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Friday, August 31, 2007 No Postings For The Weekend The 3-Day Novel Contest starts tomorrow. I have no outline. Hilarity or horror will ensue. (Cross-posted at Writing Sya.) [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:11 PM : Thursday, August 30, 2007 A Carnival! Tangled Bank #87 is up over at Balancing Life. Go read some cool science bloggage. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:42 AM : Memes and Links Booking Through Thursday: Statistics There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t fall into that category, but...how many of our friends do? Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit? Sure, but that statistic also means that 75% of Americans did read a book. I think everyone I know reads, even if it was just textbooks and journal papers. In a university setting, what would you expect? But I couldn't really give a sure answer--because I haven't talked about books with everyone. I had a roommate once who was a pretty avid reader, more so than me probably. I had to carve out time to do reading and writing. She was just a reader, not a writer. As for my fellow grad students, I'm sort of surprised most of them (the ones I know anyway) do not read for pleasure. Many seem to prefer vegging out in front of the TV (or the local beer garden) after toiling in lab rather than doing some reading which would require a few brain cells. If they do read for pleasure, it's usually science/science-related books or fantasy. Or at least that's what they say they read. The Thursday Threesome: Over the Rainbow Onesome: "Over-- the Rainbow" Has someone 'Somewhere' done the song better than Judy Garland did in the movie? ...or does she still 'own' it in your opinion? I suppose I'm a bit of a purist. I still prefer the Garland version. Twosome: the-- best all time album in your collection? ...or one you'd like to have? Sure, the Go-Gos count, but hey... Pablo Casals' version of Bach's Cello Suites. Threesome: Rainbow"?-- As sung by Billy Ray Cyrus? (Yes, on his latest album.) Who has done the best "cover" of a song you like to listen to? You know, better than the original artist... I can't really think of one. You're not a fraud, and you are valued (just not where you are now). Sometimes I'm afraid of voicing any of my doubts. If I start doubting myself, wouldn't others start doubting me as well? Anyways, I want to point out that maybe the not-so-great conditions in academia might just be perpetuated by the thinking that everyone at a university values learning so highly that it doesn't matter what they get paid. And if you say that you don't care a whit for money--well guess what--of course you're going to be paid in pretzels. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:32 AM : Wednesday, August 29, 2007 Linkage Why Men Matter: Mating Patterns Drive Evolution of Human Lifespan. Apparently we all owe our longer lifespans to old men getting it on. I don't know whether to groan or make sarcastic comments about drug companies and pick-up lines. Encyclopedia of Me Meme. (via The Things That Make Us Happy Make Us Wise and Cleaning House) This sounds cool--creating posts with topics ranging from A to Z in a memoir-esque fashion. I'm still debating on whether or not I want to do this. In my mind, memoir writing really shouldn't be done by anyone unless they're sixty or over. Otherwise, it's just self-indulgent babble. But heck, blogging by its very nature is self-indulgent babble so it's not like I'm going to break any rules. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:48 AM : Tuesday, August 28, 2007 A Survey With Some Lame Answers (via Lynxswift) 01. Who was the last person you slept in a bed with? Not saying. 02. Where was the last place you went out to eat? Some place called Mongolian BBQ. I wasn't particularly impressed. 03. what was the last alcoholic beverage you consumed? Pinot grigio. 04. how many others have you cheated on? Zero. 05. what is more essential - a pretty face or a great body? Is this a trick question? 06. what is the value of all the jewelry on you? Twenty dollars. Yeah, that sounds cheap, but they're just earrings. 07. medicine, fine arts, or law? Anything but law. 08. when was the last time you got a good workout? I'm always walking around, trying to avoid using the car too much. 09. best kind of pizza? I don't eat pizza that often. I just get whatever is available if someone else is offering it. 10. if you need a new pair of jeans, what store do you go first? Cringe all you like, but I check out Walmart first. With some of the stuff I do in lab, it would be rather idiotic to don a pair of expensive designer jeans. 11. where did your last hug take place? On my doorstep. 12. what were you doing at 11:59 PM on saturday night? Writing. 13. are you a quitter? No. 14. who was the last person you had in your room? My parents, when they were visiting. 15. is your bedroom window open? No. 16. can you speak another language? Cantonese and French. Although I must say that I can only read a few characters in Chinese and I read French a lot better than I can speak it. 17. how about put your legs behind your head? No. 18. what is in store for your future? Death, taxes, and a hot chocolate. 19. the last band you saw live? Some obscure band jamming on the lawn next to the commons on campus. Well, I walked by them at any rate. I'm not really into bands. 20. when was the last time you went dancing while under the influence? The sad thing is, when I'm dancing (i.e. flailing around), I'm not under the influence. 21. do you take care of your friends while they're sick? Sure. 22. what is your favorite soda? Sprite. 23. how many songs are on your iTunes? 587. I don't use it that often because I generally regard iAnythings the domain of the terminally evil hipsters. 24. when was the last time you received something over 500 dollars? My laptop. 25. have you been through driver's ed yet? No. I got my driver's license before they (TN) started requiring driver's ed. 26. what classes are you taking next school year? Slave Labor 101...er...I mean some research credits. 27. who is your favorite person to have a serious conversation with? Not anyone in particular. However, the best conversations usually occur during the night when you're feeling a bit sleep deprived. 30. are you experienced? In what? I wield a mean pipetman. 31. any historical figures that you envy? First name that came to me was Ghengis Khan. I don't think I envy him, but maybe my subconscious is trying to tell me something else. 32. describe what you're wearing in detail? T-shirt, jeans, hiking boots. 33. what brand of digital camera do you own? Samsung. It's a hand-me-down. It's old and clunky. But it gets the job done. 34. what do you think about people who party a lot? Unoriginal time wasters. 35. does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? A little if it involves someone telling me about their personal lives. It's just too much information. If it's clinical, I can discuss it like anything else. 36. what makes a perfect evening? Time alone to do some reading or writing. 37. who was the last person to sleep over at your house? See #14. 38. do you have an iPod? It was forced upon me. 39. how often do you tan, if you do at all? I get tanned from being outside. Otherwise, no, I do not deliberately go get tans. 40. what was the last CD you purchased? Michael Buble - Call Me Irresponsible. I am well aware that this labels me as an unhip mass consumer. 41. have you ever been offered a job? As in out of the blue? No. 42. what is a band that you will always love? See last part of #19. 43. have you ever stolen anything off of a road? No. 45. who was the last person you rode in a car with? See #14. I was driving. 46. what of the seven deadly sins are you guilty of? Extremely productive people would accuse me of suffering from sloth. They would cite this survey as Exhibit A. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:10 AM : Monday, August 27, 2007 Non-Existent Viewing Habits I don't have a television. I don't watch YouTube. I have no plans to install plug-ins on my browser which would enable me to watch videos and flash files. (Yeah, so for all you bloggers who've been trigger happy with the video embedding--pffft!) Which probably explains a lot of things. But that doesn't mean that I don't occasionally watch movies or shows. So in between lulls of travel show series (exactly when is Michael Palin's New Europe coming out anyway?), I've been watching Mushishi, an episodic fantasy/supernatural/horror anime. I suppose one could compare it to Miyazaki's Spirited Away and probably even more closely to Tactics and xxxHolic. I like both the folklorish and philosophical aspects of Mushishi, the clash between man and mushi (literally "bugs" but more like inscrutable nature spirits) whenever the two intersect. However, a note to slasher flick fans: you'll probably doze off before the opening credits are even finished. It's quiet but creepy--the deceptively sedate pace gradually builds up the uneasiness factor. I love the subtle horror in the seemingly everyday--perhaps that's why I have little interest in watching live-action supernatural shows. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:40 PM : Sunday, August 26, 2007 Sarcasm Unglued? Cheer Up. Uh huh. There are some choice words I'd like to use to describe grad school. Guilt. Depression. Discontent. Exhaustion. Happiness as a grad student? Ephemeral. Illusory. Mythological. There is no carrot. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:01 PM : Saturday, August 25, 2007 Subtle Hijinks Shelf Decorating. (via So Anyway) During high school, I worked at the local library. Often, when I found myself shelving books in the adult fiction section, I would rearrange all the Danielle Steel novels (and there were several shelves of them) by color. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 11:31 AM : Anticipation Much? A month ago, I received a mysterious white package. I opened it. Yay!* It was an ARC of Nalini Singh's Caressed By Ice  . I probably held out for about half a second before I started reading. I know. When it comes to fun storytelling, I'm weak.In a future, alternative Earth, tensions simmer between the Changelings (shape-shifters) and the Psy--humans with evolved mental powers who have ruthlessly quashed their emotions through a protocol called Silence. In their search for perfection, the Psy have thoughtlessly disposed of anyone in their way--from the Changelings whom they regard as nothing but animals--to even their own kind showing any "flaws". It's only once that the Psy atrocities have been discovered that Changelings, humans, and defecting Psy try to fight back. Caressed by Ice concerns Judd Lauren, an assassin for the Psy Council who had defected to protect his family from the horror of being "rehabilitated", and Brenna Kincaid, a wolf Changeling who had been tortured by a Psy killer. Amidst the search for a murderer and the machinations of the Psy Council, Brenna and Judd struggle with the fact that there is even a relationship between them. While Brenna wonders why she is attracted to an emotionless man with the capacity for evil, Judd fights developing feelings that could literally kill him. Science fiction and romance are two genres that are often at each other's throats. Many attempts at mixing the two have resulted in poor results. However, Singh manages to weave what is essentially a romance with sci-fi elements. The romance and the characters are compelling--Brenna is a strong female who knows what she wants as Judd desperately clings to Silence even though it's falling on him like a ceiling studded with sharp spikes. The nuts and bolts of the world-building are not obvious, but the world is surprisingly thorough and complex (enough so that I would strongly recommend reading the previous books first if you decide to delve into the series). For example, Silence is not merely a plot device. It is a logical outgrowth from the Psy's abilities and psychological proclivities. In one aspect, the series is speculative psychology. Envision Pavlov's experiments taken to the extreme. The conditioning strongly hinted in the previous two books of the series is explored with Judd's character. After finishing the novel, more questions are raised than answered. So far, only the Changelings and Psy have been described in any detail. It's been mostly Changeling vs. Psy with humans as minor characters if they appear at all. So how, exactly, do humans fit in this world? Who is the Psy rebel called "The Ghost"? Where do the loyalties for certain mysterious and ambiguous Psy Council members really lie? How fragmented are the Changelings? And what will certain characters do now that their initial plans for the next phase of Psy evolution have been derailed? Of course, questions aren't entirely a bad thing. They're effective hooks. And I, for one, will be waiting for the next installment to find out if they get answered or if everything gets even more delightfully byzantine. *This is becoming a habit. I've started Singh's other reviews similarly. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 12:18 AM : Friday, August 24, 2007 Links And Commentary Leave No Rock Unturned. Cool. It's happening on the same weekend as that crazy 3-day novel thing I'm planning to do so at the moment, it is uncertain if I will be able to come up for air to do this. Washington Post's article on Latino Interns - a different perspective....or is it? A much better articulated piece than what I was ranting about here. Why is it that because I'm not white, that I do not conform to some Caucasian ideal, that people automatically assume that my real identity is not that of a North American? Why do they assume that even when perfect English comes out of my mouth? The most daunting numbers I've seen yet. This is only scary if you've gone into grad school with tunnel vision. Sure, there's still this perceived stigma for pretty much any job outside of academia, but these days, you've got to keep your options open. My philosophy is: there's no such thing as fate or destiny. You don't know what the future will bring you. So don't cross off a job opportunity just because someone sneers at it--because someday, it might mean the difference between having alternative work that you happen to enjoy or bitterly flipping burgers because you can't get the "perfect" job. Narrative Book-Fiction for Grownups. Why must there be certain books for "grownups" to read? And why must "grownup" be associated with "complex", plodding, and storyless drivel calling itself lit-fic? What's so good about reading stuff for "grownups" anyway? The critics might approve--but how much influence do they hold on people's real lives anyway? None. If people are seeing only two choices for reading: lit-fic vs. bestsellers, then something about book marketing and literacy education has to change. Don't let some English professor or a bunch of rankings on The New York Times tell you what's good--good is subjective. I think there are plenty of interesting midlist authors getting overlooked--simply because people don't venture that far in the bookstore or they're overwhelmed by the variety. Of course, if people read more in the first place, they wouldn't be so leery about picking up a dud... [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:33 AM : Thursday, August 23, 2007 Memes Booking Through Thursday: Indoctrination When growing up did your family share your love of books? My family is not as obsessed with books as I am, but they do understand the value of books. My Dad doesn't read that much--all I've seen him read are newspapers, computer programming manuals, and skimming through The Lord of the Rings (but only after much nudging by me). My Mom is more the book person, but she prefers looking at craft books in English and histories and novels in Chinese. My sister understands my mild bibliomania and reading habits the best (although she is younger than me, so one could argue that I indoctrinated her), but she prefers contemporary romance (I do not). If so, did one person get you into reading? I remember buying books and going to the library with my Mom when I was very young. However, I don't remember if my parents actually sat me down and taught me to read. I'm mostly positive that I knew my letters by about four-years-old. I say mostly, because I can't recall exactly when words actually started making sense to me. And, do you have any family-oriented memories with books and reading? (Family trips to bookstore, reading the same book as a sibling or parent, etc.) I do remember family trips to various bookstores and libraries, but it was more in the context of general shopping, i.e. the bookstore or library was also in the same direction as the grocery store/clothing shops/etc. so might as well stop there too. Otherwise, the idea of reading with my family seems really odd to me--I've always considered reading a solitary activity. Sometimes I swap books with my sister, but other than that, everyone has different tastes in reading so it's kind of impossible to get the entire family to read one book. The Thursday Threesome: Calculators may not be Used Onesome: Calculators-- and such: are you good with numbers? Do you have a calculator built in? ...or does the presence of a second column demand some help from something electronic? If you asked my teachers in third grade, they would say, NO. Compared with other kids, I wasn't. Now, I'm okay with numbers. Looking at standardized test scores, I'm probably better at numbers than some people (maybe even most people). But this does not make me a mathematician. And of course, there's this old joke about biologists not knowing any math... Twosome: may not be-- where you left them. Hmmm... What have you misplaced lately? You know: the item you are flat positive you left in one spot but somehow mysteriously migrated to another! Aside from books, I subscribe to the minimalist way of organizing things. The less stuff cluttering the place, the better. Now, since I don't believe in having a minimum number of books (and my bookshelves aren't organized in any sort of system either) one would think that if I misplaced anything, it might be a book. Nope. I know where all the titles are despite the crazed stacks. Threesome: Used-- cars? When you buy, do you buy new? ...or do you go for those with a few thousand miles on them? Used cars are more practical. Throwing away money on a new car just to get the latest, just to be cool, just so you can one-up the Joneses is sort of stupid and shallow. If the car can get me from one place to another, that's already a big plus for me. I don't need to impress anyone. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:51 AM : Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Uh... From here. (via here) Not all yogurts are probiotic though, so make sure the label says “live and active cultures.” That label doesn't mean anything. Apparently, these people have never taken an undergraduate microbiology lab. (In a class I had TA'd, one of the experiments was to test for the presence of Lactobacillus in a variety of plain yogurt brands--none of them had that label. The results all came back positive.) [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:46 PM : Monday, August 20, 2007 Peeved, Yet Again I've blogged about this countless times before, but I'll blog it again, simply because I want to let off some steam. Please, please, PLEASE don't ask me where I'm from in order to pin down my ethnicity. And if you still want to find out my ethnicity, please do not be rude. Me: "I'm looking for [insert name of the person I'm trying to find]. Have you seen him around?" Lab tech: "Where are you from?" To say the least, I was flabbergasted for about ten seconds. Where the hell had that question come from? And why wasn't this person answering my question? I had asked first. Eventually, I answered, "Here," which obviously irritated the tech since it was such a smart ass answer, but at that moment, I was too pissed off to care. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:14 PM : A Brief Book Review As a mix of biography and science history, Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases * is an intriguing account of the development of vaccines centered around the one man who gave the world a chance to fight against some of the most devastating diseases. Maurice Hilleman grew up in the farming communities in Montana and later became one of the lead researchers for the pharmaceutical giant Merck who developed vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, and others. However, Paul Offit doesn't merely recount Hilleman's life events and achievements. Offit also manages to skillfully weave the history and prior research that supported Hilleman's experiments as well as the further developments and controversy that surrounded his vaccines. Vaccinated is an informative and humanistic look into one of the more practical aspects of disease prevention. It gives a whole new meaning to vaccines than being merely a shot in the arm.*I received this book as an ARC, but even if I hadn't, I would still recommend it. I would especially recommend this to biomedical students who do nothing but memorize textbooks. Sure, complain all you like about having no time for pleasure reading, but you can't call yourself well rounded if all you know are mechanisms and experimental methods. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:33 AM : Sunday, August 19, 2007 Bookshop Hunting I figured that it was pointless to just drive to Spokane for a package and then come back. So I googled for Spokane bookstores and decided to hit all the independent booksellers there while I was at it. Unfortunately, a lot of the bookstores I was trying to find were closed on a Saturday (sacrilege!), out of business or so well hidden that they might as well be in a parallel universe. However, I did come across two very nifty stores: Auntie's. It's downtown on Main. You can't miss it. Like any other "trendy" bookstore, it has a cafe. When school starts up again, I'm betting the place will be packed with college students. The inventory is a mix of used and new like BookPeople of Moscow, but unlike BookPeople, there's tons of room to roam around. The place gets points for having the fantasy and sci-fi section near one of the entrances. The religion and new age section was also front and center--perhaps an indication of what sells well and the questionable temperaments of some Spokanese. Some genres were noticeably absent--the place did have a sort of arty elitist atmosphere--no westerns, romance, chick-lit, or mystery. Also, the placement of the science section was far from intuitive. While I was aimlessly wandering around trying to find it, I heard another customer asking somebody where the science books were. For those of you planning on visiting Auntie's one day and looking for science books, I'll save you some trouble (unless they reorganize): you'll find Gould et al. on the second floor, stashed in the northwest corner. 2nd Look Books. This place doesn't look like much on the outside, but oh my God, it's a genre lover's wet dream. The inventory includes first edition children's books, popular titles that have just come out, and enough romance to give a romance addict a seizure. I happily spent my time browsing the extensive sci-fi/fantasy section and discovered some pretty interesting stuff. Definitely worth a visit the next time I come to Spokane. Other things of note: I dropped by The Comic Book Shop after missing it a couple of times because of a car accident that partially blocked off Division Street. Otherwise, it's sort of hard to miss due to the bright paint. Lots of superhero stuff, anime and manga, and collectibles. I was hoping to find a copy of the graphic novel called The Professor's Daughter, but no luck. While wandering around downtown on foot, I stumbled upon the Spokane Public Library--very nice--and then an hour later, somebody asked me for directions to the place. Finally, a direction question I could answer! In this case, it pays to be bookish. The Lilac Festival was also going on, although I didn't see any lilacs, and I also discovered an interesting quilt gallery (I particularly liked the quilts with the crows) tucked in the back of the third floor of the River Park Square mall. And finally, a pawn shop sign that pretty much sums up bad shopping experiences:  [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:32 PM : Saturday, August 18, 2007 Mom Was Right Kumquats and Quilts. Over a year ago, my mom and I were going to the grocery store to get some fruit and that sparked a conversation on the origin of the word kumquat. I was expressing my skepticism over whether or not it was really a Chinese word (given the fact that I hear Cantonese speakers "Chinese-fy" English words like cheese all the time), when my mom said: No, it is a Chinese word. And tried to explain why. I find it somewhat ironic that I'm finally convinced by a blog post written by somebody calling himself "Big White Guy." [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:36 AM : Friday, August 17, 2007 Tomorrow, Four Hours of Driving I hesitate to rant about anything. Most people find ranting annoying. And perhaps ranting might tick somebody you know off and then things might get fairly uncomfortable in you personal and/or professional life. And if you're female, it's a double black mark against you because people might start thinking that you're an addlepated and hormonal twit. Anyways, I am annoyed. Really annoyed. Whoever came up with the asinine idea to deliver packages to residential addresses only from Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, should be shot with fifty water guns and shipped to Timbuktu in a refrigerated tanker. With no extra change of dry pants. And make that a freakin' double for whoever it was who made the nearest pick-up center in Spokane, Washington*. I'm probably going to waste more gas money getting there than the amount used to send the package in the first place. And if the package isn't there when I do get there...well, never mind. The people at the call center have already shown their incompetence earlier this week, so I wouldn't be surprised if I get to Spokane for nothing. *The delivery service which sounds like an internet speed requires my signature and my identification. That's why they can't simply drop the package off at my door. Why they can't have later hours or even a pick-up center in Pullman like UPS is anyone's guess. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:00 PM : Cleaning Out the Bookmarks Fox Photos. And some very cool ones too. Lightning! Ooo, smell the ozone. Love On Campus. Just in time for the start of school! However I have just one word: Ewwwww. The Prime Game. Possibly an addictive past-time for number geeks. Think before you stand up. I'm one of those people who realizes, belatedly after one minute, that everyone else is standing up. Of course, I think: Damn it, I have to haul myself out of my chair because everyone else around me would think I'm ungrateful. Cabinet of Wonders. This blog has some fascinating cultural-arty-weird posts. The Origin of Everyday Punctuation Marks. I've always been puzzled by the octothorp... Photos of cephalopodic playscapes. Whee! [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:23 AM : Thursday, August 16, 2007 Why Is That Not Surprising A recent conversation that explained the last part of this: "So it's rush week for the sororities and they're all required to wear sundresses or something like that. And they talk about really important things like..." "World peace? Finding a cure for cancer?" "No. Shopping." [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:09 AM : Memes Booking Through Thursday: Monogamy One book at a time? Or more than one? If more, are they different types/genres? Or similar? (We’re talking recreational reading, here—books for work or school don’t really count since they’re not optional.) It varies. Sometimes I'm reading one book at a time. Sometimes several. As for genre, sometimes it's the same, sometimes it's different. I know my answer isn't exactly helpful--I'm just not particularly fixed in my reading habits. If I were, I wouldn't get anything read. The Thursday Threesome: Going out to Dinner Onesome: Going out-- means what? Deal with this and plan that and...? ...or can you just leave and hit it ... where? Hmmm... Where is "out" for you? It means getting out of the house. Or not being in lab. I usually don't do much planning about where I'm going or what I will be doing. Twosome: "...to-- the dogs?" Is that just a strange expression? ...or do you 'get' it? What's the most curious expression you've heard or you use and others don't 'get'? I understand the one about dogs. The first thing that comes to mind about strange expressions is "h-e-double toothpicks." For some reason, I had a really difficult time wrapping my head around that one. Some New Englander type things are just plain weird. Threesome: Dinner-- bells and chuck wagon triangles: what sound means food to you? Okay, okay, sure, the ice cream truck counts! Hm. The dinner bell, I suppose. Also, when I was an undergrad living in the dorms (I feel really odd saying that because at the institution I went to, it was called a "house") there was a set dinner time. Some of the students were hired as "waiters" (who didn't act much like real waiters)--the head waiter would ring a triangle to signal the beginning of the meal. The house president would end the meal by hitting a gong. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:40 AM : Wednesday, August 15, 2007 Near Midnight Revelations I just remembered that the 3-day novel contest is coming up in a little over two weeks. I did this last year (but without paying the entrance fee since as a student I don't have fifty bucks to throw away) and it was mad-crazy. I guess I should start brainstorming for ideas that I could plow through in three days... [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 11:35 PM : Science Linkage Heh. Jim Watson's genome on your computer, get it today! (via Pharyngula) It seems kinda wrong to have someone splayed out like this exposed to the world. But I do find it perversely funny. As for more science coolness, pop on over to Tangled Bank #86 over at Fish Feet. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:07 AM : Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Yet Still In Lab, Hope Brain Still Functional When you're reading the biochem lab manual for the class you'll be TAing in the upcoming week and find yourself giggling over pipette fillers--you know your neurons are dangerously sleep deprived. Should Amazon Sell Dogfighting Materials? Now here is something to ponder: do booksellers have the right to determine what is available, whether or not the material is morally questionable or even reprehensible? I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I find it distasteful for people to condone something that will hurt another. On the other, I can see this leading down the slippery slope. What would stop them from restricting access to books simply because the person or organization in charge of distributing books disagrees with subject matter or the author for a morally irrelevant reason? I did manage to briefly stumble outside into the light for lunch. And I saw hordes of sorority girls in formal dresses and nosebleed heels. If you must have an illustration for conformity in the dictionary, this is it. Or they could be Stepford wives currently being programmed. Geez, it almost gives one the hives. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 1:26 PM : Whoo! Still In Lab This is just a desperate attempt to keep myself awake. There was a moment when I seriously contemplated on bringing a sleeping bag to lab. And while doing an all-nighter, I heard some pretty weird midnight confessions. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:52 AM : Monday, August 13, 2007 Pimpin' Out The Doggies Pets for Rent? I'm one of those people with no time. I couldn't take care of a goldfish let alone a dog or cat full time without going nuts. But even if I'm a prime candidate for this pet renting service, I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. For me, this is less about the animal's welfare and more about personal responsibility. If you're going to take care of the pet--take care of the pet. Don't dangle it about like a piece of flashy but borrowed jewelry. If you really want to try out owning a pet before actually getting one, try pet sitting first. Besides, pet renting just smacks of dabbling. And I have very little patience with unserious dabblers of any sort. Addendum: Maybe someone might start the argument that blogging is dabbling. Well, I'm not dabbling at blogging. I haven't quit yet, have I? [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:55 AM : Friday, August 10, 2007 Textbooks Make A Killing On My Wallet It's one thing if I'm paying $7.99 for an occasional paperback, but completely another when I'm forking over scads of moolah for some hefty tome that's going to be outdated before I graduate. Yes, I hate buying textbooks. I know there are reasons why textbooks are so expensive, but still--it seems counterintuitive to me. People say that society values learning, but this just seems like another obstacle even for those who want to learn. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:29 PM : Thursday, August 09, 2007 Memes Booking Through Thursday: Multiples Do you have multiple copies of any of your books? I have two copies of Alberts' The Molecular Biology of the Cell. If so, why? Absent-mindedness? You love them that much? First Editions for the shelf, but paperbacks to read? I suppose on first glance, it is sort of crazy to have two copies of Alberts. The thing is like a concrete door stopper. Not to mention, expensive. But if you're in my field, you have to invest in these kind of things. I got my first copy as an undergrad. However, when I went to grad school, they came out with the next edition which had some new stuff in it. There's always new stuff coming out in science and, well, you just have to keep up. Unlike 18th century British literature. If not, why not? Not enough space? Not enough money? Too sensible to do something so foolish? Why I do not have multiple copies of my other books: For most books, I don't need multiple copies. I'm not the sort of bibliophile who enjoys collecting books for the sake of collecting books. I buy books because I read them. I want the story or the information, not the material stuff that it's housed in. The Thursday Threesome: Swimming Pool Pumps Onesome: Swimming-- along? Do you swim? Can you swim? Do you like to swim? Do you have a place to swim? I'm drowning in questions here! I can swim. I just don't like to. Twosome: Pool--? ...or billiards? Have you played either one? ...or would you like to learn? With my kind of hand-eye coordination, I'd be lucky to hit the ball with the cue. Threesome: Pump--ing iron: is that in your reps? ...or does the thought of that style of working out just do you in? Inquiring minds and all that... Ugh. There's just something so artificial about this. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:04 AM : Tuesday, August 07, 2007 An Introvert, Musing Gah! Talking, meeting, schmoozing, networking. These kinds of things leave me drained. I'm no good at small talk--it sounds all right in my head, but once it gets to my mouth, it's all downhill. That's why when I have any doubt at all, I keep my mouth shut to avoid looking like a fool. (Except in the cases where a situation or remark begs to be answered with something pithy and sardonic.) In an extrovert's world, this is of course my fault. Remedy: I need to gab more. But there are seriously some moments when I wish I was climbing Mount Everest instead. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:38 PM : Just Sayin' Brands affect perceptions of preschoolers. Well, if I had to taste test carrots in a generic bag versus ones in a McDonald's bag, I might even say the "McDonald's carrots" tasted worse than the others. I hope that's just not me. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:14 PM : Monday, August 06, 2007 Orange Cones So there's a science conference going on this week* and I guess whoever is in charge of the roads has decided to pave the main street at the same time. Yeah. That'll make an impression. *With trading cards! Sorry, only scientists, no baseball players. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:51 PM : Sunday, August 05, 2007 I'm an Internet Dabbler The Politics of Job Titles: Are You a Blogger or Blogomist?. Blogomist? That's the first I've heard of it. And boy, is that title cringe-worthy, more so than blogger. Even if blogger sounds a bit unsavory and a bit immature, at least it's a natural outgrowth of the word blog. Blogomist, however, doesn't sound so much like a bigamist than the wrong end of a gastronomist after being tortured with F grade "haute cuisine". And as for the assertion that "ist" jobs seem to have more cachet than "er" jobs, here's my deconstruction of that linked list: *teacher vs. learning specialist. For "teacher", I associate with grade school teachers. Some may be better than others, but their main goal is to teach kids. "Learning specialist" sounds like someone trying to develop a fake hooked-on-phonics scheme to bilk parents out of their money. *freelance writer vs. copy consultant. A freelance writer is a writer. A copy consultant...is that just a fancy way of explaining the presence of that intern at the Xerox machine? *manager vs. evangelist. I think of a manager as a white collar worker in a corporate cubical culture. Boring, but not especially dangerous. Evangelist--a crazed religious fanatic. I try to stay away from the latter as much as I possibly can. *barber vs. hair stylist. Barber: an old man who everyone knows only has one style in his repertoire. Hair stylist: When it comes to hair, the stylist is tyrannical. He/she also bilks you out of hundreds of dollars just for some stupid hair care products. I'll go to the barber, thank you very much. My hair only needs one kind of cut anyway. *dietician vs. nutritionist. Eh, I suppose I agree here. Some real scientists call themselves nutritionists occasionally. I'm not really sure if dieticians actually do anything except repackage common sense. *doctor vs. cardiologist. The usage of these terms, I think, alludes to a completely different topic. Both "doctor" and "cardiologist" implies a professional, but doctor is a more general and hence a more layman-friendly term. Also, not every medical doctor is a specialist. I would only recommend trotting out the term "cardiologist" at medical conferences, when meeting with worried patients, and during the first visit with a potential mother-in-law who is both elitist and hard to please. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 4:54 PM : Thursday, August 02, 2007 Memes Booking Through Thursday: Letters! We Get Letters…. Have you ever written an author a fan letter? Once, during fifth grade for a class assignment. It was to one of my favorite authors at the time, Gary Paulsen. Did you get an answer? Sort of. It was a form letter. Did it spark a conversation? A meeting? No. Well, what can I say? It was a form letter. I didn't have the incentive or the inclination to write back to Paulsen. I figured he was too busy writing books and too inundated with fan letters to even find the time to write back. I suppose these days it's easier to send an author an e-mail, but I still don't do it. It's not because of the possibility that I might get a form letter back. It's because I'm a terrible e-mail correspondent. I wait until the last possible minute to reply or to even send a message in the first place. This is not the fault of anyone else and it's not because I don't like the people who e-mail me--I do this to everyone. And if no one is threatening me with a deadline, who knows when I'll respond. (Maybe next month?) Also, with author (and editor) blogs, it's easy to visit and comment, but I end up lurking. The last time I tried commenting, I think the editor mistook me for a troll and laid the smackdown on me. And I'm sure if any author knew that my book reviews are not universal praise, they would probably think I'm evil. By my words alone, most people probably do not perceive me as a very comfortable person (no gushing or smilies to temper my prose), so I have my doubts about people wanting to continue a conversation with me even if I initiated it. Addendum: Okay, so I have met the professors who have authored some of the textbooks I've used. But I doubt they remember me. The Thursday Threesome: Writing your Blog Onesome: Writing-- on the web: Do you consider yourself a writer, in that you provide a narrative of some sort? ...or a responder, wherein you primarily work the meme circuit? I'm a writer, in both the blogging sense and the more traditional sense. Of course, recently it seems like I'm a responder since the more recent posts have mostly been the weekly memes, but that's because real life has been very busy. (When you find yourself not sleeping and still not having enough hours in the day to do stuff, you know you're busy.) Twosome: your-- place: did you do your own design? ...or did you pick out something from the established templates? Yes, I did my own design. But don't take that as a sign that I actually know what I'm doing when it comes to web page coding. Threesome: Blog-- this! What's your favorite type of thing to run across that you just can't wait to get to the computer to post? Photos count, but for the photobloggers (like Laurie and me), what is it that you just know you won't be able to hold on to for even a day? Hm. This is a hard one to answer because I'm not exactly an impulse blogger. I find it really tempting to blog about things that annoy me, though. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:12 AM : Wednesday, August 01, 2007 Hey! Yep, it's Tangled Bank #85 over at Migrations. Go and read some science. I totally hate receiving packages that I need to sign for. Why? Because I'm never home. As a result, it's like playing phone tag with the UPS guy who writes down the wrong date he's going to try next anyway. So I'm going to have to pick up the package myself. In the next effin' state. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 5:23 PM : |
