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Dogs Understand Fairness
Seattle Cat Documents His Own Life
- Veterinary clinic cats who donate blood for feline patients, like Pete, Jack and Ruggles.
- The cat of author Paul Gallico, who penned the book The Silent Miaow (translated by Gallico).
- The theoretical cat of Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger, who helped advance the theory of quantum mechanics (but only when you're not looking).
Mock Meteor Strike Helps Answer Chicken/Egg Question of How Life Began on Earth
Scientists have long theorized that the “magic spark” that created life on Earth may have come from meteors plunking into our primordial soup. Wired News reports that a team of Japanese scientists has set up a teeny tiny scale model which offers proof of concept that meteors could in fact have done the deed.
The origin of life on Earth has been the subject of popular myth, scientific theory, and religious debate for as long as myth, science, and religion have existed. The modern era for this line of scientific inquiry began early in the 19th century, when Italian scientist Francisco Redi disproved the prevailing theory of "spontaneous generation." The theory of spontaneous generation held that living animals arose from decaying organic material. Redi prevented flies from accessing a pile of rotting meat, thus proving that maggots did not spontaneously arise from the meat itself. Spontaneous generation sounds kooky to us today, but there’s no getting around the fact that at one point, the Earth was just one big, empty lump of rock. It has long been speculated that some or all of the chemicals necessary for life were carried to Earth by meteors. In the Late Heavy Bombardment or "lunar cataclysm" between 3,800 and 4,100 million years ago, the Earth (and the moon, and all the other planets in the solar system) suffered an extensive period of meteor strikes. The specific cause for this increase in meteor activity is unknown, but it would have both deposited large amounts of interstellar material on our planet, and made it a very tough place for wee little organisms to take hold. There is no single agreed-upon theory as to how life arose from early conditions on the planet. Before a living organism can arise, the basic building blocks of its biology have to form. But which came first, the cell membrane, or the DNA which it contains? In other words, proteins first, or nucleic acids? Scientists have argued all sides of this debate for many years. Recently, a team of Japanese scientists decided to throw their hat into the ring. The scientists constructed a microscopic scale model of the conditions they speculated were present on Earth, then used a propellant gun to shoot mock meteors (pellets of iron and carbon) into the "soup." The impact of the pellets generated temperatures as high as 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and caused fatty acids, amines, and amino acids to form. Although they have not yet repeated their experiment, and a number of scientists have criticized their methods and findings, the Japanese team’s results are intriguing. If the recipe for basic organic molecules is "(water + ammonia) + meteors" these conditions are not rare. Closest to home, NASA recently announced solid proof that Mars has water now, and was wet in the distant past. Farther from home, who can say? It appears that the Late Heavy Bombardment affected our solar system at just the right time. We still don’t know the causes or origin of the LHB, but meteors hit planets all the time. Based on this most recent experiment, maybe the origination of life isn’t as unusual an event as one might think. Photo courtesy Wired News/Yoshihiro Furukawa
Alien Nation
"My mother always asked me, 'How do you know whether you will like something, if you do not try it?' " - Mandy Patinkin, offering James Caan take-out, in "Alien Nation"My wife and I are 46. We'll have been married for 28 years this Saturday. Last week, in the car driving home from a date, I did something incredibly naive even by male standards. I asked her whether there was anything new she'd like to try. I meant romantically new, in the original sense of the word: romance, something adventurous, new, fresh, daring. She answered as though she'd been waiting for the question for about 27.9 years. "I want to dance the Waltz!" :: blinking :: In a million years, well, in 25 years, I'd never have figured her for that. Blame High School Musical 3: the stars danced the waltz at -- what, their prom?! Don't tell me kids can dance the waltz? The other time I danced was in 10th grade, for two songs. "Improv" would have been too kind a word. My wife figured we'd just put on some HSM3 music -- yes, really -- and kind of figure it out. I waited for her to get distracted and looked up the waltz on the internet. (Am I scoring any points with her, ladies? I didn't think so.) As far as I could figure it out, it was:
1. Man steps forward with left foot; woman mirrors him. 2. Man steps forward and then sweeps to the side with his right foot in an "L" movement; woman mirrors. 3. Man brings his left foot towards his right; woman mirrors, of course. 4. Man brings his right foot backward; woman mirrors. 5. Man brings his left foot backward and then sweeps out to the left in the "L" movement. Woman mirrors. 6. Man brings his right foot over towards his left. Woman mirrors. 7. All of this is done in 3/4 time, of course. 8. Hopefully fall onto something soft. 9. The internet article said that you trace these large squares into the carpet "while slowly rotating to the left" with each sequence. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT ONE IN A SMALL BEDROOM, PAL!She was giggling, but I stayed relatively serious, and then she matched my comfortable earnestness. Which, I quickly surmised, was the point of the waltz -- it measures how well the dance partners synch up with one another? After our dance-baptism, we were suddenly able to (later) watch people dancing on TV and understand whether the woman liked the man or not. We understood what it meant to feel music together. We understood human interaction through friendly, rather than irrationally passionate, body language. Dancing is quite a bit more than I figured it would be. How well did we synch? Not very well. :- ) After 28 years. Cindy wasn't particularly eager to trust me. It was kind of funny, and kind of sweet, and a lot revealing. Though a super-friendly person, Cindy is kind of stiff when she hugs people, almost anybody, and draws remarks on it. There is a lot for a husband to meditate on when he gets to thinking about his wife's childhood. On the other hand, do you know what? She was eager to spin around under my hand like a little girl, and very surprisingly eager for me to lay her over my knee, whatever the name for that is. What do you suppose I should infer from that?! Amazing what you don't know after 25-30 years. We didn't dance well, but I'm putting five more college credits on my next IT resume. After the course, we did manage to appreciate one another with a fair amount of comfortable earnestness. So ballroom dancing isn't about the steps. Who knew. Cheers, jemanji ................... image: http://thedragoeffect.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/waltz.jpg
Heroism in Boston
1) Run 100 yards in 10.0 seconds while wearing the muscled overlayer of a Mr. America contestant 2) Win a Super Bowl 3) Intentionally cripple and maim other human beings 4) Choose not to intercept a forward pass, in favor of hitting a receiver hard enough to make him scream 5) Be hit so hard by an offensive lineman that you literally bounce on the turf twice before stopping 6) Be labeled the poster boy of the NFL's "criminal element" by the commissioner of the NFL 7) All of the above 8 ) None of the aboveTatum explained that intimidation was the biggest single factor actually going on down on the field of a pro football field: "when you continually punish a wide receiver for catching the ball, eventually his will to win will be warped." Well, sure, Jack. When Darryl Stingley paid for having the gall to compete, by being made a quadraplegic the rest of his life, he rather lost interest in the scoreboard. No kiddin', Sherlock. Tatum also named three or four players -- three or four in the whole league -- whom he could not intimidate. Larry Csonka, one or two receivers, and that was it. He cheerfully admitted, in print, that if a receiver was consistently willing to take the hits, to continue going across the middle of the field and catch the ball for a first down and then be leveled for it, "then he will be effective." Tatum cheerfully acknowledged that the Raiders could not stop a receiver who didn't care whether he got hit after he caught the ball. Ever since I read Tatum's book, I've never failed to notice how often the WR's and TB's "slip" when defenders approach in the open field. Like, always. ..................... Easier said than done. Have you ever been running 20-25 mph and, not looking forward, run into a 6-inch tree branch? Neither have I. LOL. But Wesley Welker has. How many times do you think you could run full speed, close your eyes, and have somebody knock you down with a 4x4? Do you think you could do it five times? Ten? Twenty? Only a couple of human beings at any given time are playing in the NFL and taking those hits. Welker, of course, is one of them. ........................ I never understood why NFL defensive players stood over fallen receivers and gloated. Worse, they talk after the game like they've proven their manhood. One time, Mike Singletary took a cheap shot on a QB who slid to the ground just an instant too late: Singletary got him flush helmet-to-helmet, as hard as he could, and knocked him out of the game. Afterward, Singletary shook his head in mock contrition: "I wouldn't wish a hit like that on anybody," he said, barely containing his pride. No. For a 250-pound man to climb into the UFC ring against one weighing 275, that is being a warrior. For a 250-pound man to wait until a 200-pound man isn't looking, to wait until he has to focus on something else (a football) coming in through the air, and then for the 250-pound man to blindside him as viciously as possible, that's not being a warrior. It's being a bully. It requires absolutely zero courage. Bullies savor the situation in which they can punch somebody else with zero fear of being punched back. Men like Randy Couture will fight when the conditions are equal. Men like Wesley Welker will fight when the conditions are grossly unequal -- against them. Jevon Kearse is, I'm sure, a tough guy. But he's no Wesley Welker. B'lee DAT. ................... Boston's got a cool football team up there. The coolest player on it is a little white guy who is a lot tougher than anybody on the other side of the ball is. Cheers, jemanji ....................... images: http://www.conventionofassassins.org/blog/assassin.jpg http://epistolaryblog.typepad.com/epistolary_blog/images/2008/02/01/wes.jpg
My Scaredy Cat Sophia
gospel music
Dorm Necessities
There're a lot of little things about living in a dorm that can make you nuts—and no, I'm not talking about your roommate(s). There are lots of lists, and articles about dorm room essentials; you can go look at those if you want a check list. I'm going to talk more about general principles about living in a very tiny room without a lot of space, but with roommates, and where you'll likely have to spend a lot of time studying, even though you might really want to be sleeping.
First of all, you absolutely need to bring a computer; a new one if possible, but if not, try to get one that's two years old or less in terms of age (preferably less). If you can, get a laptop, and yes, get one with has WiFi; campuses tend to have free WiFi and you'll want to take a laptop off campus to study in a coffee shop when dorm life begins to grate on your nerves. Me, I'd rather get a Macintosh, but that's another post. DVD playback is pretty standard these days, but a CD-ROM burner can be awful useful in terms of backups. Do bring a couple of USB Keychain devices, in the one to four gigabyte size (which will likely cost less than $20.00 at Staples or Fryes). Do bring a printer.
Don't bring a bunch of CDs; just rip 'em to mp3s. You won't have space for a bunch of CDs, or DVDs either. Don't bring lots of photos; get them scanned, if you don't already have them in digital form, and put 'em on your computer.
You're going to have a couple of nights where you have to study, and your roommates don't. That means you need a good set of earphones and/or maybe an iPod or other mp3 player. Regular ear plugs, and eye shades will help too. Bring a study lamp, one that has directional light for reading but that won't keep your roommate awake. Get a couple of good power strips; you'll need 'em. Make sure one is designed to be used with a computer as a surge suppressor.
If you can, get a cell phone, even a pre-paid one. Campus phone charges, like cable charges are highway robbery. Think about a small fan; you'll want it in summer school, and in some places, in spring and early fall. Don't plan on buying paper and writing supplies at the bookstore on campus; they'll cost more. Buy 'em at home or at Staples or Office Depot. You'll want to have paper clips, white out, hilighters, post-its, and a stapler with staples, and probably, a three hole punch. Even if you have a computer and printer, sooner or later you'll need to write longhand; get some notebooks and pens.
Buy two complete sets of linens for the dorm bed, and a similar set of bath towels. I don't care if the school provides them; they've been disinfected and the starch and detergent will probably give you the same hives they gave me. Find out the size ("extra long twin" is common), and get your own at Lands End, Bed Bath and Beyond, or L. L. Beans. And get a Really Good Pillow, and possibly a throw or an extra blanket. Sleep will soon be your drug of choice. And that, of course, means you need a radio with a good alarm, both to wake you up and to provide background sound when the dorm is eerily quiet because your roomies are all off carousing and you gotta study. Mostly, keeping warm is the issue, in a dorm, rather than keeping cool. You can't have space heaters— but most places will let you have an electric blanket.
You're going to need a robe, even if you never have before, and shower sandals; these are a necessity, trust me. Get a caddy to take your stuff to the shower, and keep it all together, unless you're one of the lucky ones with "en suite" style dorm apartments.
Get, possibly in negotiation with your roommates, a small fridge (you can usually rent these) and a microwave. The fridge gives you a place to stash the extra food you bring home at breakfast from the cafeteria. The microwave lets you feed yourself when you really can't face any more cafeteria casserole delight. Depending on you and your roommates caffeine preferences, you might want an electric kettle or coffee maker—these are "legal" at some dorms, though not at others. Get yourself some eating utensils, and a good knife, a bottle opener, and a can opener; a couple of plates and bowls, some large plastic cups, and maybe a couple of mugs. Start thinking about cereal, yogurt, instant oatmeal, and instant cup o'soup as dietary necessities. You might want to grab a bottle of hot sauce or soy sauce as a basic condiment.
Don't bring clothes you won't need. Bring what you'll actually wear, and be able to wash, for the current season. Bring something to put laundry in, and cart it down to the laundry facilities. Bring detergent, stain remover, and fabric softener. Bring lots of quarters for the machines, too. Sooner or later you'll find you missed your chance to do laundry, and so bring at least two weeks worth of underwear and socks, if you possibly can.