The Road Less Traveled

Spring has sprung!

2009-03-24T23:54:00.001-07:00

One of the signs that spring has arrived in full force is that my freesias start to bloom.Their bold colors and sweet scent just make me smile. I just wish there was a way to keep them going year-round.

There's also a non-freesia bulb that's blooming. I have no idea what it is (obviously I have a short memory here). The only problem is that I don't remember what exactly it is, not that it matters . . .

Richard Lewis Kolm (1935-2009)

2009-03-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, February 28th, my dad died. It doesn't seem like two weeks ago. It doesn't even seem real sometimes. A week ago, on March 8th, we held a lovely memorial "service", which more than 100 family, friends and colleagues attended. It meant a lot to me - to all of us - that so many people shared their memories with us.

I thought I'd share some of our memories with anyone else who might be interested.

- Richard Lewis Kolm Obituary (ANG Newspapers, March 6, 2009)
- Richard Lewis Kolm Biography (written by mom and shared at the memorial, 23.7Mb pdf)

My brother, Brian, and I sorted through and scanned lots of old photos which we posted around the chapel. I turned a handful of them into a slide show. Here's the video, via YouTube:

It was originally set to "Blue Monk", which Gene suggested.

Bri and I also stood up and talked about our own memories of dad. Here is approximately what I said:

One of the things I've been doing the past few days is sorting through more than 40 years worth of family photos. It's brought back so many happy memories – family trips, parties with family and friends, and the activities I did as a kid.

There aren't as many pictures of dad as I expected, though, probably because he was usually the one holding the camera. And when I think about dad, that's often how I remember him – with a camera or video recorder in his hand.

And while he didn't even make it into every roll of photos, he was always there. He was supportive of all my various extracurricular activities - even though I'm not sure he was really that interested in swimming or ballet or soccer. I could always count on his support.

Dad and I did share many interests. He was interested in science, and always encouraged me to study science myself.

His stories about his college days helped me decide to attend UC Berkeley. He made sure I was well prepared for that too - I'm pretty sure I was the only Freshman in my dorm who already knew the California Drinking Song.

We also shared an interest in history and genealogy. We spent a lot of happy hours researching and compiling our family history. That's a project I plan to continue.

Of course in some ways we're really different. Dad liked to plan and organize, while my style is to do things haphazardly and at the last minute.

But he's always been there when I needed a helping hand, sometimes even before I'd asked for any assistance. He helped me build school projects, was with me when I bought my first car (my only car), and he would even jump right in and do dishes when he came over for dinner.

I admire how honest and responsible he was. Just as an example: when I was in elementary school he wouldn't help me sell Girl Scout cookies in his office. That's because he was a manager, and he didn't want to do anything that might seem like he was putting unfair pressure on the people who reported to him. I found that annoying at the time, but now I really respect that.

And, while he was very hard working, he always made sure he had time for us and for the things he enjoyed doing, like traveling and train watching.

I don't recall ever hearing him being spiteful or intentionally cruel.

I'm proud to be his daughter and I miss him very much.

The last line is really all I wanted to say. And I still have trouble reading it.

Thanks to everyone who has been their for us over the past few weeks. And thank you for being part of dad's life.

Photos, top to bottom (click for larger image):
- Me helping dad build the deck (1968)
- Off on a family trip (1973)
- Me and dad on a hike at Lake Tahoe (1977)
- Getting my PhD (1997)
- Mom and dad in New Zealand (1992)
- Dad, me, Gene and Brian (Christmas 2008)

Snow!!!

2008-12-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

It's been raining off and on for the past couple of days - gloomy and damp and altogether yucky. But lo and behold, about 7pm tonight the temperature dropped enough to turn the rain into that white fluffy stuff. Well, actually sort of damp and sticky, rather than fluffy, but still better than rain. It's kind of hard to remember that just two weeks ago it was sunny and 75 degrees.

Snow! I love it!

There are a couple more photos on my Yucaipa blog.

Tags: yucaipa, snow

Last Crop of the Year

2008-12-14T15:29:00.000-08:00

We had a chilly rainy day yesterday, followed by almost-freezing temperatures over night, so I wasn't particularly surprised to find that all my basil plants had turned brown when I checked on the garden this afternoon. I decided it was time to harvest what was left of the peppers and tomatoes in my vegetable garden.

The peppers will be fine, and I'll probably toss whatever we don't eat this week into the freezer anyway. The tomatoes, on the other hand, may not be particularly tasty. I'll leave them out on the counter to see if they ripen any more, but they may be as ripe as they'll get. They probably aren't any worse than the artificially ripened tomatoes that you get in the supermarket.

My sugar snap peas, on the other hand, look like they are loving the nippy weather. I can hardly wait until there are enough pods to eat.

Home Again

2008-12-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

So here I am, home again. It feels like I brought a piece of New York City with me, since the temperature right now is only in the 50s, instead of in the 70s like it was the day before we left. I may even turn the heat on tonight.

I haven't unpacked yet, because my suitcase didn't make our connecting flight in Chicago. It should be delivered some time this afternoon. That's no big deal, really, except that the refrigerator is bare, and I can't go out to the supermarket until my luggage arrives.

Overall it was an excellent trip. We didn't do everything that we wanted to, so we'll just have to make the trip again sometime.

Day 5: Herald Square and the Empire State Building

2008-12-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

Our last stop was Herald Square. The flagship Macy's department store had an elaborate holiday display that put a sort of whiz-bang mad scientist twist to the season. But Macy's wasn't our goal, the Empire State Building was, and so we headed down 34th street to find the entrance.

Getting up to the observation deck on the 86th floor is a bit like queuing for a ride at Disneyland. No, it doesn't have animatronic tableaux or cheesy music, but there are maze-like paths roped off to follow (fortunately pretty empty Sunday morning), and you are offered additional opportunities to spend your money seemingly at every turn. I wanted to carry a sign that said: no, I don't want buy a special map, or rent the audio tour, or watch the NYC virtual tour, or have a photo taken in front of a green screen (with the backdrop added in later), or buy some expensive souveniers.

We did eventually get up to the top without emptying our wallets, and the view was spectacular. I didn't stay outside that long, though, because the temperature was frigid - and on the south side of the building the winds were fierce.

That's my "I'm very cold" face.

Looking downtown towards the Financial District.

Looking uptown towards Central Park.

Puffed-up pigeons with the Chrysler Building in the background.

Did I mention it was windy?

A fitting end to our trip to NYC!

Day 5: Rockefeller Center

2008-12-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

Our flight was scheduled for Sunday afternoon, giving us all morning for a last look at Manhattan. We decided to head back over to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree in daylight and watch the skaters.

Day 4: Dinner in Little Italy

2008-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

One of the things that's awesome about Manhattan is that you can walk down the street in Little Italy shortly before 10pm and have your pick of different restaurants - and you don't have to worry about being turned away because they are about to close. Eating any time - that I love.

Anyway, Erin recommended Da Nico's for dinner, so, not having any other specific goal, ate there. We each started with a large antipasti plate - Gene's with portabello mushrooms and mozzarella, mine with prosciutto, salami, and cheeses. Those went down surprisingly easily, and then we had our main courses - Gene had a pork chop in spicy sauce, and I had orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe. We ended with a cup of coffee and fried dough on the house. Then we strolled down Mulberry street, looking at all the festive Christmas lights (Little Italy goes all out!) in the gentle snow flurries. Perfect.

Day 4: The Met

2008-12-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

At brunch David had strongly suggested that we visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art if we had a chance, so we decided to do that before dinner. Fortunately the Met is open until 9pm on Saturday night, so we didn't have to race Uptown before it closed.

We ended up being there for almost 3 hours, and saw only a tiny fraction of the collections. The variety of works there is really incredible - parts of medieval churches, 18th-century nativity scene, an entire Egyptian temple, sculptures and artifacts from ancient Greece and Babylon and China, and paintings and other works of art from Europe and the US to the present day.

We could have spend days looking at it all, but focused most of our time on the Nubian temple of Dendur, which was given to the US by Egypt to save it from the flooding upon completion of the Aswan High Dam; and the musical instruments collection, which had thousands of years worth of musical instruments from from all around the world. In between we saw some of the Asian art, Egyptian art, the armor collection, bits of and, shortly before the Museum closed, the European art collection, including the late 19th/earthy 20th century French art - Degas, Picasso, Monet, Braque and colleagues.

It was both overwhelming and exhilarating to see so much in such a short time. And in a move was obviously meant by nature to keep me in a cheerful mood , it was snowing a wee bit when we left the museum.

More to come . . .

Day 4: Brunch with Sciencebloggers

2008-12-08T12:45:00.000-08:00

Our only scheduled event for Saturday was brunch/lunch with Sciencebloggers at Hundred Acres in Greenwich Village. I had a great time meeting GrrlScientist and David Ng (who was in New York to perform at a science comedy show) and the other Scienceblogs people. Anyway, the food was great there - how can you go wrong with donuts with a warm chocolate dipping sauce and eggs benedict with salmon? - and I was glad we hadn't filled up on breakfast.

We headed back to the hotel for a rest - Gene napped and I blogged.

ETA: GrrlScientist has posted some photos.

More to come . . .

Day 4: Ground Zero and Canstruction

2008-12-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning we headed Downtown to Ground Zero. There are covered fences all along the WTC site, with short stretch open for viewing. At the moment, there really isn't much to actually see. If I didn't know differently, I would have thought it was just a large construction site. There is a simple list of names of the "Heroes of September 11, 2001". And that's it. There is a also an artist's rendition of what the site will look like once construction is completed. It would have been nice to learn about what had made those I suppose we would have learned more if we had visited the nearby museum.

We continued on to the World Financial Center, a sort of shopping and business center across West Street from the World Trade Center site. There they had the winners of the annual Canstruction competition, in which the competitors - teams of students, architects and engineers - make sculptures out of canned food. When the exhibit is over, the food will be donated to local food banks. The sculptures remind me a bit of pointillist art, because up close they appear as stacks of cans, while from further away you can see the design as a whole. The winner of the competition is a representation of a Giant Panda ("CANda") made from about 4500 cans of tuna, 1000 cans of Amy's Organic Soup, and 200 bags of brown rice.

More to come . . .

Mapping NYC

2008-12-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've made a Google map showing where we stopped during our trip to NYC. It's embedded below, but if you are having trouble seeing it - or want to see the full size version with the list of locations - click this link.

View Larger Map

Day 3: The City from Brooklyn

2008-12-08T11:15:00.000-08:00

On a previous trip to New York, Gene had walked along the Brooklyn Promenade and wanted to go back to see the view of the city. It's a short subway ride to the Brooklyn side of the river, and then a few blocks walk down to the base of the Brooklyn bridge. The view from there is spectacular, with the whole brightly lit skyline and bridge laid out in front of you. After admiring the view for a while, we walked several blocks down along the water to the Brooklyn Promenade, which gave us a higher vantage point - and slightly different angle - to see the city. You can even see the Statue of Liberty off in the distance.
After we had seen our fill, we returned to Manhattan and decided to walk through the East Village. It's a busy area near NYU, with lots of restaurants - especially Indian ones, it seemed - and bars. We had a beer at the Thirsty Scholar, but were hoping to hear some music. The bouncer told us that there wasn't really any live music in the area, and that the place to go was Greenwich Village. We figured it wasn't too far to walk, which was true, sort of.

Let me make an aside to all you thinking of coming to Manhattan: wear walking shoes whenever possible. My shoes were comfortable, but definitely not meant for miles of walking. I didn't have blisters or any serious foot pain, but my feet were really tired by the time we got back to the hotel. After this night, I just wore my sneakers. But I digress.

So we ended up back in Greenwich Village, which was very lively. What is totally awesome is that just within a few blocks there are a couple of dozen choices of places to enjoy live music or comedy. From what we could hear from the street, some was better than others, but there was a fantastic choice. We ended up at a place called Kenny's Castaway, where a very young looking band was playing reggae music. We stayed and listened (no dancing on my tired feet!) until the end of their set, then headed back to the hotel.

Day 3: Dinner in Chinatown

2008-12-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

So, Friday night we decided to mix it up some and head to Chinatown for dinner. Erin at Scienceblogs gave us a few recommendations, and we decided on Joe's Shanghai Restaurant. It's a popular crowded restaurant, where you share the 6-seater tables with other diners. The good thing is that there is a regular turnover of seats, so we didn't have to wait for too long.

Joe's is famous for their soup dumplings, which are just what they sound like: steamed dumplings filled with soup. Well, not soup exactly, but a small pork ball and flavorful broth. They are a bit tricky to eat without dripping the broth all over the plate, but worth the effort. The rest of the meal was pretty good, although not as interesting as the dumplings.

Day 3: Central Park and Whitney Museum

2008-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

Friday morning was chilly and a bit overcast, so we bundled up to head towards the Whitney Museum via Central Park. The park has kind of a stark beauty this time of year, with the largely leafless trees and browning grass. One thing I hadn't realized was the size of it. Sure I could see that it's 50 or so blocks long, but I hadn't really put that into context. We strolled for a while and only saw a fraction of it. The sun finally came out completely and it was a brilliant day.

Our goal was the Whitney Museum of American Art, for which we had tickets. The museum wasn't actually open yet when we arrived there, so we wandered a bit down Madison Avenue looking at the fancy shops, and decided to find a place for lunch. We settled on the Viand Coffee Shop. I had a big piece of spinach pie (since I had been feeling a bit vegetable-deprived) and Gene had a salmon burger. It was tasty and filling after our walk.

We then headed back to the Whitney, and spent a leisurely couple of hours browsing the collection. The Alexander Calder exhibit was especially interesting, with 3-dimensional wire portraits, moving sculptures that anticipate his famous mobiles, and an entire circus-worth of performers. The circus characters were meant to be in motion, but the museum simply showed Calder's movie of them in operation:

More to come . . .

Day 2: Physics and Jazz

2008-12-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Thursday evening, we had tickets to a public talk by theoretical cosmologist Janna Levin at 92YTribeca. 92YTribeca has a cafe and a display of comic art on the walls.

Levin's talk was based around the question: "Is the Universe Infinite?", but she touched on a lot of basics of cosmology, including the Big Bang, expansion of the universe, and higher dimensions. She did a great job explaining the science in basic terms, but I honestly still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that there is nothing - no space, nothing - outside our universe (not to mention 10-dimensional space). Her last slide showing a mushrooming of different universes off of a big blob of space-time was both weird and wonderful.

After the lecture, we decided to get some dinner, so we headed to Greenwich Village near a place with live music Gene had read about. We ended up eating in a cafe/diner-type place, which was tasty, but not particularly exciting. The bar turned out to be too crowded to sit down in, so we decided to move on. We had seen a sign near our hotel for a place with live mid-week jazz, with no cover or minimum drink purchase, so we headed there. The jazz trio was OK, and the cocktails were $16, so we sipped ours slowly while listening to the music.

After the set was over, we decided to head over to Time-Warner Center at Columbus Circle. In the atrium there is a pretty holiday display, with lighted "stars" that change color in time to the music playing over the PA system.

Our goal was Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, which, despite it's horribly corporate sounding name, is a nice club associated with Jazz at Lincoln Center. After hours the Stein Brothers Quintet play for a minimal cover charge. They were excellent, and it was a nice way to end the night.

Thus ended Day 2 of our trip to NYC.

Day 2: Butterfly Conservatory

2008-12-06T12:48:00.001-08:00

The second special exhibit at the AMNH we visited was The Butterfly Conservatory, which is a hothouse full of living butterflies.

Part of my winning swag was a little Flip Video camera. You can see our efforts below - Gene shot the film, I edited it. The focus isn't always perfect, but it did an OK job. That's me at the end with a butterfly on my shoulder. I was standing very still, so as not to spook it, but, as it turned out, it wouldn't fly away even after I shook my shoulder. One of the docents had to gently lift it off before we could leave.

More to come . . .

Day 2: AMNH

2008-12-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm obviously having too much fun to regularly post, so here we are, still back on Thursday - day 2 of our trip. The biggest part of our day was spent at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). The main entrance on Central Park West was flanked by two pine dinosaurs holding wreaths, a nice sciency way to decorate for the holidays.

We actually started our visit at the Rose Center for Earth and Space, which is a large glass building with a Death Star-esque sphere in the center. The sphere is actually the Hayden Planetarium, where we saw the Cosmic Collisions show. What I learned: our galaxy is a spectacularly violent place.

After the show we wandered through the rest of the museum, which houses an extensive collection of reconstructed dinosaur fossils, stuffed animals form around the world and probably lots of other things we didn't have time to see.

To be continued . . .

Day 2: Central Park West

2008-12-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we had tickets to the American Museum of Natural History. They weren't until 11am, so we decided to walk to the museum along Central Park West. There had apparently been some event along there Wednesday night as well, because bleachers were being disassembled and confetti was being swept up. We didn't head into Central Park at all, except to visit the Imagine memorial to John Lennon across from the Dakota.

Day 1: The Groove

2008-12-05T07:08:00.001-08:00

The night was still young, so we hopped onto the subway and headed to The Groove, which I believe is in Greenwich Village (why doesn't our map have the neighborhood borders drawn in?) They had a great R&B cover band which I believe was called "Off the Hook". We hung out there a while, had a couple of beers, then headed back to our hotel.

Thus ended our first Day in New York.

Day 1: Times Square and City Lights

2008-12-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

After ogling the Christmas tree for a bit, we headed around Rockefeller Plaza where NY City's finest were ~~hanging about~~ guarding the entrance to to the tower. We then headed towards Times Square.
Pictures can't really capture the scene. So many moving lights - sort of like Vegas, only it's all advertising. And there are dudes selling "Rolexes" and "designer purses" along the street. And so. many. people. I love it, although I did feel a bit overstimulated just walking through through the square.

More to come . . .

Day 1: Fifth Avenue and Rockefeller Center

2008-12-05T06:19:00.000-08:00

After eating such a big dinner, we definitely needed a stroll, so we decided to head down 5th Avenue. It felt exhilarating - not just being out in the fresh air, but there being so many people walking down the street just after 9pm on a Wednesday night. It did seem a bit strange that there were so many cops standing around. And the fact that there were barriers up in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral seemed a bit odd - maybe there had been a protest? Of course if we had read a newspaper or turned on the TV before dinner we might have had a clue: they had just lit the Christmas tree in front of Rockefeller Center. When we arrived, there were still big crowds on both sides of the street, so we joined them ogling the pretty lights.

We also enjoyed looking at the Christmas window displays. Of course all of the jewelry stores had removed their wares from the windows, but the department store windows were all decorated. The windows at Saks, which is across from Rockefeller Center, told the story of Mike the Snowflake, who dreamed big and became a big success by believing in himself - very uplifting. There were also hippies and dinosaurs, which apparently embody the spirit of the season. Or something.

More to come . . .

Wednesday: Dinner at Trattoria Dell'Arte

2008-12-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

After freshening up and taking a brief nap, we were ready to head out again. Dinner was arranged for us at Trattoria Dell'Arte, an Italian restaurant that is right by Carnegie Hall and just a few blocks from our hotel. The last meal we had had was a breakfast sandwich at the Denver Airport, so we were definitely ready to eat.

The decor was a bit anatomical (but not unappetizing), with giant lips on the wall, and famous Roman noses on the napkin ring.

The food was delicious, I don't think it was just our empty stomachs talking. I started with the "Artichokes all Giudea" which are fried "Roman Jewish Ghetto style" - no breading and with a squeeze of lemon juice. Gene started off with the prosciutto di Parma and mozzarella. We both had veal as our main course - my veal scaloppine marsala had several kinds of mushrooms and shaved black truffles. So good. A tasty bottle of red wine and we were happy eaters. We skipped dessert and just finished with a cup of coffee. I'd go back if there weren't a million other restaurants I'd like to try.
More to come . . .

Arrival in New York City

2008-12-04T13:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you all remember that I was the lucky winner of the Scienceblogs.com Millionth Comment Contest. The grand prize was a trip to New York City, with museum tickets, meals and meeting science bloggers thrown in. So here I am in Manhattan, having a ball, and taking lots of photos. I'll be posting a few over the next few days.

Day 1 - yesterday - was mostly taken up by travel from SoCal to New York. There were no significant delays, and, beyond the general annoyances of cross-country travel the trip was uneventful. United Airlines seems to be nickel-and-diming us travelers, charging $15 for a checked back, skipping free in-flight food (not even peanuts) and upselling at every chance (I had to click through 2 upsell screens to print out my boarding pass, for example). Anyway, we landed safe and sound at La Guardia and caught a cab to drive us to our hotel. The trip was supposed to be 8 miles, so I figured about 20 minutes or so. Those of you familiar with New York City rush hour traffic are probably cracking up at that idea. I think the last mile alone took 20 minutes.

Anyway, we arrived at our hotel, the Moderne, which is conveniently located in Midtown Manhattan. It's got a modern-a-la-the-1960s with boldly painted walls and pop art decor. Our room isn't huge, but it's got what we need - a bed, a desk, WiFi internet access and a TV. And I was excited to find a big basket of swag from Seed Media and the scienceblogs.com science bloggers. Very very cool.

Thanks to all the science bloggers for selecting such great stuff.

"Being the Change" T-shirt (which I'm modeling in the photo) from ScienceWoman and Alice Pawley of Sciencewomen
"zuska says: Don't make me puke on your shoes" T-shirt from Zuska of Thus Spake Zuska
"Science commons" T-shirt from John Wilbanks of Common Knowledge
"A Blog Around the Clock" clock from Bora Zivkovic of A Blog Around the Clock. He also sent copies of the 2006 and 2007 The Open Laboratory blog science writing anthologies.
A mug with molecular structure designs from Sandra Porter of Discovering Biology in a Digital World. There are a several magnets with molecular structures, which I suspect are from Sandra too.
Astronomy: A Beginners Guide to the Universe from Steinn Sigurdsson of Dynamics of Cats
A signed copy of The History of Psychology from Greta Munger of Cognitive Daily
Worlds of Their Own: A Brief History of Misguided Ideas: Creationism, Flat-Earthism, Engergy Scams and the Velikovsky Affair; Evolution Vs. Creationism and a "Honk if You Understand Punctuated Equilibria" bumper sticker from Josh Rosenau of Thoughts from Kansas and the NCSE.
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson from Martin Rundkvist of Aardvarchaeology. The note says it's "The best novel written in the Swedish language".
Drug Monkey sent me a CafePress gift certificate so I could order a DrugMonkey mug. Extra awesome because I don't have to carry it home in my luggage.

If I missed anybody, I apologize! Also, most of these items can be purchased through Amazon.com or Cafe Press - once I have more time I'll link them up, in case you are looking for a nice geeky gift.

There was also some nice ScienceBlogs.com and Seed Media stuff, including a tote bag which it turned out I desperately needed because my purse I brought along is much too small.

More to come . . .

(And a big shout out to Seed Media's Erin Johnson who made all the travel arrangements, and met us at the hotel. Great job!)

Bee Nice

2008-12-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

I was playing with the macro settings on my camera and caught this busy bee collecting pollen. That particular shrub is actually full of bees, hopping from flower to flower.

Why Commenting is a Worthwhile Activity, or Big Apple, Here We Come!

2008-11-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

Wondering what I'm doing right now? Just close your eyes and visualize me doing a happy dance. Why the glee? I just found out that I won the ScienceBlogs millionth comment contest!!!!!

The grand prize is a 4 day trip to NYC for two to meet some New York area science bloggers, see the sights and do sciencey things. Awesome!!!!!

Now I just have to dig out my coat and wool sweaters . . .

I love the 80s ...

2008-10-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

... and this Aha video with literal lyrics makes me smile.

(via The World in the Satin Bag)

Oh My It's Cleaning Night

2008-09-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's Friday night, so I'm going to slip into my cutest cardigan and break out special Swiffer. (No, I haven't gone crazy, watch the video.)

Tags: Sarah Haskins, Target Women, advertising

ALICE looks at collisions

2008-09-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's super nerdy, but I think the Large Hadron Rap is pretty catchy:

Physicist Brian Cox gave an interesting TED talk about the LHC and how it works:

Are you unsure whether the LHC has destroyed the world yet? Check here.

The Omnivore's Hundred

2008-09-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

OK, to make good my promise of more posting here, I'll kick off with a meme.

The Very Good Taste blog has posted a list of 100 foods "every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life." The directions:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

In my version, I've added some comments, because I'm just wordy that way. It looks like I've only tried 56 of the 100, but most of the others on the list I'd be willing to taste.

1. Venison
Tried in a restaurant long ago. I don't really remember much about the flavor.
2. Nettle tea
I've tried all sorts of herbal teas, including chamomile, hawthorn berry, and ginseng, but not nettle.
3. Huevos rancheros
A very tasty brunch!
4. ~~Steak tartare~~
I like carpaccio, but a big mound of raw ground beef just seems gross.
5. Crocodile
Nope, never tried it, nor snake neither.
6. Black pudding
I've had congealed/cooked blood at a dim sum restaurant and it was OK, but not something I'd order again for myself. So if someone offered me some I'd try it, but I wouldn't buy it in the store.
7. Cheese fondue
Bake in my college days Fondue Fred would have coupons for inexpensive all-you-can-eat cheese fondue as long as there were a minimum number of people in your party. It probably wasn't the best cheese fondue, but it was certainly better than dorm food.
8. Carp
Never tried it, but I'd be happy to eat it as long as it's dead when it arrives at the table.
9. Borscht
It's not bad, for beet soup.
10. Baba ghanoush
A very tasty dip, good with pita bread, raw veggies or even tortilla chips.
11. Calamari
I've had it both deep fried or as part of a pasta dish. I like the little ones you eat whole.
12. Pho
OK, another food memory. Back in grad school late nights in the lab usually meant scrounging up dinner from someplace with late hours. Sometimes one of my fellow students who had a car (such luxury!) would be willing to drive over to Boston and pick up dinner from Pho Pasteur. Actually it was a two person pick-up, one to run in and get the food and the other to sit in the double parked car (back then the only branch was on a busy street with no parking). I'm not sure how the broth is seasoned, but something about it is so comforting. I miss that.
13. PB&J sandwich
This must have been put on the list because it's a rarity in the UK. I don't know anyone who doesn't have a peanut allergy who hasn't had a PB&J sandwich.
14. Aloo gobi
One of the tastiest ways to eat cauliflower IMHO.
15. Hot dog from a street cart
I've had an Italian sausage from a street cart, but I'm not sure that counts.
16. Epoisses
Nope, but I like some stinky cheese, so I'd definitely give it a try.
17. Black truffle
I'm not that keen on the flavor, but I have had food with truffles.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
All the non-grape fruit wine I've tried is horribly sweet. Isn't there such a thing as dry blackberry wine?
19. Steamed pork buns
An essential component of any dim sum meal. I've also tried the Safeway-brand frozen pork buns. They are easy to prepare in the steamer, but don't taste quite as good as the restaurant ones.
20. Pistachio ice cream
A nice flavor, as long as you aren't expecting green ice cream to taste like mint.
21. Heirloom tomatoes
Yes! From the farmer's market, eaten with fresh mozzarella and balsamic vinegar.
22. Fresh wild berries
I remember a camping trip, at least 30 years ago, where we kids picked blackberries growing from the bushes along the side of the road. They were the taste of summer.
23. Foie gras
I've had it as pate, which is apparently not the way connoisseurs eat it. Oh well, I can live without being a liver connoisseur.
24. Rice and beans
Yes, with a variety of seasonings.
25. ~~Brawn, or head cheese~~
That just doesn't look appealing to me at all.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
I've had raw habanero, which wikipedia says is "similar" and "of the same species". It looks like the Scotch Bonnets have their own flavor, so I guess that doesn't count.
27. Dulce de leche
I love caramel!
28. Oysters
I've had them, but cooked, not raw.
29. Baklava
The local Greek (actually Greek-American-Mexican) restaurant has both the usual baklava and a similar dessert that looks like a bird's nest. Both are so sticky good.
30. Bagna cauda
Sounds good, but I've never even seen it on a menu.
31. Wasabi peas
Nice as a snack with mixed rice crackers.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
Only with New England-style clam chowder.
33. Salted lassi
I've tried the sweet version, but never savory.
34. Sauerkraut
Ja, sure. However, if I get a choice of pickled cabbage dishes, I'd rather have kimchee.
35. Root beer float
I've had it, but not my favorite dessert. Just give me my ice cream in a bowl.
36. ~~Cognac with a fat cigar~~
Why ruin the flavor of a good cognac with a nasty cigar?
37. Clotted cream tea
It sounds lovely, except for the tea part. Substitute black coffee and it would be perfect.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
Jello shots? I may have tried those once or twice (or more). I'm having a little trouble remembering . . .
39. Gumbo
Another tasty stew.
40. Oxtail
I may have had this in a stew or some such, but I don't remember.
41. Curried goat
Yes, at a Caribbean-style restaurant.
42. ~~Whole insects~~
Nope. I'd have to be starving to eat whole bugs.
43. Phaal
Ooh, even hotter than vindaloo. Sounds worth a try.
44. ~~Goat’s milk~~
I don't even particularly like cow's milk.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
I've had some nice single malt scotches, but I don't think any were from a bottle worth over $100.
46. Fugu
I like the idea of trying it, but I might chicken out if the opportunity actually arose.
47. Chicken tikka masala
Pretty standard Indian restaurant food.
48. Eel
Never as a main entree, but yes as unagi sushi.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
I was skeptical about the hype surrounding Krispy Kreme, but then one came to town and I realized the joy of eating a fresh hot melt-in-your-mouth donut.
50. ~~Sea urchin~~
Gooey yellow gonads just aren't appetizing.
51. Prickly pear
I'm going to count this, even though I've only had the fruit in candy form, because I've also eaten (and cooked) nopales.
52. Umeboshi
I've had Chinese salted plums, but I guess those aren't quite the same thing.
53. Abalone
I've tried it, and its chewy texture really isn't my fave. Maybe it's better if you pried it off a rock yourself?
54. Paneer
Never by itself, but in curry. The boil-in-a-bag Palak Paneer they sell at Trader Joe's isn't half bad.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
Yes, I've eaten the McD's meal. I'd much rather have Carl's Jr.
56. Spaetzle
I even made these once, dropping the batter into the boiling water.
57. Dirty gin martini
I assume this means a dirty martini made with gin, not a martini made with some alcohol called "dirty gin". The answer is yes, make mine very dry with two olives.
58. Beer above 8% ABV
I had to look it up, and it looks like the strongest I've had - at least recently - is Arrogant Bastard, which is only 7.2%.
59. Poutine
Oui oui! In Quebec City you can even get poutine in Micky D's (although that should only be done if you are despirate and can find no other source).
60. Carob chips
Yes I've tried them, and no, they are not a substitute for chocolate.
61. S’mores
Sitting around a campfire, toasting marshmallows, then smooshing them together with chocolate and graham crackers - such happiness!
62. Sweetbreads
Thymus? No. I guess I'd try it if offered.
63. Kaolin
Eating clay as a digestive aid? Does taking kaopectate count?
64. Currywurst
Sounds good, but it looks like I'll have to go to Germany to try it.
65. Durian
I'll try it someday, just to say I have.
66. Frogs’ legs
Never tried them.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
Last week my husband included cocoa-dusted churros in our Mexican take-out order. They are a wicked food, because I couldn't help eating them despite my fullness. So good. I'm pretty sure funnel cake is what they call "fried dough" in Boston, which is an excellent companion to Italian sausage-from-a-cart.
68. ~~Haggis~~
There aren't many foods that immediately make me think "ick", but Haggis is one of them.
69. Fried plantain
Sounds good.
70. ~~Chitterlings, or andouillette~~
I'm not too keen on offal (see also Haggis).
71. Gazpacho
One of the tastiest ways to use your summer crop of tomatoes and peppers.
72. Caviar and blini
Oh yes, yum.
73. Louche absinthe
I've heard absinthe has come back into fashion. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to attend a party wher it's served.
74. Gjetost, or brunost
Sounds interesting. I'd definitely try it.
75. ~~Roadkill~~
No food with tire tracks for me.
76. Baijiu
I've had Russian vodka and Korean soju, but never Baiju.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
I have no idea why this makes the list and not Ho-Hos, Ding-Dongs, or Twinkies.
78. Snail
Only with garlic and lots of butter, which can make anything taste good.
79. ~~Lapsang souchong~~
I don't like black tea, so fancy varieties would be totally wasted on me.
80. Bellini
I had to look it up, but it turns out to be sort of like an Italian version of a mimosa, with peach instead of orange. Sounds good.
81. Tom yum
Mmmm Thai food. Maybe that's what we should have for dinner tonight . . .
82. Eggs Benedict
A brunch classic. If I wasn't too lazy to prepare hollandaise sauce I'd make it at home.
83. Pocky
I have had the chocolate version. I'm not sure why this is on the "must try" list, though. I would have included the Greek hazelnut cocoa wafer cookies instead.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
Some day I'm going to eat at the French Laundry in Yountville, which I believe would qualify.
85. Kobe beef
Yes, please, I'd love some. But haven't had it yet.
86. Hare
Yup, I've eaten bunny rabbit.
87. Goulash
An excellent variation on beef stew.
88. Flowers
Yup, most recently nasturtiums from my own garden.
89. ~~Horse~~
Neigh! Nope, never tried horse, and have no desire to try it.
90. Criollo chocolate
I've had lots of types of chocolate, but I don't think any of them were Criollo.
91. Spam
Tried long ago, but definitely not on my list of things I like to eat.
92. Soft shell crab
It had an unusual texture.
93. Rose harissa
I've had harissa in a Moroccan restaurant, but it wasn't rose flavored.
94. Catfish
I've eaten it. I've prepared it. Not particularly exciting.
95. Mole poblano
Not only have I had it, I even prepared it from scratch. Once. It involved grinding up several different types of dried peppers and many many other ingredients. The result was only meh, so I never did that again.
96. Bagel and lox
Of course I've had a bagel with lox, although not as often as bagel with schmear.
97. Lobster Thermidor
I don't recall ever having it, but it sounds lovely and rich. Do restaurants still have it on their menus?
98. Polenta
I've had it soft and creamy and I've had it sliced from a shaped "log" (which isn't nearly as good). A nice grain alternative.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
I love coffee, but the Jamaican Blue Mountain variety has been beyond my budget.And honestly, I'm not sure my palate is refined enough to taste the difference.
100. Snake
Nope, I haven't tried any reptiles.

All in all an interesting range of food. Now I'm hungry!

Tags: omnivore's hundred, food

Celebrating Our 10th

2008-08-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Despite my good intentions, I haven't posted here in a long while. I plan to change that (yeah, right, I hear you saying).

Anyway, for you readers that know me personally, you might be interested that Gene & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this weekend with fine food and music. You can read my post about it here.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T12:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that in 12 short hours it will be 2008. Time sure flies!

I just went out and picked the last of the veggies from my garden. Temperatures are getting down below freezing at night, so I doubt the tomatoes or peppers (Anaheim and jalapeño) will ripen any more. They do look pretty in the bowl, though!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to post here more often. I hope you'll stop by.

Here's to a happy and healthy New Year to you and your loved ones!

We are not on fire

2007-10-24T02:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that we aren't being directly affected by the terrible fires down here in SoCal. The closest fire to us is just north of Highway 18 around Running Springs (the "Slide Fire"), which is 15 miles away as the crow flies. The fact that there is a 3600 foot difference in elevation and several mountains in between means that we aren't in any danger other than a bit of lung damage from smoke inhalation.

Here's the current (2AM 10/24) MODIS Forest Service fire data from Google Earth. Click for larger image:

If you want to watch the fires spread yourself (which is both a horrifying and awesome sight), you can download the Google Earth kml file from the Forest Service.

If you don't have Google Earth, the LA Times fire map is a good resource, and there are several San Diego County-specific maps.

Back from Vacation with a New Baby

2007-09-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

No, not the kind of baby that you diaper and feed. It's the kind with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2 Gb RAM.

I spent a good chunk of yesterday transferring files and cleaning out the junk that I had accumulated on my old computer. I can't even remember where some of it came from.

Here I am gazing fondly into her monitor:

Thanks mom & dad for the financial assistance to bring my beautiful new baby home!

Tags: Macbook, Apple

I miss the ocean breezes . . .

2007-08-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

It's been hot, stinking hot, and I'm so tired of it. Here it is after 11pm and the temperature has finally dipped below 90 degrees. I've been ~~cheap~~ frugal and keeping the house temperature at 85, and it's still cooler than outside. Honestly, I haven't felt like doing much of anything - including blogging.

It's such a painful contrast to last week. Hubby and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary in beautiful Santa Barbara (actually we stayed in Goleta, but close enough). From the beaches with fine sand and cool ocean breezes to the tasty wineries in the sunny Santa Ynez valley we had a great time everywhere we went.

Sadly, we had to come home. It was especially dispiriting when we dipped into the brownish air of the LA basin. Anyway, here are a few photos (click for larger image):

The coast along Highway 101.

Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Among the places we stopped
were Sunstone, Gainey, and Firestone Vineyards.

One night we ate dinner at the Beachside Cafe in Goleta,
where the surroundings (the restaurant is right on the beach)
are the main attraction. There were lots of people fishing off the
Goleta Pier, in the background of the top photo.
We took in the view from the tower of the Spanish-
style Santa Barbara County courthouse.The view of Santa Barbara from East Beach.

The nearly empty beach with Sterns Wharf in the background.
It was a warm sunny Saturday afternoon and surprisingly
few people were on the beach. I guess when there is a beautiful
stretch of sand every couple of miles there is no reason to crowd.

Tags: photos, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Ynez Valley, travel

Yummy Raspberries

2007-08-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

I know I've been inconsistently blogging over here (but check the sidebar for links to my other blogs). I'll try to be better. In the meantime, check out my Around Yucaipa blog for a post about raspberry picking last week with my bro.

Tags: Oak Glen, raspberry picking, photos

Friday Flower: Devil Tomato

2007-07-20T23:48:00.000-07:00

This year I'm growing two types of tomatoes: Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes and "Better Bush." They are finally ripening fast enough so that we have a steady supply for salads, etc. So delicious!

This Better Bush grew horns - so devilish!

Tags: tomatoes, garden, photos

Friday Flower: China Aster

2007-07-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

Color is what makes me smile - like pink and blue China asters.

Tags: flowers, photos, China aster

Friday Flower: Sweet Pea

2007-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Fragrant pastel sweet peas are the ultimate spring flowers. Why am I posting sweet pea pix now, in the heat of summer? Because one of my sweet pea plants has survived the heat and dry air and is blooming away, reminding me of the cooler days of spring.
Tags: sweet pea, flowers, photos

Friday Flower: Nasturtium

2007-06-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

Nasturtiums are one of my favorite garden flowers. They are easy to grow from seed and I have nice bushy "dwarf jewel mix" plants happily growing in 10" pots from Walmart. As a bonus, you can use the flowers in salads or as edible garnish - they have a nice peppery flavor.

Tags: flowers, photos, nasturtium

Put another dime in the MP3 player, baby

2007-06-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

Back when I was in graduate school one of the bars we used to frequent had this fantastic jukebox, full of old blues and R&B. The music help set the laid-back mood. That's the beauty of the jukebox. You take one look, and you can tell if you are in a serious Irish bar or a country western bar. That's why I find it kind of sad that so many local joints are getting rid of their CDs and replacing them with touch-screen MP3 players.

Yes, the players carry almost any song you might be in the mood for, from Sinatra to the latest pop song. The problem is that the massive music libraries have no personality. Maybe most of the crowd likes classic rock from the 70s, but a single dude with a dollar (no dime machines these days) can change the atmosphere completely by selecting the latest Justin Timberlake hit. It's not that I don't like different kinds of music. It's that I like to hang out places with a point of view.

Or maybe I'm just getting old.

(I Googled "I Love Rock n' Roll" and learned, to my horror, that the song was remade as a hip-hopish pop song by Britney "look at me look at me look at me" Spears. Ugh!)

Tags: music, jukebox, mp3

I'm feeling yellow . .

2007-06-22T22:36:00.000-07:00

The new Simpsons Movie web site is live, and you can make your own avatar. This is exactly what I look like - at least in the Simpson universe.

Tags: Simpsons Movie, avatar

Friday Flower: Dianthus plumarius

2007-06-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dianthus plumarius (cottage pink) flowers may be individually small, but they grow in clusters that make a lovely splash of color.

Tags: flowers, photos, Dianthus plumarius

Chevys Kill Me

2007-06-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

Just now an ad for Chevy came on that featured Don McLean's "American Pie". I think they wanted the catchy tune and all-American nostalgic feeling it produces (plus them mention Chevys). The problem is that I know the chorus and I'll bet you know the chorus too. You're probably humming it now -

Bye, bye miss American pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good ole boys drinking whiskey and rye

The ad then jumps into another round of "bye bye," but in my head I always hear the next line of the chorus -

And singin’, this’ll be the day that I die.
this’ll be the day that I die.

Last week two carloads of teens on the way home from their senior picnic were in an accident very close to where I live. The cars - a Honda Civic and Chevy Tahoe - were speeding and apparently brushed against each other. The Civic plunged down a 25 foot ravine, but the driver and passengers only sustained minor injuries. The Tahoe rolled several times resulting in the death of two of the passengers. A third boy is still in critical condition.

I'm hoping those ads don't run much longer.

Tags: Chevrolet, American Pie, advertising

First Harvest

2007-06-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

I picked my first summer veggies today - some lovely lemon cucumbers! They get their name from their color and shape. Inside they aren't much different from the long green variety - maybe a bit sweeter, and they have no trace of bitterness.

They were produced by three plants I've been growing in a 14-inch-square wooden planter. There are still lots of blossoms and baby fruit on the plants, so I'm hoping to have a steady stream of cukes all summer.

Tags: cucumbers, vegetables

Friday Flower: Wildflowers of Big Bear Lake

2007-06-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's Saturday, but my husband and I spent the past couple of days at Big Bear Lake. It was wonderful - fresh mountain air, no distractions from the internet, and wildflowers everywhere. We stayed in our own little cabin, and there were purple lupine and yellow columbine growing outside our door.

We took a nice nature hike to see the Champion Lodgepole Pine. The trail meandered between the forest and meadow, with wildflowers everywhere. Most of the trees in the forest were Jeffrey pine, which has bark that smells of vanilla.

We took a roundabout route, adding a mile and a half or so to the easy nature trail. It was worth it!

The "champion" lodgepole pine is estimated to be more than 400 years old, and is the largest known lodgepole pine in the world. You can't really see much more than its huge trunk. Barring fire or other natural catastrophe, it might stand for hundreds of years more.

Tags: Big Bear Lake, wildflowers, photos, San Bernardino Mountains, Champion Lodgepole Pine

I Talk . . . Bland

2007-06-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe I watch too much TV news?

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far)

Midland

("Midland" is not necessarily the same thing as "Midwest") The default, lowest-common-denominator American accent that newscasters try to imitate. Since it's a neutral accent, just because you have a Midland accent doesn't mean you're from the Midland.

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

(via Inkthinker)

Tags: language, English, American

Eat Locally or Comfortably?

2007-06-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Once again the AW blog chain is rolling and I've been tagged. In the last post in the chain, Williebee writes about his experiences living in Alaska as a boy and how that has helped give him an appreciation of his current comfortable lifestyle.

Growing up in the California 'burbs didn't really expose me to any particular hardships. It's only with age that I've come to realize how good I've had it. Here I live, on the edge of the desert, and I not only have easy access to water, but I can go to my local supermarket and buy freshwater salmon or blueberries, neither of which grow nearby. But recent news of tainted food additives from China and my own mental ruminations on the American food industry (based, in part on reading this excerpt from The Omnivore's Dilemma) has made me start considering more seriously the downside to my comfortable lifestyle, food-wise at least.

I know that it would be better for the environment (and probably our health) we'd live on local food (preferably heirloom varieties) organically grown on small farms. The truth is, though, that I'm not sure I'm willing to go far out of my comfort zone to do that. I do buy most of my produce from the local green grocer and I'm trying to cut down on the amount of processed foods we eat. But, honestly, I'm not sure I'm willing to completely give up bread and pasta, and organically grown eggs and meats are usually pretty expensive. Not to mention the fact that a purely local diet would require preparing almost everything from scratch, something I don't always have the time and energy to do.

I realize that it's people like me, unwilling to give up my cheap and easy eating habits, that are a big part of the problem. I selfishly place my own comfort above global concerns. All I can say is that I'm trying to do better.

That ends the 9th AW Blog Chain. Be sure to read all the posts:

Virginia Lee @ I Ain't Dead Yet: So quit already!
Cath Smith @ writing@cathsmit.com: On Courage
Andrea Peck @ hunt & peck: Comfort Zone
TJ Writer @ Life, Writing, and Other Things: Brave New Adventures
Niteowl @ Periodically.org: Comfort
Gillian @ Food History: Blogging and comfort food
Alan Sorum @ A View From the Waterfront: Food Security and Subsistence.
Kelly M @ Organized Chaos: AW Blog Chain 9
Williebee @ Williebee: Chains that find me
Peggy @ The Road Less Traveled: here you are!

Tags: awchain, food, globalization

Friday Flower: Prickly Pear Cactus

2007-06-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today's flower is the prickly pear cactus, which blooms in many colors. The photos were taken the last week in April at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont.

The prickly pear cactus is also delicious: you can use the chopped up pads - nopales - in burritos, egg dishes or salads, and the fruit makes lovely candy and jelly.
Tags: flowers, photos, California, cactus

What I've Been Reading on the Internets

2007-06-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting up links for the past month or so without actually getting around to blogging about them, so I present them here with little comment:

The khymos molecular gastronomy blog explains some common misperceptions about chemicals.

Slactivist has a thought-provoking post about literalism and the Bible. There is a lot of passion in the comments, and I'll just say that I read the post pretty much like commenter David.

Science news has a cool article about the Fibonacci numbers and the mathematical lives of plants. Yes there is order in the natural world!

Slate explains how an unassuming font took over the world over the past 50 years, in the Helvetica Hegemony.

Scientific American explains why corn is "kind of the worst thing ever." Bottom line: it's bad in the diet, it requires farming methods that are bad for the environment, and corn-based ethanol is not a good solution to our energy problems.

Jennifer Ouellette of Cocktail Party Physics takes a look back at the work of early epidemiologists trying to figure out how cholera was spread and points to current efforts to improve the water supply in developing countries.

Shelley Batts at Retrospectacle has an interesting post about caffeinated soap.

New Scientist has put together answers to the most common questions about climate change. It has answers to all those objections to global warming that the talk radio types like to spout off about.

Larry Moran points to the seven warning signs of bogus science. It's a handy guide if you find yourself on one of those web sites touting the latest miracle health cure.

The New York Times has a very sad op-ed about vegan parents who have starved their babies to death. It wasn't intentional, they were just completely ignorant of the fact that a baby will not thrive on a diet of soy milk and apple juice. I don't understand why some people are so keen on denying their own biology: we are omnivores and the best way to provide protein, calcium, cholesterol and vitamins to growing children is through animal products.

Whenever there's a tragedy all the pundits work themselves into a lather and start pointing fingers at their favorite bogeyman. After the Virginia Tech shootings Cynical-C collected statements on who is to blame. I find it sickening that anyone would take that as an opportunity to spout off, but I guess that's what they are paid to do.

There is a post on Metafilter about the 70th anniversary of the Golden Gate bridge, with link to a video of opening day 1937.

Improbable Research takes a closer look at the 5-second rule.

Live Science gives us the strange history of cheese.

Finally, 2 buck Chuck is five years old - yay for cheap wine that comes with a cork.

Tags: science, religion, food

Friday Flower: Snapdragon

2007-06-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not keeping up with posting very well, but I do have a Friday flower. My snapdragons are bing nibbled on by some kind of critter . . .

Tags: flowers, photos, snapdragon

Friday Flower: Gerbera Daisy

2007-05-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Gerbera daisies are bright and bold, not delicate and frail. I have a couple of plants that have been growing in a patio pot for several years now, and they bloom for most of the year. They rarely fail to make me smile.

Tags: flowers, Gerbera daisy, photos

Friday Flower: Phlox

2007-05-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

No no, I don't mean 22nd century Phlox. What you're looking at is 21st Century Phlox.

I planted a variety pack's worth, which is currently blooming in red, purple and white with a colored center. So cheerful!

ETA: dern Blogger - it posted the old version of the post. This is what it's supposed to look like - with photos.
Tags: flowers, photos, phlox

I want my President to understand, not believe

2007-05-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

At the most recent Republican "debate" the candidates were asked to "raise their hands if they did not believe in evolution." Three raised their hands: Senator Sam Brownback, Governor Mike Huckabee, and Representative Tom Tancredo.
(read the transcript)
Now, generally, this was a good result. The front runners - Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney* - didn't raise their hands, and three of the candidates willingly declared themselves unfit for office. Why do I say unfit? It's not because they are religious, but because that anyone who rejects the more than 200 years of scientific research** out of hand simply should not be involved in making policy decisions. The leader of the U.S. should not pick and choose which facts to believe. The people of Kansas, Arkansas, and Colorado may be willing to have such willfully ignorant politicians represent them, but they have no place representing anyone who considers themselves part of the "reality based community" (such as me).

The question itself has been bothering me a bit though. I couldn't really put my finger on it until I read this essay by Henry Schreiber. He describes his experience teaching evolution in heavily creationist east Texas, and, in particular, his gut reaction to one student who came to him to tell him that she now "believed" in evolution:

“Believing in evolution” is an abominable non-sequitur. It reveals that the speaker doesn’t grasp the most fundamental aspect of science. Beliefs have to do with faith, and faith has to do with religious things, unseen but believed. In contrast, science is about constructing models of the natural world without recourse to anything unseen or supernatural. Believing and evolution do not go together in the same sentence. Evolution is not a metaphysical or religious truth in which one professes faith; it is just the representation that best fits and explains what is presently known about the natural world.

And that's it exactly. I want a President who understands science - not only the facts, but the process of science itself. This should be basic knowledge for every high school graduate. The current Bush administration seems to think that science is just part of the political game, and that you can pick and choose which facts to use based on your policy goals (see, for example, the Union of Concerned Scientists' statement on Scientific Integrity or Chris Mooney's The Republican War on Science***).

I want a President that will at least try to understand global warming and stem cell research and toxins in the environment. Is that so much to ask for? Will the media step up and actually start asking the hard questions? I hope so.

** Romney has his own reality issues, having claimed that France has instituted seven-year marriage contracts. It turns out that was a creation of science fiction writer (and fellow Mormon) Orson Scott Card. While I'm also a big fan of science fiction, the fact that Romney's favorite novel is Scientology-founder Hubbard's Battlefield Earth is enough to give me serious doubts about his mental state. There is a lively conversation going on at ScienceBlogs over Romney's views.

** Yes, I know Darwin didn't publish the Origin of Species until 1859, but that work was based on the work of many scientists, from the 18th century geologists James Hutton and William Smith to Darwin's own decades of research.

*** The Republicans have been in power for the past 8 years, so they've had the best opportunity to muck with science. The Democrats running for President shouldn't be exempt from answering questions on science issues too. Obama has said "Evolution is more grounded in my experience than angels." That sounds like a good start.

Tags: politics, evolution, science, Republicans

Friday Flower: Meyer Lemon

2007-05-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

This week's flower photos are from a dwarf meyer lemon that I've had growing in a half barrel for several years. They were taken about three weeks ago, when the blooms were at their peak - and they smelled lovely.

Tags: flowers, meyer lemon

Friday Flower: Purple Rockrose

2007-05-04T14:12:00.000-07:00

I've been playing with the macro feature of my camera. It's amazing the details that the closeups show. Just for fun, I plan to post a flower a week:

This week's flower is the orchid rockrose, Cistus purpureus. The rockrose is a hearty shrub that survived the freezing temperatures we had that we had in December and January, and had no problem with the 100+ days of July and August. It has been blooming heartily since the end of March. Even after it's done flowering, it's a handsome shrub, with sage-like leaves.

Tags: Cistus, rockrose, flowers

A Change of Scenery

2007-04-21T22:27:00.001-07:00

Last week the in-laws were in Southern California for a visit. It was great to see them, but because they a good part of their visit was spent in downtown Los Angeles, we ended up doing a lot of back-and-forthing on the freeway. It's not just the travel time or the inevitable pockets of traffic congestion that is so exhausting, it's the sameness of the view: mile after mile of nothing but the gray pavement, red and yellow signs beckoning towards McD's, Jack in the Box, Denny's, and El Pollo Loco, periodic shopping malls, and houses spreading away in the distance. Sure there are occasional novel sights, such as landing airplanes, a hillside cemetery, or the big blue Ikea, but they are few and far between. I was happy to stay near home the past couple of days.

Today we decided that we needed a change of scenery. Once the sun came out this afternoon, we took a short jaunt up to Forest Falls. It was lovely - crisp cool air, towering pines, and even a bit of snow on the ground.

Gene doesn't look impressed by the snow.

The Forest Falls picnic area

I feel rejuvenated and ready for my parent's arrival on Tuesday. I think.

Tags: Forest Falls, Los Angeles, freeways

40 Years Ago Today

2007-04-07T01:27:00.000-07:00

San Francisco DJ Tom Donahue launched the progressive rock radio format on KMPX, and FM rock radio was born. The Summer of Love was just a few months away.

The Turtles "Happy Together" was the #1 song in America.

The prime time TV lineup* included Dr. Kildare, The Wild Wild West, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (in color!), Hogan's Heroes (in color!), Tarzan, The Time Tunnel (in color!), National All-Star Wrestling and the sports special "A Portrait of Willie Mays".

Michigan Governor George Romney (father of Mitt Romney), predicted military victory in Viet Nam, and "called for peace preparations that would allow the Viet Cong conditional participation in the political life of the country." Yes, he was preparing for a Presidential campaign run.

Israel and Syria were fighting over the Golan Heights.

The weather was wild.

The deluge is over, the weatherman says. Except in Castro Valley, where a stray cloud produced a spectacular 25-minute combination hail storm and thunder-and-lightning show this morning. The cloud, surrounded by blue skies, dumped its contents then moved slowly away. (Oakland Tribune, April 7, 1967, p.1)

(Did you notice, mom & dad?)

All in all, not a bad day to be born!

* Newspaper links are to ancestry.com, which requires a subscription. Sorry.

Tuesday's Freak Snowstorm

2007-03-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

This has been a bizarre spring weather-wise. First we had a week in the high 80s, then this storm comes in on Tuesday spitting snow. It was really not quite cold enough for pretty flakes, but there was a bit of accumulated slush and the hilltops got a frosting. The storm passed, the sun came out and the slush immediately melted. Highs have been in the mid-70s ever since. It was pretty while it lasted, though.

Click for larger photos.

Tags: Yucaipa, snow

The Perfect Word

2007-03-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Rachel at a Historian's Craft has a cool list of non-English words that express complex ideas (at least for us English speakers).

For example, tingo, a word in the Pascuense language of Easter Island that means "borrowing things from a friend’s house, one by one, until he has nothing left". Perfect if Homer Simpson is your next-door neighbor.

Another good one is mamihlapinatapei, which, in the Fuengian language of Chile, means "a shared look of desire or longing between parties who are both interested, but neither is willing to make the first move." That could describe most of the kids at every high school dance I ever attended.

Go read the whole list.

Tags: language

What is that on your face?

2007-03-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's just coincidence or if it represents some kind of heightened awareness on my part, but in the past couple of weeks I've come across a number of different articles discussing the contents of skin creams and lotions. The truth is that what is written on the label may not tell you what you really need to know about the effectiveness and safety of the product.

First off, I came across the excellent blog, the Beauty Brains, which gives the scientific low-down on how various beauty products work (or not). They have the scoop on facial scrubs containing Dead Sea salt, the scam of "skin tightening" lotions, whether anti-aging creams have been shown to be effective, and expensive products with dilute amounts of botanicals that likely have no significant effect on the skin. Take their analysis to heart and you could save $$$$.

Next, there is a slightly disturbing article in the current issue of Technology Review about the trendy addition of nanomaterials to upscale cosmetics and lotions. Looking at one such pricey product, the writer found that neither the sales staff nor the company representative is clear on what exactly their lotion contains, or whether there is any risk in using the high-tech sounding ingredients.

The cream, she informed me, has various "nano complexes" in an exact ratio that is customized for my age, my gender, and my face's precise degree of oiliness--information gleaned from a number of probing questions she asked me.
How, I asked, did I know these tiny particles weren't going to creep under my skin and wreak havoc with my body? No, she assured me, the cream uses chemicals of a regular size, just in nano amounts. "See the difference?"

Not really. Scientists have for decades been doing experiments using chemicals in nanomolar quantities, which simply means that they're extraordinarily dilute. So how was Bionova's product special? Alexander Sepper, Bionova's vice president for research and development, at first echoed the sales rep's statements. "Our nanotech slightly differs from the nanotech that's made by most companies," he said. "We are not talking about nanoparticles but about nano quantities."

I still didn't understand how the product could be called nanotech if it didn't actually use nano-sized particles. Sepper seemed to agree.

"You know, I should be honest with you. In the beginning, we called them simply biocomplexes," he said. "When nanotech came and everyone started to claim nanotech, nanotech, nanotech, of course the marketing people came to us and demanded that we have to accommodate the present situation. My understanding as a scientist is it's more marketing than science." According to Sepper, revenues from the product, which is sold in upscale stores such as Barneys, went up when Bionova began calling it nanotech. But when I pushed him a bit on the use of the word in marketing the cream, he quickly backtracked. "When I said we are using nano quantities, I thought you already knew that we are using nanoparticles. We are using nano quantities of the nanoparticles."

I suspect that the truth in this case is that they use a homeopathic-like amount of the nanomaterials to justify charging $163 for a jar of face cream. That makes it unlikely that those particular additives would cause any problems - but also unlikely that they have any beneficial effects. The concern that applying nanoparticles to the skin might cause serious side effects is a real one, however.

But here's the rub: though some nanomaterials clearly have advantages, such materials might also pose risks. Will the smaller particles penetrate the skin? Can they clog airways and trigger immune responses? Will they lodge in the body's tissues, including the brain?
The simple answer is that no one knows. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other federal agencies have research programs in place that may eventually answer some questions about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanoparticles. But such research will take time and a great deal more money.

What surprised me is that cosmetics don't have to pass any sort of safety test. Instead, they are considered safe until a problem arises. I think I'll stick with ordinary lotion for the time being.

Chem Blog addresses the issue of product effectiveness, based a recent paper in Food Chemistry about the wound healing and other beneficial properties of the active ingredients, such as acemannan, in aloe vera. What the study found is that that beauty products touting aloe on their label may not actually provide any of those benefits.

The problem is, however, that of the 9 major manufacturers of powdered aloe that Bozzi et. al. only three contained acemannan in enough quantities to actually seem like they should qualify for aloe. [. . .] They also note that manufacturers cut their product with maltodextrin, sometimes without even labeling their product as being cut with maltodextrin. And by cut I mean 45%-95% w/w. Another problem, as it is pointed out, can be a result of shitty handling of the processed aloe. Bacteria breaks down the acemannan if the product isn’t treated properly rendering it a slurry of organic acids and sugars.

The moral of the story is that your Botanical Blend shampoo may be nothing more than poorly cut sugars with a fancy label.

While it might not have any especially beneficial effects on my skin, I'll stick with my Aloe Vaseline Intensive Care lotion since it smells nice.

Finally, the March issue of WIRED explains the various components of Neutrogena Face Lotion. If you've ever wondered about the purpose of octyl methoxycinnamate (blocks UV-B) or xanthan gum (provides a nice texture), this give a brief overview. I found their description of hydroxyacetic acid or "alpha-hydroxy" a bit disturbing:

It’s a corrosive acid that breaks apart the outer layer of skin, spurring new cell growth. While it may make you look younger, it can also make skin twice as vulnerable to sun damage — good thing Neutrogena adds SPF 15 sunscreen.

I have a tube of alpha-hydroxy acid-containing lotion that carries no caution about potential skin damage in the sun - and contains no sun screen. Wonderful.

The take-home message is clearly that we should be aware of what the chemicals we slather on our skin can and cannot do. And don't believe everything you read on the label.

Tags: beauty, science, skin care, aloe, nanoparticles, alpha-hydroxy acid

Migration

2007-03-21T00:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a bit of rain after several dry weeks. The local snails apparently decided it was a good opportunity to trek across the patio. I hope they make their destination before the sun starts shining again.

Tags: snails

Why Politicians Should Ignore Petitions

2007-03-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny video of Penn and Teller getting people to sign a petition against the toxic chemical dihydogen monoxide to "help the environment".

Now it doesn't bother me too much that most people don't know that dihydrogen monoxide is just another term for water. What really annoys me is that so many people are willing to sign a petition about an issue they clearly know nothing about. This was just a silly prank, but in real life petitions are used to put items on the ballot, influence policy and sway the public . Petition signature gatherers are often paid by the signature, so they have the incentive to tell you just about anything they think will get you to sign.

So the next time someone shoves a petition in front of you, read what the petition actually says, and if it's something you've never heard of, just give it a pass.

Please?

Tags: petition, politics, water

Free books for kids!

2007-03-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just read in Connie's blog that Random House will donate one book to First Book for every card sent to The Cat in the Hat to wish him a happy 50th birthday*. You can either send an e-card from the Seussville web site or make and send a paper card. They will also donate a book to First Book for every purchased Seuss book. The promotion is timed to coincide with the NEA's Read Across America, which suggests Seuss-related activities

You have until May 1st, and it's a worthy cause, so send away!

* According to the rules, they'll donate up to one million books.

Tags: First Book, Cat in the Hat, literacy

Quality of Light

2007-02-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

About five thirty this evening I noticed the clouds had an almost unearthly yellow glow. I stepped outside and witnessed a spectacular sunset.

To the West the horizon was clear. The slush-rain storm we had last night must have washed away the usual dust and smog in the air. To the East, Mt. San Gorgonio was completely enshrouded in a bank of clouds that reflected the yellow sunlight.

As the sun set further, the color deepened from yellow to a fiery orange-red that I simply couldn't capture in the photos I took.

For comparison, here's the view to the East on a sunny day in January (there was just as much snow on the mountain when I got up this morning):

Beautiful!
Tags: Yucaipa, California, sunset

Cooking Technology

2007-02-26T23:04:00.000-08:00

Technology Review has an interesting article ("The Alchemist") that takes a look at the high-tech cooking techniques used by chef Grant Achatz at his Chicago restaurant Alinea. Achatz uses chemistry techniques more common to industrial kitchens and packaged food products than to gourmet cuisine. Agar agar and Ultra-Tex 3 (modified tapioca starch) are used as thickeners, rather than eggs. A combination of sodium alginate and calcium carbonate is used to encapsulate flavored liquids. His kitchen has used common lab equipment such as circulating water baths and centrifuges in the quest for novel ways to prepare food. Achatz even collaborated with lab equipment manufacturer PolyScience to develop the quick-freezing Anti-Griddle.

The twist is that the article (and accompanying video, "The Elements of Taste") is by journalist Corby Kummar, author of Slow Food and champion of cooking with simple and flavorful traditional ingredients. Kummar approaches the food with an open mind, and ends up enjoying his experience.

Many things yield unexpectedly in the mouth. That's part of Achatz's experimentation with different thickeners, and with making things solid or liquid depending on what you're not used to. A wide red ribbon marches across a long rectangular dessert plate, for instance, looking like melted plastic. The strangely plastic ribbon is the usually runny raspberry puree, blanketing a series of small dots, all of which have a surprise: tapioca pearls in goat's milk; fresh raspberries stuffed with a chewy little bead of taffy made of fresh red peppers; pistachio brittle and crushed pistachios; and lavender made into a tea that holds its shape like a syrup. Lavender is also dehydrated into tiny chips and crumbled over the length of the ribbon. The whole thing is decorative (its horizontal patterning is reminiscent of a Louis Sullivan or Prairie School design), unexpected, and very good.

Chef Achatz says he wants his cuisine to provide an "artistic experience". Based on the photo gallery at the Alinea web site, the food is beautiful. Since the restaurant is 2000 miles away, and expensive (the "cheaper" tasting menu is $135), I doubt I'll ever get a chance to taste it. It does make experimenting in the kitchen sound like fun, though. I wonder if I could pick up a second hand water bath. . .

Tags: cooking, chemistry, Alinea

Good Day, Sunshine

2007-02-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

It rained off and on all weekend, then it finally cleared yesterday afternoon. The day ended with a spectacular sunset.

Today the sun was shining, the air was clear with a fresh snap to it, and our back yard lizards came out to bask in the sunshine. I know it's technically not Spring yet, but it sure felt like it.

Tags: Spring

Oranges, Lemons and Grapefruits

2007-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

There was an interesting article in today's paper on the 100th anniversary of the UC Riverside Citrus Research Station. What I found particularly interesting was the fact that the citrus varieties we're familiar with - navel oranges, lemons, grapefruit - are all produces of intensive human plant breeding.

During tours — yes, the citrus station does draw in the curious — visitors learn that lemons weren't always small and cute. Long before grocers began stocking the fist-sized variety popular today, citrus growers fumbled with its ancestor, a lumpy 5-pound fruit the size of a Nerf football.

Growers in India are believed to have produced what is now considered the modern lemon about AD 100, after decades of crossing it with smaller citrus varieties.

In more modern times, UC Riverside scientists have developed some best-selling fruits, including the Oroblanco grapefruit-pummelo hybrid, with its surprisingly sweet taste, and the tangy Gold Nugget mandarin.

It's a reminder that the vast majority of the fruit and vegetable varieties in the grocery store were either created by hundreds - sometimes thousands - of years of intensive plant breeding and human selection or by chance mutation. For example, the navel orange (called the Washington or Bahia navel) that is the foundation of the Southern California citrus industry was apparently a "single mutation in 1820 in an orchard of sweet oranges planted at a monastery in Brazil".

So the next time you read about a new "eat like a 'cave man' diet" or hear someone complaining about "unnatural" fruit varieties, remember what we eat today is a product of human intervention, not "nature", and we would likely find true wild varieties unappetizing.

(The graphic is from the web site of Professor Mikeal Roose. There is a more schematic version in the LA Times article (free registration or bugmenot to read).
The tree is the parent navel orange tree in Riverside, "the source of all of California's multi-million dollar navel orange industry".)

Tags: orange, plant breeding

Pay It Forward

2007-02-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

Once again the AW blog chain has arrived. In the last post in the chain, Cath gave a big thank you to people who are willing to take time to share their expertise as scam-busters and mentors. I'll add my thanks as well.

Sometimes I feel like I am being a leech by simply soaking up the information shared by others, since I am not a scam-buster myself and I don't have any inside knowledge of the publishing world. Then I try to remember that I can do my part by simply sharing the knowledge that I do have. That means taking time to read people's questions at the Absolute Write Water Cooler (and the other forums I belong to) and answering the questions that I can - maybe answering a science question, or sharing a good reference web site, or even just saying "hello, welcome to the board". It means doing what I can to help out the people I know in both "the real world" and online. It means giving back at least as much as I take.

I try to do my best, but I know I could do more to "pay it forward". So that's one of my goals for the year: do more for others. Check back next February to see how I did.

I'll now pass the chain over to Brian at the Beyond the Great Chimney Production Log.

The posts in the chain so far:
A View From the Waterfront:Why participate in an AW Blogchain?
Just a Small Town Girl: accountability
Even in a Little Thing: AW Blogchain #8
Down From the Garrett: It's a Turkey
Writing from Within: Absolute Write Blog Chain #8
Curiouser and Curiouser: AW Blog Chain #8
The Road Less Traveled: Pay It Forward (here!)
Beyond the Great Chimney Production Log: AW Chain: Writing in the dark and sun.
NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES:Absolute Write Blog Chains
Fireflies in the Cloud: And if you gaze for long into an abyss. . .
Tags: AWChain

So Tired of Waiting for Five O'Clock

2007-02-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

Like the Kinks? Tap your foot when you hear the song "Five O'Clock World"? Then you'll love the mashup "So Tired of Waiting for Five O'Clock" (and who hasn't felt that way?)

Tags: mashup, music, Kinks

Sweet Sweet Love

2007-02-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

Today is February 7, leaving you just one week to find the perfect gift for your Valentine. Now I consider chocolate to be a perfect gift. Fortunately, the staff at NPR was willing to taste many many chocolates to help you pick the right ones (if you want to buy me some, the Donnelly Chocolates Liquor Bombs sound fabulous, and they also sell sexy body sweets).

If you don't want to buy expensive chocolates, you can make drug store candy an even sweeter gift by crafting Hershey kiss bouquets or a "Hugs & Kisses" checkerboard, printing a special M&Ms Valentine card , or preparing strawberries dipped in chocolate mint sauce.

Finally, if your sweetheart is on a diet, you can at least send an e-card via Godiva, Hershey's, Virtual Chocolate, or Cadbury.

(Oh, and these are the candies I'm giving my sweetie next Wednesday)

Tags: Valentine's, chocolate

Who can resist a panda?

2007-01-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

Apparently there has been a panda baby-boom at a Chinese zoo. Adorable!

The Cellar Image of the Day has more photos.

The 2008 Primaries: Candidates Should Come Shake My Hand

2007-01-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

Election season is starting to heat up, and there was some good news relating to the primaries: California legislators are considering moving the primary from June to February. Now, I know this doesn't sound good if you live in New Hampshire or Iowa, but look at it from my Californian perspective. Every four years the candidates spend a vast amount of time wooing the voters in those early primary states. If a candidate does poorly in Iowa, they drop out of the campaign altogether. Think about that. The voters in Iowa, population less than 3 million, get to decide the candidates for the rest of us. What if the city of Los Angeles (population 3.8 million) or Chicago (population 2.8 million) alone had that kind of power? That would be just as silly as letting underpopulated Iowa and New Hampshire decide for the rest of us.

Personally, I think the primaries should be like the elections - all on a single day all across the country. They should be held no more than three months before the November election, and campaigning shouldn't be allowed before the start of the election year. In this day and age television and the internet easily allow the candidates' to be seen by the entire country, no matter where the candidates are physically located. There is no reason we need such a long campaign season. Maybe the problem is that I'm tired of the campaign posturing already, and we've still got more than a year to go before the primary.

Anyway, you hear me Sacramento? Change the primary date! And candidates, come on and buy me a cup of coffee and try to win my vote (I'm registered as "decline to state", so both Republicans and Democrats are welcome to try to woo me - black, no sugar please).

Tags: 2008 Election, California primary

Science and Health News for Women

2007-01-30T23:29:00.000-08:00

It's not so much that there is "women's science" and "men's science", it's that there are certain scientific topics that are directly about us and the products we use. The truth is that I'm personally more interested in news about breast cancer and than I am about prostate cancer. Anyway, here is some recent news with a more feminine slant:

Friday is National Wear Read Day to promote women's heart disease awareness. The awareness campaign, called The Heart Truth, is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Their message: "heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. In fact, one in three women dies of heart disease." You can learn more on their web site and help spread the information.

The Women's Bioethics Blog has more about the health activists who helped shift the attention of the medical community from heart disease in men to both men and women.

We have this critical data because women's health activists, women Congressional leaders, especially Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Patricia Schroeder (D-Colorado), and members of the medical community led by Nanette Wenger, MD challenged the prevailing notion that women were "mini-men" and insisted that women be included in clinical heart study trails. Until the early nineties, men were the model subjectshttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif in most funded biomedical studies.

---

On a lighter note are a few articles about face cream "science".

The first is from the San Francisco Chronicle, about doctor-endorsed "age defying" and wrinkle creams. The bottom line is that few of their claims are tested, so buyer beware.

"Do some of these cosmetics have druglike action? Absolutely,'' said Newburger. She considers Avon, Estee Lauder, Shiseido and L'Oreal to be among the companies with "sound research, good science and good testing," but stopped short of endorsing their entire product lines. "It's a long way from the lab to the consumer, and results may vary,'' she said. Others, whom she declined to name, have little in the way of published, reliable information to back up their claims, with test groups as small as 25 people, studies that last a month or less and a lack of measurable results.

That can also be true of doctor-related brands, she said.

"I've had experiences where I've called a colleague who is getting press about these products and said, 'Would you mind sharing your data with me?' The answer comes back, 'Sure, no problem, Amy,' and they send me the data -- notes from three lectures, but no data. I call back and say, 'I'm sorry -- I didn't make myself clear enough. I'm looking for the bench data.' They send loose-leaf sheets on 12 people claiming a 20 percent or 30 percent reduction in wrinkle depth. I say, 'Excuse me -- I don't see your measuring data. How did you measure?' And they answer, 'A ruler, Amy.' At that point, the conversation is over.''

Deep Sea News points to the silliness of claims about the "deep sea water" in Estee Lauder's Re-Creation cream, apparently used to convince people that $900 is a reasonable price for lotion. He points out that many of the claims are simply wrong or, at best, distortions of the truth.

In conclusion, deep-sea water has the same medicinal value as does shallow water...none. I have been working with deep-sea water and sediments for a few years and it has done nothing to prevent hair loss. You should only buy these products if you want the novelty of telling your friends that you experienced the "benefits" of the deep. If you still do not trust me on this, then for $50 I will send you 5 oz of deep-sea mud which is endorsed by a doctor (of course its me and I have no formal biochemical or medical training but that doesn't matter). Instead spend your money here.

Finally, one of the big trends is apparently to sell creams optimized for your DNA. A few articles point to the unlikeliness of those claims.

From the Genome News Network:

Leslie Baumann, M.D., a dermatologist at the University of Miami in Florida , and a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, is skeptical about the company's claims, saying that scientists do not have the ability to use genetics to design custom cosmetics. The marketing angle, rather than the science, she says, is the most interesting aspect of these products.

In her opinion, “Although [the company] can obtain DNA from a cheek scraping, it is impossible, at this time, to create a cream to meet an individual's needs based on her genetic make up.” For example, even though scientists have identified some of the many collagen genes in the human genome, they don't know how these genes are expressed in individual cells, or how to formulate a skin product that would interact with these genes.

Genetics and Health also looks at this DNA-related cosmetics fad:

In Maggie Bullock’s Analyze This (no link available yet), she asks, ” Will nutrition and DNA-repairing creams change my genetic destiny?” And after undergoing several nutrigenomic tests and trying a few DNA repair skin creams, she concludes: No. Luckily for her, she didn’t have the shell out the $$$ herself to figure that out.

This is the key point of the entire article. Quoting Jose M. Ordovas, PhD, director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboraty at the USDA HNRCA-Tufts University:

1. Nutrients can’t fix gene defects
2. We are a long way off from understanding how–or if–they actually can prevent disease.

I guess if you have the money and like the results you get with the creams and lotions (no matter their claims), go ahead and buy them. My own feeling is that my money could be better spent elsewhere.

---

Finally, I'd like to point out Inkling Magazine, a new online science mag.

Inkling is an often updated magazine on the web dedicated to science as we see it. Founded in late 2006, we cover the science that pervades our life, makes us laugh, and helps us choose our breakfast foods. We aim to capture a larger proportion of female readers, but, of course, everyone is always welcome.

Their motto: "On the Hunch that Science Rocks", and that's the tone of most of the articles. The editors also write the related science blog, Inky Circus: life in the nerd girl world.

What's different about a science magazine targeted to women? Well, the mag is only a few weeks old, but there seems to be less about gadgets and gizmos and more about biology, behavior and food. They also have interesting articles on topics neglected by most popular science magazines, such as the evolution of menstruation. Fun stuff.

Tags: National Wear Red Day, DNA cosmetics, women, health

Domain Registry of America - looking for suckers?

2007-01-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

Grrrrrr, deceptive marketers make me mad!

I have two domains registered in my name that are due for renewal in June. Just today I received a "Domain Name Expiration Notice" from some outfit called Domain Registry of America (no linky for them). Their letter - that looks very much like a bill - says that "as a courtesy" their letting me know the domains will have to be renewed in 5 months, and "now is the time to transfer and renew your names from your current Registrar to the Domain Registry of America*". They make it sound so scary: "Failure to renew your domain name by the expiration date may result in a loss of your online identity . . . ". And what do they offer? Domain registration at more than double the price I'm paying now. (Their web site claims the "standard" price for domain registration is $70 per year - what a crock of *bleep*) No thanks.

I can see how they probably get a lot of business - people see what looks like a bill and pay it for fear of losing their domain. By the time they realize what has happened, it's too late, the domain is transfered. After a bit of googling, I found that in 2003 the FTC barred Domain Registry of America (which is actually a Canadian company) from "Misleading Consumers in Marketing of Internet Domain Name Services. I'm not sure if that means they used to use even more deceptive tactics, of if they just continued on with business as usual.

I feel much better now.

* I really really hate deceptive marketers that use the American flag as their logo. Ew.

Tags: Domain Registry of America

Am I Happy? No.

2007-01-23T22:45:00.000-08:00

Old Buzzcocks songs always get my head to bobbing back and forth. It's late-70s pop-style punk - great to get your adrenaline level up and your feet dancing.

Now, lately there have been songs from my youth advertising everything from Ritz crackers to department stores. So, the Buzzcocks - they're used to advertise something cool, right? Like iPods or the Gap or something else with a cachet of hipness, right?

No, of course not, they used "Everybody's Happy Nowadays" in an ad for AARP.

Good grief, I'm not old yet. Am I?

Tags: Buzzcocks, advertising

Happy Feet

2007-01-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

This video makes me smile. It's great to see someone dancing who isn't particularly good at it, who just looks he's enjoying himself. And the bits where onlooking kids join in are simply joyous.

From Where the Hell Is Matt?

Matt is a 30-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. He achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he'd saved to wander around the planet until it ran out. He made this site so he could keep his family and friends updated about where he is.

He videotaped himself dancing in various spots around the world, and those videos eventually gave him his 15 minutes of internet fame. They also caught the attention of "Stride long-lasting gum", who ended up paying for a second world-wide dancing tour.

Tags: dancing, travel, video

Moroccan-Style Vegetable Stew

2007-01-16T20:43:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I paid a visit to my favorite produce stand* and picked up a bag of what I call "eat them today" vegetables. Here is what I got for my 89 cents:

3 small bell peppers
1 large onion (with a soft spot)
3 small sweet potatoes
1 pattypan squash
2 cucumbers
1 jicama

Immediately I thought of a spicy vegetable stew. Here is my version, adapted from "Vegetable Bean Stew with Couscous" from Sunset's Vegetarian Favorites.

Moroccan-Style Vegetable Stew

1. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large sturdy pot (at least 5 quarts) over medium heat

2. Add the following ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
2 large bell peppers, chopped
It's prettiest if you use two different color peppers. For tonight's dinner, I just used the three small peppers.
1 large clove garlic, minced (or pressed)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
0-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, depending on your taste and the heat in your cayenne
I used about 2 teaspoons, and it wasn't burn-your-mouth hot.

Cook until onion is soft (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally.

3. Add 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. I used the three small sweet potatoes.
Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add the following:

1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste (err on the side of too little)

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

5. Add 1 medium zucchini or other summer squash, chopped . I used the patty pan.
Cover, and cook about 5 more minutes, or until the sweet potato is done.

6. I stirred in chopped, cooked chicken breast, but it would be hearty even without.

While the stew was simmering, I cooked some couscous and made a salad (including one of the cukes and part of the jicama).

The result:
Very tasty and enough leftovers for another meal.

* It's not exactly a "stand", since it has a concrete floor and electricity, but I wouldn't call it a "store" either, since it is small, basically unheated and closes at dusk.

Tags: recipes, vegetarian

It's all about the eats

2007-01-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

Well, even though I haven't been blogging, I have been collecting links. Now, this year, like most years, I've resolved to eat better. Hopefully, some of this info will help.

• Scientific American reports "Eat, Drink and Be Merry - or why we should learn to stop worrying and love food". It turns out, there is no "one size fits all" ideal diet.

When it comes to healthy absorption of nutrients, taste matters. Glassner cites a study in which "Swedish and Thai women were fed a Thai dish that the Swedes found overly spicy. The Thai women, who liked the dish, absorbed more iron from the meal. When the researchers reversed the experiment and served hamburger, potatoes, and beans, the Swedes, who like this food, absorbed more iron. Most telling was a third variation of the experiment, in which both the Swedes and the Thais were given food that was high in nutrients but consisted of a sticky, savorless paste. In this case, neither group absorbed much iron."

As the article says, "A diet that is harmful to one person may be consumed with impunity by another." The flip side is also true: what is a healthy diet for one may not be for another.

• Wisegeek has photos of what 200 calories worth of different foods looks like. Not surprisingly you can eat a whole plateful of broccoli, but only half a cheeseburger.

• The Food Psychology lab at Cornell has a Tip Sheet for better eating and food awareness. It's part of a larger site with lots of interesting information on how the mind affects the way you eat, including "Why we unknowingly overeat (you tend to pour more into a short wide glass than a tall narrow glass, for example), potential pitfalls of restaurant eating (beware olive oil instead of butter), and grocery shopping psychology (why do we buy food we never use?).

• Corpus Collosum explains why it's important for all women of childbearing age to get enough folate, keeping in mind that people on low-carb diets may miss out on the folic acid supplements in bread and other grain products.

• And for those times the calories don't matter so much, the Women's Bioethics Project rounds up how eating chocolate can improve your health. Yay!

I will eat better this year, I swear!

Tags: food, diet, science

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T00:58:00.000-08:00

So the holidays are over, and I (should) be getting back to blogging. I got a new camera for Christmas (thanks Santa!), so I plan to include more photos.

Happy New Year!

Switch to Blogger Beta

2006-12-15T02:24:00.000-08:00

I just switched to blogger beta. I'm slowly adding tags to my older posts, and I'll be putting the label categories in the sidebar. Hopefully (fingers crossed) there won't be be any technical problems.

Advent Day 14: How to select gifts

2006-12-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

It may be counterintuitive, but the best way to select a gift for someone you love is to pretend they are a stranger. As Cognitive Daily explains a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research:

Here's the key finding: When partners' tastes were different from their own, then they were better at predicting each others' tastes if they believed they were predicting the tastes of a stranger. So, if your partner has different tastes from you, then even if you learn exactly what their tastes are, that information doesn't help you make predictions about their tastes. Instead, you substitute your own tastes.

It's probably a good idea to keep that in mind when you think you've found the "perfect" gift for your spouse or significant other.

Tags: Christmas, gifts

For stars who can't dance or ice skate . . .

2006-12-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Finally, a reality series for geeks like me: Biochemistry with the Stars

Tags: science, humor

Advent Day 13: Holiday-Themed Games

2006-12-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

This time of year lots of games pop up with a holiday theme. Not surprisingly, many of them are tied in with shopping shopping shopping.(All the games described below are platform independent, but require flash.)

For example, Office Max has 20 different "microsites", with games such as Reindeer Arm Wrestling and the hangman-like Save the Snowman. They also have silly sites like Stuck to a Pole, starring a kid who just had to lick a frozen pole, and North Pole Dancing, where you make Santa dance. If you are bored, check them all out (via AdJab).

Mission in Snowdriftland is an advertisement-adventure game from Nintendo. It's like an advent calendar, with one new unlockable goodie each day in December. According to Jay is Games " ... it contains all sorts of delightful unlockable goodies—from screenshots and wallpapers to videos and ringtones—from several of Nintendo's latest DS handheld and Wii console offerings."

Viral Chart is tracking many other XMAS-related "viral" advertising-related games.

For a non-commercial offering, Orsinal has a new game for the holidays: Winterbells. Like the other games at Orsinal.com, the game is simple to play, yet addictive, and has charming graphics and music.

All in all, lots to keep your hands busy while you (pretend to) work.

Tags: Christmas, games

Advent Day 12: Santa Science

2006-12-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

North Carolina State University professor of aerospace engineering Larry Silverberg explains how Santa can visit the entire world in a single night using his knowledge of the theory of relativity.

Silverberg is not so naïve as to think that Santa and his reindeer can travel approximately 200 million square miles – making stops in some 80 million homes – in one night. Instead, he posits that Santa uses his knowledge of the space/time continuum to form what Silverberg calls “relativity clouds.”

“Based on his advanced knowledge of the theory of relativity, Santa recognizes that time can be stretched like a rubber band, that space can be squeezed like an orange and that light can be bent,” Silverberg says. “Relativity clouds are controllable domains – rips in time – that allow him months to deliver presents while only a few minutes pass on Earth. The presents are truly delivered in a wink of an eye.” (NCSU Press Release)

Check out Dr. Silverberg's web site for a fuller explanation and videos.

Clearly Christmas is the perfect opportunity to introduce your little ones to Einstein's theories!

Tags: Christmas, Santa, physics

Advent Day 11: Sweet Tracks

2006-12-11T20:15:00.000-08:00

If you like contemporary holiday music, you might want to check out Best Buy's Sweet Tracks. They have 14 songs free for download if you are willing to create an account with them. The artists include: Keith Urban, Train, New Found Glory, Dave Koz, Flyleaf, Chris Botti, Melissa Etheridge, Nick Lachey, Brian Wilson, Lifehouse, Holly Brook, Lucy Walsh, Feist and Kaci Brown.

I'll admit to non-"with-it"ness, since I only recognize a few of those artists - Keith Urban who is some kind of country singer, Melissa Etheridge who sings adult rock, and Brian Wilson, who, long long ago, was a Beach Boy. Oh, and Lifehouse, who I happened to see live, but I don't remember what the music sounded like (it was a pretty insipid set until they covered Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up").

You apparently need to install the Rhapsody player to listen to the songs and be running Windows XP or 2000 to download the music. Since I'm on a Mac, I'll just take their word that this is a sweet deal.

For people with iTunes:

This week's free song from the iTunes Music Store is Sarah McLachlan singing Silent Night. The last one was James Taylor singing an unusual version of Jingle Bells, so I'm going to download this one out of curiosity.

If you prefer free with no strings attached (the best option IMHO):

You can now download the lovely brass "O Holy Night" as shown on Studio 60 for free - either download directly, or go to the Studio 60 web site

Tags: Christmas, music

Real Heroes

2006-12-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

Two sisters living in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border received a warning from the Taliban:

It said their work went against Islam and that if they continued they would "end up facing the penalty."

The two women ignored the threat, and they and three other family members were killed.
What were they doing that was so offensive? Teaching.

This was no isolated incident. Over the past year, at least 20 educators have been killed and 198 schools have been burned down in Afghanistan. The Taliban position is that boys should only have religious education and girls shouldn't be taught at all. Their agenda is ignorance.

Last Sunday, the LA Times ran an article on the situation there (free registration or bugmenot). The article profiles teachers such as Mohammed Aref, who was gunned down in front of his students by the Taliban.

The militants are active once more across at least half of the country, including the southern province of Helmand, where Aref died in December 2005. Afghanistan's corrupt police and weak army are unable to provide much security.

Over the last year, insurgents have burned at least 146 schools, and insecurity has forced 215 others to close, the Afghan Education Ministry says. Zuhoor Afghan, an advisor to Education Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar, says about 220,000 students have quit school because they fear for their lives.

To his wife and their seven children, and the many villagers who respected him, Aref was a mujahid, a courageous man engaged in a holy struggle to defeat ignorance and hatred so Afghanistan might know peace.

"He loved teaching," said his brother, Mohammed Rafiq Mohammedi. "It was important to him because he wanted students to learn what he knew and build the nation, to work for the people."

Even in areas where the Taliban is not active, there are problems in the education system.

Across the country, schools are in crisis because of corrupt contractors, shoddy building practices and a chronic shortage of textbooks and trained teachers, said Afghan, the Education Ministry official.

Parents are understandably torn between wanting an education for their children, and fearing for their safety. Many had very high expectations when the Taliban was ousted from power and are disappointed and disillusioned.

And yet, despite the real danger of bullets and bombs, Afghanis continue to teach. Educators such as Fatima Mushtaq put education above their own comfort and safety.

When the Taliban's mullahs ruled, she ran a secret school for women. Now, as head of education for Ghazni province in central Afghanistan, she is defying the extremists' efforts to turn back the clock. And, as a woman in a deeply conservative region, she also fights entrenched sexism and sclerotic bureaucracy.

These brave men and women are working to help improve the lives of millions of Afghanistan's children.

They are real heroes.

Tags: Afghanistan, education

Advent Day 10: Xmas Lights

2006-12-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

(Yup, I skipped day 8 and 9. I always seem to be a bit behind.)

One of the things I love about this time of year are the lights, lights, lights.
It's not the same looking at little images online, but the upside is that some of the big online light displays are helping collect money for charity. Here are a few examples:

• Alek Komarnitsky became known for his "web-controlled" Christmas light display in 2004. It turned out, that was a hoax. This year he claims his light display is real. Just go to his web site, and you can turn off and on sets of the lights, or inflate or deflate big Santa or Frosty decorations. He is also raising money for the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. He's already collected more than $5,000 this year.

• Visit Lindsay Lights to see a big home light display in Ontario, Canada. You can watch a video of how they set up the more than 70,000 lights, or view them by webcam. They also collect donations for local charities. Over the past four seasons, they have donated more than $23,000 to organizations such as the Toronto Humane Society, Princess Margaret Hospital and the SickKids Foundation.

• In previous years, engineer Carson Williams produced a big home light display synchronized to music. The traffic eventually got out of hand, so this year he instead designed the Christmas in Lights display in his hometown of Mason, Ohio. Be sure to watch the video - it's pretty amazing. (But, honestly, I'm glad he wasn't my next door neighbor.)

Williams doesn't collect for charity, but I'm sure there are many worthy organizations in your home town that would welcome a donation. Why not donate simply in the spirit of the season?

Tags: Christmas, lights, charity

Advent Day 7: Can You Make a Winning Christmas Ornament, Menorah or Kinara?

2006-12-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

The Kodak "A Thousand Words" blog has how-tos on using printouts of your digital photos to Christmas ornaments and a cute suggestion for making "my kids in a snow globe" cards.

If you are feeling creative in a newsy sort of way, check out the NPR Holiday Craft Contest.

Design either a handmade menorah or kinara (the candle holder for the Kwanzaa holiday) or a Christmas tree ornament. We are looking for designs that reflect the news of 2006. We also welcome quirky, funny and/or offbeat designs.

There will be two winners in each category.

Prizes: Swag from the NPR Shop: The Hanukkah Lights Gift Set for the menorah winner; an NPR Jazz Christmas Collection with Marian McPartland for the ornament winner; the I Heard it on NPR set of world music, jazz and blues CDs for the kinara winner.

Deadline: Dec. 11, 2006, no later than 11:59 p.m.

Get all the details here.

Tags: Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, craft, contest

Advent Day 6: The 10 Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time

2006-12-06T20:52:00.000-08:00

John Scalzi speculates on what might be the 10 least successful holiday specials. You'll have to read the piece to find out why The Lost Star Trek Christmas Episode: "A Most Illogical Holiday", Noam Chomsky: Deconstructing Christmas, and The Mercury Theater of the Air Presents the Assassination of Saint Nicholas just didn't catch on with the public.

This has been around a while, but it's still humorous in light of the real specials the networks trot out this time of the year. (And yes, the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special was very real.)

Tags: Christmas, radio, television, humor

Advent Day 5: Studio 60 Christmas Tribute to New Orleans Musicians

2006-12-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Last night's episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip had a moving subplot about New Orleans musicians who are displaced because of Hurricane Katrina. The highlight was a moving all brass version of O' Holy Night (interrupted only by Danny's cute declaration of love for Jordan).

The music will be available for free download from the iTunes music store, but as of this writing isn't available yet. (The current limited-time-only free Christmas single of the week is James Taylor singing Jingle Bells.) You can also watch this week's entire episode for free at NBC.com, or watch the rebroadcast on December 18.

According to the NBC web site, the musicians are Troy Andrews, Trumpet; Kirk Joseph, Sousaphone; Roderick Paulin, Saxophone; Frederick Shepherd, Saxophone; Stephen Walker, Trombone; Mervin "Kid Merv" Campbell, Trumpet; Bob French, Drums - all New Orleans musicians.

They were playing on behalf of Tipitina's Foundation. From their website:

The Tipitina's Foundation a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has worked diligently to uplift the music community of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, the Foundation responded by rebuilding New Orleans' music culture. Initially, the Foundation addressed the immediate needs of our exiled musicians and allowed them to carry on with their lives. Now the foundation is using the legendary music club, Tipitina's Uptown, as the center of its relief efforts by hosting a newly-opened Music Co-op Office that allows musicians to conduct their business activities during the daytime, free legal and accounting seminars, free music lessons for music students, regular Master Seminars, and help with housing information. An important aspect of the rebuilding process has involved finding replacement instruments for both professionals and music students alike. So far the foundation has given away over $500,000 of new instruments. Through these efforts, the Tipitina's Foundation is saving the musical traditions of New Orleans.

I have a soft spot for musicians, and this sounds like a worthwhile charity.

Tags: Christmas, music, New Orleans

Advent Day 4: Make a Christmas Card from Your Own Photo

2006-12-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

Do you want an easy way to make your own Christmas cards? The Christmas Text Generator lets you upload a picture or photo and add your own greeting using one of 20 different holiday-themed fonts. The only drawback is that the fonts are named "Preview 1", "Preview 2", etc., so you have to just go through the list to find the one you want. (via the Generator Blog)

Alternatively, you can download holiday fonts directly from one of the free/inexpensive font sources. For example Harold's Fonts has for free or for only $5 . DaFont.com has a bunch of free Christmas fonts, such as , , and , as well as both religious and secular holiday icon sets. All of the fonts should work on either PCs running Windows or Macs. Once they are installed on your computer, you can use your favorite graphics program to make a personalized and unique holiday card.

Tags: Christmas, cards, fonts

Advent Day 3: Free Classic Christmas Music from Canada

2006-12-03T23:29:00.000-08:00

Do you like old recordings? The Virtual Gramophone is a database of Canadian recordings from 78-rpm records and cylinder recordings. There are many Christmas-related entries, including Oh! holy night, recorded in 1908 (MP3), Jésus de Nazareth, recorded in 1929 (MP3) and Adeste fideles, recorded in 1928 (MP3). To find more search for the term Christmas and limit to Digital Content:MP3 (or RA - Real Audio).

Also for classical music lovers: BBC Radio 3 Bach Advent Calendar

Tags: Christmas, music

Roll on you Bears!

2006-12-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Oski Wow-Wow!
Whiskey Wee-Wee!
Olee! Muckie-eye!
Olee! Berkeley-eye!
California! Wow!

No, I'm not drunk, I'm just celebrating Cal's 26-17 defeat of Stanford in this year's Big Game.

Of course there are no roses.

If the Bears had beaten Arizona (6-6, 4-5) and all other results, including USC's loss to UCLA, remained the same, Cal would be going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1959. Instead, the Bears settle for a share of the conference title, their first since 1975.

Back in the day we were happy when Cal won more than half of their games, so this is good news indeed.

Cal will be playing in Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl. All I know about TAM is that they aren't the Texas team that makes the devil horns sign, and they are the Texas team that makes a giant bonfire every year (a dozen students were killed at the bonfire a few years ago, so they hold it off campus now). The game has no significance in the greater scheme of things, which, IMHO, is the way it should be. It is only a game.

(go Bears)

Tags: Cal, Stanford, Big Game, football

Advent Day 2: Irreverent Spirit of Christmas

2006-12-02T14:18:00.000-08:00

Long long ago, when I was a mere lass (or at least in my 20s), there was the Spike and Mike Sick and Twisted animation festival. Long before the Cartoon Network had the [adult swim] block of programming, they showed weird animation shorts that were clearly meant for adults, rather than kids. One of the shorts they premiered was called Spirit of Christmas, and featured an evil Frosty the Snowman who is defeated by Jesus, created by two students, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. A couple years later, Parker and Stone were commissioned to make a second short which features Jesus vs. Santa. While crude, the characters and humor are immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with Parker and Stone's later creation, South Park.

Both videos are now on YouTube (of course!), and have been assembled for you on the Look at This. . . blog. If you aren't familiar with South Park, be warned that the shorts include (paper cut out animation) violence, foul-mouthed kids and lots of irreverence. I would say it's definitely NSFW.

(This is a bit sacrilegious for an "Advent" post, but the whole "shopping and Santa" emphasis of Christmas has little to do with religion anyway.)

Tags: Spirit of Christmas, South Park

Advent Day 1: Feel-good Christmas decorations

2006-11-28T00:36:00.000-08:00

Just like a traditional Advent Calendar, I plan to share one holiday-related goodie every day until Christmas.

The first entry is sure to make the geek in your household smile: Made with Molecules has a whole line of holiday biochemistry-related goodies. They sell a seratonin molecule wreath card and Christmas tree ornament. As they point out "Serotonin binds to receptors in the brain to induce feelings of happiness, satiation, and relaxation."

They also have other holiday cards that depict either a DNA transcription tree or the PEACE peptide.

They also have gifts for all occasions. You (or someone you love) would probably get a kick out of their molecule jewelry (in the shape of estrogen, caffeine, theobromine (chocolate), serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters), testosterone boxer shorts, kid & baby clothes depicting glucose (sweet) or oxytocin (cuddle), or the dopamine love card.

(via Mind Hacks)

Tags: Christmas, decorations, jewelry, chemistry

Just a few more links

2006-11-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

A few more Thanksgiving dinner-related links:

The Food Museum blog takes a look at what may have been the real first North American thanksgiving feast:

The first multi-cultural Thanksgiving gathering in North America involved neither them, nor turkeys, as far as researchers know. It took place on the banks of the Rio Grande in April of 1598, and featured a rag tag group of soldiers, families, the Manso native people, priests, and over 7000 domestic animals. The southwest feast on the border of El Nuevo Mexico marked a key confluence of Spanish, Native, and Other ( Anglo) culture.

Snopes has a few funny turkey-cooking legends.

Chaotic Utopia explains the science of gravy making, and provides recipes for both flour-thickened and cornstarch-thickened versions.

Now I'm back to the kitchen!

Tags: Thanksgiving, food, history

Another Day, Another Fire

2006-11-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

I've got a post of the latest local fire (with a few pictures) on my Yucaipa blog.
Tags: Yucaipa, fire

Gobble Gobble Gobble - Yawn

2006-11-22T09:34:00.000-08:00

It's likely that you'll feel drowsy after Thanksgiving feast, but do you know the reason why? It might not be the reason you think. If you want a more technical view, Coturnix has a explanation of how tryptophan in turkey could make you drowsy. I'll leave it to you to decide whether that's a likely explanation for T-day drowsiness or not.

Wired tells you how to deal with turkey-day disasters. Believe it or not, the article is about cooking, not gadgets. The general solution to your problems: buy the dish partially or completely prepared from the grocery store.

Finally, if you are frying your turkey this year, be careful. This video shows how turkey frying can go horribly wrong.

Gobble Gobble Gobble

Tags: turkey, Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving All!

2006-11-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Here are some fun and interesting links:

• The History Channel points out that the first Thanksgiving feast included venison and wild fowl (possibly wild turkey, goose, duck or swan) and possibly cod, lobster, and eel. There was no sugar for cranberry sauce or pies, and vegetables were few next to the meat.

• You can also listen to "first hand accounts" of the 1621 feast from Plimoth Plantation inhabitants "Myles Standish" and "Ellinor Billington".

• SF Gate has the basics on cooking a turkey, making traditional side dishes, and preparing a Thanksgiving feast with an "Asian touch". (the cranberry chutney sounds yummy).

• Epicurious has an "ultimate Thanksgiving guide", with How-to videos.

• FoodieView tells you How to Stay Sane on Turkey Day. They have a nifty online tool to plan your cooking timeline.

• Rose Levy Beranbaum has a tip on how to keep your pie crusts from overbrowning (the short version: put a foil circle around the edge of the crust before it goes into the oven).

• LifeHacker has a Thanksgiving roundup of helpful posts, including "how to fix mom & dad's computer" when you go to visit.

• The shopping day after Thanksgiving is called "black Friday". Consumerist has the scoop on expected deals. (Me, I just sleep in.)

• The Improbable Research blog reports on Hull et al. "The effect of the Thanksgiving Holiday on weight gain" Nutrition Journal 25:29 (2006). The conclusion:

We found over the Thanksgiving holiday an increase of 0.5 kg [0.9 pounds] in body weight. Although this may seem like a trivial amount of weight, considering the short time frame, this is troublesome since previous research suggests weight gained during holiday periods is retained (Yanovski 2000). Therefore, we found in our sample, the Thanksgiving holiday represented a critical period for weight gain and obesity development. Additionally, it seems as though graduate students or those who are already overweight/obese are at increased risk of greater weight gain.

The LA Times points out:

Although this number is far below the tossed-around "5 pounds" statistic, Hull was disturbed by the change in body composition she found when the study was continued past the new year. She and her co-workers scanned 84 of the students with X-rays to determine the fat and muscle content of their bodies. Though their average body weight returned to pre-turkey day levels by January, their overall body fat rose by 1.5%. In other words, "they lost muscle and gained fat," Hull says. Fat they get to squish into their new Christmas clothes as tokens of an overly happy holiday season.

Bummer.

• The Public Domain Clip Art blog has lots of Thanksgiving-related images, including the one on this post.

Anyway, I am thankful for the people that read and comment here. Thank you!

Eat wisely and (American readers) enjoy your holiday.

Thanksgiving, food, shopping, history