TWSB: Death By Jupiter
Kind of a cop-out science blog entry, but what’re you going to do, eh? I haven’t had much time to actually research science articles.
Haha, Jupiter would eat us alive. Comments from others:
“Glad I’m not the only one that found Jupiter fucking terrifying.”
“if jupiter was that close we should all shit our pants in terror every morning”
“That was damn scary, the idea that if we were that close we would be sucked into Jupiter almost made me shit bricks.”
“Jupiter actually made my heart jump a bit.”
“Jupiter shows up- HOLY FUCK.”
“In Soviet Jupiter, Earth orbits you”
Wow
So I heard about the crazy homicide/suicide in Moscow. I didn’t know the young lady, but Dr. Bustamante was my professor for Psych 218 back in fall of 2007. It totally surprised me when I read about it, he didn’t strike me as someone who would do anything like that ever.
Strange, strange world.
My new place
WOO, apartment completely unpacked and organized! Want to see some pics? Of course you do!
Keep in mind that this is technically a dorm room.
Also this:
You gotta love Canada.
A Wild Blog Appears!
I have Type III skin!
The Fitzpatrick Skin Typing Test is used to classify skin types by how people react to sun exposure and is also used to enhance treatment for skin cancers.
Type III skin is “light olive” and seen for people with pretty much any eye and hair color but is most common for people with chestnut hair and hazel eyes. It is common among Mediterranian type Caucasians, and some Hispanics. People with Type III skin sometimes get “mild burns” and “gradually tan.”
Check out your skin type here!
Namin’ Babies
I will never have kids. The world needs Claudia spawn about as much as it needs a George W. Bush cloning machine running 24/7 all year ‘round*. But because I’m me, I’ve often thought about what I would name said spawn should he/she/they ever exist.
I usually limit my naming fantasies to male names, because I think I’d produce a male if I were to ever, by some miracle of divine intervention, produce a child.
So because I rediscovered the Name Voyager and all its pretty slopes and lines, I shall present you with my 10 favorite baby (boy) names.
10. Amory
I dig this name probably because it is the name of the main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, This Side of Paradise. I love Fitzgerald. He rocks. Anyway. It’s got a nice “old fashioned” feel to it, and according to the Baby Name Voyager, it hasn’t been one of the top 1,000 names in the US anytime between 1880 and now.
9. Eddy
I don’t really know why I like this name. I know my mom likes it, too. Possibly I picked it up from her? Haha, or maybe ‘cause I used to watch a
LOT of Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy when I was younger. I freaking love that show.
8. Charles
Another cool old-fashioned name. It has to be Charles, though. I’m not a big fan of Charlie or Chuck.
7. Simon
Unfortunately, if you say the name Simon to people, probably 70% or so of them will immediately think of either Simon Cowell or Simon the chipmunk. Or that game “Simon Says.” Nevertheless, I really like this name. It’s smooth and simple.
6. Meriwether
This is why I can’t have kids. Because society is dumb, I think any young man labeled Meriwether would probably get teased to death because of it. Nevermind Meriwether Lewis of freaking LEWIS AND CLARK was a badass.
5. Eugene
An old name you don’t hear much anymore. I like names with lots of vowels in them.
4. Adam
Such a nice, simple name. I also have this weird thing for Biblical names. Though if I were to have a little dude and keep my last name, I couldn’t name him Adam ‘cause then his name would be all smooshed together—“Adammahler”—and that would be obnoxious.
3. Jules
Tribute to Jules Verne, the greatest science fiction writer ever! I like French names/French versions of other names. I would read this child 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for their bedtime story. Or maybe Around the World in Eighty Days, it’s a bit lighter.
2. Nick
Yes, Nick, I like your name. Nicholas reminds me of Santa Clause, so that’s out, but Nick has always been a pretty snazzy name in my opinion. Also this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGYpsNpg1bw&feature=related
1. Scott
Another “tribute” name, this one in honor of Sir Robert Falcon Scott, an Englishman who led several expeditions to Antarctica back when it was still Terra Incognita to most and who, in a race with Roald Amundsen to be the first to reach the Pole, died on the ice. Haha, that sounds so depressing, eh? You all know how I love Antarctica, though. And you really don’t ever hear the name Scott anymore, do you?
The end!
*Tell me that’s not the most terrifying concept ever.
Dear Pacific Time:
I know we’ve been together for a long time, but I’ve met someone else. I’m seeing Eastern Time now, so please stop stalking me.
It’s 5:30 AM here and I’m SO not tired. I miss my mom. Here’s a survey.
1. What has been you longest love relationship?
Uh…8 months I think? I can’t remember exactly how long Aaron and I were a pair.
2. What was the last gift that you received?
My mom bought me a bunch of stuff when we got to London.
3. What do you spend your extra cash on?
“Extra cash?” What’s that? I’ve been so freaking broke for the past couple months I forgot what that was.
4. If you could live anywhere would you live?
Antarctica.
5. Who’s your cell provider?
Fido!
6. What’s your favorite mall store?
Does the Real Canadian Superstore count as a store? I guess that’s more of a mall in itself. So I’ll say HMV.
7. What’s the longest job that you’ve had? (No parenting does not count!)
Why doesn’t parenting count? I raised that pet rock ALL BY MYSELF. His father left as soon as they cleaved, that worthless chunk of granite.
8. If you won the lottery, who’d you call first?
My mom.
9. If you won, how would you spend your money after investments?
I would give some of it to my mom, some of it to my friends, then buy frivolous crap.
10. When was the last time you went to church (or a religious house)?
Oh man…7th grade?
11. What’s the biggest lie that you’ve heard?
“You’ll love grad school!”
12. When you go out with your friends, where do you go?
Shari’s. My basement. Into “Orgy Mode.”
13. When was the last time that you cried?
This morning.
14. What food do you hate?
Tomatoes. Cucumbers. Lobster. A bunch of other stuff I can’t list off the top of my head.
15. What do you like best about yourself?
Hahaha. That there’s only one of me?
16. What’s the longest shift that you worked at a job?
I had 22-hour shifts on Fridays/Saturdays when I worked at Seubert’s.
17. What was the last concert that you attended?
I’ve never been to a concert.
18. What the last DVD (or Blu Ray, of course) movie that you watched?
Uh…Legally Blonde, I think.
19. How did you like the film?
It’s pretty great.
20. What comedian do you love?
Brian Regan!
21. Do you ever sleep in the nude?
Nope.
22. Have you ever had a long distance relationship?
Nope.
23. What do you think of astrology?
It’s entertaining.
24. What’s your favorite lyric quote from a song?
The entirety of The Guggenheim Grotto’s “Philosophia.”
25. Tell us something random about yourself.
I don’t think it’s possible for me to finish grocery shopping in under an hour. I have issues with aisles.
26. Have ever attended a theme party? If yes, do tell.
Nope.
27. What is your favorite thing about winter?
Snow is GREAT.
28. What was the name of your first pet? F
Wooder.
29. What have you done so far this weekend?
Weekend hasn’t happened yet. Last weekend was one long panic attack.
30. Has your humor ever been called “sick”?
No, I don’t think so, actually.
31. If you could have one thing, what would it be?
Healing.
QR: The New PR
I made myself a QR code, ‘cause I’m currently quite bored. And I found this.
It’s currently 1 AM; my mom’s leaving in approximately four hours, then I’ll be alone on the other side of the country.
Strange.
As Time Marches On, We Sit and Dream
Oh my goodness.
Oh my statistical gods in heaven goodness.
I. Must. Have. This.
Short. Sentences. Mean. I’m. Serious.
This is a photo of the Handbook of Parametric and Nonparametric Statistical Procedures, hereby known as Claudia’s Stats Bible. 1,926 pages of univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical tests, both those parametric and those nonparametric.
In other words, it’s 1,926 pages of what is practically porn to me.
As soon as I get my first check from Western, this book shall be mine.
Be prepared for further gushing at a later date.
TWSB: Holes and the Pigeons that Occupy Them
Today I’m going to talk about the pigeonhole principle and why it’s so freaking awesome.
The principle can be best introduced using an example. Suppose you had (for whatever weird reason) three pigeons that you wanted to put into holes. However, though you have three pigeons, you only have two holes. Can you still put the pigeons in the holes? Yes, of course you can, but there’s a catch: one of the holes will have to contain two pigeons, regardless of how you arrange the birds.
This awesome article entitled “16 Fun Applications of the Pigeonhole Principle” shows some examples of how this idea can be extended to larger numbers—that for any n number of “pigeonholes,” if there exist >n “pigeons,” then there has to be one hole with more than one pigeon in it.
The easiest demonstration of this principle (at least to me) was this one: “For every 27 word sequence in the US constitution, at least two words will start will the same letter.” In this case, the words are the “pigeons” and the letters of the English alphabet are the “pigeonholes.” There are 26 pigeonholes (the 26 letters of the alphabet, obviously) but 27 pigeons. Thus, the n, >n principle applies and therefore you have to have a pigeonhole (letter) that has more than one pigeon (word) “in” it.
Cool, huh? Or rather, FREAKING AWESOME.
The article also talks about another way to understand the principle. It involves math! Go back to the fact that the principle rests on their being n pigeonholes and >n pigeons. For any dataset that doesn’t consist of each datum having the same value, the average is (very) loosely defined as a “middle” value. That is, it’s a value larger than the minimum but also smaller than the maximum.
This is mathematically the same as the n, >n thingy we’re talking about. If we were to have the same number of pigeons and pigeonholes (n and n, respectively), the average value of (pigeons/pigeonholes) would be (n/n) or 1, meaning that on average, 1 pigeon would belong to 1 pigeonhole. However, in cases where there are more pigeons than pigeonholes, the average value of (pigeons/pigeonholes) would be (>n/n), or a value greater than one. What does that mean? It means that on average, more than 1 pigeon belongs to each hole. And because the average is (in general!) smaller than the maximum, it means that there has to be at least two pigeons for one hole.
SNAZZY.
I leave you with one of the examples that’s still a bit crazy for me, even though the way he breaks it down makes total sense.
On New Years at New York’s Time Square, over 820 people will have the same birthday.
There are roughly 300,000 attendees on New Years split over a possible 366 birthdays. The average is 300,000 / 366 = 819.7 people per birthday. The maximum must at least be the average, so there must be a birthday that at least 820 people share.
We’re in ON!
WOOHOO, we finally made it!
My mom and I got to London this afternoon (no trouble at the border, though my student visa is going to be a pain), drove around, found my dorm, unloaded all my crap in seemingly record time, experienced the wonder that is the Real Canadian Superstore yet again, got a desk at WalMart, and are now hanging out in my dorm room. Which, by the way, seems nothing like a dorm room and more like my old apartment.
I like it here so far.
Pictures to come whenever I get everything organized and find my camera cable.
Are we there yet?
Today was a long day. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Right now we’re in Kalamazoo, MI and are going to make a break for the border tomorrow.
Oh yeah, and this:
McDonald’s in Spartaaaaaaaaaaa!
OH YEAH, and I realized that I suck at life and forgot to post July’s music stats way back when. So here they are.
Graph of genres:
Average song length: 3:19
The Five Star: Good Life by OneRepublic
SD
Today entailed driving across South Dakota and part of Minnesota.
Riveting, eh?
We also crossed into Central Time and thus my schedule is all crazed out. It’s technically 10:27 PM as of my writing of this, but it feels either way earlier or way later (can’t tell). So my answer to this problem?
A survey, of course!
1801. How many smurfs can you name?
Papa, Smurfette, Brainy…Grouchy? Is there a Grouchy Smurf? Hahaha, there should be a Grue Smurf that’s like a figment of the imagination of half the smurfs while the other half don’t ever see him. That would be fantastic.
Anyway.
1802. Do you keep track of your life using a planner or calendar book? Would you be lost without it?
I surprisingly don’t use a planner. I keep it all in my head.
1803. Have you ever fully eradicated a bad habit that you had?
I’m working on that.
1804. Where do snowflakes come from?
God forgot to buy Head and Shoulders at Walmart last time he went.
1805. What do these latin phrases mean?
Et tu Brute: “You too, Brutus?”
Congito ergo sum: “I think, therefore I am.”
1806. You’re writing a story.
The super hot (guy or girl?): Giraffe
is about to kiss (who): the lead singer of Kiss
Just then they get interrupted by (what): Old Faithful
and somebody screams, (what): “GEYSER HO!”
but it is too late. Fortunately (who): Dr. Phil
walks by and (what): does a jig
and they all live (how): surprisingly adjusted (for a giraffe and a rock star) in Yellowstone National Park
ever after.
1807. The radio is playing U2, The Defects, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Pointer Sisters, Staubkind, and Dr. Dre. on different stations. Which band are you most likely to listen to?
Pointer Sisters!
1808. How do you feel about the tsunami that killed over 100,000 people in December 2004?
I remember that. I did a piece of art regarding it.
1809. What is the difference between madness and brilliance?
Not very much.
1810. Write any random sentance here:
“any random sentance [sic] here”
1811. Say the sentence you wrote out loud. Did anybody answer?
Nope.
1812. Turn on your TV if it’s not on already, what channel is it?
I’m not sure what channel this is. Lifetime, my mom said.
1813. If you were to hit redial on your phone right now, who would it call?
Sean!
1814. Hit edit paste on your browser and paste the last thing you copied here:
Haha, not going to, ‘cause it’ll duplicate the survey.
815. Miracle on 34th street, original or remake?
I never saw the original.
1816. Have you ever been in a parade?
Marching band FTW.
1817. Why don’t people just walk up to each other and become friends?
I think that would creep people out too much nowadays.
1818. Do you turn the base up all the way in your car (or would you if you had acar) and blast the music?
If by “base” you mean “bass,” no, I don’t crank it all the way ‘cause it hurts my ears.
1819. Do you care if what you do annoys others?
Yes. Most of the time.
1820. What keeps you from being happy?
Myself.
1821. If you could go back in time and talk to yourself five years ago what would you say to yourself(You can only stay in the past for FIVE MINUTES so make it COUNT!)?
For the love of all things holy, DON’T GO TO GRAD SCHOOL I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH CAN’T YOU SEE HOW I’M NOT USING PROPER PUNCTUATION AND HOW EVERYTHING IS IN CAPS LOCK IF NOT I’LL SAY IT AGAIN DON’T DON’T DON’T DON’T DON’T GO TO GRAD SCHOOL YOU SILLY FOOL!!!!! (I would repeat this for the whole five minutes)
1822. Write a surreal (Having an oddly dreamlike quality) sentence:
“GAVAGAI!”
1823. Can you talk for one hour without using the word ‘like’?
Yup.
1824. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
1825. Say something nice about:
yourself: no.
me: you’re my hero for writing this survey.
your dad: you help me out financially a LOT, and it’s appreciated.
your mom: I love you more than any other human being ever. That includes Leibniz, so you know it’s serious business.
the one you love: you’re such a gentle, compassionate person, dude. If the whole world were more like you, life would be better for everyone.
1826. Questions from random movies:
Why is it that a fly can’t bird but a bird can fly?
Because fortunately the internet has yet to turn “bird” into a verb.
You know what people are liking at night?
Is this from the Facebook movie? It sounds like a quote from the Facebook movie.
1827. What is your favorite movie that Denzel Washington has been in?
I have no idea.
1828. What websites are addictive to you?
WordPress. NaNoWriMo. xkcd.
1829. Who do you love so much that you would clean live maggots out of their garbage pail just so that they didn’t have to?
Haha, I’d pretty much do that for anyone.
1830. Who do you think will read all 5,000 of your answers to this survey?
I wouldn’t be surprised if my readers skipped these entries, honestly.
1831. Out of everyone reading your diary, how many people know your first name?
All of them, if they pay attention.
1832. When you die and your tragic story is a human interest spot on the news will you want your friends and family to say you were the greatest smartest and kindest person ever…or tell the truth?
Tell the truth.
1833. Have you filled out an organ donor card?
Yes.
1834. Who do you never want to end up like?
Someone who shall not be named.
1835. How many oxymorons can you think of?
A fair number.
1836. How many years old is your diary?
A bit over five years.
1837. How could today get any worse?
My M&Ms could suddenly disappear.
1838. What will you never ever do again?
Go to Vancouver.
1839. What’s the most terrible lie someone could tell you?
They could lie to me about how they perceive me, I guess.
1840. Would you ever wear vinyl pants?
Hell yes.
1841. What was the last thing that you printed out?
My funding info for Western.
1842. What would you say to Flavor Flav if you saw him walking down the street?
Who?
1843. What are you dependant on?
The internet. Haha, sad day, isn’t it?
1844. What do you look forward to each day?
Thinking. Music.
1845. What did you think of the Columbine shootings?
I barely remember that. I was in 5th grade at the time.
1846. Did you take lessons as a kid? what?
Piano lessons, yes. I hated them.
1847. What’s the best song to listen to after a break up?
Haha, mine was “Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon.
1848. The radio is playing Poison, Inxs, the Psychadelic Furs, Dio, and Matchbox 20 on different stations. What do you listen to?
I’ve only ever heard of Matchbox 20.
1849. Do you know what it’s like to take care of someone else?
Yup.
1850. Would you rather take care of someone or be taken care of?
Take care of someone else.
1851. What is the worst 80’s song in your opinion?
Not sure, haven’t listened to all the 80’s songs.
1852. What song makes you so happy that just want to dance and dance and DANCE?
Factor analysis. I am so not kidding.
1853. What has been your most beautiful magical memorable cloud nine manic ecstatic incredibly happy bouncy air-light moment of this life???
This is ridiculously pathetic, but it was when I saw my final grades in the fall of 2008 and realized I’d finished college with a 4.0.
1854. According to Depeche Mode, “Everything counts in large amounts.” According to the Crow, “Nothing is trivial.” Do you believe this is true?
Yes.
1855. Are you enjoying this thrilling luscious roller coaster ride of a life as much as I am?
I think my little safety bar is broken.
1856. Do you know how improbable it is that life exists at all?
Life is a pretty fantastic thing.
1857. Are you kind to strangers?
Yes.
1858. Do you go out of your way for other people?
Unless I’m in a hurry/rush, yes.
1859. Make a promise:
I promise to try to be a good person.
1860. Will you keep it?
I’ll certainly try.
1861. What do you think of the author of this survey?
I think he or she is pretty awesome.
What’s my gender?
Female?
What’s my age?
Late teens, perhaps?
What bands do I like(you must have SOME idea by now)?
You seem to like a lot of contemporary stuff, but stuff that’s not necessarily too mainstream.
1862. What makes something “literature”? Also, what makes something “art?”
Things become “art” if they’re appreciated by at least one person (or the artist), in my opinion. I think “literature” is a bit more of an objective label; it takes the opinion of more than one person to say that something deserves the “literature” label.
1863. Why are you even doing this survey?? Doesn’t it TELL you something that you have NOTHING BETTER TO DO than fill out a 5,000 question survey???
I like surveys. I DO have better things to do, but this is enjoyable, so why not do it?
1864. Has answering these questions been a learning experience for you (writing them certainly has been for me)?
I’m surprised there are enough unique questions to answer, actually.
1865. Have you ever been so happy you could cry?
Yup. Several times.
1866. Do you know that the one you love is the one you will spend the rest of your life with??
I seriously doubt I’ll spend the rest of my life with this person, but things change. Who knows.
1867. Have you ever asked yourself, ‘Is there any more to life than this?’
All the time.
1868. What did you answer yourself?
The good ol’ cliché: “life is what you make of it.”
1869. Do you let the restrictions of society restrain you?
BAH.
1870. Or are you just too full of life to be stopped??
I’m full of craziness and Red Bulls.
1871. We are spinning on a bright blue bulb that is bursting with life. How could you possibly feel alone?
It’s surprisingly easy sometimes.
1872. Is there something you’d like to try?
There are lots of things I’d like to try. I’d most like to try to get a book published, but who knows.
1873. What makes your heart smile and your skin get all tingly-ish?
Statistics.
1874. How long has it been since you danced the night away?
Way too long. Dancing = win.
1875. Are you willing to do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE to get the most out of life?
Sometimes. Other days I just want to play Fallout till my eyes bleed.
1876. Are you willing to give the very best most beautiful part of yourself to the world?
Meh.
1877. Is there love in your heart?
Indeed.
1878. Do things tend to go your way more often when you’re happy?
No, actually, it’s quite the opposite.
1879. What do you do while everyone sleeps?
Haha, that’s usually when I’m at my most active.
1880. What is one thing you will you never ever ever get any more of?
Seconds of my life. They’re ticking down, my friends.
1881. What’s your favorite short story?
I’m not sure, actually. I really like The Death of Ivan Ilych, but that’s not very “short,” haha.
1882. Have do you feel about beauty pageants?
I think they’re creepy when they’re done with kids, but if adults want to partake, hey, whatever makes them happy.
1883. If it ain’t broke (say anything but ‘don’t fix it’):
It ain’t from the U of I.
1884. What is your favorite DIY related website?
No idea. I’m not much into DIY.
1885. Do you bruise easily?
I never used to, but I do now.
1886. In William Shakespeare’s play, “All’s Well That Ends Well,” the character Parolles makes an interesting speech about virginity, saying that “Virginity by being once lost may be ten times found; by being ever kept, it is ever lost…To speak on the part of virginity is to accuse your mothers; which is most infallible disobedience…virginity murders itself; and should be buried in highways, out of all sanctified limit, as a desperate offendress against nature. Virginity breeds mites, much like a cheese; consumes itself to the very paring, and so dies with feeding his own stomach. Besides, virginity is peevish, proud, idle, made of self-love, which is the most inhibited sin in the canon. Keep it not; you cannot choose but lose by’t…” What do you think of this?
I disagree. It’s a view of virginity as a selfish act, while I think maintaining virginity can be a very selfless choice.
1887. Would you prefer to stay in a motel, hotel, inn, lodge, or resort?
Hotel.
1888. Have you ever gone scuba diving?
Nope.
1889. What kind of bread do you like?
The kind with a bunch of seeds in it.
1890. Do you usually behave the way you want to?
Eh…mostly.
1891. How does the idea in your head of what you want to be like match up to the reality of what you are like?
Not very well, unfortunately. I suck.
1892. Do you realize that in 111 questions this survey will have more questions than there have been years since Christ was born?
Old survey is old.
1893. Are your air and water as pure as you want them to be?
Sure. No complaints.
1894. Would you ever visit an insect zoo?
That’d be pretty cool, actually.
1895. Can you enjoy life without stimulants (coffee, ciggarettes, drugs, alcohol)?
I need my M&Ms, if they count. And Red Bull on occasion.
1896. How many hours do you sleep every night?
Four or five.
1897. Is this survey your friday or saturday night date?
Well, it IS Saturday…
1898. I go crazy when I’m without _______.
Something to think about.
1899. Can you do the robot dance?
Haha, nope.
1900. How much thought do you put into your dance moves?
A fair amount. Enough so that I’m not a total spaz.
1901. Are you able to recognize patterns, habits, routines and break out of them?
Why in the world would I ever want to break out of a routine?
HOLY FREAKING PRESIDENTIAL BUTT GOBLINS
DUDE.
MOUNT RUSHMORE.
GO SEE IT.
CAPS LOCK.
Look at how freaking spectacular this is:
Look at their eyes. Closer pic:
This was the greatest thing ever. I totally recommend going if you’re ever anywhere near Rapid City, South Dakota.
We also went to the Presidential Wax Museum, which was creepy and impressive at the same time.
It’s MILLARD FILLMORE!!!!
Fun times.
Oh, and for anyone wondering, this is what Sean was referring to in his comment on my Facebook post:
Doesn’t the dictionary always put pearls before swine?
So within the last month I have been to:
– the largest state
– the most populous state
– the least populous state
Today, in addition to a touch of Wyoming, we went through the entirety of Montana and a bit of South Dakota (we’re hanging in Rapid City right now).
We also were passed by approximately 4 million motorcyclists who were on their way to the big Sturgis Rally.
Proof:
And guess what? We’re going to Mount Rushmore tomorrow. FREAKING EXCITED. I’ve always wanted to see it and I finally get to.
YAY!
OFF!
And so the adventure begins.
Moscow (Idaho) to London (Ontario).
Today we drove from Moscow to Bozeman, MT. My mom and I went to this trippy retro Dairy Queen for dinner (it was like a car-hop but without the cars; we walked up to the outdoor window and ordered and they called us up). We were there for about five minutes before it started freaking POURING with tons of thunder and lightning. It was pretty awesome.
Here are two other pics.
Last day in Moscow
Total re-addiction to OK Cupid = accomplished.
Oh, and here’s the route for the next six days:
Wednesday: Moscow, ID to Bozeman, MT (~450 miles)
Thursday: Bozeman, MT to Rapid City, SD (~460 miles)
Friday: MOUNT RUSHMORE, OMFG (PRESIDENTS!)
Saturday: Rapid City, SD to Rochester, MN (~575 miles)
Sunday: Rochester, MN to Kalamazoo, MI (~494 miles)
Monday: Kalamazoo, MI to London, ON (~266 miles)
Profile revamp!
Ch-ch-ch-changes!
“About Me” page added, “100 Things” page altered slightly.
I’ve returned to being obsessed with OK Cupid’s tests, but I’m hesitant to actually fill out my profile for fear of stalkers. How I haven’t acquired any stalkers here on WordPress is beyond me* but I’m still worried about that kind of stuff.
OOH! And did I mention that we’re stopping at Mount Rushmore on our way to London? How freaking cool, huh? I’ve always wanted to see it.
*Actually it’s not; my blog’s not cool enough for people to catch on to it.
Dudes…
So I’ve finally come to the realization that I’m going to be moving halfway across the continent and am probably not returning in a long while. I’ll be in freaking Eastern Time, yo. I’ll be living surrounded by Great Lakes (and, well, Canadians, but that’s nothing new now). Scary stuff. At least for me.
Sorry, I’m in full freak-out mode and thus don’t have much to say. See you tomorrow!
SO EXCITED
SO!
Here are the classes I’m probably going to take at Western this semester and next. The MA is only a year-long thing there, so at the end of next summer I’ll be done with that and going onto the PhD, assuming everything goes well. For the MA, we need to take six half-courses in total.
Here are the ones I’m wanting:
Fall semester:
Philosophy 9276A: Philosophical Foundations of Modern Physics
“This seminar will examine the background to contemporary physics, particularly emphasizing two aspects: the philosophical views of space, time, and matter that were part of classical physics, and the views of the nature of scientific theory in general– in particular, of the roles of theory and experience, and the relations between mathematical structure and physical reality– that informed, and were informed by, developments in physics. Authors to be discussed include Newton, Leibniz, Euler, Kant, Helmholtz, Maxwell, Duhem, Mach, Poincaré, Einstein, Heisenberg, Schlick, Carnap, and others.”
Philosophy 9606A: Hume and Reid on Mental Representation
“This course will focus on Hume’s and Reid’s contrasting accounts of the foundations of knowledge and the workings of the mind.”
Philosophy 4993F/9889A: Environmental Philosophy
“This course in environmental philosophy explores some ethical and epistemological issues that arise in the contexts of conservation and restoration ecology. We commonly ear that we ought to preserve biodiversity. What are the moral justifications for such a widely accepted normative claim? Finally, this course will also look into the issue of unpredictability. Scientific and applied ecology were for a long time deeply influenced by an equilibrium paradigm in which nature was conceived of as balanced and predictable. But in the 1970s, ecologists started challenged this view and now endorse what some call a “non-equilibrium” view of nature. We will reflect on this new ecology and how it can affect the way in which policy makers and ecologists approach ecological management.”
Spring semester:
Philosophy 9277B: Philosophy of Probability
“This course is an introduction to philosophical issues connected with probability. Emphasis will be on the strengths and limitations of a probabilistic approach to confirmation in science. Topics will include interpretations of probability, Bayesian reasoning and its relation to classical statistical inference, how to understand conditional probability, and application of probabilistic reasoning to case studies in science.”
Philosophy 9279B: Science and Values
“This seminar considers the roles of values in science from four angles: (1) Values in scientific epistemology: heuristics and pragmatics; (2) Whose science is it?: authority, governance and ownership in science; (3) Scientific communication and moral life: trust, testimony, and obligation; (4) Choices: goals, risks, and the aims of science.”
Philosophy 9608B: Consciousness
“We will consider several philosophical theories of consciousness, including the HOT theory, AIR theory, multiple drafts, and dual aspect theory. We will also consider the role of science in explaining consciousness.”
Cool, huh?
Is it Friday?! GOTTA GET DOWN!
So I just found out today that if you ended your time at the U of I in good academic standing, you’re guaranteed readmission if you decide to re-apply.
And I’m sure I’ve told you of my not-so-secret desire to just stay an undergrad and get a major in every single subject offered by a school.
Therefore, this little tidbit of information makes it SO TEMPTING to just go back to undergrad, even though it WOULD be back in Moscow and I WOULD have to deal again with the most incompetent university on the planet.
But of course I won’t. I’m going to Western.
OH, and that got pushed back a few days for several reasons. I’m leaving Wednesday instead of Monday, so maybe we can all hang out at some point after all.
WOO!
Dear Moscow Family Medicine:
Are you incapable of hiring a competent physician? I’d need the fingers on both of my hands, the toes on both of my feet, and about seven octopi in order to count the number of times you guys have screwed things up. And I’m not even a difficult case, medically. Sure, I’ve had my (many) ER visits, but that doesn’t excuse the ridiculously ineffectual “family physician” visits I’ve had over the year (and the THREE EEGs it took to get a good pic of my brain activity).
Ugh.
So here are a few easy-to-implement suggestions for the doctors, eh?
1. Spend more than five minutes with your patient. Yearly physicals tend to involve more than “how are you feeling? Good? Okay, see you next year.”
2. Along the same line, don’t be in such a rush that you get angry with a patient if they don’t change into the little examination gown thingy fast enough (and by “fast enough” you mean in under 30 seconds flat).
3. Raising your eyebrows incredulously when a patient says they’re not sexually active? Inappropriate.
4. Order a blood work to be done when you need it to be done. Don’t waste your patient’s time by going over LAST YEAR’S BLOOD WORK RESULTS. They don’t need to know that their health was perfect 12 months ago.
5. Finally, when a patient says a procedure hurts, STOP SAID PROCEDURE.
Fucking Gritman.
Watermelon are seedy characters
Woah, hey, guess what?
Apparently Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s fame has no sense of smell.
I was unaware of this.
According to the article (forgive me for not referencing it with a link; I copied the text into a Word document but didn’t bookmark the page and now can’t find it in the vastness of the Tubes), “when the company began back in 1978, Jerry would make a flavor and see if it tasted good enough for Ben to notice. Ben also relies heavily on his sense of touch to enjoy food. That is why Ben & Jerry’s is well known for its distinctly chunky ice cream. The chunks of fruit and candy mixed in with the creamy ice cream is designed to provide an enjoyable sensation in your mouth even if you have trouble tasting it.”
Haha, that’s funny…I’ve always liked Ben & Jerry’s best because their ice cream is full of thingies.
Yay anosmics!
Oh dear
I used to have an OK Cupid account ‘cause I was enamored with their quizzes. The whole matchmaking bit was, for me, just “for teh lulz,” but then I got myself a few stalkers (surprise, surprise), so I cancelled my account.
But now I’m back ‘cause I want to take more quizzes. And because getting flattering messages from total strangers every fortnight or so was such an ego boost last time.
YES, I’m that lonely. So sue me.
Anyway, OK had made some changes since I’d last been on there, one of which being an interesting tool called the Match Map. By having you answer 20 match questions, the tool is able to determine which states contain people with who you would match well and which states contain people with which you would clash.
So I answered the questions and received my map. Check it out:
So…apparently the South contains my soulmate. Really weird. Haha, and I’d best stay out of New England if I ever want a dude.
Anyway. Just thought this was an interesting little doodad. OK Cupid has other fun tools as well, which I will take advantage of as time
goes on.
WOO!
And man, Arkansas shot way up when I said that I liked fat dudes.
SPECtacular!
I got new specs today for the first time in 9 years. Check ‘em out!
Yay purple.
That is all.
Eigenblogger 