Date: 2008-04-15 20:53 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

I'm squarely in the 'home from vacation and back to reality' blues. Mostly because I'm sick as a dog and don't have a day off until late May at least. All I can see are day after day stretching out in front of me without chance to catch up on sleep.

Yes, I'm being whiney. Yes, I don't have a horrible job. Yes, I'm in school voluntarily, but dammit, I want to sleep in. And I want Browncoats to be there when I wake up. This whole waking up to an empty bed thing is utterly unacceptable.

Date: 2008-04-05 08:23 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

I'm off to Vegas until next Friday! Try not to create too much chaos while I'm gone. Or if you do, at least make it entertaining and worthy of a headline in the paper!

Date: 2008-03-25 23:31 Subject: Good bye, Cody. Security: Public

This is our puppy, Cody. Okay, he hasn't been a puppy for at least 15 years, but he's still my puppy. It's not a great picture of him, as I have never met a dog with quite as strong a dislike of cameras. Also, he was tracking something through the snow (this was the snow that fell during the big rain storm last week), and was not going to be distracted by me.

We put Cody down today. He wasn't able to breathe deeply, his legs weren't holding him and his pulse was racing all last night, and there is absolutely no point in putting a dog that old through a battery of tests that is at best going to come up with an answer of "your dog is old", and at worst shock his system and make any extension of his life miserable and pain filled, or drugged up and hazey.

This isn't a surprise. He was, as Beans put it, 'ancient' and has been on a slow downward slide for the past nine months. It's hard to explain how I feel about this. Cody was a fantastic dog, and I will miss him, but it's a relief that it's over for him. Seeing him hurt himself over and over again for the past few months, and seeing him trying to move obviously stiff and sore joints has been difficult. Particularly since he still looked like a puppy. That's what you get when you adopt a dog when the pound says "Oh, look at his feet! He's going to be a big dog!". He never grew into those feet, and remained pretty much puppy shaped his entire life. However, he did grow into our hearts. I'll miss the puppy.

And don't let the picture below fool you. This dog was never that dignified for a minute during his life. He was just good at fooling the camera.

Date: 2008-02-16 21:30 Subject: I bow to the wisdom of the flist hive mind. Security: Public

Random question:

Does anyone have any recommendations for good hiking shoes/boots?

Since I'm on my feet quite a bit between working and walking across campus, I figured that I'm about due to buy some new shoes/hiking boots. Probably overdue, actually. The only sneakers I've owned in the recent past have been my sister's running cast-offs, which just don't work for me anymore. Mostly because I wore the last pair down so much that they have holes in the sides. Oops.

I'm looking for a shoe with good arch support that will be comfortable wearing to work, doing light trail hiking and a good deal of outdoor summer camp running. Also, I have an inflammation problem in my ankles, so anything with extra cushioning there would be good.

I know there are a few hikers on my flist, and a few camp counselors, and way too many people who spend altogether too much time on their feet. Any advice?

I hate shopping for shoes I actually need. :p (New pairs of stompy boots are fun to shop for, but I really can't justify that purchase!)

Date: 2008-01-15 12:58 Subject: I love my BC girls. Security: Public

I think this is my new favorite picture ever:



(Eventually I'll upload the rest, and figure out how to get everyone a copy of Sunday Bloody Sundsay, but it's a huge file, so I might just have to put it on cds.)

Date: 2008-01-08 00:49 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

School is going to kick my ass this quarter. I don't say that lightly. I know very well that I have a much easier time learning than most people, but there's a limit. It doesn't matter how fast you read or how easy the material comes to you when you have 200+ pages a night and a full time job. The only things that are going to save me are:
1. fact that I've read half the material for my Philosophy and Atheism class on my own. Who knew my obsessive following of the 'new atheism' movement would come in handy academically? The God Delusion is one of our assigned texts! Now I just need to figure out whether to take out all of my post its, or institute a new marking system on top of my already in-place one.
2. The subject of my biology class being evolution and development. I'm pretty sure I know all the material for that class already.
3. Also I'll have time to read ahead this month. With any luck I'll have most of my reading for the classes done by the time Bodies opens.

I have a feeling that the absolute hardest part of this quarter is going to be not getting into a rant about how much I dislike Christopher Hitchens in class. Would anyone like to take any bets on how long I can resist that temptation?

Date: 2008-01-02 23:20 Subject: Two (well, actually three) links to read and think about. Security: Public

The Edge Question Center 2008 - "What have you changed your mind about? Why?"

I bought my father The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science for his birthday two months ago. I love buying him books for presents because he's one of the few* who I know who get quite the same level of enjoyment out of the minutiae of the way our world works. Plus, when he reads books like this, he will walk into the room with one particular look, that if you know my father, you're probably familiar with. A thoughtful, slightly argumentative look that lets me know that I'm about to be asked a question about anything from quantum "wobble" to the composition of the rings of Saturn (recently it's been dark matter and the probability of ingesting a water molecule that has passed through the intestines of Oliver Cromwell).

Well, due to parrying these kinds of questions and comments, I had to pick up the book when he finished it. I've just started reading, and the introduction perfectly sums up why I get so worked up about science and science education. Go read it. Because otherwise I'm going to end up quoting bits of it at you. You know I will.

*As a note, shadeofdusk is one of the other ones, and she has a very similar questioning look and style of inquiry. Which is why I also like throwing books at her, no matter the strange looks they get at trivia.

Date: 2008-01-02 01:23 Subject: A brief introduction to my brain. Security: Public

Take 2 bags of cellulose packing peanuts that look roughly ( like this )

Add 1 ounce of water (well, a little less, as I got distracted and took a drink of the water I was adding).

Spend three hours watching QI and slowly kneading packing peanuts into the water.

You get ( this )

Some background:

No, I had no particular reason for doing this, aside from the fact that I had a bunch of packing peanuts and my mom wasn't sure whether she wanted me washing them down her sink. So I consulted that great hive mind of our time, the internet, in hopes that I could find some nifty science activity to use in a future program. I did not succeed at this, as apparently the only things that people use packing peanuts for are viscosity labs. Now viscosity is interesting, but much cooler when using edible things*, so I tried to think about what I would do if faced with a group of bored children and a pile of packing peanuts. The first thought was using them as an ecologically friendly dam building material and trying to stop up a flow of water (also a nice lesson on the futility of trying to make water go where it doesn't want to). Then I tried to figure out whether you could use packing peanuts to make paper. Of course, to do this, one needs a rather thick paste, so this naturally led to wondering just how many packing peanuts I could dissolve in an ounce of water.

I wasn't actually successful at this either, as a) I did not have enough peanuts to completely saturate the mixture with cellulose, and b) as noted above I drank some of my water (before it was added to the peanuts). I did end up with a nice bag of cellulose paste that I'm letting dry out to see what the texture is like.

So there you go. This is a fairly typical chain of thought for me. I used to get paid to think about stuff like this, but now I have to do it in my spare time, so I might as well subject you all to it. (Obviously I'm not going to stop doing it altogether. That would be impossible for me.)

*Yes, I know that cellulose peanuts are technically edible, but parents tend to frown on me feeding their children packaging materials. Not that I've tried this. Often.

Date: 2008-01-01 20:10 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public

I didn't have a single angry visitor today. Not even the parents of the kid who bumped his head on the train, or the dad who had to climb back in the exhibit to get his kid off the train. I am stunned. Can the rest of 2008 go like this?

Date: 2007-12-31 16:22 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public Tags: memes

( The Required Year-End Survey )

Date: 2007-12-26 20:55 Subject: Today I was attacked by a fruit bat. Security: Public

I received a new camera for Christmas, a Canon Powershot SD750. I already adore it, and will be harassing people with it for months, most likely.

However, it has an unfortunate disadvantage. Something in the way it focuses really, really pisses off bats. My family and I went to our local zoo's "Festival of Lights" (along with most of the population of the city, I believe). Both my dad and I had new cameras, so we spent a good part of the evening taking lots of random pictures of animals to test them out. In the Nocturnal House no flash photography is allowed (for obvious reasons), so I had my camera right up against the glass to steady it for a picture of a fruit bat. I started to focus, and the bat, who had been hanging peacefully and just kind of watching everything, launched himself at me, slammed into the glass and fell down, where he proceeded to bare his teeth and give me the nastiest bat glare I've ever received. And I've been on the wrong end of some pretty intimidating bat glares in my time at the museum.

Oops.

So my word of advice to everyone else: if you have a new camera, make sure there's glass between you and the bats that you're taking pictures of. Otherwise you might find yourself with a face full of fruit bat.

P.S. The bat is okay. After he fell, he immediately got up and did the enraged-bat thing of baring his teeth at me, scurrying up the tree and posturing, to show everyone that he was a big, mean male and wasn't going to allow any nasty cameras into his territory.

( A little Rough Green Snake says 'Hi' from the Cincinnati Zoo )

Date: 2007-12-05 12:07 Subject: Notes Security: Public Mood: amused

Hey, myopia2000, g0jir0 and watcho - My last flight got canceled completely, so I'm on your flight now. Whoo, Vegas!

Okay, spent enough time on the internets. Time to go study for my last exam of the quarter. ::makes plans to pass out afterwards::

Date: 2007-11-28 00:52 Subject: Things I've learned this week Security: Public

1. If you get hit by a bus (their fault) in a slow-to-happen wreck where no one is hurt, the kids on the bus will sit and wave at you while you proceed to freak out in your immobile (because it's wedged on the bumper of the frakking school bus) vehicle.

1.a I can officially name my Cylon "scar" now. Hopefully it can regenerate as easily as a real Cylon.

2. The best use of one of your most stubbornly belligerent volunteers is to use her to corral your second most stubbornly belligerent volunteer. It's kind of like a cage match or sheep herding contest, but with old ladies.

3. PLOS is fantastic when you find yourself inexplicably kicked off your remote library access and can no longer access the usual journals for reference material. I <3 Open Access.

4. I always knew my slight obsession with large predators would come in handy one day, I just didn't think it would be in answering the trivia question "Which animal's liver contains such high concentrations of Vitamin A that it's deadly to humans?" (Polar bears) Apparently most people don't know that, as we were the only team in the pub to get it right.

5. I had a five when I started this list, but it apparently wandered away. Has anyone seen my five?

Date: 2007-11-08 22:56 Subject: (no subject) Security: Public Mood: amused

Evidence for Zombie Activity at Hierakonpolis

Date: 2007-10-10 22:43 Subject: Fun with Meme Mutations Security: Public Mood: curious

This meme actually intrigues me, since it's looking at memetic mutation.

Pharyngula Mutating Genre Meme

( How to do this meme )

My grandparent is Pharyngula
My parent is Metamagician and the Hellfire Club

1. The best time travel episode in SF/Fantasy is ...

"City on the Edge of Forever" ST: TOS

2. The best historical movie in fictionalised biography is...

Gladiator

3. The best sexy song in rock is ...

"Closer" - Nine Inch Nails

4. The best cult novel in American fiction is ...

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

I shall attempt to disseminate my seed to:
bardi
Gojiro
Professor Massa
Apollo
Andorus

...and anyone else who wants to propagate my meme. (Okay, you caught me. The real reason I did this is because I wanted to have a reason to use the phrase "propagate my meme".)

Date: 2007-10-06 23:32 Subject: Museum Quote of the Week Security: Public Tags: quotes, work

Child: These are the volcanoes that the pirates used to shoot other pirates!
Adult: No, no, those are cannons.
Child: Yes, volcannons.

Date: 2007-09-21 19:29 Subject: Thoughts on mate selection. Security: Public Music: Murphy's Song - Dulahan

Natural selection creates species that are all fine tuned to accomplishing one thing. That would be reproduction, producing young to carry on their own genetic lineage. Humans, antelope, pillbugs, E. coli, all of us have this common imperative. That is what we all share. What differs is the strategy used to achieve this goal. In biology, animals are characterized as having one of two main strategies. r-selection and K-selection.

When a species uses the r-selection strategy, they create many offspring, but invest little into each offspring. Examples of animals that use this strategy are spiders and fish (remember the opening scene of Finding Nemo? That's a prime example of a species that uses r-selection. The rest of the movie isn't quite so accurate.)

K-selection, on the other hand, is the process of creating few offspring, but investing a lot of resources in each one. Elephants and the primates use this strategy. These strategies can't be characterized as "better", or "worse". They are simply two different ways of interacting with the environment to maximize fitness. Humans, by the very nature of our species, use K-selection, but that doesn't make it *better*.

Why the impromptu biology lesson? (Aside from the fact that this is me, and I occasionally launch into random science lectures.) I've been thinking a lot about a related subject recently, that subject being dating, the process of finding a mate and (sometimes) mating. Just like in reproduction there are different strategies used. There is quite the variety of terms used for people who employ different strategies, some more societally appropriate than others. In this case, I won't be using those terms. Rather, I want to relate mate selection to the previous topic, reproductive strategies. Now, obviously, the two are related. One leads to the other, but one could relate them even further conceptually.

Mate selection strategies in humans fall along a spectrum that is rather similar to the spectrum of reproductive strategies. There are those who invest little into the process of mate selection, not being particularly picky about whom they mate with, enjoying the process, but not investing much in the act. We'll call them "r-strategists". On the other hand, there are those who don't seek to find a mate often. These "K-strategists" invest more into their interactions emotionally than physically, and are often incredibly picky about those individuals they seek to mate with.

Now, like in reproductive strategies, we can't assign a moral value to either strategy, as they are both designed to maximise the fitness of the particularly individual. I'm not interested in labeling one "good" or "bad". I'm more interested here in the interactions between the two, and whether there is any overlap. Now, ideally, K-strategists find other K-strategists, and r-strategists other r-strategists, but it is a spectrum after all, and not a clean division into two sets. So, inevitably a K-selection strategist tries to be an r-selection strategist for whatever reason. And sometimes even two K-strategists have to employ r-selection strategy. Maybe the individuals are just tired of being alone, maybe their reward-delay inhibitions were lowered that day. There are any number of explanations.

It's all part of a natural spectrum of behaviors, all valid, all nicely rewarding in their own ways, with quite a bit of overlap. After all, even the most resolute r-strategists do eventually invest in one or a series of individuals. Also, the great majority of people are closer to the K-selection side of the spectrum than they like to admit, no matter how casual and tough they act. So it would make sense that K-strategists not only be able to adopt the r-selection strategy with no negative consequences, but that it be almost inevitable that they do so.

Almost everyone tries this, usually repeatedly, and tells themselves that "This time will be different. This time I won't get attached". Of course, this is all well and good in theory, but as every K-strategist who has ever tried knows, the individual in question usually ends up sitting in the Kroger parking lot with her mascara running, trying to get reassurance from her girlfriends via cell phone, or some similar situation. A foreseen possible consequence of employing a non-native strategy.

The real kicker? Each and every one of them is saying "Next time, it will be different." So much for being able to use our rational minds to overcome genetic imperatives, huh?