Science, Fiction

"Gregory Rabassa said that when he was working on “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” some ninny asked..."

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:13:38 -0500

“Gregory Rabassa said that when he was working on “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” some ninny asked him if he knew enough Spanish to translate it, and his answer was that the real question was whether or not he knew enough English. He hit it right on the head.”

- The other author of ‘Don Quixote’ - The Boston Globe

so much dead inside

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:23:59 -0500

so much dead inside

Oscar night

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:39:00 -0500

Oscar night

A 60s-ish building down in Rosslyn earlier today.

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:36:27 -0500

A 60s-ish building down in Rosslyn earlier today.

So I was a radio DJ for awhile and it always surprises me that...

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:09:00 -0500

So I was a radio DJ for awhile and it always surprises me that (music taste notwithstanding) I wasn’t that bad at it. I don’t exactly have a voice for radio, but I sound downright comfortable on the air at times.

And in my defense, I usually played it pretty straight indie music-wise, only bringing out the Boys II Men as 3am approached.

That’s ol’ Sameer laughing in the background.

if you could be one animal, which one would it be and why?

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:34:34 -0500

Why would you want to be an animal? Other than a human, I mean.

If I had to be another type of animal, I think it’d be cool to be part of the Q. You get to screw with Picard all the time.

Three Statistics Things I Read Recently

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:32:10 -0500

One thing I wish I understood a lot better is statistics. I think a weak understanding of statistics is the source of a lot of silly beliefs many people hold. I like to think I have a pretty skeptical outlook on data, especially covering medical news for so long (hint: many groundbreaking studies aren’t), but it’s something I want to hone.

The links!

Think like a statistician – without the math

About 40 Percent of American Women Have Had Abortions: The Math Behind the Stat

My favorite statistics column is Michael Blastland’s “Go Figure” in the BBC Magazine. I wish there were a dedicated RSS feed though

Go Figure - Can one humble worker cause boom or bust?

20x200 : Agoraphobia

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:28:48 -0500

20x200 : Agoraphobia

So, John Kerry playing hockey.

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:43:15 -0500

So, John Kerry playing hockey.

In the song, R. Kelly (hereinafter known as “Kels”)...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:16:18 -0500

In the song, R. Kelly (hereinafter known as “Kels”) and Usher (hereinafter known as “Ush”) talk about a girl they love who turns out to be the same person.

Also (Spoiler alert!)

However, at the end of the video, as their plan is carried out, it is in fact Ush and Kels who are shocked, as the tables are turned and it is revealed that they were not, in fact, dating the same girl as they had come to believe, because the girl just happened to have an identical twin with an identical car, license plate, ankle tattoo and beauty mark, as well as sharing a penchant for Waffle House.

sameeryousuf: Oh, my dear mother. She can be so cute sometimes....

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:41:15 -0500

sameeryousuf:

Oh, my dear mother. She can be so cute sometimes. I plan on tackling all her arguments for getting married at a later date but had to share this email she sent my sister. Based on my mom’s typing skills, it probably took her an hour to type this. Which only reveals how hardcore she is about marriage! X-TREME!!!!

Me too! My family’s also shifted into the getting us married phase. They don’t seem to have your mom’s fastidiousness though. No one’s ever asked me what my requirements are…

Evolution Yakety Sax

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:35:08 -0500

stevencloud:

In 1971, biologists moved five adult pairs of Italian wall lizards from their home island of Pod Kopiste, in the South Adriatic Sea, to the neighboring island of Pod Mrcaru. Now, an international team of researchers has shown that introducing these small, green-backed lizards, Podarcis sicula, to a new environment caused them to undergo rapid and large-scale evolutionary changes. Read More.

Pawlenty is chamomile because he is sweet and calming.

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:25:04 -0500

Pawlenty is chamomile because he is sweet and calming.

I liked this one (via intestines)

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:11:51 -0500

I liked this one

(via intestines)

Magazines Admit: We Have No #*&%ing Clue What To Do With iPad - The Consumerist

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:50:20 -0500

Magazines Admit: We Have No #*&%ing Clue What To Do With iPad - The Consumerist

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-2-28)

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:48:14 -0500

My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2010-2-28):

Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz

"I don’t know what [Palin’s] deal is. My belief is in 2010 and 2012 public leaders need to have..."

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:49 -0500

““I don’t know what [Palin’s] deal is. My belief is in 2010 and 2012 public leaders need to have intellectual curiosity. The world is really an amazing place but it is very complex, it is very fast moving. If you think you’ve got it all figured out, the minute you start thinking that is the first day of your demise.””

- Jeb Bush said this! I keep looking at it but there’s really nothing I disagree with at all in this quote. Who expected that. I’m never going on vacation again because I miss things like this.

Jeb Bush on Sarah Palin: ‘I don’t know what her deal is.’ – Telegraph Blogs

Photo

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:40:04 -0500

Three interesting things I read this morning had to do with CCTV cameras. I remember when I was in...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:20:27 -0500

Three interesting things I read this morning had to do with CCTV cameras. I remember when I was in England taking classes for awhile I got into a big argument with my professor about the security cameras. It was at a final banquet at the end of the semester and between points he insulted me with suitably quaint Britishisms. A good time all around, and I really enjoyed his class.

But CCTV cameras, I’m generally against them!

Weaponizing Mozart - Reason.com has this story about the rise in teenagerism in Britain, and how local councils are trying to control it. The biggest problems seem to be loitering and graffiti. At least they’re not sexting like our teens.

Britain might not make steel anymore, or cars, or pop music worth listening to, but, boy, are we world-beaters when it comes to tyranny. And now classical music, which was once taught to young people as a way of elevating their minds and tingling their souls, is being mined for its potential as a deterrent against bad behavior.

A Mossad Operation Gone Awry? - Der Spiegel’s long report on the killing in Dubai is a good overview of what’s going on. I feel like this story hasn’t gotten as much play in the US, and I was pretty shady as to what actually happened.

Spy cameras won’t make us safer - This CNN op-ed is a good argument against the widespread use of security cameras. It makes a point a lot like the Weaponizing Mozart link: that the use of these cameras is an effort to solve a problem from afar, without actually going out there and doing anything about it.

The important question isn’t whether cameras solve past crime or deter future crime; it’s whether they’re a good use of resources. They’re expensive, both in money and in their Orwellian effects on privacy and civil liberties. Their inevitable misuse is another cost. … Though we might be willing to accept these downsides for a real increase in security, cameras don’t provide that.

And if it is your birthday today, you will prosper in short...

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:01:45 -0500

And if it is your birthday today, you will prosper in short modules then die.

- Mike Patton, “Insect Horoscope”

It’s my brother Daniel’s birthday today. He’s doing a take home test for his cryptography class (I know what?). He says it’s pretty cool though.

So happy birthday Daniel!