In New York
I'll be hanging in Manhattan for tonight and tomorrow as I have friends visiting once again. It will be a few days filled with museums, expensive restaurants, and razor blades. Do not fear the Uzbekistani barber...
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February 25, 2004
February 24, 2004
Fluorescent Fish
There's been a lot of concern lately about genetically modified plants and animals, and their possible effects on the human food supply. A lot of the genetic modifications make certain plants disease resistant or produce more fruit. The concern is that these modifications will somehow adversely affect humans or other animal species due to a competitive advantage. This is a very broad topic, and I might try to tackle it a bit more in the future, but for now I'd like to bring your attention to one little fish - the zebrafish (Danio rerio).
The zebrafish is native only to the Ganges River in India. It is a small fish, common in fishtanks throughout the world, and usually striped black and grey. The zebrafish is commonly used throughout the scientific world as a genetic model because females lay hundreds of eggs which are fertilized externally, and the developing embryos are clear so that their development is easily observed. Best of all, a hatched egg develops into a tiny fish after only 24 hours (and only takes 2-4 days after fertilization to hatch). This makes the zebrafish an excellent tool to follow genetics and DNA mutation. Compare this to the common fruit fly (which is not a vertebrate model) that has much faster development (a few hours) or the common lab mouse, in which embryos take 21 days to develop.
Researchers have used the Zebrafish to study many different development pathways and protein functions. One of the common techniques used today to study specific proteins is to attach a fluorescent protein to a protein of interest. To do this, they inject the embryos before they hatch with a gene for the red fluorescent protein. Researchers at the National University of Singapore initially engineered the fish to express this protein to study pollution in lakes and rivers.
A company called Yorktown Technologies in Austin, TX, has decided that these fluorescent-red Zebrafish would look wonderful in fish tanks and have decided to sell them under the name GloFish. The state of California has restricted the sale of these fish, but they are available for everyone for around $5.00. The FDA recently approved the sale of these fish because they are not used for food purposes and pose no threat to the food supply. So, if you own a freshwater fish tank and want a cool fish that will glow under a black light, head to your local tropical fish store.
February 21, 2004
Windham ski trip
Our department organizes a ski trip every year in February that is usually a lot of fun. This year was no different. The only non-fun part was getting up at 4 AM to get to the bus by 5 AM. The mountain is a little small, but it has a good variety of trails. It's also an ego-boosting trip for me because the difficulty ratings are extremely overblown. For instance, in Colorado, I usually ski blue-square runs most of the time, and venture onto the black-diamonds when I want a challenge. Double-blacks I tend to stay away from. Contrast this with Windham, where the second run I took was a double-black-diamond and it was not a problem. I could ski that all day. Contrast that with Jackson Hole, Wyoming where a blue run is pretty tough even when groomed, and black diamonds kick my ass, but I make it through. Thank goodness they use the blue-black classification as well, and I like those a lot, especially in the glades.
I had to wait in some nasty lift lines yesterday. I've never really had that be a problem anywhere else I've skiied(except for waiting on the tram at Jackson). It wasn't the end of the world, but waiting 10+ minutes every time you reached the bottom of the mountain really kinda ate up a lot of time during the day.
Only one person had an injury on the day. A kid came along who had never skiied before. He decided to try snowboarding, got to the top of the mountain, exited the lift, bent over to fasten his boot buckle and fell over, breaking his wrist. An hour later, he was in the lodge with a cast. Sidenote: he was being taught along with a 7 year old who had never skiied before by her uncle (the kids neighbor). He had to go to the hospital with the injured teenager, leaving the 7 year old alone at the mountaintop. The lift operator refused to allow her to ride the lift down. I didn't get the resolution of her issue, but she was back on teh bus at the end of the day so I know they at least didn't leave her up there for too long.
Today my legs are a little sore, but not as bad as I had expected. I should really hit the treadmill before March 14 so my ski pants fit a little more comfortably.
UPDATE -- Photos from my ski trip are finally up.
February 18, 2004
The Scope
I have few minutes to kill, as I'm on scan 58 of 75 in my timeseries bleaching experiment. Somehow I always end up here in this small dark room with a half-million dollar microscope waiting for it to scan. Sometimes I wish biological processes weren't so slow. I'm sure very little of this makes sense to some of you. I do this every week. Sometimes every day, for hours and hours. In between setting up the scans and rocking out to music on my iPod (how would I work without it?) I figured I might spend a little time blogging. I also decided to go in a slightly different direction with my blog, by talking about more science topics, since I read a lot of papers (ok, not that many) and online articles related to science and I hope that perhaps I'll get some interesting opinions on some of the topics.
Specifically, I love reading about the crazy genetic things that people do with animals, so some of the subjects may cross religious lines. There's always a danger in doing this, since you're really not supposed to talk about politics or religion on a first date. I figure I can maybe breach some religious topics since so many other people speak freely about politics. I realize that some of my ideas might torque some people off, and those people are not reading this post so I'm wasting my effort, but I don't intend to change anyone's beliefs. I'm not an evangelist (except maybe a scientific and logic evangelist, if that's possible).
If this blows up in my face, then I'll probably just go back to telling you about my life and posting pictures, which was the whole point of this blog/gallery anyway. So, yeah. Word.
"Sex Bomb, Sex Bomb. You're my sex bomb. You can give it to me when I need to come along." --Tom Jones
February 15, 2004
New Look
I'm experimenting with a new look for the site. I've started playing with stylesheets, so things may keep changing as I decide what I like and what I don't like. I went through a couple of variations with the title banner and I might post the other options to solicit opinions (ok, to show off my mad photoshop skillz). So, let me know if you like it or hate it.
February 10, 2004
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
[insert snare drum here] DOG SHOW!!!
I decided to skip work today and venture into Manhattan and attend the 128th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It was not a terribly exciting event, but it was great to see all the different breeds of dog in one place, and the crowd was interesting. Behind me in line to buy my ticket was a 6' 9" (at least) transvestite. It took me 20 minutes of waiting in line before I realized the goat noises I kept hearing were actually coming from the throat of the man selling the programs (I suggest he finds a new line of work - perhaps a goat herder). There was a very high concentration of frumpy women in sweatshirts and old people. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing them use the word "bitch" when referring to female dogs. Some choice quotes:
"Oh No! That Bitch has toes in."
"Get your bitch on the floor, now!"
"First he'll be judging the bitches."
And my personal favorite.
"Excuse me, is that your bitch? I like your bitch. I'd like to breed with your bitch"
I think the only places you're likely to hear comments like these are at a dog show or a party with Snoop Dogg.
A big part of the event was the table area, where all the dogs were staged together. The table area was very crowded, and I really got an opportunity to meet a lot of breeders and other nice dog-friendly people. I noticed that several of them were wearing furs and leather, and the hipocracy was not lost on me. They were generally agreeable people, and you could tell most of the dogs were very used to being shown at events like these, because they were extremely well behaved considering the circumstances. I was amused that the groomers used straightening irons, crimping irons, curlers, etc. to get the dogs looking sharp.
All in all, it was a great day. I'll have more photos once I get the film developed from my SLR, but until then you can enjoy some shots from my digicam.
February 09, 2004
Apple Store SoHo
Yeah, it's kinda lame, but I'm killing a little time in Manhattan before I catch the LIRR back home. I decided to spend it at the Apple Store in SoHo, otherwise known as church. Anyhoo, I'm terribly disappointed by the lack of iPod Minis on display. I'm in the city today because I attended the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show. More on that later, with pictures of many, many, many dogs.
Off to grab a pint.
February 05, 2004
Biopsy Results
In short: Good news, no cancer, keep an eye on it though.
My follow-up visit at the dermatologist was this morning, and the results are back. I don't have cancer, BUT the slides were "very abnormal" and I should have them checked out again every year. I don't know if this means they need to be biopsied every year or just examined, but I'll go back next January anyway.
What was abnormal about the biopsy? Well, there was a significant amount of "atypical fibrosis" just under the epidermal layer of skin. Basically, that means that there are a lot of pre-differentiated cells that have no real purpse except to divide and make more cells. After the cells divide, some of them differentiate into specific tissue type, in this case, skin epithelial cells. Except I have an extra patch of these cells in both the moles on my back, and this can eventually turn cancerous if they start growing out of control.
Luckily, this type of cancer, if it does develop, is fairly easy to treat by removing all the cancerous tissue which will leave me with a hole in my back and some stiches. It should heal nicely and I will have no other ill effects hopefully. But it hasn't come to that yet.
February 03, 2004
US States
I stumbled across a travel website which allows you to mark which states you've visited. I think I'm doing pretty well.
February 01, 2004
Half Time Show
I hear Janet Jackson but I see Dan Marino. Give me some of Janet Jackson and her airbrushed abs. Ok... here we go. Produced by MTV. Choose to Vote. Gotcha.
Jessica Simpson, girl, those boots are fierce! "I love the way you move" by the marching band. Awesome!!! Rock that Clarinet. And it's got coreography!!! Nice!!! I hope to see more of this.
Janet - wasn't this song popular over two years ago? I see no visible abs either. *snap* Except on her dancers. Nice leather bustier ($1500, I didn't care. It lifts and separates) I hope she gets to shake her tail feathers with that outfit on.
P.Diddy - He's on a conveyor belt. Hey Diddy? Oh God. And Nelly has arrived. It's still hot in herre, after all these years? Your dancers suck too by the way. Where's count 5? Ok, bye. And they take their clothes off.
Now, another old song, from when he was called Puff Daddy. Lip Syncing rap is so shameful.
Kid Rock - draped in an American flag. Ba-witta-ba. I do like his hat though. I wish people wore hats more often, and I don't mean baseball caps. Look at his chick drummer wail. Cowboy... this song was popular when I lived with Doogie and Wendy. Is this halftime show on a budget or is it just a re-run from 4 years ago?
Band kids scrambling around, people hanging from towers. Janet's name in lights. Am I going to get abs? No. But Rhythym Nation! KILLER!!! Go on quad-tom drummers! Janet has awesome boots, too. And I dig the leather backed chainmail skirt. Yeah drumline rocking out! And Now Janet's mic fails... right when I thought it was a lipsync.
Justing Timberlake. We get it, you can beatbox. Ok, a song from only one year ago. I hope he licks Janet Jackson, that'd be hot. Actually, I hope Janet makes him lick her boot. They dance and frolick. Janet pretends to sing the pre-recorded chorus.
HER TITTY POPPED OUT! HOLY SHIT!!!!
Show over.
Was that planned? It looked like she had a pasty on, but it might have been a nipple ring. It had to be planned. This show is totally tape delayed. But it was still cool, very Lil' Kim-esque.
Update: Well I'm sure you've already heard all the backpedaling and ass-covering that the executives involved are doing. Anyway, you can get a great photo of the "wardrobe malfunction" as J.T. calls it, on The Drudge Report.
Super Bowl
I'm having a lame superbowl. As such, I'm going to be trying to redesign my website. So I'll be scanning some photos, web surfing, and blogging about the commercials.
This could be very lame and boring, so be warned It's typed in real time and only verly lightly edited. Here we go.
Bud Light - eh, boring.
Pizza Hut - Jessica Simpson and the Muppets. I'm glad they matched Jessica with her intellectual equals. Semi-humorous, but do I really want 4 small square personal pan pizzas? I don't think so.
Ford GT - Dumb commercial. I'm not lusting. It looks too much like a Ferrari or Lambroghini
Bud Light - Dog fetches beer. Other dog bites man's crotch. Hah.
FedEx - Alien who says use FedEx. WTF?!?!? That was dumb. Apparently I don't get it.
Dodge Magnum - Monkey on a guy's back. Big red station wagon. Still not cool.
Pepsi - The bears raid a cabin in the woods, then go use a fake ID to buy Pepsi. It was kinda cool.
AOL 9.0 - the guys from All American Chopper are working for AOL? That's so sad.
Van Helsing - this movie is either going to be wicked cool or wicked bad. And Hugh Jackman is always good. Vampires and Ghouls. Excellent.
Bud Light - the bikini wax. *full body shudder*
Troy - I love period Epics. Orlando Bloom is always good, too.
H&R Block - The Willie Nelson Doll giving advice. Yeah, you should give that kid a "shellack'in", Don Zimmer. Funny.
Chevy Aveo - Basketball players are not buying that car. No way. We do not live in France (thank God).
50 First Dates - Dull commercial. This movie looks to be standard Adam Sandler fare.
Budweiser - the Ref who can take a screaming at. LOVE IT!
Monster.com - Guy goes for a job interview... and? Stupid
Everybody Loves Raymond - except me. I hate Raymond. That show blows.
Sierra Mist - Where's Wallace? *cackles* Getting some steam up his kilt of course! That's awesome! Kid says, "That's so wrong, Dad" *cackles* These commercials are great. This is my favorite so far.
Levitra - yeah, that's pretty blatant, Throwing a football through a tire swing in an advert about erectile disfunction. Classy. Thanks Ditka.
More Movie Ads... I'm skipping them from now on unless they're good. Because mostly they're boring.
Budweiser - I was born a donkey, but dreamed of being a Clydesdale. Hair extension on his lower legs. Um... this could have been good, but then it ends up stupid.
The Alamo - Hrm... could be good. Period epic and all.
Pepsi and iTunes - RIAA prosecuted kids starring in the ad. I woner if they got paid. That girl has a thick Long Island accent. Rock Star. I can't wait to get some free songs from drinking Mtn Dew.
Mitsubishi - Galant v. Camry These commercials have such good music. Kinda average though.
Bud Light - A romantic date on a horse-drawn carriage. He even has a candle for her, how nice. Horse farts on girl's lit candle. *cackles* That's hilarious.
Phillip Morris - Don't smoke kids.
Charmin - Quarterback rubs the Center's "toilet paper" HAH. Ass grabbers. Tag line: for your end zone...
Starsky & Hutch - That could be funny. I like Owen Wilson.
Pepsi - Mo'Nique and the "Just a Friend" song. She needs to be stopped. And now that horrible hook is in my brain. "Baby yooouuuu, got what I neeeeeed".
IMB - Young blond kid sees Mohammed ali. Decides to use Linux. Shake up the world. I guess so. Or he could just try rapping and make friends with Obie Trice and Fifty Cent. Does Eminem use Linux?
Visa - Beach Volleyball in the snow, that's awesome! Watch the Olympics.
Secret Window - with Johnny Depp. Possibly decent.
Chevrolet - Kids with bars of soap in their mouths. A yellow car makes the kid say "Holy S***" Hence the soap. Great ad.
Lays - Old people fight over chips. she pushes him to get the chips, then he pushes her, but she has his teeth so he can't eat them. Damn. Then the young guy comes by and takes them. Damn Whippersnappers. Clever, but not great.
AOL High Speed - Featuring the Chopper guys. Launches a guy into space. Lame.
NFL - Football players are inspired by us to play. Yeah right. I'm sure the money has nothing to do with it. Is it really necessary to advertise the NFL during the Super Bowl?
Vegas - yep, just another day in Vegas. Love Vegas.
Fort Freestar - Boring commercial for a minivan. *yawn*
EuroTrip - No actual Europenas were harmed in the filming of this movie. Darn.
--Half-Time show
NFL Channel - Various NFL greats sing "Tomorrow" It's actually sorta neat. Yep, tomorrow, we're all undefeated. Kinda cool.
Was Samulel L. Jackson advertising March Madness on CBS subliminally? That's dirty.
Microsoft - you see the full potential. The full potential for what? Evil? Dull commercial. No comment.
Sierra Mist - athelete jumps from roof into pitcher of ice water. Funny. It will get old fast.
Bud Light - Monkey hitting on girl. It's kinda funny.
Staples - Supply Supervisor as the Godfather. HAH! This is by far the best commercial I've seen so far today. People trading pastries for supplies. Great ad.
Cialis - Yet another erection pill? I'm so glad I'm going to have choices if I have this problem when I get old.
Monster - People exerscising, getting dressed, showering. They got jobs. Dumb ad.
NFL Network - Rich Eisen is a dork.
Hidalgo - a big epic. Have we had enough yet?
Gilette - this commercial definitely beats the Shick commercial with 4 blades.
The Bahamas - a guy is literally "island hopping" totally cool. I want to do that.
McDonalds - dumb commercial.
Budweiser - A guy is driving like crazy to return lipstick to a woman about to board a plane. Except it's not hers. Snap.
Budwieser - Doormen commenting on people arriving at an event. Must be nice to be a movie star... or a designated driver. Average.
Mastercard - Simpsons ad. Stupid voice over. HAH! Homer argues with the voice over of the mastercard "priceless" ad. Fantastic.
AOL - Another stupid Highspped ad
Nextel - Ernhardt Jr. You're in - he drives across the football field and then does cookies in the endzone. Kinda dumb.
Budweiser - Thanks for checking ID's for kids who go out looking like hoochies. They can get others to buy them beer.
Truth - Shards o' Glass Freeze pops. There's no such thing as a safe one. Don't eat them. Visit shardsoglass.com. Don't smoke either.
7up - A million dollars for anyone who can dunk on the hoop on the back of that truck. These ads are so old and lame.
The Anti Drug - A bunch of rewinding lives. Stop your kids from doing this while you still can. Decent commercial, but everyone is so drunk at this point the meaning is lost.
Cadillad SRX V6 - A silent commercial. A car spnning out and then saying wow... then the sound catches up. Yeah, because that car is breaking the sound barrier. I've been fairly disappointed by car commercials so far.
The Ladykillers - Tom Hanks loves the bootie. Or something.
AOL High Speed - these stupid-ass low budget commercials are getting on my damn nerves.
Pepsi - *cackles* A young James Hendricks buys a guitar after getting a pepsi from an old vending machine. Across the street is an accordion shop with a coke machine outside. Text : That was a close one. I enjoyed that a lot.
AIG - An analogy of football to financial planning for college. It's been done.
Subway - If you eat Subway you can be mean to people. Stop trying to bring back van art, and no Wang Chung reunion tour. *cackles* That's great. And I usually hate Subway ads.
Bud Light - guys with paintball guns shooting the guy with the beer. Semi-funny.
Is Survivor on yet?