Things I spend too much time thinking about

I am overly fascinated by how websites come up with recommendations/suggestions. Today, as I do many days, I was looking at my Amazon recommendations. I've added 2 books that I heard about on The Daily Show. 2. I figured out that Amazon keeps recommending books that have authors interviewed by Jon Stewart. It's like my 6 degrees of separation. I take the title and "recommended because you. . . " and try to figure out how the algorithm connected the 2. Clearly, I have too much time on my hands, post-surgery. This is most fun with movies. Oh, these have the same director or one actor. Most fascinating is people who like this also like this. It's disturbingly accurate. Possibly magic. When facebook does this, it moves to creepy. Mostly because I really do know those people or at least know who they are.


Peace.

I am a terible blogger

So, a month plus after my return, I am finally going to share lovely photos from Woods Hole and Boston.
In Boston I got to see Becky! And we wandered about Boston and Cambridge. It was a nice long wander with lovely conversation. Below is one of the public gardens in Boston. Apparently you can rent a plot for a few dollars a year.

Now on to the science! There were 5 of us in one (rather small) lab. Which wasn't terrible, there were only scheduling issues. But the people we shared the lab with were great. And they were awfully informative about a lot. They've been in science, collectively, at least 100 years. So, yes, education was forwarded. And the large square gray building is where the lab was.

And now the best part: This is (approximately) the view from our lab window. How jealous are you now?

Here's the small beach across the street from the lab. There's a really nice dock that I read on too.
Dock:

Peace.

You really must read this

Street Farmer: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/magazine/05allen-t.html?_r=1
Thanks Jessie!

At Woods Hole MBL. Pictures to follow soon, as will tales of Boston adventure.


Peace

Thursday in the laboratory

My shiny new drill came! That's a good day right there. I've also discovered just how useful DigiMorph is. I'd heard about it but never used it until today. Also, reading circulation diagrams is harder than I expected.

Peace.

weekend in the district

Oh xkcd, I do love you. And I miss Square One.
One of my favorite relatives came through DC this weekend. Good times had by all. Except for when the motorized pump on the air mattress didn't work. We went to the American History museum. I hadn't been since I've moved here (always distracted by Art, Natural History, and Air and Space). It was pretty interesting. They remodeled recently, so it looked really nice. It wasn't too crowded, except for the huuuuge line outside the First Ladies dresses exhibit.
Anyway, I had to abandon said relative to go to the lab. On my way to meet relative and other relative for dinner, I went to the National Portrait Gallery. I got to the restaurant about30 minutes early, so I walked the 2 blocks to the Portrait Gallery. For just about 20 minutes. And it was awesome. And free. There was a folk art exhibit where I spent most of my time. I think I can get used to going to the Smithsonian in between appointments.

fin.

Yours truly has finished PhD year 1. I've been compulsively checking my grades since I found out this morning that 2 of my 3 classes are up. One more. And it's really annoying, in spite of not being worried about the grade.
Finally ran an experiment. After doing about 8 months of preparation, there were still unforeseen "complications." I'm going to call it a wet run. Better luck next time, now that everything's in place. I still may have gotten some usable or semi-usable results. I'll know some time next week
And I get to learn to use the shiny confocal microscope.


Peace.

Research Thwarted

It's spring, clearly. And as it is spring, it's warm enough to turn on the building's air conditioning. I've also finally gotten my tissue sections to be clean and pretty (aka: usable). So I'm all set to start doing reconstructions. Too bad there's an unbalanced fan on the roof that is shaking the building at an unperceivable level and shaking the microscope such that I can't do the reconstruction.
Back to reading articles until we get the fan fixed or a fancy vibration-isolation table.

contradiction(s)

It appears that lot of ideas/ideals/values that I hold come into conflict more often than I wish they would. Example: I both value free speech and abhor exploitation of people. So when it comes to, say, pornography, what do I do? Less seriously: I believe that there is great value in a broad base of education, possibly to the point of the classical liberal arts education. But when I had to take those classes, it was rather annoying. Important, but annoying.
Gosh, it's hard for those of us who aren't ideologues.


Peace.