That house I wanted?  Its listing got pulled for a while, so I thought some other lucky person got it.

I see now that it's back up and another $5k cheaper.  Now, it's listed for only $30k!

GAH!  Why does the bank think I'm a bad loan candidate when they tell me outright they they only find good credit history and a good credit score?! GAH!!!

Every time I make a boneheaded programming mistake or fail to remember a math formula that I once knew, I wish I was living my life doing something that kept me focused on a single task and technology instead of needing to dabble in so many different and distracting things. I increasingly notice that I forget the skills that I don't use daily. Still, though, I can do small things that help the people who actually do the hard research.



A month or two ago, I read a curious story about an observation of a brand new kind of chemical reaction. Instead of a reaction being driven by the traditional energy and motion in these molecules, they found that quantum mechanical tunneling caused some chemical reactions. It means (I think) that some reactions can occur while needing much less energy than expected. This story was something quite new to me, and I forwarded it one of my ex-boyfriends ("the chemist") via email. He emailed back quickly to agree that it was an interesting story. A few weeks later, though, he emailed again to say that exactly such a project may enter his lineup of research soon! Yay!

Yesterday, I encountered a story so absurd that I had to submit it as a nomination to the Ig Nobel committee. I got an email reply within 30 minutes, stating, "Thanks, Terry. A worthy nominee." The story was about a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki who compared male penile length to economic performance in various countries. Within a single year (1985), there didn't seem to be much correlation, but when comparing growth from 1960-1985, the data suddenly shifted into a very nice arrangement.


How unexpected a correlation is that?! Could we guess that male ego insecurity might increase economically aggressive pursuits, while the less threatened are more complacent? The whole thing reminds me of the stereotypical monster truck (or sports car) and its inverse relationship with male "ratings" in bed. I hope the author wins an Ig Nobel prize from the nomination and thereby gains some attention for the work. It's certainly no less absurd than the nonsense that mainstream economists are babbling these days. *laugh*

Now, as promised, happy bunnies and dancing unicorns.





There, the world is so less scary now, isn't it?

I edited yesterday's post to make a correction. The guy who saw the graffiti version of the Wells Fargo ad took a photograph of it and sent it to me. The ad was on the bus stop bench, not the bus as I originally wrote.

There's a link to the photograph in the article now, if you'd like to watch.

It amuses me.

I'm probably too late, as the event is supposed to happen starting today, but just in case there's still time...

The U.S. is promoting a global online event meant to be a sort of focus group to build consensus on courses of action that people across the planet can work to achieve together.  Yes, "warm fuzzy" with few specifics.  It's an interesting idea, though.

http://www.globalpulse2010.gov/register.html

I look forward to reading someone's account of their experience with this year's event.  :)

P.S. I just signed in, so registration is still open.  I see topics for sustainability, civil rights, health, etc.

She is speaking locally in April.  I heard her speak about 15 years ago, and she was very good.  It's worth the effort to attend, assuming there are still seats left for this event.

"A Reason For Hope"
Monday, April 19th, 2010 · 7:30 p.m
Beth El Synagogue
5224 W. 26th St. · St. Louis Park, MN 55416

http://www.bethelsynagogue.org/pages/jane-goodall.php

The new year is starting out cold.  I guess that's typical for Minnesota.

Weather.com says it's currently -17F/-27C (-31F/-35C windchill).  I heard the house popping during the night because of the cold.  What's more annoying, though, is that our cable modem drops more than half of its packets when the temperature is this low.  (We think it's because of equipment outside of the house.  It's Comcastic!)

It was a few degrees warmer (but still subzero) when I went out to the New Year's party in my kilt.  Knee-high buffalo skin boots help a lot.

re: boyfriend
Wanting but not having is unpleasant business.  I'll be glad when it passes (again).  I've spent too much time around people lately, I think.  A few weeks alone might help cool such thoughts.

re: health
My left leg hurts again.  It happens a few times a year because of a car accident that I had long ago.  I think it's a nerve problem (one among many) in my lower back that causes pain down one side of my body below my waist.  The only thing that solves it is taking a long soak in a hot bath while drinking a glass of whiskey.  I'll go buy the whiskey shortly and take my bath soon after.

re: democracy
Some people are thinking of new ways to conduct democratic conversation.  That's more optimistic than my recent ponderings.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/democracy/upgrading-the-way-we-do-politics/

re: civil war
My recent ponderings, however, continue to find justification.  Regarding militia training groups, ""This is the most significant growth we've seen in 10 to 12 years," says one. "All it's lacking is a spark. I think it's only a matter of time before you see threats and violence.""  Southern Poverty Law Center has a financial incentive (donations) to encourage fearful discussions, so their opinion should be taken with that small caveat in mind.
http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=392

p.s. (3:08pm) Crown & Royal whiskey is expensive.  Thankfully, Mr. Bubble is not.  Leg is feeling better.  Now to lay down flat for a while to make sure the cure "sticks".

I'm usually really good at hearing past accents, so I'm very curious why I have such extreme difficulty with understanding some songs.

After listening to it many, many times, I finally can understand the majority of the words to the Teen Titans intro song.  The first few times I heard it, though, I couldn't have told you that any of it was in English except for the obvious "Teen Titans" phrase.  I dunno, with the Cartoon Network logo on this one in native Japanese, some of the times I've been watching maybe it really hasn't been English?

It's not just a fluke, though.  Websurfing tonight, I somehow ended up at this song.  On the first viewing, I couldn't have told you that it was sung in English either.  I'm a sucker for llamas, though, so I watched it more than once and finally started understanding a few words here and there.

Do I just not properly hear high-pitched, staccato, female voices?  I'm not sure what's the common acoustic thread between these two examples, since normally I would claim that an accent is less of a barrier for me than it is for other people.

To counteract what seems to be some worry (or pity?) from some folk, I should probably point out that I do maintain an online presence to help me explore the possibility of relationship.  I am always very clear in such profiles, though, to stress SLOW approach and development.  :)  Nothing's come of it, but I just didn't want to be hypocritical about my behavior after explaining to everyone that I have been single for 12 years.  I do try to consider ways of expanding my horizons, however cautiously.