There doesn't seem to be much of a distinction made between the terms 'thesis' ("a proposition stated or put forward for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or to be maintained against objections" ) and 'dissertation' ("a written essay, treatise, or thesis, especially one written by a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy."). Even wikipedia isn't much help here: "A thesis or dissertation is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings. In some contexts, the word "thesis" or a cognate is used for part of a bachelor's or master's course, while "dissertation" is normally applied to a doctorate, while in other contexts, the reverse is true", though it notes that in the US, at least, a thesis generally refers to a MS and a dissertation refers to a PhD.
Had a bit of a debate with a (male) friend about the thickness of human dermal tissue as related to being male or female (ie, whether men are literally thicker-skinned). Turns out, he was correct, at least in mice: " In fact, the major difference is that the dermis in the male is much
thicker than in the female whereas the epidermis and hypodermis are
thicker in the female, thus resulting in total skin that is 40% thicker
in the male ", somewhat attributed to the effects of the hormone androgen. Dermis refers to basal, inner layer of skin cells, and epidermis is the outermost layer (see here).
We were sitting around a reading the other night when Patricia noted in a magazine article about the Zimbabwe dollar inflation at 79.6 billion percent in mid-Novermber of 2008. This was met with googling, to determine if that was indeed the case -turns out, yes. Further, from the Zimbabwean dollar wiki article, "In the Guardian,
on 18 July 2008, a report on Zimbabwe's inflation, said that an egg
costs Z$50 billion (GBP 0.17, USD 0.32), and it showed adverts for
prizes of Z$100 trillion in a Zimbabwean derby and Z$1.2 quadrillion ($1,200,000,000,000,000.00: approx. £2,100; $4,200) in a lottery.". As of 2009, the currency was devalued, and Zimbabwe now employs foreign currency, including US and Australian dollars, South African Rand, UK pounds sterling, Botswana pula, Indian Rupee, euro, Chinese yuan and Japanese yen.
Having noted on several occasions the simplistic language used in most top 40 hits, i was happy to see this recent study concerning working vocabularies of musicians. It looked at the 100 most lyric-dense songs of 93 musicians. Unsurprisingly, hip-hop artists and rappers top the list, with Eminem having a vocabulary of 8818 words, followed by JayZ at 6899 words. As far as non-rap goes. Bob Dylan came in at 4883 words. On the opposite end was Kenny G, with 809 words.
Apparently, the Queen of England was a notable breeder of Corgi dogs.
i was hanging out at the Farmers' Market a few weeks ago when fierce chickens came up in conversation. i referenced the Russian folk tale figure Baba Yaga and her chicken-legged house. In short, old world fairy tales are terrifying.
A friend recently linked this Madison police report of someone being arrested for slapping a police horse (also featuring Madison's tradition of 'Hippie Christmas'). Why would a person ever think that would end well? Other things the probably won't end well: here is a petapixel article titled "This new shotgun shell is for shooting down drones", and includes the note, "As you might expect, this new ammo is generating quite a bit of controversy. Over atAmmoLand, which published the press release, many commenters are pointing out that it’s a felony to shoot down drones, even if it’s hovering over your property". Yikes.
This NYTimes article covers known health risks of sugar versus artificial sweeteners. In short, sugar fuels lots of maladies including the obesity epidemic, but there aren't a lot of known caveats to using artificial sweeteners outside of phenylketonuria. The questions seem to arise when studies are based on various rat and mouse models, which are predisposed to things like bladder cancer and some correlative-but-not-causitive cases with brain tumors.
Was reading an article a little while ago that used the word 'cattycorner' (meaning something in a diagonal), when i mentally noted what a strange word it is, and wondered over the difference between it and 'kittycorner'. Looking into it, these are regional dialects for the word 'catercorner', the origins of which have been lost to time but much speculated upon. From the wikitionary, " cater- + corner, where cater- is of disputed origin. Liberman argues that this is a prefix meaning “crooked, angled, clumsy”, of North Germanic origin; compare cater-cousin. The verb cater (“move diagonally, place diagonally, cut diagonally”) is attested from 1577 (Liberman proposes this as a backformation from cater-), and in 19th century Lancashire dialect, cater-cornered refers both to stone blocks that are out of square, and people who walk twisted (with one side in front of the other), especially if partially paralyzed. Further awkward and clumsy are of Scandinavian origin, and Old Irish cittach (“left-handed, awkward”) is cognate to cater-words, also suggesting a Scandinavian origin. ". Also of interest is this article which further describes cat-derived words, including cattywompus (when something is crooked, etc).
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
cycling stuff, white espresso, Spinsters, ducklings
This video, comprised of 90 one-second clips taken on as many consecutive days by a National Geographics photographer, is fascinating.
The Tour De France is ongoing, and i've been enjoying following it along with the family T. We were watching it the other night, and i mentioned that i am particularly appreciative of the commentary by retired supercyclist Jens Voigt (previously mentioned here) when Kelly AT asked if i follow his twitter feed. Looking more into that, i stumbled over another (fantastic) feed, JensVoigtFacts, which tweets blurbs (for example, "Jens Voigt expected to lap himself during#HourRecord attempt, first rider to ever finish before he started. #jensvoigtfacts. ") similar to those memes occasionally for Chuck Norris. i don't really understand Chuck Norris fandom, but can completely get behind the Jens one.
Also in cycling news, apparently Lance Armstrong has recently referred to himself as the Lord Voldemort of cycling - " “I’m that guy everybody wants to pretend never lived,” he says. “But it happened, everything happened. We know what happened. Now it’s swung so far the other way... who’s that character in Harry Potter they can’t talk about? Voldemort? It’s like that on every level. If you watch the Tour on American TV, if you read about it, it’s as if you can’t mention him.” " Oh, dear.
Grabbing coffee the other morning, we noticed 'white espresso' listed on the menu. Looking further into this, it refers to the darkness of the roast, in this case, " The general consensus is that it is seriously under roasted coffee. " from here.
The source of human/animal tissues to use in scientific research can be a very sticky topic, but i came across this equal-parts-sad-and-inspiring article about an infant who died 6 days after birth due to anencephaly, and whose family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. These have gone to be used in various studies (at Harvard, Duke, and Penn) and his mother takes comfort in this; " "The way I see it," Sarah Gray said, "our son got into Harvard, Duke, and Penn. He has a job. He is relevant to the world." ". Yes.
As i AM a spinster, i found this satirical article mostly applicable, particularly " Q: What if I want to attract a Spinster? Are there ways I can make my home or workplace more inviting for her?
A: The best way to attract a Spinster is to seek her assistance. Successful strategies have included: asking a Spinster to help you check the air in your car’s tires, telling a Spinster that your pet seems down and you’d love it if she would take a look, mentioning that you read Rebecca Solnit’s latest book and you don’t quite get it but you want to, and explaining that you need help navigating Etsy. Make sure to clarify that there’s “no pressure” to stop by but that you are planning on making chocolate-chip cookies ". Chocolate chip cookies are always a win.
"Health Goth" apparently refers to Goths who work out. That's good, though it has hit mainstream, since i saw the term reported by HuffPost.
In other news, the CDC bids that you don't cuddle with your chickens. Despite this;
The Tour De France is ongoing, and i've been enjoying following it along with the family T. We were watching it the other night, and i mentioned that i am particularly appreciative of the commentary by retired supercyclist Jens Voigt (previously mentioned here) when Kelly AT asked if i follow his twitter feed. Looking more into that, i stumbled over another (fantastic) feed, JensVoigtFacts, which tweets blurbs (for example, "Jens Voigt expected to lap himself during
Also in cycling news, apparently Lance Armstrong has recently referred to himself as the Lord Voldemort of cycling - " “I’m that guy everybody wants to pretend never lived,” he says. “But it happened, everything happened. We know what happened. Now it’s swung so far the other way... who’s that character in Harry Potter they can’t talk about? Voldemort? It’s like that on every level. If you watch the Tour on American TV, if you read about it, it’s as if you can’t mention him.” " Oh, dear.
Grabbing coffee the other morning, we noticed 'white espresso' listed on the menu. Looking further into this, it refers to the darkness of the roast, in this case, " The general consensus is that it is seriously under roasted coffee. " from here.
The source of human/animal tissues to use in scientific research can be a very sticky topic, but i came across this equal-parts-sad-and-inspiring article about an infant who died 6 days after birth due to anencephaly, and whose family made the difficult decision to donate his organs. These have gone to be used in various studies (at Harvard, Duke, and Penn) and his mother takes comfort in this; " "The way I see it," Sarah Gray said, "our son got into Harvard, Duke, and Penn. He has a job. He is relevant to the world." ". Yes.
As i AM a spinster, i found this satirical article mostly applicable, particularly " Q: What if I want to attract a Spinster? Are there ways I can make my home or workplace more inviting for her?
A: The best way to attract a Spinster is to seek her assistance. Successful strategies have included: asking a Spinster to help you check the air in your car’s tires, telling a Spinster that your pet seems down and you’d love it if she would take a look, mentioning that you read Rebecca Solnit’s latest book and you don’t quite get it but you want to, and explaining that you need help navigating Etsy. Make sure to clarify that there’s “no pressure” to stop by but that you are planning on making chocolate-chip cookies ". Chocolate chip cookies are always a win.
"Health Goth" apparently refers to Goths who work out. That's good, though it has hit mainstream, since i saw the term reported by HuffPost.
In other news, the CDC bids that you don't cuddle with your chickens. Despite this;
Bryan: i did not
now i have
cute, not sure i understand owning a duck though
me: it's a rescue duckling?
and, they can be pretty fierce guards
Bryan: all legitimate reasons to own a duck i suppose
i don't think i ever will though
totes adorbs
adorbs-er
me: i dunno
me: they ARE cute. i don't know if they're more adorbs than ducklings, though
Bryan: well, to each our own i suppose
me: (nods) Attack ducks, though. Can you imagine the confusion?
Bryan: indeed
Friday, July 3, 2015
firework planar explosions, j-setting, 99 44/100, seedless watermelons
Here is a link to a craiglisting for a dinosaur-shaped bicycle.
Been watching a lot of fireworks lately, 'tis the season, and a discussion came up the other night regarding the plane of firework explosions, to wit, "how does it always look like they're coming toward you?" As was posited during the discussion, it's an optical illusion based on the fact that most fireworks are (sometimes directed) explosions expanding from a single point, but your brain interprets the bits going away from you as just smaller/more distant. This can be nicely visualized by flying a drone into a fireworks show. And bonus, here's a great website that explains how fireworks are constructed.
The NYTimes featured an article yesterday about a group in Mobile, Alabama (the Prancing Elites) who do something called j-setting. This is a sort of linedance originating in the 70s with the dance troupe, the Jaycettes (now, the J-settes), at Jackson State University. Fascinatingly, Beyonce's Single Ladies music video (and Diva video) follow this dance style, as inspired by a Bob Fosse-choreography called 'Mexican Breakfast' as well as traditional j-setting.
Despite having not heard it for several years, i had the old Ronnie Milsap song 'Pure Love' stuck in my head this week, featuring the line "99 and 44/100ths percent pure love" in the chorus. Because that is a very specific and catchy number (literally), i looked into it. Turns out, Ivory soap was marketed with a slogan featuring that same number, " The product's other well-known slogan, "9944⁄100% Pure" (in use by 1895), was based on the results of an analysis by an independent laboratory the founder's son, Harley Procter, hired to demonstrate that Ivory was purer than the Castile soap then available. ".
Seedless watermelons are a thing. These can be produced two different ways, either by specifically breeding them to be seedless hybrids, akin to a mule (here, a diploid plant is crossed with a tetraploid plant, winding up with a plant that is triploid and unable to produce seeds), or by treatment of young plants with the chemical colchicine, which comes from crocuses, " Colchicine acts by disrupting cell plate formation during cellular division, so that as a plant cell divides into two cells it does not split. This produces a single cell with a doubled nucleus having twice the chromosome number. A plant with the chromosome number so increased by some multiple is known as a polyploid. Do not think of this as a corruption of nature. Polyploidy is a common natural occurrence, resulting from accidents in cell division. About half of all flowering plants have had origins in polyploidy ". i really like that the article makes that last point clear.
Been watching a lot of fireworks lately, 'tis the season, and a discussion came up the other night regarding the plane of firework explosions, to wit, "how does it always look like they're coming toward you?" As was posited during the discussion, it's an optical illusion based on the fact that most fireworks are (sometimes directed) explosions expanding from a single point, but your brain interprets the bits going away from you as just smaller/more distant. This can be nicely visualized by flying a drone into a fireworks show. And bonus, here's a great website that explains how fireworks are constructed.
The NYTimes featured an article yesterday about a group in Mobile, Alabama (the Prancing Elites) who do something called j-setting. This is a sort of linedance originating in the 70s with the dance troupe, the Jaycettes (now, the J-settes), at Jackson State University. Fascinatingly, Beyonce's Single Ladies music video (and Diva video) follow this dance style, as inspired by a Bob Fosse-choreography called 'Mexican Breakfast' as well as traditional j-setting.
Despite having not heard it for several years, i had the old Ronnie Milsap song 'Pure Love' stuck in my head this week, featuring the line "99 and 44/100ths percent pure love" in the chorus. Because that is a very specific and catchy number (literally), i looked into it. Turns out, Ivory soap was marketed with a slogan featuring that same number, " The product's other well-known slogan, "9944⁄100% Pure" (in use by 1895), was based on the results of an analysis by an independent laboratory the founder's son, Harley Procter, hired to demonstrate that Ivory was purer than the Castile soap then available. ".
Seedless watermelons are a thing. These can be produced two different ways, either by specifically breeding them to be seedless hybrids, akin to a mule (here, a diploid plant is crossed with a tetraploid plant, winding up with a plant that is triploid and unable to produce seeds), or by treatment of young plants with the chemical colchicine, which comes from crocuses, " Colchicine acts by disrupting cell plate formation during cellular division, so that as a plant cell divides into two cells it does not split. This produces a single cell with a doubled nucleus having twice the chromosome number. A plant with the chromosome number so increased by some multiple is known as a polyploid. Do not think of this as a corruption of nature. Polyploidy is a common natural occurrence, resulting from accidents in cell division. About half of all flowering plants have had origins in polyploidy ". i really like that the article makes that last point clear.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
news interns and DOMA, a lot about pizza world records, deviled eggs, NBA mouthgaurds, inklings, MN and FL town names, caffinated undergarments
These past few days have been historic regarding Supreme Court decisions
and various civil rights, particularly that stating that marriage is a
Constitutional right for all couples, regardless of sexual orientation,
and this article notes
that news interns have to deliver notices on foot 3000 feet to their respective
network anchors in the press pen (as cellphones, etc, are banned in court chambers). My
favorite celebratory bit regarding that decision is this tweet from a Jill Biden parody twitter account, " Joe is running through the halls with a rainbow flagged tied on like a cape high fiving everyone. ". Congrats, America!
James sent me a link last week of the Guinness world-recording breaking 'longest pizza' made in Italy for Milan's expo 2015 world's fair. Wishing to know more, i backtracked the story to find a video of the cobbled-together-5-pizza-ovens, which baked the nearly mile-long pizza in 18 hours (or 3 minutes per meter). As the official Guinness site states, " Made using 1.5 tonnes of mozzarella cheese and two tonnes of tomato sauce, the pizza weighed in at 5 tons and was made in 18 hours by over 60 chefs. Over 35,000 slices were cut for visitors to the Expo. Over three hundred metres of pizza were given to the foodbank Banco Alimentare to be redistribueted to charitable organizations that assist the poor and the needy. ", and that it's also the 126th anniversary of the first margharita pizza " in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito of the Brandi pizzeria in the grand Bourbon palace in Naples in southern Italy – a summer residence for the kings of the Two Sicilies – for Queen Regina Margherita. ", as reported here. However, other pizza-related records remain, including world's largest pizza, from South Africa, at " The largest pizza ever baked weighed 12.19 tonnes (26,883 lb) and was made at Norwood Hypermarket, Norwood, South Africa on 8 December 1990. The pizza measured 37.4m (122ft 8in)in diameter. ", and the world's largest pizza delivery, " organised by Pizzas 4 Patriots (USA), who sent 30,000 pizzas with DHL Express to the United States Armed Forces, in Kandahar Airfield, Bagram Airbase and Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on 4 July 2012. The 12 inch pizzas were made by Great Kitchens, Inc. in Illinois and the delivery started on 21 June 2012.". A few more pizza facts can be found here.
Since we're on the subject of taking food too far, Ryan asked about deviled eggs, to which i responded with the Pioneer Woman recipe (given that she's a fairly straightforward cook). That touched off a e-discussion regarding how this particular dish probably dates back to ancient Rome, and the alternate name 'eggs mimosa'.
The NBA Championship occurred since i posted last, between the Cleveland Cavaliers/LeBron James and the Oakland Golden State Warriors, with the Warriors prevailing 105-97. One of the Warriors players, Stephen Curry, was noted by the media to have the nervous 'tell' of gnawing on his mouthgaurd, and this was reported in the NYTimes in hilarious fashion, " The clear plastic U, like a tiny snorkel, curves up toward the rafters from the side of his mouth. After he makes a field goal, it tends to pop out of place, protruding just past his lips, like terrible dentures. When the field goal is very, very nice, the denture effect becomes more pronounced, to the point that it starts to resemble a second, retractile mouth, tucked within the larger one; I think of “Alien.” (Generally, the farther Curry’s mouth guard ventures from his teeth, the greater his disbelief is at what just happened. Amazing plays, like awful calls, can prompt him to pull it out, and even to throw it.) ". That article goes on to cite this also hilarious older Grantland article that joking defined Cavaliers player Matthew Dellavedova's last name as " “the teeth of the leopard,” maybe ". The levity is appreciated.
This listing is most comprehensive Briggs-Myer personality types pop culture/literature-comparison i've come across yet (and throwback to a former post about Briggs-Myers personality types here)
i have learned in the last week that there is a town in Minnesota called Castle Danger (of which wikipedia states, " The exact origin of the name is unknown, although it might have come from the cliffs on the shore resembling a castle; from a boat named Castle that grounded here;[2] or from the Walter Scott novel Castle Dangerous (1831)"), and a town in Florida called Yeehaw Junction (from wikipedia, " According to town historians and several original newspaper articles that are displayed at the Desert Inn and Restaurant, the town was originally named "Jackass Junction" or "Jackass Crossing". This name was given to the four-corner site back in the early 1930s, when local ranchers rode on burros to visit the Desert Inn (then the local brothel). As the 1950s approached, the Florida legislature felt that a name change was due in light of the construction of Florida's Turnpike through the center of the community in 1957, resulting in renaming the town to its present-day name ".)
Last week, i used the phrase 'i don't have any inkling', which made me curious about the origins of that phrase. Turns out, a 'ninkling' was a 13th century word for the indistinct hearing of one's own name, and to not have an (n)inkling would be to have no idea that someone was trying to get your attention.
And this:
James sent me a link last week of the Guinness world-recording breaking 'longest pizza' made in Italy for Milan's expo 2015 world's fair. Wishing to know more, i backtracked the story to find a video of the cobbled-together-5-pizza-ovens, which baked the nearly mile-long pizza in 18 hours (or 3 minutes per meter). As the official Guinness site states, " Made using 1.5 tonnes of mozzarella cheese and two tonnes of tomato sauce, the pizza weighed in at 5 tons and was made in 18 hours by over 60 chefs. Over 35,000 slices were cut for visitors to the Expo. Over three hundred metres of pizza were given to the foodbank Banco Alimentare to be redistribueted to charitable organizations that assist the poor and the needy. ", and that it's also the 126th anniversary of the first margharita pizza " in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito of the Brandi pizzeria in the grand Bourbon palace in Naples in southern Italy – a summer residence for the kings of the Two Sicilies – for Queen Regina Margherita. ", as reported here. However, other pizza-related records remain, including world's largest pizza, from South Africa, at " The largest pizza ever baked weighed 12.19 tonnes (26,883 lb) and was made at Norwood Hypermarket, Norwood, South Africa on 8 December 1990. The pizza measured 37.4m (122ft 8in)in diameter. ", and the world's largest pizza delivery, " organised by Pizzas 4 Patriots (USA), who sent 30,000 pizzas with DHL Express to the United States Armed Forces, in Kandahar Airfield, Bagram Airbase and Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, on 4 July 2012. The 12 inch pizzas were made by Great Kitchens, Inc. in Illinois and the delivery started on 21 June 2012.". A few more pizza facts can be found here.
Since we're on the subject of taking food too far, Ryan asked about deviled eggs, to which i responded with the Pioneer Woman recipe (given that she's a fairly straightforward cook). That touched off a e-discussion regarding how this particular dish probably dates back to ancient Rome, and the alternate name 'eggs mimosa'.
Ryan: and apparently mimosa translates roughly to "full of farce"
which may come from the fact that plants of said genus are sensitive to touch (like venus fly traps etc), though no info on where the name for the drink comes
The NBA Championship occurred since i posted last, between the Cleveland Cavaliers/LeBron James and the Oakland Golden State Warriors, with the Warriors prevailing 105-97. One of the Warriors players, Stephen Curry, was noted by the media to have the nervous 'tell' of gnawing on his mouthgaurd, and this was reported in the NYTimes in hilarious fashion, " The clear plastic U, like a tiny snorkel, curves up toward the rafters from the side of his mouth. After he makes a field goal, it tends to pop out of place, protruding just past his lips, like terrible dentures. When the field goal is very, very nice, the denture effect becomes more pronounced, to the point that it starts to resemble a second, retractile mouth, tucked within the larger one; I think of “Alien.” (Generally, the farther Curry’s mouth guard ventures from his teeth, the greater his disbelief is at what just happened. Amazing plays, like awful calls, can prompt him to pull it out, and even to throw it.) ". That article goes on to cite this also hilarious older Grantland article that joking defined Cavaliers player Matthew Dellavedova's last name as " “the teeth of the leopard,” maybe ". The levity is appreciated.
This listing is most comprehensive Briggs-Myer personality types pop culture/literature-comparison i've come across yet (and throwback to a former post about Briggs-Myers personality types here)
i have learned in the last week that there is a town in Minnesota called Castle Danger (of which wikipedia states, " The exact origin of the name is unknown, although it might have come from the cliffs on the shore resembling a castle; from a boat named Castle that grounded here;[2] or from the Walter Scott novel Castle Dangerous (1831)"), and a town in Florida called Yeehaw Junction (from wikipedia, " According to town historians and several original newspaper articles that are displayed at the Desert Inn and Restaurant, the town was originally named "Jackass Junction" or "Jackass Crossing". This name was given to the four-corner site back in the early 1930s, when local ranchers rode on burros to visit the Desert Inn (then the local brothel). As the 1950s approached, the Florida legislature felt that a name change was due in light of the construction of Florida's Turnpike through the center of the community in 1957, resulting in renaming the town to its present-day name ".)
Last week, i used the phrase 'i don't have any inkling', which made me curious about the origins of that phrase. Turns out, a 'ninkling' was a 13th century word for the indistinct hearing of one's own name, and to not have an (n)inkling would be to have no idea that someone was trying to get your attention.
And this:
Bryan: but is it tingly?
me: no idea
Bryan: which one of us is going to soak our undergarments in espresso to find out?
me: on purpose? i tend to spill things
however, that usually doesn't tingle.
Bryan: good to know
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
cavities, beer cocktails, lucky iron fish, honey bee development, mountain lodge candles, job automation
i've had some dental work done lately, and recalled briefly having read something about whether dental cavities have a genetic component (my mother, despite excellent dental hygiene, also has had a lot of fillings). Back-tracking that study to a 2001 review, " Dental caries incidence is affected by host factors that may be related to the structure of dental enamel, immunologic
response to cariogenic bacteria, or the composition of saliva. Genetic variation of the host factors may contribute to increased
risks for dental caries. ", though " the
evidence supporting an inherited susceptibility to dental caries is limited. Genetic linkage approaches on well-characterized
populations with clearly defined dental caries incidence will be required to further analyze the relationship between inheritance
and dental caries". A more recent though less peer-reviewed article is here. In brief, there may be a genetic component, but it's difficult to confirm and might be due to a variety of factors. i also came across the excellent word armamentarium, which is the complement of tools used by a (medical) professional.
The boys and i were talking about bloody marys (the beverage) the other day, and i mentioned that a Michelada is a bloody mary made with beer (and weirdly, a bloody ceasar is a bloody mary with the inclusion of clam juice specific to Canada). Looking further into things, cervesa preparadas are a broad category of cocktails prepared with beer, usually with tomato juice. These share a common base with the Shandy (usually beer and lemonade, at least in the States, though apparently other softdrinks count). The other day, some friends and i tried a tasty grapefruit Radler, which is apparently 50:50 sparkling lemonade and beer (and interestingly, 'radler' means 'cyclist' in German). Also, a diesel is beer and cola, at least in western Europe. They lost me with that last one.
My dad used to raise birds in large format to sell to local pet stores, and to supplement the iron in their diets, would leave iron nails in their water dishes. This apparently worked, and i had forgotten about it until coming across an article the other day for "Lucky Iron Fish", or iron ingots shaped as such being given as a dietary aid in Cambodia against anemia. These are boiled in water, with lemon juice to increase absorbance.
i really enjoyed this article about the source of mysterious radio wave bursts.
Honey is flower nectar that has been partially-digested-then-regurgitated by bees, then evaporated to consistency. Yes? (Technically, "Honey is nectar that has been enzymatically converted via the addition of enzymes from the hypopharyngeal gland, mainly diastase, sucrase and glucose oxidase.") Also, here is a cool 6 minute youtube clip about a guy who partnered with some Cali scientists to get really neat photographs of bee development, specifically regarding the impact of a parasitic mite (appropriately named Varroa destructor), including a one minute clip where you can actually watch them develop.
Some folks wrote a flattering collaborative fanfic for a Yankee Candle company scent called "Mountain Lodge", including the line "The Yankee Candle Company has effectively replaced the need for contact with the male half of our species with a compact and clean-burning candle in a jar", and that company posted it as a bit of advertising to their tumblr. i think it gets better every time i read it, and nearly makes me want to track down the scent just to determine the veracity.
Today, Ryan linked this article about making one's computer screen into a playable nintendo level.
And this happened:
The boys and i were talking about bloody marys (the beverage) the other day, and i mentioned that a Michelada is a bloody mary made with beer (and weirdly, a bloody ceasar is a bloody mary with the inclusion of clam juice specific to Canada). Looking further into things, cervesa preparadas are a broad category of cocktails prepared with beer, usually with tomato juice. These share a common base with the Shandy (usually beer and lemonade, at least in the States, though apparently other softdrinks count). The other day, some friends and i tried a tasty grapefruit Radler, which is apparently 50:50 sparkling lemonade and beer (and interestingly, 'radler' means 'cyclist' in German). Also, a diesel is beer and cola, at least in western Europe. They lost me with that last one.
My dad used to raise birds in large format to sell to local pet stores, and to supplement the iron in their diets, would leave iron nails in their water dishes. This apparently worked, and i had forgotten about it until coming across an article the other day for "Lucky Iron Fish", or iron ingots shaped as such being given as a dietary aid in Cambodia against anemia. These are boiled in water, with lemon juice to increase absorbance.
i really enjoyed this article about the source of mysterious radio wave bursts.
Honey is flower nectar that has been partially-digested-then-regurgitated by bees, then evaporated to consistency. Yes? (Technically, "Honey is nectar that has been enzymatically converted via the addition of enzymes from the hypopharyngeal gland, mainly diastase, sucrase and glucose oxidase.") Also, here is a cool 6 minute youtube clip about a guy who partnered with some Cali scientists to get really neat photographs of bee development, specifically regarding the impact of a parasitic mite (appropriately named Varroa destructor), including a one minute clip where you can actually watch them develop.
Some folks wrote a flattering collaborative fanfic for a Yankee Candle company scent called "Mountain Lodge", including the line "The Yankee Candle Company has effectively replaced the need for contact with the male half of our species with a compact and clean-burning candle in a jar", and that company posted it as a bit of advertising to their tumblr. i think it gets better every time i read it, and nearly makes me want to track down the scent just to determine the veracity.
Today, Ryan linked this article about making one's computer screen into a playable nintendo level.
And this happened:
strictly for the first part of that title
Bryan: indeed
1.2% chance of microbiologists being automated, here's hoping
me: it's weird to consider being a microbiologist
i mean, technically we are
Bryan: well, at the very least we almost are
me: ha
Bryan: as long as you don't walk around saying, "as a microbiologist" i think we're OK
me: "Do you need to come up with clever solutions" the second part of that is 'but only seem to generate more questions'
Bryan: the world may never know
Friday, May 8, 2015
MV, Fantasia, monkey gland sauce, paper airplanes, cheese curd pride, WD-40, 'basic'-ness
This recent study ties getting the measles vaccine to a drop in overall childhood illnesses, as speculated, " These
results provide population evidence for a generalized prolonged
(roughly 2- to 3-year) impact of measles infection on subsequent
mortality from other infectious diseases. Fluctuations in childhood
mortality in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Denmark are
explained by a simple weighted integral that describes the prevalence of
measles immune memory loss and thus captures the impact of measles
infection and immune depletion. "
In brief, a measles infection may wipe out already established immunity
present in an individual, and getting the vaccine ensures that a person
doesn't get measles, and their immune system retains the immune 'memory', recognizing pathogens it has previously fought. Virology is really, really cool sometimes. (Okay, biased opinion, virology is cool ALL the time, even when we'd rather not be dealing with that cold, thankyouverymuch.)
A very good friend (Hi, LZ!) recently celebrated a birthday, and decided to show the 1940s classic Disney's Fantasia in the background while we all played board games. i and several others in attendance had not seen the entirety of this movie before, and was quite frankly astonished by the sheer trippiness of the content. While looking into it, the back story (as documented by wikipedia, granted) is really interesting, " Disney considered using a well-known conductor to record the music for added prestige. He happened to meet Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1912, at Chasen's restaurant in Hollywood, and talked about his plans for the short. Stokowski recalled that he did "like the music"; was happy to collaborate on the project, and offered to conduct the piece at no cost.[18] Following their meeting, Disney's New York representative ran into Stokowski on a train headed for the East Coast. In writing to Disney, he reported that Stokowski was "really serious in his offer to do the music for nothing. He had some very interesting ideas on instrumental coloring, which would be perfect for an animation medium".[18] ". i like the idea of these two huge names getting so excited about bringing classical music to Americans, and resultant dancing ballet-gators.
Monkey gland sauce, a sauce that sounds reminiscent of American BBQ sauce, does not contain monkey glands, despite the provocative name. i was reading about the South African meat dish biltong (courtesy of seeing an item featured here), which is like a thick cut beef jerky, and came across the name.
John Collins is responsible for folding a paper airplane (called Suzanne?!) that has flown the Guinness World Record recognized greatest distance in the world, and will show you how.
NPR's Sandwich Mondays has finally gotten around to reviewing a Wisconsin tradition, Fried Cheese Curds. Best line? " In the Midwestern version of the Bible, the serpent tempts Eve with cheese curds. It's called Wiscon-Original-Sin. ". Exactly. In other news, Sandwich Mondays is no longer a thing.
We were talking about repairing a squeaky piece of lab equipment last week in lab when i (incorrectly) stated that WD-40 is corrosive. Because it's under patent, they don't list the 'ingredients' on the side, but someone did mass spec to determine them. Turns out, mostly hydrocarbons.
This is a buzzfeed article concerning the term 'basic', as applied to American white female consumers, defined by urban dictionary as "An adjective used to describe any person, place, activity involving obscenely obvious behavior, dress, action. ". i was not familiar with the term, which is why i read the entire thing, but it makes a salient point, "Unique taste — and the capacity to avoid the basic — is a privilege. A privilege of location (usually urban), of education (exposure to other cultures and locales), and of parentage (who would introduce and exalt other tastes). To summarize the groundbreaking work of theorist Pierre Bourdieu: We don’t choose our tastes so much as the micro-specifics of our class determine them. To consume and perform online in a basic way is thus to reflect a highly American, capitalist upbringing. Basic girls love the things they do because nearly every part of American commercial media has told them that they should. ". It's interesting commentary on the concept of choice and availability.
As i linked to James and Kelly AT earlier this week, here are incredibly detailed images taken by a highly talented non-professional astronomer. i particularly like the solar ones.
A very good friend (Hi, LZ!) recently celebrated a birthday, and decided to show the 1940s classic Disney's Fantasia in the background while we all played board games. i and several others in attendance had not seen the entirety of this movie before, and was quite frankly astonished by the sheer trippiness of the content. While looking into it, the back story (as documented by wikipedia, granted) is really interesting, " Disney considered using a well-known conductor to record the music for added prestige. He happened to meet Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1912, at Chasen's restaurant in Hollywood, and talked about his plans for the short. Stokowski recalled that he did "like the music"; was happy to collaborate on the project, and offered to conduct the piece at no cost.[18] Following their meeting, Disney's New York representative ran into Stokowski on a train headed for the East Coast. In writing to Disney, he reported that Stokowski was "really serious in his offer to do the music for nothing. He had some very interesting ideas on instrumental coloring, which would be perfect for an animation medium".[18] ". i like the idea of these two huge names getting so excited about bringing classical music to Americans, and resultant dancing ballet-gators.
Monkey gland sauce, a sauce that sounds reminiscent of American BBQ sauce, does not contain monkey glands, despite the provocative name. i was reading about the South African meat dish biltong (courtesy of seeing an item featured here), which is like a thick cut beef jerky, and came across the name.
John Collins is responsible for folding a paper airplane (called Suzanne?!) that has flown the Guinness World Record recognized greatest distance in the world, and will show you how.
NPR's Sandwich Mondays has finally gotten around to reviewing a Wisconsin tradition, Fried Cheese Curds. Best line? " In the Midwestern version of the Bible, the serpent tempts Eve with cheese curds. It's called Wiscon-Original-Sin. ". Exactly. In other news, Sandwich Mondays is no longer a thing.
We were talking about repairing a squeaky piece of lab equipment last week in lab when i (incorrectly) stated that WD-40 is corrosive. Because it's under patent, they don't list the 'ingredients' on the side, but someone did mass spec to determine them. Turns out, mostly hydrocarbons.
This is a buzzfeed article concerning the term 'basic', as applied to American white female consumers, defined by urban dictionary as "An adjective used to describe any person, place, activity involving obscenely obvious behavior, dress, action. ". i was not familiar with the term, which is why i read the entire thing, but it makes a salient point, "Unique taste — and the capacity to avoid the basic — is a privilege. A privilege of location (usually urban), of education (exposure to other cultures and locales), and of parentage (who would introduce and exalt other tastes). To summarize the groundbreaking work of theorist Pierre Bourdieu: We don’t choose our tastes so much as the micro-specifics of our class determine them. To consume and perform online in a basic way is thus to reflect a highly American, capitalist upbringing. Basic girls love the things they do because nearly every part of American commercial media has told them that they should. ". It's interesting commentary on the concept of choice and availability.
As i linked to James and Kelly AT earlier this week, here are incredibly detailed images taken by a highly talented non-professional astronomer. i particularly like the solar ones.
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