultant smoke emitted over the roof.. If the vote did not elect a pope, the smoke is black. If a pope was elected, the smoke is white; it's a nice immediate marker for the populace gathered, as the conclave is done in isolation), and immediately we took to livestreaming the events happening in St. Peter's Square, and the eventual "Habemus Papam" announcement. (Also, technology is AWESOME.) So, Pope Francis is from Argentina of Italian descent, holds the degree of a chemical technician, is a Jesuit, likes soccer and to tango and 76. An article i read today recounted that at dinner with the cardinals after the announcement, “He toasted us and he simply said, ‘May God forgive you,’ which brought the house down,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said." i can appreciate a pope with a sense of humor.
Holly, i'm pretty sure you've seen this, but here's an Arrested Development/Papal smashup tumblr.
Also, today we discussed whether or not giving blood would be an effective means of weight loss (not just from the volume, as it's only a small amount, but more from the metabolism generated by having to replace red blood cells). The real question was, does the body immediately replace those cells, or are they replaced over the next 8 weeks? i googled around, and the answer is that the body DOES gear up to replace them: peritubular-associated cells in the kidneys sense the decrease in oxygen levels in the blood due to red blood cell loss, produce the cytokine erythropoietin (yes, THAT erythropoietin) which stimulates red blood cell (erythrocyte) production in the bone marrow (there seems to be a 5-ish day lag). Studies have been done regarding replacement of total hemoglobin (tHb); "RESULTS: After donation of approximately 550 mL of whole blood, the lost amount of tHb of 75 ± 15 g (8.8 ± 1.9%) was recovered after a mean of 36 ± 11 days (range, 20-59 days)."
For funsies, Runner's World has some pretty entertaining motivational posters (Brandon linked a sampling found here, but a total grouping can be found on the RW site). Also, the Hey Runner Girl meme site updated about 2 weeks ago.
Friday, March 8, 2013
international women's day, buffalo, capes
Today is International Women's Day. My undergrad congratulated me this morning; indeed, congratulations to all the women reading this. My FB has been filled with various related items, but my favorite would be the quote appearing on the Field Museum t. rex Sue's FB page, "I have no dress except the one I wear every
day. If you are going to be kind enough to give me one, please let it be
practical and dark so that I can put it on afterwards to go to the
laboratory." -Marie Curie
A BBC article regarding candidates for the papacy here.
In a recent conversation with a friend, the term 'to buffalo someone' came up. It means to trick someone about something. i speculated as to the origin of the term (likening it to a wolf in sheep's clothing) but i was totally wrong: according to this article, " As white settlers moved west, they began to hunt the animal for skins to sell in eastern markets.
The Sartorialist posted this picture today, of a man in a cape. i linked it to Holly, who immediately returned this Seinfeld clip. We attempted to come up with captions:
A BBC article regarding candidates for the papacy here.
In a recent conversation with a friend, the term 'to buffalo someone' came up. It means to trick someone about something. i speculated as to the origin of the term (likening it to a wolf in sheep's clothing) but i was totally wrong: according to this article, " As white settlers moved west, they began to hunt the animal for skins to sell in eastern markets.
The
American buffalo could run at the speed of almost seventy-five kilometers an
hour. It was not easy to get close
enough to them to shoot.
Sometimes
the hunters were completely unsuccessful in killing any of the animals. They were "buffaloed" by these powerful,
speedy creatures who were so hard to control.
The expression "to buffalo" soon became part of the speech of the
American west. It meant to make someone
helpless, to trick them. In the early nineteen
hundreds, a story about attacks on white settlers moving into Indian territory
explained, "The Sioux had the wagon-train surrounded and the soldiers
buffaloed." "
The search for the origin also kicked up this rather amazing wikipedia article: Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
The Sartorialist posted this picture today, of a man in a cape. i linked it to Holly, who immediately returned this Seinfeld clip. We attempted to come up with captions:
me: "Despite retirement, the super villain still retained vestiges of his former wardrobe."
Holly: though he could not fly, David liked the public to believe he could
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Reubens, pretzels, tropical storm names
In case you missed it, more Jimmy gold: the evolution of the 'Mom dance'.
Babcock Dairy store has a Reuben sandwich special this week. Reubens are the pretty much the only instance where i actually like swiss cheese and Russian or thousand island salad dressing, so i was pleased to be included in a lunch meeting with Holly, Rup, Bryan and these sandwiches (and hey, we talked about Bryan's project, so it was actually on the level). The topic came up as to the unique name of Reubens; were they named for someone? Googled it, and the answer is that there are two claims. One involves an Earl-of-Sandwich-esque scenario, where a guy in 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska named Reuben Kulakofsky was playing poker with some buddies, got hungry, and came up with the sandwich. One of his buddies owned a hotel, and liked the sandwich enough to put it on the menu there. (i like this version.) The other version regards Arnold Reuben, owner of Rueben's Delicatessen in New York, and the story is that he came up with a sandwich to cheer up a theater lady named Anna Selos, who claimed it was the best sandwich she'd ever eaten, so he put it on the menu as a Reuben special. Wikipedia reports a lot of variations, including one made with fish (Grouper).
A second topic of conversation involved the origins of pretzels. i'd looked this up once, and it was that monks made them, to look like folded hands, as treats for kids. Curiously, at the time of re-googling it, the wiki entry currently reads " There are numerous accounts on the origin of the looped pretzels, as well as the origin of the name; most agree that they have Christian backgrounds and were invented by Karoushtefor Stark. According to The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, in 610 AD "...Karoushtefor invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn all of the lines from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ("little rewards")". However, no source is cited to back up these details. " Perfect.
The NYTimes recently posted an article regarding barefoot-running related-injuries.
Every month or so, a group of us has breakfast together, and i usually send out the announcement emails. To keep things interesting, i try to include some sort of random information, and the recent email included the notice that Madison was under winter storm warning for a storm called Saturn. The question came, who names these things? Apparently the Weather Channel has decided to name seriously disruptive winter storms in a semi-nerdy manner, to the chagrin of a few meteorologists. The meteorologists are taking the tact that only hurricanes/tropical storms get names, and naming other storms will only confuse the general public. i personally doubt this due to timing and location; a hurricane will never hit Wisconsin, particularly in winter. However, the Weather Channel admits that the first named storm spiked traffic to their website, and so subsequent namings might be viewed as a publicity stunt. An additional cool random fact is that tropical storm names are recycled every 6 years, retiring them only when the storm was a particularly deadly/costly one.
Babcock Dairy store has a Reuben sandwich special this week. Reubens are the pretty much the only instance where i actually like swiss cheese and Russian or thousand island salad dressing, so i was pleased to be included in a lunch meeting with Holly, Rup, Bryan and these sandwiches (and hey, we talked about Bryan's project, so it was actually on the level). The topic came up as to the unique name of Reubens; were they named for someone? Googled it, and the answer is that there are two claims. One involves an Earl-of-Sandwich-esque scenario, where a guy in 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska named Reuben Kulakofsky was playing poker with some buddies, got hungry, and came up with the sandwich. One of his buddies owned a hotel, and liked the sandwich enough to put it on the menu there. (i like this version.) The other version regards Arnold Reuben, owner of Rueben's Delicatessen in New York, and the story is that he came up with a sandwich to cheer up a theater lady named Anna Selos, who claimed it was the best sandwich she'd ever eaten, so he put it on the menu as a Reuben special. Wikipedia reports a lot of variations, including one made with fish (Grouper).
A second topic of conversation involved the origins of pretzels. i'd looked this up once, and it was that monks made them, to look like folded hands, as treats for kids. Curiously, at the time of re-googling it, the wiki entry currently reads " There are numerous accounts on the origin of the looped pretzels, as well as the origin of the name; most agree that they have Christian backgrounds and were invented by Karoushtefor Stark. According to The History of Science and Technology, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, in 610 AD "...Karoushtefor invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn all of the lines from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' ("little rewards")". However, no source is cited to back up these details. " Perfect.
The NYTimes recently posted an article regarding barefoot-running related-injuries.
Every month or so, a group of us has breakfast together, and i usually send out the announcement emails. To keep things interesting, i try to include some sort of random information, and the recent email included the notice that Madison was under winter storm warning for a storm called Saturn. The question came, who names these things? Apparently the Weather Channel has decided to name seriously disruptive winter storms in a semi-nerdy manner, to the chagrin of a few meteorologists. The meteorologists are taking the tact that only hurricanes/tropical storms get names, and naming other storms will only confuse the general public. i personally doubt this due to timing and location; a hurricane will never hit Wisconsin, particularly in winter. However, the Weather Channel admits that the first named storm spiked traffic to their website, and so subsequent namings might be viewed as a publicity stunt. An additional cool random fact is that tropical storm names are recycled every 6 years, retiring them only when the storm was a particularly deadly/costly one.
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