Nerd Camp For Nerds

In my quest to rule microbiology with an iron fist, I am spending six weeks this summer in Woods Hole, MA in a microbial diversity course at the MBL (formally: Marine Biological Laboratories). This is awesome news for my future as a scientist - as it has been three days and already I've learned an amazing amount of material.

[It is kind of bad news because my fledgling relationship with Bombshell may be strained as the six weeks drag on. She also happens to be studying for a major grad school exam, further adding to her stress level. I have complete faith that everything will be fine - it would so suck otherwise - but she may come and visit over 4th of July *fingers crossed*]

Microbes are funny things to work with. You can't capture individuals like in classical ecology and studying how they grow is limited to the species we can grow in a lab - which is not a lot. Maybe about 1% of all species can be cultured with our current know how, which is really small considering there is more bacterial species on Earth than there are visible stars. But some of the ones we can grow are ridiculously awesome. Like this one:

These organisms are bioluminescent. When cell densities reach a certain threshold, all the neighboring cells begin to glow. This picture was taken with my regular camera in a dark room - no other light source. No UV light - this isn't like a black light poster. They are so bright you can actually read my writing on the Perti dish in the lower part of the picture (it's upside down).

I am not sure which species this is right now. We'll be identifying it using molecular/DNA techniques later this week. I'll keep you informed because I know you are on the edge of your seat.

Also...

Anyone who has been reading a while - I have been dating Bombshell for 7 weeks now. It's been AMAZING!

My muse!

I know it's been a while.

I have been lacking inspiration for some time. But this cheered me right up. I have been musing on how to fix the out of date economies of several big industries in this country (and the world) - the music monopoly and print publishers. The internet should be free (and hopefully always will be). And ads don't work because unlike the limited space of a newspaper (where real estate is limited) the internet has limitless space and the ability to link endlessly away from a page where the ads are situated. Not to mention we all ignore ads to begin with.

But still the old guard refuses to admit defeat and devise a new way to weasel money out of the general public. They demand protection from us evil citizens - who "rob" them blindly.

And then I saw this article about France's attempt to curtail piracy - Top French court rips heart out of Sarkozy internet law. *BOOM* Completely stopped in its tracks. Access to the internet is an unalienable right. Plus - the government has no right to track an individuals internet use. Nor can a administrative agency impose justice. Especially without giving an individual due process under the law to defend themselves.

Stop complaining about being a billion dollar industry, music companies. Come up with a new sustainable business plan and stop whining. (I do in fact feel bad for print media - they are getting a bum rap and should be paid for the time. they were never paid much to begin with)

any revolutionary business plans you want to share?

Besides science...

which I am doing all the time, it seems. There really isn't too much happening in my scene.

Spring kickball season started this past Sunday. I'm not sure I want to talk about it because we lost so terribly. It was a building game. We didn't have the whole team. The beer arrived late, so we had to plan sober and clean. We are great a making excuses! But it seems that now I have full understanding of our league's rules, I have become a rule-lawyer. Which every team needs, I guess, because last season we got lawyered by senior teams several times.

On a girl note (because I think that is all some of you come to read about):

1) things with Bombshell are more complicated than ever. I have been trying my best not to be drawn in and there are several (read: everyone) who are acting a solid foundations to prevent this. I am reminded of something a friend used to say in high school "When you like a girl, everything she does is a sign." Too many signs for them to be signs I think.

2) I think ShowBiz has given me the old heave-ho. Not sure for what reason, but I like to pride myself on being able to read people. And what I am reading is total disinterest (maybe disgust, repulsion, etc.). I am promising myself not to ask her why. For the off chance that I am reading it wrong, I am not writing her off all together, but the ball is her court now.

3) Ophir is definitely the most realistic, down-to-earth person I know. She made it very clear that things are not going to work because she is out of here in less then 2 months. And I whole-heartedly agree. Never doing long distance again. EVER. LA is bad enough with having to wait in traffic for hours at a time just to see someone in the city. Too bad I didn't say something back in October/November. Oh well. You snooze, you lose. And I snoozed, and lost.

Where are your independent news source suggestions!?!?!?!

Insightful Quote #2

Years of studies of patients who don't take their meds, grownups who have unsafe sex, and other flawed decision makers have chronicled the irrationality of Homo sapiens. Some of our foibles are quite specific, like overvaluing things we have, overeating food in larger containers and overestimating the probability of improbable events — the quirk that made the Meet Barack Obama fundraising lottery such a smart idea. But in general, we're ignorant, shortsighted and biased toward the status quo. We're not as smart as Larry Summers. We procrastinate. Our impulsive ids overwhelm our logical superegos. We plan to lose weight, but ooh — a cupcake! We're especially irrational about money; we'll pay more for the same thing if we can use a credit card, if we think it's on sale, if it's marketed with photos of attractive women. No wonder we apply for mortgages we can't afford. No wonder our bankers approve them.

Michael Grunwald, TIME Magazine

Insightful Quote

In fact, Obama is betting his presidency on our ability to change our behavior. His top priorities — the economy, health care and energy — all depend on it. We need to spend more money now to avert a short-term depression, then save more money later to secure our long-term economic future. We need to consume less energy in order to reduce our oil imports and carbon emissions as well as our household expenses. We need to quit smoking, lay off the Twinkies and avoid other risky behaviors that both damage our personal health and boost the costs of care that are ravaging the nation's fiscal health. Basically, we need to make better choices — about mortgages and credit cards, insurance and retirement plans — so we won't need bailouts down the road.

Michael Grunwald, TIME Magazine

Change?

Does anyone else feel like the world is on the edge of something new? I am sure it has a lot to do with my rose colored glasses, but I get sense that things really might be different. Let's run through a few, sweeping generalizations --

it seems to me that our generation, the 20 something bloggers of the world are programmed differently then our parents. or their parents. or any generation before us. and maybe there is someone out there who knows empirically that this just part of cycle, one generation trying to buck the trends of the previous. but how many of you, how many of your friends, talk about doing something they love? and maybe it's hollywood. and maybe it's self delusion, but I get the sense that there are many of us out their who would prefer to find the thing they love to do, and do that. then be paid lots of money to do something they hate. something, where our parents would look grimly in the mirror and say "because I have to to." now this may not be everyone. maybe not even a lot. but it seems that way. it's more than it used to be...

and what about this financial meltdown? it seems for a long time, people, just sat there and took it. we knew that there were people out their monopolizing the system. using money, to keep the system the same. to keep change from happening. I am not talking about conservatives and liberals here. Well, maybe I am. But that is not my intention. For example, pharmaceutical companies lobbying to keep the government from stepping in an forcibly reducing health costs. Now, some will say that this is a good thing. that the companies fight such intervention because America isn't about having the government step in and run things. Fine. I agree. But many of these people don't realize that the pharmaceutical companies are doing it just to protect their bottom line. It's about profit. And exploitation of the system. Car companies, forcibly resisting stricter environmental standards for 15 years. Oil companies using Senators to espouse talking points like "Drill, baby, drill." News corporations owned by companies that stand to lose lots of money should things be seen for what they really are. It's a broken system. A broken system that started to fall apart and take everyone else with it. And the financial meltdown seems to being a step towards correcting this. But it's not everything. A lot of it won't change. Even with Obama as president. Even with the slight momentum the seems to pushing change through. It won't change without help.

There are lots of people angry about the government. Today's "teabagging" events should indicate that. But as I heard, many of those people were there for different reasons. Some hate Obama. Some hate taxes. Taxes that fix their roads and school their children and pay the police (I guess I could get started on people wanting something for nothing, but I won't)

so what can we do? what should we do? does anyone else feel like this?

here is my list of things I wish to see:

• people reading and being taught (read:forced) to understand what America means. Not what Bush (1 or 2), Clinton, Reagan, FDR, Lincoln made it mean. But what was created out of blood sweat and tears to make America. People should understand the struggle that went in to deciding what makes this country great. The separation of powers. A federal system. Democratic elections. People should have to read at some point the Federalist Papers. Common Sense. Democracy in America. Books that capture the essense of a new nation ca 1783.
• a full commitment by everyone in the country. every parent. every elected official. everyone! for education. easy access to education at a levels in every part of the country. ignorance will relegate the lessons of America to the history books. China will see to that.
• independent news sources! this is the internet age!! if a friend of mine can be part of a magazine that publishes monthly on the internet, there must be somewhere that publishes news without agendas (by the way if you know such a place let me know)
• people wishing to preserve the gifts of the present for the people of the future. Take a chance and visit a national park and tell me it's not worth saving.
• unified action. I know there are lots of people out there who care. And each one of them is doing what they can to help in their own way. But little groups can only go so far. Despite asking people to read Tocqueville and his belief that America will thrive because of these small groups, one voice can be muffled. hundreds are slightly audible. thousands get some attention. millions make change.

I know none of this is perfect. And maybe much of this has been said before. But if you agree. Keep reading. If you agree, pass this along. I am starting something new here tonight, for myself. These will not be the only posts I make, because, hey this is still just a blog with 8 people following it. But it's a start.