Why did no one tell me there was a group called “The Pipettes”? Scientist need to know stuff like this. We find it funny. Because we don’t get out enough.
*I know what you are going to say about the pronunciation. My reply is “poTAto, potaTO, you’re wrong”.
If you like food, hate pretentious irony, and think social misfits should get a chance to be successful, then you will probably enjoy this interview of Anthony Bourdain by Mark Maron.
If Bourdain is correct about people (and I suspect he is), people get involved with the cooking industry (around the 55th minute) for the same reasons they get into the scientific industry – and it is not for a love of food or science, though that may come later: Continue reading “Other damaged people”
There is a formal petition to the UK government to pardon war hero and computing innovator Alan Turing. Turing as convicted for “gross indecency”, aka being and acting homosexual. He was subjected to chemical castration, which led to his suicide at age 41. One of humanity’s brightest candles was snuffed out because of intolerance.
We ask the HM Government to grant a pardon to Alan Turing for the conviction of ‘gross indecency’. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ with another man and was forced to undergo so-called ‘organo-therapy’ – chemical castration. Two years later, he killed himself with cyanide, aged just 41. Alan Turing was driven to a terrible despair and early death by the nation he’d done so much to save. This remains a shame on the UK government and UK history. A pardon can go to some way to healing this damage. It may act as an apology to many of the other gay men, not as well known as Alan Turing, who were subjected to these laws.
If the petition gains 100,000 signatures, it will be eligible to be debated in the House of Commons.
*Hat tip to Cory Doctorow at boingboing.
Next to our elevator is a sign telling you what to do in the case of a “fire”. My favorite step (after Step 1: Read this sign) is Step 3:
3. Attack the fire if possible using appliance provided (DO NOT TAKE RISK). Continue reading “Fire action”
The other day, I was inspired to think about creative ways to lose weight. “Creative” meaning solutions that allow one to eat tasty food. That pretty much leaves us with quackery or increasing energy expenditure. Unfortunately, quackery, being quackery, generally does not work, and increasing energy expenditure usually means doing things that are either boring (e.g., jogging) or hard work (e.g., jogging) or both (e.g., jogging).
What really increases your energy usage, isn’t boring, or hard work? Shooting energy beams from your eyes, like Cyclops[1]. Shooting energy beams from your eyes has to require lots of energy, doesn’t it. I mean, they are beams of energy. And, Cyclops always seems to be in pretty good shape. Could the two be connected? Where does the energy for the beams of energy come from? Continue reading “The X-Men Diet”
The Finch and Pea 