Feelin like a classy-type person!

Got into NYC at about 9pm last night, caught a quick dinner at a Thai restaurant and then hung out at a bourbon bar for a few hours. Woke up, headed up to Connecticut for a nice brunch at Besim's family's restaurant, which is a really nice place, if you're ever in Stamford. After brunch, caught the Acela back to Boston and made it home at about 6:30. Is that 3 classy activities (at least relative to standard grad student antics) in 24 hours? I think it is!

Really doin' it

Well, I just bought my plane ticket - one way - back to Alaska on January 2. So I guess I'm really making this move. Quite the change of scenery (not to mention climate) from suddenly balmy Boston, but despite some vague nagging worries that something will go wrong I've been really looking forward to this for awhile now. I'm sure I'll have quite a number of adjustments I'll have to make in order to not only be around, but actually live with, my super-awesome girlfriend. I'm sure there will be a lot of times when I miss my friends in Boston, or feel too far from my family. I'm sure I'll get tired of reassuring my mother that life in Alaska does not put me at constant risk of bear attacks, even when doing such mundane activities as taking out the trash or opening a cupboard to get a mug for my morning coffee. But I'm also sure that this is the right thing at the right time, and that when I look back on this decision to move to Alaska I'll know it was the right one.

Human Bowling

Here's some good wholesome fun from a recent Friday night.



Sorry about the sound. I'll have to work on that once I'm back in Boston.

Nice work today, Toine, and thanks for getting it set up so I could watch despite being over 3000 miles away. I hope I don't have to worry that you didn't get to enjoy yourself afterwards - I imagine a nice, satisfying several rounds of drinks over at the pub before dinner.

In my world, it was a (wonderfully) lazy first weekend here in AK. The first night I was out cold at about 8:15 after a delicious Thanksgiving feast prepared by my fantastic girlfriend. It turns out sleeping in is super easy, since it doesn't get light until about 10, so after 14 hours of sleep I actually felt like I'd put a dent in the last few months of sleep deprivation. We spent the rest of the weekend kicking around, starting season 2 of the Wire, watching The Dog Whisperer, buying new cross country skis, going out to dinner and to see The Nutcracker, and going over to some friendshouse to shovel their driveway for them because they were out of town (but not actually having to do any work, because somebody had beaten us to it). All in all, it was pretty successful. Now I've got to buckle down to work for the next few days, because I really want to get this thesising stuff done as soon as possible!

Fire in the sky

Anybody else love meteors? Here's video of a meteor over somewhere in Canada that probably weighed 1-10 tons and was visible over a 700 square km area.

Mob Wars on Facebook

Very addictive. Don't even start playing it, but if you do, join my mob.

Voting is fun

Despite a... ahem... late night last night, I was up at 6:30 this morning to vote. Polls opened at 7am, and Chris and I were there at about 10 minutes to the hour. I ended up casting ballot number 59 for the precinct at about 7:15, then heading back to Chris' to eat pancakes and watch Fox News. It was hilarious!

I've realized in the past couple of weeks how much this election means to me. I'm excited and happy and proud to have voted, which aren't things I've felt for an election before. I can't imagine what this must feel like for a 70-year-old black American - it brings tears to my eyes.

um.....

I was going to let this one speak for itself, but it probably is worth saying (especially in relation to the electric face music guy) on its behalf that Asians should spend more time outside.

Bad day for a computer crash

I spent the first 45 minutes of my day today getting my computer running again so I could keep working on my proposal, or at least not lose it completely. Finally got it going, after saving some key files while in safe mode. Now as I type this I'm putting all of my PNG work onto a CD.

Electric face music guy

Wow. I don't really know what to say about this, but I guess describing it would be a start. So this guy attached electrodes to his face and synched them to music to make his face twitch in time to the sounds. Disturbing to watch? You betcha. Cool to watch, though? maybe?

Job Interview

I just had an interview for a job with ExxonMobil. A couple years ago I would have felt dirty because of that, but these days it doesn't really bother me. Not that I'm looking to work in the oil industry as opposed to working as a professor, or getting a job with the USGS or NOAA or something, but here's why some of the things that might have bothered me before don't now.

1) People hate the oil industry and, by extension, its employees. Its interesting that not liking oil companies dates back pretty much to the beginning of the industry itself. These are huge corporations that make unimaginable amounts of money, and as "Reezy" Freeman puts it "people hate on you when you shinin'." Recently a lot of that hate is over high gas prices, which I find ridiculous. Oil and gas are commodities whose prices reflect demand. We as Americans have chosen to live in a way that demands enormous amounts of these products and now more and more of the world is following suit. The response of oil prices to the recent instability in global markets shows that speculation certainly plays a role in these costs, but putting that aside I heard recently that glodal oil demand was 89 million barrels a day, while production was 86 million barrels a day. Naturally, prices will rise to the point that it discourages the world from using 3 million barrels of oil a day. Unfortunately, there is so much inertia in the system regarding our consumption of oil (for example: homeowners can't decide on a weekly or monthly or even yearly basis to suddenly not live in the suburbs and commute 25 miles each way to work every day. They're stuck with a house in a crappy location for some time and can't just stop driving to work every day. Not to mention that the house itself is probably bigger than they need and thus consumes excess energy.) that it takes a substantial increase in the price of oil to change consumption patterns. Over time prices will come down as people make decisions that allow them to conserve, but at the moment it looks like it costs $68 a barrel to cut consumption by 3 million barrels a day and $68 a barrel is equal to $1.62 a gallon. The last gas station I saw was selling gasoline for about a dollar a gallon more than this, which reflects the total cost of refining the petroleum and transporting it to the station. So the prices make sense. And for the people who say "yeah, but what about when gas was almost $4 a gallon," that was when oil was trading for almost $150 a barrel, or about $3.50 a gallon. So gas was actually being sold for a price much closer to the cost of the raw material then than it is now.

Whew! That was a mouthful. I'll finish this point and get onto the rest of my reasons at some other time.

Different Take On Take On Me

Always love a brilliant new spin on a classic!

An intellectual president?

Heavens, no!!! I just read this CNN.com article which describes how the Republican Party has often found electoral success in painting Democratic candidates as overly intellectual. This has to be one of the things, if not the thing, that drives me nuts the most about american politics. Shouldn't we want an intellectual president? Shouldn't we look at the president on TV and think, "gosh, that guy seems smarter and better equipped to handle these serious issues than I am!" I know that intelligence isn't the only thing that should matter for a president, but it does matter.

Otherwise you end up with this:

Music I like

Bored? Try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuK2A1ZqoWs.

And while you're at it:


Hooray!!!

Okay, maybe you can imagine....

Well, the fun-quotient in my life is down a bit recently, to the point where those of you out there who see this blog probably could imagine how much fun I'm having. But for the record: in the past two weeks, I've been at school working past midnight 3 times, and have left school before 5 once, which was on a Saturday, so it doesn't really count. But I've been getting a ton of work done in the lab, which puts me closer and closer to getting to see my baby again. Hooray!

I've been on the road a lot recently, which is part of "hence, no posts for awhile." Anyway, here's proof...

Well, its been busy times for me the past few days:

I left Boston for the next ~2 months, to visit Beth and her family in Michigan before helping her move to Alaska and working from the road for roughly the whole month of July. Within hours of arriving I was attending a wedding rehersal (and more importantly a rehersal dinner). The next day, for the wedding itself I went with my Red Sox tie (along with a suit) which was a big success. Since Beth was in the bridal party and I wasn't going to necessarily get to spend much time with her, the tie was a nice conversation starter, especially since one of my two BFFWs (best friends for the wedding) grew up with Kevin Youkilis while the other was a big Cardinals fan (and guess who the Red Sox were playing that afternoon).

Now I'm trying to get myself used to doing work while I'm not chained to my desk in my office, and actually having moderate success so far. It damn well better contiue, or I'm going to be a grad student for another 20 years!

Number 17

I felt really happy for the Celtics and their longtime fans last night. It was fun for me, as part of the bandwagon, so it must've been especially sweet for everyone who's waited 20 years.

Not much else to say about it, but a special mention to Ray Allen, who's son was diagnosed with diabetes between games 5 and 6. He must've had a lot on his mind, but still managed to tie and set finals records for 3s in a game with 7 and in the series with 22. Congratulations, and good luck to you and your family in the future.

Fuck it

I'm going to the pub.

Not sure what exactly I'm supposed to be doing at work today... not any easier given that my girlfriend is here... struggling.... struggling......

The bitch is back

Um, sorry, Beth, but I needed a catchy title.....
And anyway, since I think this blog might have been looked at a total of once by someone other than myself, I think I should be safe. Plus, you're coming to town to visit me as I write this (hence the title), so I can always explain it to your (/get slapped in my) face once you're here. Can't wait until you're here! Besim came up with some awesome suggestions for things to do while you're in town....

Why what I do is important (if not interesting)

Rocks do a lot of exciting things (as far as I'm concerned), but what I study isn't one of them. Sigh.

Fortunately, the way rocks dissolve is kind of important, so at least I've got that going for me. Look at the formulas to the left (1a-3a): Step 1a forms a weak acid from water and carbon dioxide. Step 2a uses that acid to dissolve a carbonate rock (limestone). This happens whenever rain mixed with CO2 falls on these rocks, and the rain eventually washes the weathering products into the ocean. Step 3a is what occurs when organisms living in the ocean use these weathering products to make their shells out of limestone. It's the exact reverse of step 2a. Now look at the carbon atoms in the equations (they're all highlighted in red): One carbon atom comes from the air, and one comes from the original limestone. In the end there is one carbon atom in the new limestone, and one has turned back into the weak acid (which is effectively the same as being returned to the air). So this process doesn't change the amount of CO2 in the air at all.

Now look at this second set of formulas. Step 1b is the same as step 1a above, except that the amounts of products and reactants are doubled, and a weak acid is created by combining carbon dioxide with rainwater. In Step 2b, the two acid molecules dissolve a single silicate rock,

producing the same weathering products as above, plus an extra water molecule and a molecule of quartz (we can ignore these last two from here on). Step 3b is again the same as step 3a above, as sea-critters make their shells out of limestone - but now look at the carbon molecules in this equation: Both carbon molecules come from the air, and although one is returned to the air at the end (okay, to the acid, but remember that they're effectively the same, as far as we're concerned), the other is now stored in rock!

So, yes, I did just use an exclamation point in a story about how rocks dissolve, but the fact that I'm a giant nerd isn't the take-home message here. The message is that the weathering of silicate minerals takes CO2 from the air and ends up storing it in rock! (another one, ha! (!)) So if you've ever wondered to yourself what controls the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere (essentially what causes climate change), this is it.

Which brings us to my job: I measure the chemistry of river water, which is essentially the sum of the weathering products from everywhere upstream conveniently mixed into a single bottle, and try my darndest to figure out which of these reactions they come from, and how much CO2 is being consumed by these processes.

The Spring-ening

Every year it happens like something out of a horror movie, only made more terrifying by the twin facts that it's real and at first it seems like a blessing.

Following month after month of post-winter Boston weather suddenly a switch is flipped. The skies turn blue, birds sing, the temperature hits 70. After slogging through muck and murk since the previous October, grubbishly pale Boston residents stagger outside squinting in the sunlight. The winter gales slacken and the temperature creeps above 75, pushing 80 degrees. The birds sing, leaves appear on the trees and the streets fill with coeds in brightly colored sundresses. Truly this seems like a new Eden.

The next day, the mercury strikes 95. Sundresses are replaced with sunburns. The air turns green with pollen. Roommates fight over fans as indoor temperatures match those outside. Humidity reaches Amazonian levels. Anything foolish enough to step into direct sunlight is instantly incinerated. The Sissyphean changing of the seasons is past its peak.

Spring was nice this year. It lasted almost 2 days...

Can't save, no nest egg....

...in fact that nest is rented, in fact that rent is late! Sorry, John, I'll get that check to you tonight.

For the first time since I lived at 4333 Yuma St (and I'm not sure I realized it then) I live in a place that really feels like home, and is a really nice place to live. Not perfect, but I like the big living room and kitchen, my bedroom is just fine, and everybody knows I love the backyard. In fact, even though the weather is crap today I still think I might head out there and do some gardening tonight when I get home. I wish I didn't have to leave at the end of August.

Someday It'll be nice to have a place of my own....

Celtics v Lakers

I know I'm on record as saying that I think the Lakers will win the series, and I know that makes me a terrible Cs fan, but last night's game gave me a little hope that Boston can win it all. No, it wasn't a dominant win, but it was an example of the things they have to do to win the series: harass the hell out of Kobe (24 points on 26(!) shots), outrebound the Lakers and avoid sloppy play. Its enough to make me glad I didn't go to bed at 10:30.

Two thoughts on the series:
(But the first one's a double) Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league, and the Lakers are the only team I'll watch play even though I'm not rooting for them. He's just so smooth all the time that its never suprising when he totally takes over a game. But with that said, I'm not sure there's anything more fun to watch than when Kevin Garnett goes into berserker mode to the point where even his teammates are getting scared of him. I would definitely watch a clip show of the "50 most insane KG moments," although I imagine it would be tough to whittle it down to just 50.

Paul Pierce better not be hurt too badly. I think a 50% P.P. could still be effective on the offensive end, but we absolutely have to have him able to help defend Kobe, or there's not way he keeps barely making 33% of his shots. Get well, soon!

Theory vs Hypothesis

In everyday language, I person might say they have a theory about something and mean they have a possible explanation for an event which has yet to be proven or disproven, essentially using the word interchangeably with the word hypothesis. In the scientific community, however, the word has a much stronger meaning. The Theory of Gravity, for instance, doesn't say that maybe if I drop an apple it will fall to the ground, it says if I drop an apple, then it will definitely fall to the ground. The Theory of Relativity is the same way, and if I had any idea of exactly what the Theory of Relativity is all about I would explain it here, but suffice to say that in science the word Theory is much more akin to the word Law than the word Hypothesis. In fact, here's what the National Academy of Sciences has to say about theories:

"Some scientific explanations are so well established that no new evidence is likely to alter them. The explanation becomes a scientific theory. In everyday language a theory means a hunch or speculation. Not so in science. In science, the word theory refers to a comprehensive explanation of an important feature of nature that is supported by many facts gathered over time. Theories also allow scientists to make predictions about as yet unobserved phenomena."

All of which brings us to the Darwin Fish at the top of this post. When scienctists or teachers talk about the Theory of Evolution, they are describing to their proteges and pupils a set of well-established scientific facts, the main points of which are not disputed. But to the average non-scientist the name itself implies that this is just a hunch - the best we can come up with for the time being, maybe, but likely to be obsolete once we get all the facts in. Not suprisingly, this leaves the door wide open for anyone who would rather not believe in evolution.

Is the solution to change the name to the Law of Evolution? Probably not. A law and a theory, after all, have two distinct meanings, just as theory and hypothesis do. But the teaching of evolution probably needs to do a better job emphasizing that there really is no debate over evolution. The big picture is clear, and even though there are small details that have yet to be uncovered they are not going to change the overall appearance of that picture in any major way. Can the general public get this? There's hope. Recently, the public seems to have gone (okay, begun to go) through this shift with regard to global climate change. Just a couple years ago, few people realized that the debate over whether or not human activity was affecting global climate was essentially over. Now even the skeptics are left with nothing to do but quibble over minor details and predictions about local impacts, but that seems like a topic for another post.

Worries

Maybe I haven't been keeping myself busy enough lately, or jogging enough to wear myself out (or drinking enough to quiet my mind), but I've been doing a lot of worrying about the future. I know that climate change is real (note word choice: know vs. believe), but don't really know how it might affect my life. I think the election this fall could have huge effects on our country for years to come, but haven't taken the time to educate myself nearly enough about what any of the candidates will actually try to accomplish (and anyway, I'm not entirely convinced that the American political system is capable of anything except helping people make money). I'm worried about peak oil. What will we do when we can't pump as much oil out of the ground as the world needs run the way we've been running? How will the world grow enough food without fertilizers which are derived from fossil fuels? Is this going to be a good time for oil companies (and their employees) as prices go up, or a bad time as supplies go down? Could the loss of a single resource actually be enough to change the way the whole world works? Will people actually do anything before its too late?

Combine these with the more mundane, or at least more personal, questions I have - when will I graduate? what will I do after grad school? what problems might arise when I move 4,000 miles to Alaska in the dead of winter and only know one person within 2,000 miles plus my job is still in Boston? - and its enough to keep me up at night.

Strangely, its not enough to get me out of bed in the morning, though...

The Mysterious Light Gun

One of the major uses for this blog is to try to figure out the answers to questions that get asked while drinking, of which there are many. Here's the first one: How does the light gun from the classic Nintendo game "Duck Hunt" work?

It turns out this is pretty simple. When you pull the trigger, the video game screen goes black for one frame, and then flashes a white square in the location of the target for one frame. Rather than actually shooting anything, the light gun actually just senses if this white square is lined up in your sights. If it is, you hit your target. If not you're just going to have to deal with that dog laughing at you again.

Now off to the pub to think of new questions!