Scientists gone wild

OK, in case you lot didn't know, I enjoy playing games. And I especially enjoy playing games that have a point to them, or games that involve numbers. That made the game I recently played with Nathan extra fun¹. But this is a different game, one that arose out of the fact that there's a road in Chicagoland that's called Euclid Avenue. That brought up the discussion about naming roads after people who were valuable in the sciences, not just politicians and activists.

So we got to a-thinking, about who we'd name streets after. And, just for fun, we decided that we'd limit our city plan to 26 consecutive streets, alphabetically. Sure, then we have to chose between Hooke, Halley or Heisenberg and Fr. Mendel or Mendeleev², but it's easier that way than having unending roads named after semi-obscure scientists.

So my game is: who would you have as your alphabetic roads, keeping in mind both scientific advancement and popular opinion of them?

My partial list;
(Archimedes, Boltzman, Curie, Darwin, Einstein, Faraday, Geiger, Hooke, and then I give up trying to think of an "I" without straining myself)


¹I am thinking of a rule which governs sequences of three numbers. The sequence 2-4-6, as it so happens, obeys this rule. Write down a sequence of three numbers on a card, and I'll mark it "Yes" for fits the rule, or "No" for not fitting the rule. Then you can write down another set of three numbers and ask whether it fits again, and so on. When you're confident that you know the rule, write down the rule. You can test as many triplets as you like.
²I really wanted to link to the Oscar Mayer Periodic table, but after 10 minutes of searching, I couldn't find images of Bolognium.

If only I could tell the ram to scram...

Today, kids, I'm going to rant about stupid people, yet again. Or, not necessarily stupid people, just people who don't think too well.¹

The first type of people are the partisans, those who don't think beyond what they're told. This came up since I've recently been reading a lot of the Daily Kos, a Democratic website devoted to winning at any cost. Now a lot of these people are pretty good thinkers, but the majority are just reactionary. If the Republicans say something, it must be bad, by the virtue² that the GOP is supporting it. It's thoroughly frustrating to read some of the comments.³ And, unfortunately, it's hard to avoid these people when there's so gosh darn many of the them and our nations espouse democracy.

The next ones I loathe are the sheeple. Those who just think as they're told. A good number of these people start out as malleable children and evolve⁴ into the partisans. That's what learning to answer a question on a test does as opposed to learning for the sake of learning or expanding the mind. And they don't think beyond what the media says.

Which brings me to the media. This is the worst group. But there's so much to say about this that I can't be bothered to type it all up. Perhaps when I have more spare time. Let's just say that I rue the media slightly less than I loathe politicians and the government.

What started this rant? Well, the inspiration was something I absorbed from the media. I'm not sure if I read it on the interwebs, heard it on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News, or read it in a newspaper (so I can't provide a reference), but it was an opinion by someone about our use of oil.⁵ They were saying that we should be ashamed at using oil for (solid) plastics when it's so much more valuable to burn. That's just a perfect example of group number 2. Why would oil be better to burn? Once it's burnt, it has no use whatsoever (except to grow things very indirectly), whereas in solid form it's practically indestructible and so reusable (and, I daresay, recyclable). Additionally, it's far, far cheaper to make alternatives to fuel than it is to petro-chemicals of most sorts. This is a perfect example of not thinking through an argument. And it made me mad.

So there you go. Sorry for a half-baked rant. Here, go play some games designed to make you think. The Illinois one is not fun at all, but it is fun being an oil god.

¹Full disclosure. I'm not stupid. I'm quite smart, in fact. I'm in the top 5 percentiles for both Mathematical and Verbal tests, and I do quite well analytically, too (but have never been tested aside from essay writing, which was broadly marked and in essay form. So far, I've written 5 essays since leaving high school, so practice may help on that front). I am, I have to admit, smart, and so slightly, ever so slightly, biased against people who judge and don't think things through.^6
2I get the irony.
³This may be due to the fact that I prefer the Republicans marginally, but I do get annoyed at similar right wing websites, so I'm going to believe it's the people, not the policies.
⁴Unless they're creationists, in which case they're set on a path by God himself and so shouldn't deviate from party lines.
⁵Every medium I use now tends to blend together, mainly because of the sheer volume I use, but also due to the facts that they all report 80% of the same news with different spins.
⁶Which, quite often, means that I'm biased against myself. But it's OK, I'm Catholic, so I feel guilty about it.

I don't care if you're Black/Asain/Jewish/Arab, just don't try to get my money

I've been a little bit bored from time to time, but it's nice to be able to see how biased I am and where I fit in spectra. I could link to the obvious¹, but really, who cares about that. That is SO last year. So, I'm going to link to the not so obvious. And the down right unobvious^2,3. And my summary is; Libertarian. I don't discriminate against Asains, Blacks, Arabs, Jews, and the disabled. I hate Jefferson and Roosevelt (FDR) and Bush equally, but favor Lincoln (a lot), Grant and Carter (a little). I am slightly biased against gays and the overweight, and I associated the sciences with men and the liberal arts with women. I don't think that most of the situations deserve money, or at least certainly not paid to the government (SPOILER - You're not supposed to know this before taking the test - I was about $72,300 below the average of $72,300 and change).

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¹I did!
²Yes, there's a word for this, but I'm too tired to google it.
³Admittedly, this links to the not so obvious at the end. And a few others.

Scariness

Dear Gosh! I can fit into the Panama Canal over 44,300 times and still have room to stretch! Fortunately, a T-Rex can only do it 6700 times. The real question is, how many of me does it take to make a T-Rex no longer hungry?

Heresy in a Box

I always thought I would have been more like Zeus. Perhaps 'cause I always liked the Greeks. Oh well. I'm not sure how which finger I picked, or how I like my one, matters much, but since this is on the tinternet, it must be scientific. I must say, though, I'm not turned off by omnipotence.

Which God or Goddess are you like? Your Result: Jesus You are God's lovechild. You love all and most love you. You help those who need it, and those too. The girls all chase you, and some boys too. You love to have fun, but you keep a serious life of working as well.Congratulations!! You are Christ!!
The Christian God
Budha
Goddess Bast
You are your own God or Goddess
Goddess Sekhemet
God Zeus
Satan
Which God or Goddess are you like? Make Your Own Quiz

And I have to say, whomever added "Child-like sense of wonder" to the labels, that's pretty much perfect for me. So kudos to you.

How the future should have been

Ha ha ha ha ha! Stupid people who don't know about the present!

Reasons they should never give me power

Three inventions that I think they should have;

Google Maps on airplane windows. I was flying from Austin, TX to Chicago a few weeks ago in the evening, and I wanted to see where we were. I didn't know, cause everything was lit up the same (ie, with those lovely sodium lights). It was terrible. I think that they should transpose the names of roads and towns on the windows. It'd make the process of flying more interesting.

Salt licks. I like salt. We need more of these. Cows and deer have them. Clearly we have the technology to make them - there's no difficulty in manufacturing them. Why can't I go to the supermarket and buy a stick of salt? I'm gonna blame Big Dave for this one.

Air dryers for bathrooms. Like the hand ones, but for me when I get out of the shower. I can't think of anything more unpleasant than stepping out of a warm shower onto a cold floor with cold air. So.... if you have a big vent on either side blowing warm air at you, then you dry off pleasantly. It's a win-win situation^1,2.

I have a whole bunch of other inventions, but they're not as good as these. Unless you count the one that I thought was brilliant and amazing, but promptly forgot the next day. Shame.

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¹Unless you have to worry about doing your hair. But that's not a problem for me.
²And unless you count the environment. Then it's a win-win-lose. And I'm not quite sure who the second win is for. Maybe manufacturers.

622 days and counting...

OK, I was thinking about this during the last week (trying to avoid the broohaha about Anna Nicole Smith {did you know that CNN had an hour and a half of uninterrupted coverage when they discovered it? As The Daily Show pointed out, that makes it more important than a State of the Union, but less than 9/11}), and I was looking through the list of Presidential Candidates (announced and tipped) and compiled reasons why I won't be voting for them.

Mitt Romney; He's pandering to the Republican base on abortion and gay marriage (and quite possibly stem cell research, but he hasn't flipped his stance on this one, so you never know...). This turns me off. A lot. I don't like panderers. And I won't vote for someone who changes their convictions based on the base. Damn populists.

John Edwards, Hillary Clinton; They're pandering to the base on the war in Iraq. I'm not liking this either. I know that some of you (read all of you) will have a different opinion to the war than me, but I don't like it when people pull their support when it becomes unpopular (unlike Obama, who I respect and admire for opposing the war). Also I don't feel that we should just let a civil war happen and huge Iraqi casualties. An American life is not worth more than an Iraqi one. We just need a new President. And Vice President.

Barack Obama; I just don't like his views on a lot of issues. Like his voting record to make pharmacists supply the morning after pill. Or Catholic doctors perform abortion. I respect him, and think he's Presidential material, but I don't like his policies. Sorry. And it's not like he'd lose Illinois, anyway.

Sam Brownback; As Julian Mansfield put it, the Christian Coalition likes him. I don't. One Evangelical in the White House this century was enough.

Newt Gingrich Ha!

Tom Vilsack; He quit today, just two months after entering, and 11 months before the first caucus (in his own state). Wow, that's fast.

People who I'd consider voting for, conditionally;

John McCain; Stop pandering to the religious right. Stop it, or you lose my vote. And don't authorize torture. DON'T.

Rudy Guiliani; I like your federalist views, especially on gay marriage and abortion. But I don't like your civil rights history. Convince me I'm wrong.

Al Gore; I'm liking you more and more, especially on the environment. Persuade me.

Bill Richardson, Mike Huckabee; I don't know enough about these guys, but what I've heard I like. And they were governors.

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And for you out there who don't get a vote in the election, a nice fact about the biases of America. As far as I can tell, the homosexual and the Atheist are the only two not running for President. But it looks good for me, if I were to run.

Dumb People. And I miss Gumby.

You lucky people (the few of you who actually read this) get this amazing post because my vanity couldn't stand to be pushed off the bottom of the page by any new posts⁰.

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You know what I hate? People. That's right. People. Not any person individually, just as a function of society.

Firstly, as you are probably aware, the most tragic event in the world, with earth-shattering consquences happened! The most amazing actress (Naked Gun 33 ¹/₃, Hudsucker Proxy and Veronica's Closet)¹, the most beautiful playmate, the most interesting person in the world, has left us.

Ok, I can deal with this. Breathe. Breathe deep. The world just seems like it's over. That's what I assume from the news coverage that's been playing on least 2 of the 24 hour news channels since her death (which, to be honest, was untimely, tragic and unfortunate). Stop it people! They're only doing this because you watch it! Stop watching it, and maybe they'll report something good²! Stop watching infotainment!!!

Also, I watched Babel today. And, you know what, it gets a little bit preachy (as with most best picture nominated films), but that doesn't make it less true. What drives me crazy is people's arrogance and pride and stupidity when they interact with others. Just let insults go, people! Don't make a commotion, or start a fight, or start a feud over something that doesn't matter. Just sit down and shut up. I want to say more, but the more I type, the more I get a headache.

Humility. Emotion. Discussion. Politeness. Sense. Intelligence. Thinking. What's wrong with people that they don't willingly foster these "virtues", instead idolizing the Secretive, Stalwart, Proud, Rude, Irrational, Prejudicial ones?

Bad World! Bad! No cookie for you!

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⁰Gumby has nothing to do with this, but I saw a reference to the amazing stretchy thing and remembered the good ol' days of yore.
¹I'm proud of the way I did a third with a superscript and a subscript. One of the many simple things that made me smile today. Mind of a child, me.
²By good, I mean something that changes our lives, like this³, not necessarily something good.
³I really like Specter. He's one of the good Republicans that I'd keep if I had to reappoint the Senate. Him, Collins, Snowe, Graham, McCain. I would have kept DeWine, Chaffee and Allen, but they got booted out. That's a pipe dream...
⁴I know there's not a 4, but why is the number 3 so big? It almost looks like a normal sized number in either super- or subscript. So does 4, for that matter.

Harry Potter

This is disturbing. On so many levels. But you know what I find disturbing the most? That you can go and watch Daniel Radcliffe (which, due to my time in Oxford, I was able to spell perfectly, which pleases me to no end) naked and simulating sex scenes, but you can't have pictures of him (technically, that'd be underage photography, so you'd be liable to arrested). What logic is that? You can have sex, but not be photographed? Too many thoughts are clogging up my mind thinking about it.

And, to my surprising pleasure, the final book will be coming out July 21st. That means, when I'm in the UK at the end of July, I can pick up a copy and complete my collection of British versions of Harry Potter. Lucky me!

Actually, the real reason to write this post is so that I could link to this. I still love it.

The culture of the red enclaves

Well, they all seem to being doing stuff about their cultures, so I get to, too. Or just ignore me. I tend just to talk for the fun of it. (Actually, at one point, I had [intentionally] perfected the art of killing conversations dead. There's nothing more fun to do than create a whole series of awkward pauses amoung people who normally get on really well. It also exposes a person for who they are remarkably well.)

Well, we know I come from the midwest and the south. Except, in the south, I came from Raleigh (the capital) and one of the boomiest (is that a word) cities in one of the areas with a ridiculously high PhD count. So really, I came from a cosmopolitan south (heck, our local art museum is one of the best places of Egyptology outside of Britian).

But, boy, can I tell you about the midwest. I lived in the Quad Cities (which is quite liberal, and is "blue" Iowa), but then I moved to Illinois. My dad's family's from Northern (red) Iowa, and they sure know their culture. Aside from the wide variety in their diet (my uncle swears and yells when they "ruin" the salad by putting tomatoes, carrots or anything that's not iceberg lettuce in it, my father had never had lasagne until he went to university and the only vegetables that they eat are what they grow - corn, peas, green beans, beets, lettuce. Oh, and the might buy potatoes. If you want fruit, you get an apple or a banana. Oranges are for Christmas, if you're lucky - not that they can't afford or get variety, but why would they want to? Apples is fine for them. My sister was asked if my brother was a vegetarian because [despite eating 2 steaks and some chicken] he didn't eat some pork tenderloin), northern Iowans have a lovely sympathy for other cultures. Because Iowa schools are very, very uniform throughout the state, the Iowa exams are used for a significant proportion of US standardised testings. However, this makes people think that, instead of providing a very good base mean, median and range, this means Iowa is the best. People from central Iowa honestly can't think of why people, after going to Iowa State and University of Iowa people are leaving the (very) flat, (very) dull, (very) average state.

Of course, I didn't live in Iowa but for 3 years, I lived in Illinois, one of the bluest states that's elected 2 of the 3 black senators since Reconstruction and is overrunning with Dems in their state house - the incredibly unpopular Democratic Governor was recently relected by 10% against a very competent Republican (who had pretty much unanimous support in the press). The reason for that is Chicago (60% of Illinois' population), which is overwhelmingly Democratic. The rest of the state is as red as northern Iowa. And guess where I lived?

That's right. I lived in a place (Peoria) where people wonder why other people don't want to live in Peoria. I lived in a place where Bradley University (never heard of it? Really... that's odd. People here put it in line with Northwestern, Duke and Georgetown, so it must be famous) is highly respected. I lived in a place where it's not that uncommon to find someone who hasn't gone more than 45 minutes in any direction.

There's mighty great arrogance in these places. Not because they've seen the world, and don't like what they see. Not because they've been told that they're the best. Not because they're confident in what they do. They're arrogant because they don't need anything. The saying "if it plays in Peoria, it'll play anywhere" fits Peoria (and northern Iowa, but there's no significantly sized market to speak of) very well. The people here just are creative enough to realise they need things. They make do. They settle for what they have. Only if there's shining benefits to novelty will the people of Peoria embrace it. And because they are content (not necessarily happy), they assume that everyone else should be too. And so when people from "foreign" places (read Chicago, St. Louis or anywhere 3 hours or more away) don't settle, they assume that the people aren't getting a lifestyle as good as theirs. So, naturally, they get arrogant. And believe me, arrogance is rife in this little community.

However, Pete's completely right. Our generation is changing. The arrogance is less common amoung those that are younger, especially in Peoria. It seems that the internet and other such communicative devices have opened the world for some. And yet many, many are still the same.

As for the other attributes, belligerent is spot on for here, and there ain't nobody who has a stronger work drive than those of the red parts of Iowa and Illinios - they're the good ol' "pull yourself up by the boots" Reaganites and those who feel they owe their companies the best work, regardless of time or money.

Dear god, I wrote a lot. And I didn't even make my point.

[Insert pun with "Ewe" in it]

I always love it when people with no knowledge of science whatsoever start to protest something that isn't actually what it is. Like this. Apparently, testing to determine how hormones determine the sexual prefrences of rams is "frightening," and has no relevence to science at all, and especially to humans, so should be stopped.

Now, let's forget that;

1. The scientist in question actually says that this has little implication for humans, whose sexuality is "is much more complex than that of rams so we don't refer to the animals as gay."¹
   
2. The actual experiment doesn't alter "gay sheep". It alters sheep who prefer ewes to prefer rams, sexually. By their terminology, it alters straight sheep.
   
3. The experiment didn't work. At all.

Now, the thing is, PETA's attacking the researchers (both verbally and physically). I'm not entirely sure why, because the number of rams killed a year is 18, and they're killed far more humanely than kosher, halal or most other (ie unclean) methods, of which several million in the US are killed each year.

Of course, gay rights activists jumped on this. Especially the ones who are with PETA.

I do so love the misinterpretation of science.



¹Here you go.

'08ama

Oh, and because I can never remember how to link in the pure html form, then you get this as a reply to Nathan's blog.

Concerning Obama. He's actually a bit more popular with whites than blacks. You know what that means¹? That means he's reached Colin Powell², Oprah and Tiger Woods cross-race appeal. And that means voting for him helps to assuage the guilt of centuries of racism. Wonderful. Vote for a half-black once, and you prove to the world you're not racist.

Anyway, of all the Dems, I'm liking Richardson. He helps me feel better about having an illegal Hispanic worker.

Isn't diversity great?

¹ It doesn't actually mean this, but since it's coincidental, I'm going to do what the "new" media loves to do so much and shout causation when it's just correlation.
² Before he became SecState. That ruined him.

Okapi Crisis

Ok. I'm a bit late at this (not really, but it was sent to one of my gmail accounts I don't often check), but really... "Charlie; Illinois; joviality; is from the midwest; is really from the South"?

Firstly, I'm from the midwest. Or the Midlands. Not really the south. I lived in NC for 4 years, but I lived in Illinois (about 45 from where I now live) for 5 and Iowa (that good ol' caucus) for 3. And I lived in Leicester (or a small village) for 6 years. The South. That's just got my vote (technically, I'm still registered in NC).

Anyway, I don't really have anything to say, exceptin' for the fact that my picture that I really like and use for my MSN and my blog has disappeared from the tinternets. It's quite distressing. I've lost my okapi. Fortunately, it's on my computer. Crisis averted.