Iron Man

Sorry, busy preparing for interview. Much stress.

Saw Iron Man. It was good! Second favorite superhero movie after Batman. Being human, without magic powers, helps, I think.

Fold It

Got some time on your hands and want to help biomedical research, but don't know anything about science? You can help by playing Fold It, the protein folding game!

Proteins are molecules that do everything in the body that needs to be done. They're the little robot machines that run the place. They're long chains of amino acids--some can be millions of amino acids long--kind of like a rope with different squiggly bits hanging on the sides. Except that the rope bunches up into a big ball. The final shape determines what they can do, but we don't know how to figure out how they fold up. We try to use computers, but they tend not to have common sense.

This is where you come in. You can help figure out how proteins fold by playing Fold It, in which you fold a protein for points, so how happy you can make it. This helps the scientists unlock the mystery, while killing precious minutes of your boredom with the addictive toy!

You can register to play here, or first watch a video explaining how it works here.

Synecdoche, New York

What am I up to? I am trying to learn C++ as fast as possible. It is really boring. Nothing to say here, really.

Charlie Kaufman's new film is Synecdoche, New York. The name alone makes me want to see it. $2 for whoever knows the difference between synecdoche and metonymy without looking it up...

Actually, trailers for Get Smart made me laugh out loud, which never happens on commercials, and I'm not really a fan of Steve Carrell, so I have some hope there. I'm not a huge fan of Hollywood and haven't enjoyed the big screen in a while, but I am a hopeful creature and some mindless entertainment may do this gentle heart some good -- see, two synecdoches and two metonymies in one sentence!

Weighing puzzles

It's puzzle time! Here are some well-known puzzles involving weighing, and to be inclusive, they're at varying levels of difficulty.

1. Easiest

You have three identical-looking gold ingots. Turns out, though, that one is fake, and the fake one weighs less than the other two. You also have a two-armed scale, the kind that balances when the two sides are the same weight but doesn't give you numbers. How can you identify the fake ingot using only one weighing?

2. Not so easy

You work at a Pfizer warehouse, where you received ten crates of Viagra, only it turns out that one of the crates is full of fake pills. Luckily, you know that proper Viagra pills weight 10 grams each, while the fake ones are off by a gram--either 9 grams each or 11 grams each, you're not sure. You have a scale, that gives weights in grams. However, you can only do one weighing on the scale before the battery dies, so there's no way to take a pill from each crate and weigh them one at a time. Your boss is waiting to ship the pills to pharmacies, and your job is on the line. How do you identify the faulty batch with just one weighing? (You can't use any other method besides weighing, you sick perverts you.)

3. Harder

Uh-oh! Before you got a chance to weigh any of those Viagra, you find out that you don't know how many of those crates have faulty pills! How do you, in just one weighing, identify all of the fake crates?

4. Hardest

You have 12 identical-looking metal balls, all of the same weight except one, which weighs either more than the rest or less than the rest. You have a two-armed scale. How can you identify the different ball (and whether it's heavier or lighter than the rest) with only three weighings?

Boris the Bird

This weekend, walking to the store, I almost stepped on a pretty tiny bird. Tori, fortunately, recognized the passarene as an exotic breed that must be someone's domesticated companion. A domesticated bird wouldn't last long in the wild, so we chased the bird for twenty minutes with various found items, finally catching the cute little thing in a grocery store basket, and we made him a temporary home in my overturned wastebasket. Egbert turned out to be a male zebra finch, native to Australia and Indonesia. Emmet would honk a lot, sounding like a dog's squeeze toy. Really annoying in the early morning. But we fed him, made a little perch for him, and occasionally let Hidalgo fly about the room (unintentionally, but whatever). And, although we never settled on a name for the fellow, we finally found Humbert Humbert a home with one of Tori's friends who had some two dozen zebra finches already, and as zebra finches are gregarious birds, hopefully he is now getting along brilliantly with new friends, though I sort of miss him. So very cute!

Hell's Vegan Kitchen

On Hell's Kitchen, chef Ramsey had contestant chefs taste three dishes -- chicken cacciatore, beef stew, and sausage ravioli -- and guess the missing ingredient. None of them could tell that they all used soy protein meat substitutes instead of actual meat.

If meat substitutes are good enough to fool chefs, why do we need to keep abusing and killing sentient individuals?

Laser eye surgery

I went to a laser eye doctor, suggested by my optometrist. She said I was good to go. However, she was super-expensive.

So I went to a second doctor suggested by coworkers. He said I was good to go. However, he acted rather shady and impatient. He also said that I shouldn't go to the first doctor, that he can't tell me why because he doesn't speak ill of other doctors, but that she has a reputation in the community.

Now freaked out about both doctors, I asked my optometrist for alternative suggestions. I went to one, but it turned out he was not a laser eye doctor at all. His coworker was, who said I was good to go. Since this guy didn't come from a referral, I was hesitant, and he suggested another doctor if I wanted to try someone else.

Since my optometrist had mentioned that same other doctor too, I tried this fourth guy. He said, I'm not a good candidate for surgery! So now I'm totally freaked out. Were the first three not trustworthy? Am I taking an undue risk with my eyesight? Ahhhhhhh!

What should I do?

Rebel of Faith

Question: Does the phrase "Rebel of Faith", without further context, mean to you

1. a rebel, who is a person of faith, or
2. a rebel against faith?

Cosi wired

Good news: Cosí has free wifi! Not as ubiquitous as Starbucks, but it's free. Know any other chains with free wifi?

Also, I was walking through Soho this weekend when I came across a Method store, of Method soaps and other products! You may know that I'm a fan of their designs, particularly their hand soap, creamy hand soap, and dish soap, so it was cool to see this (albeit pop-up, i.e. temporary) store on Broadway.

Duvet

This weekend, I finally visited Duvet, a club in which people hang out on beds. I remember seeing BED, another such club now closed, on Sex and the City and thinking that the fictional idea was a cool one. Well, it wasn't fictional and now I've seen it. It is cool. However, apart from the beds, I can't say a lot of good things about Duvet. Making the bar look like glowing ice is passable, but comes across as kind of cheesy rather than smokin'. And the jellyfish tank looks sad. I was not impressed.

But two thumbs up on the beds. So nice to lounge like that when off the dance floor.

Later hung out at (forgot the name) and Gstaad, both of which were cool bars with good crowds, though after a while the "trendy" look becomes really repetitive. Still, they don't have places like this in other cities I've lived in, so I appreciate it all.

Stupid journalism

A story in the Washington Post today reports a study that found that teenagers who have had intercourse are more likely to have had oral sex than teenagers who had not had intercourse.

Amazing newsflash: kids who avoid having sex also tend are less likely to have oral sex! Is this the stupidest news story ever or what?

It's worse than stupid. The authors use this to argue against those who say kids who avoid intercourse will turn to oral sex as a substitute. But of course, this shows no such thing. You learn nothing about what virgins are doing by looking at what the sluts are doing. Just because the promiscuous are doing it every which way doesn't change the fact that those teenagers who are avoiding intercourse may be turning to other sexual activities. Comparing the two groups tells you nothing.

Is this a failure of basic common sense logical reasoning on the part of a major newspaper? Our school system must be failing miserably.

I should post

I have not been posting here, which is a death knell as far as readers are concerned. There's little worse than coming to a site and finding nothing new there, not just once but repeatedly. Why come back at all?

Alright, there's a lot worse. Like the earthquake in China that killed 30,000 people. Or the cyclone in Myanmar that killed at least 80,000 people, with another 60,000 people missing, and a government that refuses to let aid in to help the starving homeless people. I don't know why I get more motivated to do something about a war criminal who massacres 3,000 Bosnian civilians to ethnically cleanse Srebrinica--I guess it's all about evil intent. Fortunately, we can help. All y'all, take some money and donate it to relief agencies. You are quite literally saving a life. Come on, you have $10 for a movie, how much is saving lives worth to you?

I know that a lot of people suffered in these natural disasters, but for me it hit especially hard, because about the same time as I heard about those disasters, I found out that Press Toast is gone. That's right, no more malawah with chocolate, strawberries, and bananas. Depressing, is what it is.

Action alert for NYers

A “canned shoot" is a type of hunt that occurs on enclosed grounds and is typically patronized by wealthy individuals who pay huge sums of money to kill tame animals (i.e. bred in captivity or retired from zoos and circuses). Even hunters condemn them because they violate the rules of "fair chase."

If you live in NY, please contact Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and say, "I'm calling to ask Speaker Silver to pass bill A. 2612, which would ban canned hunting." It's that simple.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
NYS Assembly, L.O.B., Albany NY 12248
Ph.: 518-455-4911
Fax: 518-455-5459

Will Smith in Times Square

This weekend, I were walking through Times Square where Will Smith was filming a movie (judging by his superhero-suit, looks like it was Hancock). The shot was him walking side by side with someone else, and when he walked back for another shot, he smiled and waved at the gathered crowd across the street. This is really my first catch of celebrity movie-making -- well, I saw Justing Timberlake shooting a video a couple years back, but I didn't even know what the guy looked like at the time so it meant little to me. In spite of what people always say about seeing celebrities in person, Will Smith looked exactly like he does on screen.

Which reminds me: During the Passover seder, my father mentioned that actors are all short, and only fancy camera work makes it seem otherwise. We at the table had trouble thinking of tall actors -- I could only come up with Conan O'Brien, who isn't really even an actor. But, thanks to the internet, it's easy to find many who are over 6 foot, including Will Smith. Some other examples: James Cromwell, Tim Robbins, Jeff Goldblum, Liam Neeson, Steven Segal, Jim Carrey, Pierce Brosnan, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Danny Glover, Keanu Reeves, and Bill Cosby.

Gas prices

People are complaining about high gas prices, because they're used to such ridiculously cheap prices -- as the oil companies like to point out, it's the cheapest liquid you can buy besides water. For some perspective, let's look at prices per gallon in some European countries, and imagine what that would be like:

Norway $8.73
United Kingdom $8.38
France $8.07
Germany $7.86
United States $3.45

Does that make you feel better about filling 'er up?

While the US is close to the bottom, there are countries with cheaper gas, thanks to government subsidies. For example:

Venezuela $0.12
Iran $0.40
Saudi Arabia $0.45

So, if you prefer, wish that you were living in Saudi Arabia. Especially if you're a woman, as you'd have the special privilege of not driving, lucky you. The money you'd save as a prisoner in your own home! One can dream...

[Source: CNNMoney]

The Duke's Men of Yale

This weekend I went to visit Yale. Yale is famous for its a cappella singing groups -- there are many, and they are so good -- and they serve as Yale’s version of fraternities. To join one, you don’t just audition, you rush.

I remember going to “Camp Yale,” an actual summer camp for freshpeople (yes, we called first-years by the gender neutral term there), in the woods, sleeping in bunks, as a kind of orientation for incoming students. One evening, among the presenters, the Duke’s Men came and performed a few song. It was the most amazing musical experience of my life. I was awash in happiness. I was transported. I still remember the short Indian guy who did the solo for “Carolina on my Mind” and the tall red head who sang “Don’t Know Much About History.” Those songs never did anything for me before, but this… this… I can’t describe it.

I rushed the singing groups two years straight just so I could go to all the personal concerts. My favorite group was Redhot&Blue, a mixed-gender group of operatic diva type singers who did Cole Porter era song. I never missed one of their concerts the whole time I was at Yale. I can’t underscore this enough: no music I have ever heard has had the same power that these groups did. And when I left Yale, I lost it. I don’t know why a cappella exists only on college campuses. If the Yale students alone could do this, imagine what drawing from a broader talent pool might do.

Alas, I tried to make treks from DC to Connecticut to see performances. Redhot seemed to lose the magic after I graduated, but the Duke’s Men never did. And so, seeing a concert scheduled for this weekend, I resolved to go get my fix again, after too many years.

I had worrisome hints. Why was the concert off campus, after classes ended, and with free admission? Turns out, this was no ordinary concert, but a reunion concert of former Duke’s Men going back to the 1950’s. My heart sank. Old men can’t sing, and listening to 75-year-olds trying to croak out “Jeepers Creepers” was excruciating. They looked out of the 50’s, all white in standard blazers and crew cuts. No less painful was hearing 60-year olds perform a death-struggle with tonality in an effort to render “Red Balloon.” The were singing in groups, moving forward in time chronologically. Perhaps as a reflection of the 70’s, these guys looked and sang like pansies. I muttered disappointment. I would have left.

I’m so glad I did. The groups get better as they got younger. When Da Doox from the 90’s game up, the game had changed. These guys still had it. It was... incredible. The magic was all there. There really aren’t words. The music reached at the core of me. I welled up, felt like crying. An enormous smile was plastered across my face, completely outside of my control.

What can I say. There is nothing like it. I never have this kind of experience listening to CD’s, so I don’t know if this is standard workaday fare for music fans. I don’t listen to music much, and when I say I like a song, it usually means I think it’s kind of nice. But this, this transcendent thing, this basking in pure joy... It was worth the trip to New Haven, the sitting through interminable attempted crooning, it was worth everything and more for those five songs. I can't explain it.

I hope you ever feel that way. I think how easily my life could have passed never experiencing such a thing. And how many unmissable experiences I'll be denied without even knowing what I'm missing. And I sigh at the thought.

Gas taxes

Clinton and McCain both proposed suspending the 18 cent gas tax for the summer as a response to high gas prices. Then economists pointed out that, since the supply of gas is fixed for the summer (since refineries are at full capacity), the price is set by demand -- that is, dropping the tax will not change the price of gas, only leave more money for oil industry profits. This is straightforward economics 101, with a vertical supply curve: if the price drops, companies will keep raising it until demand falls to meet the supply.

Ooh, snap! Clinton and McCain are apparently incompetent morons.

Obama has rejected the plan, interestingly, by saying that it will only save the average driver about $28, which he calls an ineffectual gimmick. Perhaps that's easier to explain?

Passover's Over

Now that Passover is over, here's a cheesy-cute Jewish video about it, to welcome you back to my blog:


I visited my family for the seder, and included a pre-seder hike on the Little Devil Stairs. (Discuss: which are little, the devil or the stairs?)
I broke Passover with a Luna tea cake, rather than my traditional pizza. How about you?