Categories
Uncategorized

bugs cont.

Turn’s out that mantis was just a husk of a mantis, or at least it was this morning. I kinda suspect it wasn’t last night.

I got to work with an average speed of 14.5 MPH today, and home was 15 MPH. So, variability abounds apparently.

I’ve been moved at work. I’m officially at the intern barn. 2 people are leaving Tuesday, 2 more Friday, and everyone in here will be gone by the end of August. Then I’ll have 7 computers and 10 monitors all to myself. 😛

Off to see Lauren soon. yay! Oh, and Yusuke. 😛

Categories
Uncategorized

more bugs

Went outside to fill my tires to the max and there was what appeared in the dark to be a big leaf stuck to my back tire. I was about to flick it off absentmindedly when I figured out it was actually a huge praying mantis, so I didn’t flick it. I just thought, “Man, you’re lucky I don’t have to roll this tire to pump it up, and you better not be there in the morning.”

We parted ways amicably.

Categories
Uncategorized

randomly annoying


K, you’ll have to follow the link to see the full size and actually read this, but trust me it says in the blurb,

This rapid evolution of the Y chromosome has led to a dramatic loss of genes on the Y chromosome at a rate that, if maintained, eventually could lead to the Y chromosome’s complete disappearance.

I saw this and read it cause the story itself might actually be interesting, but the blurb, in an attempt to be sensational, succeeds in being really dumb. Loss at any rate, from anything finite, will certainly eventually lead to the disappearance of that thing. Speed doesn’t matter, so mentioning this doesn’t impress upon anyone some huge loss rate. Further, they say only ‘could’, in an attempt to be more accurate (and probably cover their ass in good journalistic fashion) when, in fact, it must lead to the disappearance of the chromosome, so they actually become more wrong. Retarded!

The blurb is stolen straight from the actual article about the science, so it’s not just the fault of some random digger. Yay science journalism.  🙄

If you don’t want to take the time to read it, it basically says that the Y chromosome is shrinking, but it still exists, so scientists tested their (obvious) hypothesis that some the genes were essential and some weren’t, and thus the important ones were staying while the unimportant faded away. They found that they were right, so the fading rate will likely slow, since essential genes don’t just fade away easily. However, they say, there’s still a chance the chromosome could totally disappear eventually. Of course, anything is possible eventually. So, yeah, the title is dumb. Shocker!

Categories
Uncategorized

twitter, in the mean time

I put a little twitter feed on the sidebar there. Thanks Gar. It’ll be a little more likely to be updated than this blog, so in between you can check that out. Hope it tides you over.

Categories
Uncategorized

NEWS! From the world of ME!

I went to Cheney, again, if you didn’t know.  After waiting so long for PNNL to call and tell me when I should start interning I gave them a call.  That’s what all the people said I had to do.  I was like, “Whatever,” but they were all like, “wooo hoowoi,” so I was all like, “Fine.”

Anyway, PNNL said they were waiting for Central to send them confirmation that I had graduated.  I called Central, and they said they were waiting until after July 2nd to send the confirmation because that’s when degrees get processed.  Armed with this knowledge I knew I would be safe coming to Cheney to hang out with Pat another week, and to facilitate quickly getting to Sidney’s for the 4th of July party.

So… Monday, in Cheney, I got a call from PNNL.  That call when they tell me when to come in.  The one I had been waiting for but had recently determined couldn’t possibly happen until July 6th.  Yeah.  Luckily they didn’t want me to start until July 9th, so the fact that I’m in Cheney was not a problem.  However, this does underscore the problem with calling people to get information.  The information makes you think you know things, but you can never known anything when dealing with bureaucracy.  One should always act like an animal, on instinct.  The illusion of knowledge will just get one into trouble.

Yeah, so that’s all settled.  I have to show up at 7:45 in the morning for orientation.  I love morning!

Pat bought a new mountain bike.  Like, it’s his and not his mommy’s.  We went riding on a gravel trail thing for like 12 miles.  I got a flat that pretty quickly drained my tire… so the last mile was a bit rough.  Pat’s bike is fast.  He let me ride it for a bit, and life is easy with a bike like his.  Fancy.

Today I went to a bike shop to get my tire fixed.  It took me like 30 minutes to walk to the place cause I am a meander-er, and I kinda went past it a couple blocks.  Then he said it would take him about an hour to get to it, but he didn’t know, maybe more. I decided to just hang out in “downtown” Cheney since I’d have to turn around right away if I went back to the APT.  I went to this thrift store that had amazing quantities of junk.  It had a book called “False Myths of Same Sex Love” or something like that.  I thought about buying it for Aaron, but then I didn’t.  I didn’t want the owner to think I was gay.

I wandered back to the bike shop just when he was about to call me, so I have good timing, I guess.  He said he found a tiny thorn in it, which is lame.  I mean, who puts thorns out in the middle of bike trails?  Intelligent design.  Phooey!

We’ve yet to try Pat’s bike on a real mountain biking trail… with rocks and tiny paths and sharp turns and stuff.  I’m pretty sure Pat has plans to try it out soon, though.  So that will likely be an adventure.

Oh, and I watched the entire first season of 30 Rock.  Yeah.  It’s a funny show.  Very funny.  Like, way more funny than modern stuff is, normally.  It’s odd.

Pat and I did that crazy ab workout thing that Dan taught me.  I still lose at the face up part.  I don’t think it’s fair, cause my tail bone is jamming into the floor and it’s very uncomfortable.  I think I’d do better with one of those gym mats or something.  I have a bony butt.

Thursday is when LAUREN! and Yusuke come to get me on the way to Sidney’s.  Pat has Friday off, so he’ll just drive up after work, I guess.  I tried to make it so we all went in one car to save gas, but apparently that’s super confusing and impossible.  Should be a pretty awesome weekend.  I’m very much looking forward to seeing Lauren… I mean everyone.

You know what’s cool about Sidney’s house?  You can eat dinner, and then, when you’re done, you’re full until dinner the next day.  Efficient.

Categories
Uncategorized

C. S. Lewis shares my birthday as well, except he died on it

Lauren has been asked by her parents to read, Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.  I was understandably curious so I’ve read the first 5 chapters, but I’ve stopped.  I do not wish to go into detail as to my objections with the book, feeling that it is better to allow Lauren to read the book unhindered by the opinion of her new boyfriend, as her parents intend, than to potentially muddle the fairness of the debate going on currently in the Carr home.

Still, I will say that I have good news for you Lauren.  It is possible you do not need to read very much.  Mr. Lewis quickly lays out his argument for the existence of any sort of high controller being, so if you cannot make this argument make sense, there is no need to go on to hear his explanations of why that being must be the Christian God, born in Christ of the holy virgin Mary and murdered for our sins and resurrected after 3 days then lifted to heaven to sit at his fathers/his own side for all eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I guess I’m warning you to pay attention to the beginning arguments and consider them, before reading on, as one is liable to forget the foundation’s flaws if one moves past them too quickly, hoping to finish the book.

Categories
Uncategorized

so the story is a bit hard to follow and incomplete… it still says something

This old post of mine is pretty funny.  I don’t even remember writing it.

Categories
Links Uncategorized

Back home

CakecomplishmentLauren and Yusuke brought me back to Kennewick yesterday.  They went home today.  Goodbye new girlfriend.  *tear*  I will miss you.  Oh, and seeya later Yusuke.

Kim and Pat hung out with me most of today.  We chatted (I was interrogated) and had free food and then we had this brilliant idea to buy an ice cream cake to celebrate Kim’s 1 year of working at Value Village, as no one had yet celebrated it.  This is the cake.  We are quite pleased with ourselves.  I feel it is a great thing.  Perhaps you do not understand the subtle humor of the situation, but perhaps you do, so there it is.

There was video game playing later.  Coop FPS in the form of Resistance, which was fun.  I don’t FPS much but I did enjoy several moments and I don’t seem to suck too terribly.

Tomorrow (actually today) is the day all the Central people leave, except Yusuke.  So I hope you guys have good goodbyes, and, ya know, imagine I was there, too.  I hope you got the random facts, Sidney.  Also, I’m putting in a recommendation for Pat becoming random dude that comes to your house and eats food and stuff.

Hiro, have fun in Alaska.  Dan, have fun in on with Sidney.  I’ll see ya both on the interwebs.  Yusuke, try to be nice for a little bit.  It’s not the time for humor, the girls aren’t going to be in the mood.  And Lauren, good luck with your family.  Sorry for the hassle that I am.  Please let me help them understand how we need to visit each other all the time if I can.

Tomorrow (really tomorrow) is the day Pat leaves for Spokane for his new job, so to him I say, take me with you!

Yeah, I think that’s all the goodbyes for now.  Kinda abnormal for me to do direct messages in my blog like that, but variety is the spice of life, they say.  Seems like they should change up that cliche a bit.  The real important thing is, Happy 1 year at Value Villiage Kim.

Categories
Uncategorized

Skeptoid

Skeptoid is one of those great skeptical podcasts I listen to and recommend.  A recent episode was on the placebo effect, which I want to highlight, since it’s such an important and complicated issue.  I think listening to 10 minutes of carefully crafted information on the subject will be helpful to nearly anyone.  Here.

Categories
Uncategorized

Observed

bvb1