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The Substitution Effect
Many times in movies a hero retrieves a desired object through a clever substitution, in which the object is replaced with a worthless but similar item. I seem to fall prey to similar scenarios of my own making, in which I will fail to realize the number of objects in my possession has, in fact,…
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Found My MAP
UMBC has this interesting little subsection on the student portal called “My Academic Profile,” or “MAP.” This page is supposed to display your progress through completing the General Foundation Requirements (GFRs) the university requires before they will allow you to graduate. The caveat? They never update the darn thing, largely because the inane system requires…
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Null Time
I can’t stand those situations when one thing ends just a little bit earlier than expected, leaving me with unoccupied down time before my next appointment begins. I have learned from experience that there is very little that can be squeezed into those twenty minutes or so if I still plan on being on time…
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Blotting My Dismay
After many days of work and waiting through long incubations, I have now screwed up not only the first, but the second Western blot I have ever done in my life. Granted, the problems are relatively minor considering the number of things that could go wrong in such an extended process, but both of my…
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Vindication
Wonderful article from Ars Technica that supports what I (and countless others) have been contending for ages. A brave new world: the music biz at the dawn of 2008
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I Love Gloves
Working in a lab means I have to wear exam gloves for just about everything I do during the day. Since it’s a global policy that gloves cannot be worn outside the lab (for safety reasons), I am constantly gloving and de-gloving. One of the coolest things about wearing exam gloves is that you can…
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Guitar Hero 3
Kyle recently purchased Guitar Hero 3 for the PS3 and it’s been keeping us occupied for the past few weeks. The final song that you play over the credits is “Through the Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce, and is by far the most difficult song in the game. I was finally able to beat it…
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Ready to Cure Cancer?
Even before I began my research position, I have frequently heard people of many different areas of focus, science majors included, talk about “curing cancer.” The implication is that somehow, it would be possible to find a treatment or technique that would be able effectively eliminate the phenomenon. This assumption is extraordinarily frustrating to me…
Matter, Energy, and Life of Michaela A. Castello.