Where you live makes you happy

Listened to this short podcast from NPR on happiness and heard some interesting things. I was first surprised at how many times the work "bike" was mentioned, which was something that I did not expect to hear in this. But as the commentator in the program notes that some of the things that make us most unhappy according to studies is having a long commute that separates us from work, family, and friends. So having a well designed and connected city is something to consider for policy makers. 

Another thing which stuck me is how it was noted that as a rule of thumb we should be getting at least 6 hours of face to face social time in our day. This seem like a lot of time to be devoting to social activities but it also fits in line with the results of studies that indicate:
1. People who live in cites (and thus interact with people more) are happier and more fulfilled with life
2. After a certain amount money does not tend to make people happier. Studies indicate that contrary to common "wisdom" becoming extravagantly rich is not the direct ticket to happiness, instead only having enough money is what seem to make the most difference in peoples lives.

But most importantly as mentioned in the podcast, where you live seems to have a strong correlation with how happy you are. This has some pretty strong implications in how we factor what makes us happy. Will buying a new fancy car make us more happy or will possibly relocating to be closer to family and friends make more of a difference in our happiness.

Small Changes Can Help You 'Thrive' Happily

AWWWW YEAH! It came!

the original compact

the daily challenge

who wants in on this? it sends you a daily email with one challenge for the day, helping you (and with the help of friends) improve yourself.

Daily Challenge - MeYou Health:

the power of music

obvious

The Greatest Speech Ever Made?

You may or may not recognize the actor giving this speech, for those of you who don't it is Charlie Chaplin in his most commercially successful film "The Great Dictator".
Watching this makes me realize how important it is for artists to be able to express their views and share their work. It is fortunate that we have this piece of film history as the U.S. was still formally at peace with Germany and this was the first major film to criticize Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Similarities between Chaplin and Hitler were noted as both

had superficially similar looks, most famously their toothbrush mustaches, and this similarity is often commented upon. Furthermore, the two men were born only four days apart in April 1889, and both grew up in relative poverty with alcoholic fathers and ailing mothers.

Chaplins son is quoted on his fathers similarities that

Their destinies were poles apart. One was to make millions weep, while the other was to set the whole world laughing. Dad could never think of Hitler without a shudder, half of horror, half of fascination. “Just think,” he would say uneasily, “he’s the madman, I’m the comic. But it could have been the other way around."

The message of a united, peaceful coexistence with the world we share with 7 billion others is a strong one. We are in this together. Yet there are those who claim otherwise, with justifications and rationalizations to wash their hands of the deeds committed are found in the volumes of history.

FRAMED-Andi Wittmann Rider profile from Felix Urbauer on Vimeo.

war and peace

Are human beings essentially good or bad? Has the past century witnessed moral progress or a moral collapse? Do we have grounds for being optimistic about the future?

Steven Pinker tries to answer these questions in his latest book (looks like a lengthy, but interesting read)
here is a video that breaks down his postition
it looks like he presents a compelling argument yet contrarian argument especially considering certain affairs of the world.
here is his full length talk

Oh boy, not again

Soo I kind of got hit by a car....again.

here is the breakdown of what happened

Steve Jobs

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

Oligopoly much?

(click to expand)

Anonymous e-mail

MailNesia - Anonymous e-mail in seconds:

ever need to send an email anonymously like when signing up for websites that you don't want knowing your email?

claims there is no registration or password necessary.

I have not used it but I can see the appeal it would have. check it out and tell me what you think

the 99% that used to be

Here are the sources because it is hard to read in the original

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Posthumous pirating

Is it wrong to pirate an artists work after they have died? I know that pirating is wrong and that pirating a work after an artist has died takes money away from those who publish or perform the artists work. But something inside me sees it as a different things to pirate an artists work after they have died. I mean have you ever heard of a dead person complain from being ripped off? I can understand the case if an artist had specifically stated that any profits post death should go to family or charity, but if the artist is dead then what?
Now in thinking about this I can see two cases but with each I feel differently about them. Take the case of classical music, say a piece by Mozart. Mozart has been dead for hundreds of years and Mozart or his family has likely not seen a cent from the sales of reproductions of his music, yet I would have a hard time trying to justify pirating it because I would be unjustly depriving the performers of due payment.
But what about the case in which there are no performers? What about say an Ebook? Would it be wrong to pirate it? I mean it is very likely that these days printers already have a digital copy. Is ten bucks a fair price for a digital copy of a book when the author would never see a cent of it?

Before I sign off I would just like to reiterate that I am not trying to justify or promote stealing. Really I was just trying to answer the question of who does a piece of artwork belong to? The artist or the distributor. If it belongs to the artist then it seems to me that the cost of posthumous works should be significantly reduced.
But as is likely with other questions, the answer I seek is probably much more complicated than a simple yes or no

Slime Molds!

Slime molds are really awesome! They come in a variety of otherworldly forms and exhibit some really striking characteristics.

There is a great write up on em on in the NYT today by Carl Zimmer. I have enjoyed Carl Zimmers work and he does a pretty good job explaining cool science stuff in a way that captures your attention.
but back to the slime molds! here is a cool video that shows just some of the interesting characteristics of slime molds

(on an unrelated note, I really like the music in this. If someone wanted to get it for me that would be awesome)
How do the single cells of the slime mold know how to organize themselves without any sort of nervous system organizing them?

The peculiar characteristic of slime molds to organize themselves can also be used to predict and understand the most efficient way to distribute resources. Because slime molds do not have any of the advantages a circulatory system brings us, slime molds have to adapt in different ways. Scientists have tested slime molds organizational skills by placing food resources in the same patterns as train stations. here we can see the results

Health Care Debate

Kind of interesting to see how things seem so similar yet nothing has really changed. Even back then there were the same concerns of spiraling health care costs, and balancing private and public sector intervention.

War is a Racket

"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small 'inside' group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes."

Kind of a striking quote huh? My first reaction to this quote was that it came from some raging left leaning, birkenstock wearing hippie but in fact came from Smedley Butler a U.S. Marine with a career of 33 years under his belt, decorated with some of our nations highest honors with not one but two medal of honors (only 19 other brave individuals have had the same commendation).
On looking back at his military career he said:

"I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents."

To have someone with such experience and honors speak of war like this should make us reconsider the notions we have with "nation building" or defending America and its "interests" (corporate interests or citizen interests?)

In St. George for the weekend with the fam. Lookin forward to some downtime

Its Pretty Amazing

classy tune

been real busy today. To keep things short I have had zero downtime till now between work, studying for test, taking said test, and getting some stuff picked up for the upcoming bike collective in Provo . So to finally get some time to take a breath feels good and I think this song just kinda fits the mood. Take a listen and let the smooth beats move through you.

New Commenting System!

As noted by some of my readers (this one is goin out to you Alex!) bloggers commenting system sucks. I have just installed diqus on my blog which should add some needed features and bring some much needed awesome to my comments. I am still doing some testing so there might be a few bugs here and there but I will do my best to work em out!

so give it a shot, I would love to hear from my readers!

Genetics study group follow up

so I blogged previously on my apprehension on conducting a study group.
Anyways it was today, and things went ok, well actually things could have gone a lot better but it wasn't a big deal.
let me explain real quick.
I emailed 32 people right? I even scheduled a room for us in the library to study in and let them know about it.

yet....no one came.

so things went OK because I didn't have to worry about leading any sort of discussion, but I really could have used the help talking over some of the things we are learning about and I didn't get the chance to do that.
so I will give it another shot and see if we can get a good study group going

Electronic Projects Preivew

got some cool stuff ordered! decided to first try out some LED strips before I dove into working with EL wire. Hopefully I can find the time to prototype some circuits!

Thanks mom!

Thanks mom! I like having an ereader!

Cleft Palate

I have to admit, I shed a tear watching this.
I mean this little girl is so cute and with some help had her life changed profoundly. She will now go on to lead a normal, happy, and productive life, able to show the world her happiness. I am so thankful that I have been born with health and strength, something that too many people are born without.
It would be so amazing and fulfilling to bring this kind of positive good to someones life.

wiki on cleft palate

I think sometimes we give playing a bad rap. I mean some of the things in this video are incredible! It is amazing to me all the things people have thought of doing, pushing human bodies and creativity to the limit

Writing tips

Writing is something that I feel like I am not very good at, and I have a lot of anxiety whenever I have an assignment or paper that I have to write is due so I spend a huge amount of time procrastinating and not getting any work done. I stumbled across these tips and thought they were a good idea.
here were a few bullet points from the link

• Write before you feel ready — because you might never feel ready. It's amazing how people magically feel ready when there is an imminent deadline.
• Don't wait to have a clear picture of the paper. As you start putting down your ideas, you may actually clarify them.
• Snack write — work in short, frequent bursts instead of waiting to sit down for big blocks of time. Those blocks hardly ever come, and when they do, they don't usually get used very productively.
• Set specific times in your schedule for writing — don't leave it to chance, because chances are it won't happen.
• Writing means putting new words on the page or substantially rewriting old words. It does not mean editing, reading, referencing or formatting — and it definitely does not mean composing e-mails.
• If you refrain from writing because you worry that what you write won't be good enough, try noting the adage that to write well, you first have to write.
• To really increase the quality and quantity of your writing, get feedback from mentors and colleagues — it can be painful, but it works. 

I think points 1 and 2 are the most helpful for me to remember next time I have an important paper to write. But I also think blogging more would help with my anxiety with writing because I think with blogging as a platform it is much less formal, leading me to worry less about formatting or word selection as much as writing a paper would

Genetics

So here is the deal, my genetics course is tough! so I thought hey why don't I start a study group?

so I did... 

and little did I know that thirty two people would sign up! I totally did not even expect that! I don't even know where to start on how to plan and organize a meeting for so many people.

and you know what is even worse? I don't even feel like I have a solid grasp of all the material we are covering, so how am I supposed to lead a study group! When I first thought about starting this I thought I would get like ten people max, and half of the people crap on on stuff like that so I thought I was only looking at a group of 5 people or so that I could talk stuff over with. but now I have 32 people I gotta worry about now half of that is 16!

I do not want to cater to these peoples expectations.

not what I signed up for

Electronics Projects Phase II

So I feel like I have been really busy with things lately and have not had as much time as I would have like to devote to electronics stuff, I mean between school, work, keeping up with friends, who has time!? It is sometimes frustrating and kinda sad that I don't make the time for the things that I would like to do like blogging or playing guitar or throwing pots or all the other sort of things I loved to do but for whatever reason haven't made the time. One of the barriers I think I have run into is the fact that when I sit down to do something on my spare time after school or work I tend to be somewhat mentally drained. This makes it hard for me to sit down and devote mental energy to a project so I end up surfing the net or end up doing other mind numbing activities.

But lately I have been imagining up some projects that I really want to do.

The first one that I would like to try and tackle involves my bike and some cool material called electroluminescent wire, which from what I have looked at is a neat material that has a lot of potential for some interesting projects. What electroluminescent wire or EL wire allows you to do is have a thin, flexible, light emitting wire that gives off a cool light effect. What I would like to do is mount some EL wire on my bike and pair the EL wire with another cool component called a Hall Effect sensor which is a sensor that detects the presence of a magnetic field and will subsequently vary an output voltage essentially, acting like a switch. Interestingly Hall Effect sensors play an unseen but major role in the timing of internal combustion engines. Hall Effect sensors are also used on bike computers and allow you to measure your speed and distance while on a bike.
So how I envision this whole project to work involves:

1. getting the EL wire mounted on the bike with the proper voltage and connections
2. using the Hall Effect sensors to activate the EL wire as I move.

to give you a better picture for how this works I whipped up something in paint real quick.

here we see the EL wire mounted on the bike in three individual sections. One on the fork and down tube, another on the top tube and seat post, with yet another on the seat and chain stay (colors are just used to differentiate between each section of EL wire, I am thinking of having all the sections be one color). I would like to have each section of EL wire to be independent of each other with each section linked with its own Hall Effect sensor on the fork (independent as to its ability to be activated, not powered). The small colored circles on the wheel represent the magnets needed to activate the Hall Effect sensor which are mounted on the fork which are represented with dashes. 

By having each section independent of each other it will allow each section to respond to my speed, with each section lighting up after the other one as the magnets on the wheel trip the sensor on the fork.

The other project I would like to try out is building a FM transmitter with a modest amount of power. as posted earlier, I like the idea of starting my own radio station. I don't know how serious I am about actually broadcasting on a regular basis, I just like the idea of learning and building my own radio station.

But to even get started on some of the steps in these projects I feel like I need to learn a lot more and I don't know where I can get the hands on practice and theory I need to get these going. I know there are a ton of resources online or at the library, I would just like to have access to have someone guide me along a bit and teach me. 

But alas I don't think that will happen so I should just go for it and quit worrying about screwing something up! 

the name Caesar, pronounced see-zer in English, was pronounced kai-sahr in Classical Latin, think of German with their kaiser.
This title was adopted to invoke the glory of classical Rome and in fact was not even a title till after Julius Ceasers reign ended

71% of national debt happened during GOP presidencies; 28% under Dem presidents

GOP Presidents Dem Presidents
$9.5 trillion           $3.8 trillion

Total debt is $14.3 trillion.
$1 trillion of debt comes from before Reagan (NYT doesn't make clear who created that debt).
$13.3 trillion accumulated from Reagan to Obama.

71% of the $13.3 trillion was under GOP presidents.
28% of the $13.3 trillion was under Dem presidents.

(Source: NYT pieced together data from Treasury, OMB, Federal Reserve Bank of NY, and more)

It should also be mentioned that the dems are not always the best, they are not "pure as the driven snow" and have their fair share of blame. it is just interesting to note how the GOP has become the party of "strong fiscal policy" when I have a hard time seeing that through.

Flying over planet Earth

A time-lapse taken from the front of the International Space Station as it orbits our planet at night. This movie begins over the Pacific Ocean and continues over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica. Visible cities, countries and landmarks include (in order) Vancouver Island, Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Los Angeles. Phoenix. Multiple cities in Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Mexico City, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Lightning in the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and the Amazon. Also visible is the earths ionosphere (thin yellow line) and the stars of our galaxy.

Why the U.S. was downgraded

Why the U.S. was downgraded:
• U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
• Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
• New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
• National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
• Recent budget cut: $ 38,500,000,000

Let's remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

• Annual family income: $21,700
• Money the family spent: $38,200
• New debt on the credit card: $16,500
• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
• Total budget cuts: $385

Living within your means: if you can't afford to buy something twice then you can't afford to buy it

Contribution over acumulation

Pirate Radio: Micropower broadcasting

Moving onto the Airwaves Micropower Broadcasting Primer

WooHoo! 96% on my first test! Great way to start out the semester! Lets get ready for the weekend.

first test!

first test of the semester! been studying my brains out, hopefully I do ok. Wish me luck!

Electronics 101

While procrastinating some important studying for school I found a youtube playlist (what can I say the internet is awesome!) that explains the basic properties of electronic components. I thought they were pretty well done so check em out!
I just wish the rest of my classes could be posted up on youtube! Back to sticking my nose in a text book...
Videos posted after the break

whew! School and work is getting in the way of blogging these days. Feeling super busy which makes it hard to sit down and make sure I have a blog posted every day. I think I might have to slow things down and post a bit less. Genetics is getting really tough, I need to get into a study group, but I am enjoying microbiology a lot. Also these days I am feeling a lot less inclined to post or discuss politics, which is interesting because I used to really enjoy discussing politics but now I think I might have just become too entrenched in my beliefs that I cant objectively discuss politics with others. I need to change that and make sure I stay open to other possibilities. I think part of the problem is that I have been studying too much science, because in science there is usually only one right answer whereas in politics there are many options to solve a problem

Ingenious Animalcules

Been putting off some Microbiology reading till tonight and I don't know why because let me tell you I am impressed with these little guys! Some of the reading included various adaptations of motile bacteria for sensing and responding to varying levels of environmental stimuli through a proccess called taxis. Examples of taxis in bacteria involve chemotaxis which is defined as the response to a chemical gradient of movement towards or away a stimulus. But there are many forms of taxis in bacteria some with peculiar attributes. For example take a look at this guy

Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum

take a look at the series of black spheres running through this bacteria, those are tiny magnetic particles and make up a structure called a Magnetosome which is to put it in simple terms a microbial compass! These magnetic particles actually strong enough to orient the bacteria along the magnetic fields of the Earth. This magnetosome helps the bacteria perform Magentotaxis, the movement in response to a magnetic field. 

The purpose of this structure is proposed to attract the bacteria downward into sediment where the oxygen levels are lower and more to its liking for growth. Its affinity for lower oxygen concentrations have been observed in the lab and fossil record which show what are called Magnetofossils which appear in formations deposited during the Proterozoic Era which saw a build up in atmospheric oxygen confirming the observation of its distaste for too much oxygen.

here are a few more pictures of our ingenious friend

New shoes!

Got my new shoes, some PRO-keds. They are PRO! Very cool. I want to get some new shoelaces for them. They came with grey ones and I had a pair of black ones so I thought I would throw one of em on to see how it looked. I think I am going to rock the black laces till I can get some new laces. But what color laces? Should I get some red ones or blue ones?

It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui. – Helen Keller

Fainting Goats

Nature has produced a lot of stunning diversity so we shouldnt be too surprised when things go "wrong". Take for example the "Fainting Goats", which have a condition called Myotonia. Wikipedia explains:

is a genetic, neuromuscular channelopathy that affects skeletal muscles (muscles used for movement). It is congenital, meaning that it is present from birth. Amongst other problems, it causes delayed relaxation of the muscles (myotonia) and rigidity. The disorder is caused by mutations in the part of an ion channel gene responsible for shutting off electrical excitation in the muscles, causing muscle fiber membranes to have an unusually exaggerated response to stimulation (hyperexcitability). Symptoms include delayed relaxation of the muscles after voluntary contraction (myotonia), and may also include stiffness, hypertrophy (enlargement), sluggishness of the muscles, transient weakness in some mutations, pain, and cramping. The disorder is caused by a genetic mutation involving the chloride channel of the muscles.

take a look at the results below

Unfortunately this disorder is not limited to goats and can also occur in humans. here is a cute video of some kittens who are afflicted with this disorder (but regrettably died not long after)

these kittens were so cute! it is so sad that they died...
here is another cute cat video to cheer you up.

ok just ONE more. I promise

.3 watts per search

Google is massive. With huge data centers keeping data safe and serving up each query to inquisitive visitors. Maintaining these servers requires quite a bit of energy but amazingly Google has kept energy consumption low.
Google has shown how to do more with less, and commentators have noticed that being green is not only good sense for the environment but good business sense

it is Sunday I am going to take a break from blogging

The Chance for Peace

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.
 - Dwight D. Eisenhower

taken from a speech delivered April 16, 1953

the number one please

Genetics and Gender

Today in my genetics class we talked about some peculiar genetic abnormalities and one of them I thought was pretty interesting but before we get to talk about it think about a few questions.
What makes you the gender you are?
Is it the hair on your chest? the fact that you like to play with dolls? Do you identify yourself with a particular gender only because that is the way you were raised? Or would you say you are who you are because of your genetics?
There is a particular genetic disorder that causes one to think about the source of our gender identities. Take a look at the picture below.

Does anything strike you about these ladies? Because in reality these Ladies (or should I say dudes) are in fact are genetically male. They were born with a particular genetic disorder called Androgen Insensitivity Disorder. This particular disorder is pretty interesting because as I stated before they are all genetically male meaning that they have an X chromosome and a Y chromosome just like any linebacker on a football team would. But the key difference here is a mutation in their genetic code which makes their cells unresponsive to testosterone the same hormone that causes all of the traits we normally associate with maleness.
So why are they female? To answer that question in very simple terms we would say that every human is "naturally" born a female, only through exposure during critical times during pregnancy (and later during puberty) to testosterone do male characteristics appear.

So what do you think makes you the gender you are? Is gender merely a social construct? I am not sure I would go that far but the moral of the story here is that the question of gender is more complicated than we think.

Little People - Moon

getting late, gotta go to bed. still have homework to do...

Oil Immersion

Yesterday in my Microbiology Lab we learned how to do Oil Immersion, which is a process that is used in microscopy to increase the resolution at much higher magnification. I though it was a pretty clever way to increase resolution. Here is a cool diagram that shows the process

Principle of immersion microscopy. Path of rays with immersion medium (yellow) (left half) and without (right half). Rays (black) coming from the object (red) at a certain angle and going through the coverslip (orange, as the slide at the bottom) can enter the objective (dark blue) only when immersion is used. Otherwise, the refraction at the coverslip - air interface causes the ray to miss the objective and its information is lost. 

Mmm, feelin like a million bucks after a nap

Stanley Kubrick on Existensialism

Stanley Kubrick on Existentialism 

"if life is so purposeless, do you feel that it is worth living?"

 KUBRICK: “Yes, for those of us who manage somehow to cope with our mortality. The very meaninglessness of life forces man to create his own meaning. Children, of course, begin life with an untarnished sense of wonder, a capacity to experience total joy at something as simple as the greenness of a leaf; but as they grow older, the awareness of death and decay begins to impinge on their consciousness and subtly erode their joie de vivre, their Idealism—and their assumption of Immortality. As a child matures, he sees death and pain everywhere about him, and begins to lose faith in the ultimate goodness of man. But if he’s reasonably strong—and lucky—he can emerge from this twilight of the soul into a rebirth of life’s élan. Both because of and in spite of his awareness of the meaninglessness of life, he can forge a fresh sense of purpose and affirmation. He may not recapture the same pure sense of wonder he was born with, but he can shape something far more enduring and sustaining. The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death—however mutable man may be able to make them—our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfilment. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”

taken from an interview, you can read a part of it here

Soldering skills Lvl. 3 Minty Boost Update

I tried to get my microphone to work better so hopefully you can hear things better.

The Ten Most Important Things We've Learned About College

good advise from lifehacker.com

I need to take to heart some of these suggestions.

network? yeah I need to work on that

internship? yeah still trying to get that one out of the way

study abroad? really? how do I justify the expense?

Wesley Crusher on Politics

Remember little Wesley Crusher from Star Trek? Well take a peek at what popped up in my G+ stream today

Time to school on bike: 17.40

got my Minty Boost kit soldered up! Just need to get a case made up for it. Pictures and stuff coming later.

If you are not paying for it, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold.
- Andrew Lewis

Crazy Science

all of these videos show the necessity of how actually observing an experiment can really challenge your preconceptions

Farewell amazon prime account! I am missing you already

The Indelible Stamp of our Lowly Origin

We are apes. do not let any ideology tell you otherwise. we are not some exalted and perfected beings only momentarily exiled from a state of perfection. If one needs convincing one only needs a brief glimpse of history to confirm this fact
It is often all to easy to see that we still today carry the roots of our past but this knowledge should not scare us or make us feel uncomfortable. It should guide us and help us better understand our weaknesses, the old adage "know thyself" applies.
It may seem hard to understand (and it is hard to truly understand) but our past ancestry does not mean make us any less of who we are (nor more), it makes us human. We walked our of Africa to face new challenges, that more often than not seemed insurmountable. A select few had the courage to ford a raging river, cross a snow capped mountain pass, navigate an endless ocean, and break free of the limitations set forth. To deny our past would deny the understanding that yes, humanity has made plenty of mistakes but humanity has also overcome

Limits of Free Trade

"US tariffs are on average only 4%, “low by historic standards.” But a closer look shows that this openness to foreign goods is selective, and allied to a form of protectionism-by-subsidy.

Internet Repression

it is widely known of the power that technology played in the arab spring but here the NYT weighs in on the more repressive and sinister side of technology.

Amid the cheerleading over recent events in the Middle East, it's easy to forget the more repressive uses of technology. In addition to the rosy narrative celebrating how Facebook and Twitter have enabled freedom movements around the world, we need to confront a more sinister tale: how greedy companies, fostered by Western governments for domestic surveillance needs, have helped suppress them.

Stanisław Lem on the internet

What is your opinion about Internet? Is Internet a new revolution in human life?Each new technology has its advantages and disadvantages. And each one may be used for or against human beings. I am somewhat afraid of this. There is nothing wrong with the tale of Hansel and Gretel, the witch and her hut made of sweets - as long as it remains in the domain of fantasy. However eating the entire roof of a real eatable hut made of sweets would certainly result in indigestion. Everything that is tempting always lies between the outstretched hand and the fruit. Once picked, the fruit turns out to be rotten and it does not suit us any more. The same is the case with the availability of information. What are the advantages of great possibilities to process information if all networks may be paralyzed by Internet viruses? The technology opens new possibilities for wrongdoing. I am a cruel person, hence I hate people who create the "I LOVE YOU" - types of viruses; I would gladly have them whipped and had "enemy of mankind of the first degree" written on their foreheads. I am irritated by evil and stupidity. Evil results from stupidity, while stupidity feeds on Evil. Television is full of violence and desensitizes us. Internet makes it easier to hurt our neighbors. I recently read an article about a young man who tried to (almost successfully) gain control of a computer of a large American aircraft carrier. Had I written such a story some thirty years ago, everybody would consider me mad. However nowadays such a paradox is possible. The entire history of humankind is just a little second on the geological clock. We live in a period of an incredible acceleration. We are like a man who jumped off the roof of a fifty-story building and reached the thirtieth floor.Someone looking out of the windows asks: "How are you doing?" and the falling man replies: "Everything is fine, so far". We are unaware of the speed that captured us. The technology moves forward, however the control of its direction is very weak. 

From science fiction author Stanisław Lem

how old are you really

want to know how old you really are( well, at least half of you)? take the date of your mothers birth and subtract 20 weeks, this will give the approximate date of the creation of the egg that you came from that became you once your fathers sperm fertilized it. this is due to the fact that on the day of your mothers birth she was born with the only supply of eggs (this is in contrast with males who constantly regenerate sperm)

pretty cool huh?

note: while this actually wont give you your real age because you were not you until just after fertilization, in other words this just shows that half of you genetic material was already formed. But it is cool to think about how half of who you are is much older than what you think

"Un-American"

you want to know what is "Un-American" this kind of talk. 

America and the freedom we enjoy was not labeled for one type of person. America is supposed to be the land of the free, established by we the people. 

I hate my math program

seriously! do you know how frustrating it is to have this happen!

First Aid

On my way to work today as I was riding the scoot down the hill by the car wash I noticed some cars pulled off to the side of the road next to a bike. As I got closer I noticed why they had stopped, a girl was sitting with her back against the barrier, blood dripping down her face with her bike mangled a few feet by her side. The cars had stopped to offer assistance to her, a man on a phone, a woman running out of a car to offer help. And I remember exactly how it felt for that girl to be in that situation and it made me feel so helpless. I wish I knew first aid better and how to offer help in those situations

but I just rode on by...

Know Your Rights

Print out cool little reminder cards here

contents of cards are as follows:

You Just Got Arrested
In the event you are taken into police custody, the U.S. constitution provides you with the right to remain silent, be informed of any charges against you (and their penalties), speak to your attorney (or have one appointed if you can't afford one), and have a judge decide whether or not you should be let out of jail until your trial.

The police are allowed to ask you processing questions like your name and address. You are required to comply with their requests for this type of information regardless of your right to remain silent. You do not have to answer personal questions, questions pertaining to the crime for which you are charged, or answer anything without an attorney present.

Your silence cannot be used against you, but what you say or write can. If you want to answer their questions with a legal counsel, be sure you tell them immediately. The police are not allowed to question you without a lawyer, once requested, unless you later waive that right.

You Just Got Pulled OverIn the event you are pulled over for a moving violation or citation, according to the "Plain View Doctrine" you have the right to refuse a search of your vehicle if the officer does not have a warrant. If the officer can see contraband in plain sight, however, a warrant to search that visible area is not necessary. You also will need to submit to a basic body pat-down should the officer have strong reason to believe you are armed.

You also have the right to refuse to take a breathalyzer test. While there are no legal repercussions, refusal reflects poorly on you when your case is heard and can have administrative penalties such as a harsher fine or lengthier suspension of your license.

via LifeHacker.com

Talent Is Nothing Without Focus and Endurance

In every interview I'm asked what's the most important quality a novelist has to have. It's pretty obvious: talent. Now matter how much enthusiasm and effort you put into writing, if you totally lack literary talent you can forget about being a novelist. This is more of a prerequisite than a necessary quality. If you don't have any fuel, even the best car won't run.
The problem with talent, though, is that in most cases the person involved can't control its amount or quality. You might find the amount isn't enough and you want to increase it, or you might try to be frugal and make it last longer, but in neither case do things work out that easily. Talent has a mind of its own and wells up when it wants to, and once it dries up, that's it. Of course, certain poets and rock singers whose genius went out in a blaze of glory-people like Schubert and Mozart, whose dramatic early deaths turned them into legends-have a certain appeal, but for the vast majority of us this isn't the model we follow.

quotes come from writer Haruki Murakami

Economic Divisions and Political Polarization in Red and Blue America

polarization is strongest among political activists (duh!), and that much of the observed partisan disagreement reflects a deep divide not so much among voters as between Democratic and Republican politicians .On individual issues or clusters of issues, Americans are not much more polarized now than 30 years ago. But issue attitudes are much more closely tied to party identification and self-declared liberal–conservative ideology. As a nation, we have become much more polarized in our views of the major political parties, without there being much of a move to the extremes on the issues themselves. Voters—especially those with higher levels of education and political involvement—have sorted themselves into parties based on political ideology.

Soldering Skills Acquired! level 2!

turn up your volume, my laptops microphone kinda sucks...

Firefighting in Ancient Rome

In Rome, "the fire department" was a group of slaves, carrying around these advanced (for the time) pumps. These slaves were called the Familia Publica. Since Roman fires could be very violent and widespread, the slaves were usually slow to respond- thereby guaranteeing their own safety. As a result, there was a lack of firefighting going on. Some clever and cruel businessmen, such as Crassus, made fortunes in the firefighting "business". Crassus had his own team of slaves that worked as firefighters. He and the slaves would go to the burning house, and as it burned, Crassus would attempt to buy it. As the building burned more and more, Crassus would offer less and less money. As soon as the owner relented to sell to Crassus, the slaves would put out the fire.
In the year 6 A.D., almost 30 percent of Rome burned in a very large series of fires. The Emperor Augustus decided that this was much too high a cost, so he assembled a team of public firefighters, named the Vigiles. It was comprised of seven thousand freed slaves who would win citizenship after six years' service in the Vigiles. After a century, freedmen would enter the service of the Vigiles merely for the prestige that came with service. It was ranked much like an elite military service. The Vigiles had become so powerful that they could break into a house if they had suspicion there was a fire inside. If a householder was found to be negligent by allowing a fire to start, the commander could have him flogged.
The Vigiles were successful in fighting fires for over four hundred years; the only severe fire in Rome during this time was in 64 A.D. (There are theories that say the Emperor Nero may have forced them not to act, so he could clear room for his new palace.) Despite their success in Rome, the Vigiles concept did not spread to other cities in the Empire. This was probably due to political factors at the time.

Ferrofluid Magic

Compressed 02 from Kim Pimmel on Vimeo.
more on Ferrofluid here

Our Life History

The history of our lives are more than a collection brief genealogical trees, our lives are interconnected with the world around us. Deep patterns and connections confound our understanding, but the message is clear. Our progenitors were survivors. Survivors who depended on each other and still faced the challenges of the world big and small.
We are Life, just one of many forms

read it and weep: school schedule

here is my current schedule:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Microbiology  11:00 am - 11:50 am
Genetics         12:00 pm - 12:50 pm
Math               1:30 pm - 2:55 pm

Monday
Microbiology lab 3:00 pm - 4:50 pm M

Friday
Genetics lab 10:00 am - 10:50 am F

Soldering skills acquired!

Finished by beginner how to solder kit but there wasn't an included 9volt battery so I can't test it! What gives! Now I will have to wait till monday to pick one up. 
But I was able to solder the free maker robot pin. It is super rad!

Standing on a Cube-shaped planet

ever wonder what it would be like to stand on a cube shaped planet?
The Straight Dope Answers:

The first thing you notice on being teleported to cubical earth is that you’re at the edge of a vast body of water we’ll call the Central Ocean. The land rises steeply away from the shore — apparently the ocean lies in a basin. This strikes you as odd, since you’d think the sides of a cubical planet would be flat. Patience. All will soon become clear.
Turning from the ocean and looking out over the land, you discover something else — you can see vast distances. On spherical earth the horizon on average is a little over three miles away. On cubical earth you can, in theory, see to the edge of the planet, potentially a distance of thousands of miles. Up the slope you’re standing on, impossibly far off, you can make out a gigantic mountain peak — one of the corners, you realize, of your cubical world.
Time to get hiking. I hope you’re in good shape, since the path literally becomes steeper with every step — you’ll have the impression of climbing up the inside of a round bowl. Worse, the mountain is stupefyingly high. How high? Well, the tallest known mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons on Mars, 14 miles high from base to peak. In contrast, the vertical rise from low point to high point on cubical earth is about 2,300 miles.
Soon you see why you need a spacesuit — the atmosphere gets progressively thinner until there’s none at all and you’re in the blackness of space. One consolation is that your weight steadily decreases. If you weigh 200 pounds at sea level back on spherical earth, you’ll discover when you finally reach the peak that you weigh just 103.
But here you are, on top at last. You don’t have the sense of walking around 90-degree corners. The peak looks like the tip of a three-sided pyramid. The three sides fall away steeply — if you lose your footing you’ll have a wicked drop.
On the plus side, the view is like none on earth, or on any planet anywhere. You can sight down one edge of the cube to a far corner, a distance of some 6,400 miles. Even more strikingly, you see all the atmosphere and water has been concentrated by gravity into a blob in the middle of each face, with the corners and edges poking out into space. You realize your cubical planet isn’t one world but six, each face’s segment of the biosphere isolated from the others by the hopeless climb.
Bizarre? Yup. Impossible, too. You may want your planet to be cubical. Just about every other force in the universe wants it round.

Books are Weapons in the War of Ideas

The Illusion of Asymmetric Insight

The Misconception: You celebrate diversity and respect others’ points of view.

The Truth: You are driven to create and form groups and then believe others are wrong just because they are others.

The illusion of asymmetric insight—creates a lot of problems. For instance, it allows you to completely reject what others believe because you think you understand it, and remain convinced that they'd agree with you if only they understood your point of view. Basically, you think you can understand everyone else and nobody can understand you. It gets even worse in groups. If you need an example, take a look at politics.
In reality, nobody's really right or wrong. We're never going to be able to paint a full picture of ourselves even if we're completely honest. Because much of who we are is internalized, we'll always project an incomplete version of who we are. When we look at other people, however, we have to remember that they're doing the same thing. It's easy to argue and disagree with what we see, hear, and observe, but the full truth is often often beyond our reach. Next time you disagree with another person or group, remember that you probably don't truly know and understand their point of view. You may agree on more than you're able to perceive.

Who you are alone is not who you are with a lover or a friend. You quick-change like Superman in a phone booth when you bump into old friends from high school at the grocery store, or the ex in line for the movie. When you part, you quick-change back and tell the person you are with why you appeared so strange for a moment. They understand, after all, they are also in disguise. It’s not a new or novel concept, the idea of multiple identities for multiple occasions, but it’s also not something you talk about often. The idea is old enough that the word person derives from persona – a Latin word for the masks Greek actors sometimes wore so people in the back rows of a performance could see who was on stage.

researchers asked people to describe a time when they feel most like themselves. Most subjects, 78 percent, described something internal and unobservable like the feeling of seeing their child excel or the rush of applause after playing for an audience. When asked to describe when they believed friends or relatives were most illustrative of their personalities, they described internal feelings only 28 percent of the time. Instead, they tended to describe actions. Tom is most like Tom when he is telling a dirty joke. Jill is most like Jill when she is rock climbing. You can’t see internal states of others, so you generally don’t use those states to describe their personalities.

The illusion of asymmetric insight makes it seem as though you know everyone else far better than they know you, and not only that, but you know them better than they know themselves. You believe the same thing about groups of which you are a member. As a whole, your group understands outsiders better than outsiders understand your group, and you understand the group better than its members know the group to which they belong.

The researchers explained this is how one eventually arrives at the illusion of naive realism, or believing your thoughts and perceptions are true, accurate and correct, therefore if someone sees things differently than you or disagrees with you in some way it is the result of a bias or an influence or a shortcoming. You feel like the other person must have been tainted in some way, otherwise they would see the world the way you do – the right way. The illusion of asymmetrical insight clouds your ability to see the people you disagree with as nuanced and complex. You tend to see your self and the groups you belong to in shades of gray, but others and their groups as solid and defined primary colors lacking nuance or complexity.

This and many other studies show you believe you see more of other people’s icebergs (personality) than they see of yours; meanwhile, they think the same thing about you.

excerpts collected from links posted above. First link is more in depth and longer, while the second one is much shorter and gives a brief overview

New York - Empire of Evolution - NYTimes.com

New York - Empire of Evolution - NYTimes.com: "To study evolution, Jason Munshi-South has tracked elephants in central Africa and proboscis monkeys in the wilds of Borneo. But for his most recent expedition, he took the A train."

Monstrous Discrepancies

America Has A Secret Weapon

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful?

Great write up on why the education system in Finland has been so effective (<-- points to scores from 2007)
here are some excerpts from the article that I found interesting.

“Whatever it takes” is an attitude that drives not just Kirkkojarvi’s 30 teachers, but most of Finland’s 62,000 educators in 3,500 schools from Lapland to Turku—professionals selected from the top 10 percent of the nation’s graduates to earn a required master’s degree in education. Many schools are small enough so that teachers know every student. If one method fails, teachers consult with colleagues to try something else. They seem to relish the challenges. Nearly 30 percent of Finland’s children receive some kind of special help during their first nine years of school. The school where Louhivuori teaches served 240 first through ninth graders last year; and in contrast with Finland’s reputation for ethnic homogeneity, more than half of its 150 elementary-level students are immigrants—from Somalia, Iraq, Russia, Bangladesh, Estonia and Ethiopia, among other nations. “Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers,” Louhivuori said, smiling. “We try to catch the weak students. It’s deep in our thinking.”

Ninety-three percent of Finns graduate from academic or vocational high schools, 17.5 percentage points higher than the United States, and 66 percent go on to higher education, the highest rate in the European Union. Yet Finland spends about 30 percent less per student than the United States.

Teachers in Finland spend fewer hours at school each day and spend less time in classrooms than American teachers. Teachers use the extra time to build curriculums and assess their students. Children spend far more time playing outside, even in the depths of winter. Homework is minimal. Compulsory schooling does not begin until age 7. “We have no hurry,” said Louhivuori. “Children learn better when they are ready. Why stress them out?”

in 1979, when reformers required that every teacher earn a fifth-year master’s degree in theory and practice at one of eight state universities—at state expense. From then on, teachers were effectively granted equal status with doctors and lawyers. Applicants began flooding teaching programs, not because the salaries were so high but because autonomy and respect made the job attractive

Is Justice Found in Absolutes?

Is Justice found in absolutes? To answer this question I am reminded of a particular Star Trek TNG episode that I recently watched.
 For some background the episode (aptly named "Justice") deals with a mission in which the Enterprise is to investigate a newly discovered planet. On first arriving the Enterprise finds the planet populated with people living in an Eden like idylic state, much akin to a utopia. On further investigation by an away team sent to the surface we learn the underpinnings of the utopian society, that there is interestingly only one law that the people of the planet live by with the punishment of a swift and merciless death upon breaking it. Sounds simple enough right?
Back on the Enterprise the plot thickens with the discovery of a cloaked and powerful space station that orbits the planet which has provided and taken care of the planets inhabitants. However unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the planet who attribute their peaceful and tranquil existence to a "god" of sorts is actually the orbiting space station providing for the people of the planet in a god-like fashion.
The crisis of the episode is made clear when Wesley Crusher (a younger member of the crew) has innocently broken the one rule of the planet and is sentenced to death. Upon hearing this news Captain Picard intervenes to try and resolve the situation the the following ensues: (warning for those who are not familiar with Star Trek: low production values and cheesy outfits follow, but try and see beyond that and you will see the social commentary)

Here is where we see that justice does not exist in terms of absolutes, that justice must act not alone but with mercy and compassion. Without mercy justice is nothing and there are always exception to the rule that if justice were absolute would not allow.

Slicing the Record Profit Pie

now this wouldn't be reason to pirate music now would it?

Environmentalism is Conservatism

From Scientific American:

the GOP actually started environmental protection in the first place. Richard Nixon signed into law most of the nation's landmark environmental laws and founded the Environmental Protection Agency back in 1970.

A bit further back, Teddy Roosevelt founded the national park system, among other efforts to conserve the natural heritage of the United States.

where have all the conservatives in the republican party gone?

"While I am a great believer in the free enterprise system and all that it entails, I am an even stronger believer in the right of our people to live in a clean, pollution free environment"
-Barry Goldwater

Why I am not a Libertarian

Why I am not a Libertarian from the Weekly Sift

Of all the political movements out there, the Libertarians have the coolest rhetoric. No matter what the issue is, they get to talk about Freedom vs. Tyranny and quote all that rousing stuff the Founders said about King George.
It’s also the perfect belief system for a young male (and maybe, by now, young females too). You don’t need knowledge or experience of any specific situations, you just need to understand the One Big Idea That Solves Everything: Other than a small and appropriately humbled military and judicial establishment, government is bad. Protect life, protect property, enforce contracts — and leave everything else to the market.

Whew! Got my order confirmation from HP so it looks like it will be coming in the next few days or so

Bike Riding

getting the motivation to ride my bike can be difficult sometimes, especially when the weather gets cold, or wet. But what gets me going is the fact that I know that I will not regret getting out and riding when I do. You can almost never regret getting out and riding your bike.

"goodbye" is a contraction of the archaic phrase "god be with ye"

Worry Wort

Toady has brought a bit of worry because of a few things. They may seem trivial and not important, but to me they have a way of becoming the only things I think about. 

1. I start school next week and I am stressing out about my math class. I am just worried that the class will be beyond my capacity and really stretch me. I suppose that it is good to be stretched just a bit but I don't want to do poorly in this class, I want to succeed and gain the necessary math skills that I will need. As I have mentioned before I have the option to take a 990 level online class or a  level 1000 math class which unbeknownst to me is a merging of the 990 level course and a 1010 course. I am leaning towards taking the 1000 level class because lets say in the case that I do poorly in the class I would have to retake it in the spring semester which is what I would have to do anyways if I was taking a 990 level course. On top of taking a fast paced math course I am taking two upper division science classes (Microbiology and Genetics) which will also be a large time commitment to stay current with all the material.  
2. my friends are moving to Salt Lake City and I dont want to lose contact with them. I know I will see them, its just that I wont see them as much as if I were living with them.
3. Last night I attempted to order an HP Touchpad from Hp's website, and due to the huge and overwhelming demand HP has gotten over the past day of so for their dramatically reduced tablet price their servers have been completely swamped. I attempted to place an order and I received an order validation on their site but as of yet have not received a confirmation email for my order. I am not so much worried about getting a tablet or not as I am about getting charged without having my order filled. It really wouldn't be that big of a deal if I didn't end up getting a tablet I would just want to make sure that I walk away from this thing squared away and even with HP.

But writing this out has been helpful. I think things will work out and situations are never really as bad as we make them out to be. I know I will have to make sure I work hard in my schooling this coming semester and that come what may life will go on and things will work out. And ultimately the problems these pose are not going to undermine the things that are really important to me.

Woo hoo! Got my hp touchpad 32gb ordered for a smokin deal of 150$! But no order confirmation email makes me nervous.