Misc.
tsmith | May 4, 2006Sorry in advance about the shameless self-promotion. As mentioned, I'm hosting Grand Rounds next week (so be sure to get your entries in). Each week, the originator of the carnival, Dr. Nicolas Genes, posts a bit about the host on Medscape ("Pre-Rounds"); here's my interview for anyone interested.
Additionally, for those of you in the Iowa City area, I'll be speaking at this month's Cafe Scientifique (the final one of the year) on the topic "Avian Influenza: What's The Big Deal?" The details:
Time: Thursday, 11 May 2006 5:00 - 6:00 PM
Cottage Bakery and Cafe, 14 S. Linn St.
Stop by…
tsmith | April 29, 2006More topics I'd have covered this week, given endless time and energy:
An update on the Chikungunya outbreak I discussed here (and see this comment on the outbreak from a medical entomologist in the region dealing with it first-hand).
Orac on viruses as cancer treatment, inspired by a recent episode of House (more episode reviews by Scott at Polite Dissent can be found here).
An update on mumps activity from the Iowa Department of Health. I haven't written about this in a few days because there's not much more to tell. Cases are still increasing, and they're recommended that students…
tsmith | April 28, 2006Oooh, fun. I have a stack of smelly plates waiting for me in the incubator...but Janet's ABC meme is more interesting. Answers below the fold.
Accent: Midwest, so what most people think of when they say "American accent." Did start saying "waaa-ter" and "cawww-fee" a bit too much after waitressing for several years in Connecticut, but have long shaken that.
Booze: Not much of a drinker. Tried to develop a taste for beer but still hate the stuff. On the rare occasions I actually go out, it's usually something with a vodka base.
Chore I Hate: Vacuuming.
Dog or Cat: Have a dog…
tsmith | April 28, 2006Okay, one more post and I swear I'll stop talking about sex/sexiness for awhile. A reader sent me a link to this page: the real hot 100.
We're tired of the media telling young women how to be "hot"! Maxim Magazine's annual "Hot 100" list exemplifies how young women are viewed in popular culture. The women featured in this leading men's magazine are chosen solely for their appearance.
The REAL hot 100 shows that young women are "hot" for reasons beyond their ability to look cute in a magazine.
REALLY hot women are smart. REALLY hot women work for change. REALLY hot women aren't afraid to…
tsmith | April 28, 2006After hitting on the topic of sexy scientists earlier in the week, this one is kind of the flip side. I probably don't need to tell this audience that a lot of biology ain't exactly glamorous. Sure, there are biologists out there who never have to get their hands dirty, but many of us routinely grow up liters of stinky bacteria, or execute mice or other animals (my own gradute work, for example, involved lots of "spleen homogenization"), or monitor roadkill. Another common project is investigating feces, which can tell us all kinds of wonderous things. So, earlier this week that's what I…
tsmith | April 20, 2006So, it was a gorgeous afternoon yesterday. I picked up the kids, grabbed my laptop, and was planning on doing some writing outside while they played until dinnertime.
Curses, foiled again.
That would be anhydrous ammonia, across the road from our house. Not exactly fun to be outside when they're putting that on the field; the smell is so strong it was literally making me tear up while I put away the kids' bikes.
tsmith | April 18, 2006Coturnix has a really good overview of what's found on various science blogs, for anyone new to the genre or just looking for some new blogs. It's a pretty extensive discussion of different categories, with examples of each.
He also notes:
I'd like to see more bloggers post hypotheses and pilot (unpublished, negative or unpublishable) data. When is it going to happen?
As a new PI, I've considered this--and decided against it. I really haven't discussed my own current research much at all (or even prior, as-yet-unpublished research). For one, I still have collaborators, and I don't know…
tsmith | April 18, 2006As I mentioned, I spent yesterday morning talking microbiology to a bunch of 3, 4, and 5 year olds in my son's preschool class. It was fun, actually--I took along a prepared slide to show them some bacteria under the microscope, and then took a scraping from my son's tongue and Gram-stained it to show them a more realistic bacterial sample (a mixed sample of Gram negatives and positives of different shapes). I also passed around some pictures of bacteria and viruses.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'm used to giving lectures and talking science with high-schoolers and college-age…
tsmith | April 17, 2006Regular readers have probably noticed I rarely do quizzes. I'm just lame like that. But this one was a bit too perfect for this site: What disease are you? My results after the jump.
You Are Ebola!
Also known as Hemorrhagic Fever, you are a risk-taker. You love to travel and experience the world. You are not afraid to walk on the wild side, while still being a funny, yet sarcastic person. Being so open-minded, you have been known to shock people, which is a symptom that occurs within one week of being infected. What happens next? A quick and excrutiating death...technicalities.
OK, I…
tsmith | April 14, 2006I've already gotten several emails (even some worried phone calls!) this morning, making sure I'm OK after tornadoes hit Iowa City last night. I'm fine, the family's fine; parts of Iowa City are not, but it sounds like there weren't any serious injuries. [Edit--I should have read the CNN headline more closely--apparently there was at least one fatality.] I grabbed my camera before running out the door this morning, so I'll have some pics and more information up in a bit...
tsmith | April 13, 2006As others have mentioned, Scienceblogs got a mention (okay, an entire story) in the Online Journalism Review. And hey, in addition to quoting me, they mentioned my post on Chikungunya--gotta love that. They did misquote me, though (or I misspoke)--I don't have cable. Can't get it in the sticks here; the compensation pays for my internet. Other than that, an overall thumbs up.
tsmith | April 13, 2006That is one big freakin' Easter Bunny. Even taking into account the angle of the picture making the rabbit look larger, a 3-ft long, 35 pound rabbit? My granny would have called that some good eatin'.
tsmith | April 10, 2006Via Seed's Daily Zeitgeist, check out the Smithsonian Magazine's photo contest. I'm a photography geek myself, but alas, I just don't have the eye for it to be actually good.
tsmith | April 5, 2006I've not done this before 'cause I didn't want it to sit and be all pitiful without any comments, but occasionally I'll get comments in a thread that are off-topic, or ask questions about something else I've not written about, etc. Obviously I fill this blog with topics that are interesting to me, but at the same time, I don't want to bore everyone to death. So, here's your chance. Have an interesting topic you'd like to read more about? Maybe there was something I touched on previously but you'd like some follow-up? Feel free to drop any suggestions (and they don't have to be limited to…
tsmith | March 29, 2006From this essay (via The Island of Doubt):
Convictions are important things. We do not want our children to have minds so open that their brains fall out. On the other hand, certainty is conviction absent humility. Certainty is intolerant. It is absolute. It knows the answers and will not tolerate disagreement. It is inflexible, permanent and anti-intellectual....
It is the demagogues on both the left and the right who are more interested in advancing their private agendas than in explaining and understanding an entire situation or picture. Their perspective is often, "I know what I know;…
tsmith | March 19, 2006The Daily Transcript, a new Scienceblog, has a nice two-part post on the worst and the best parts of scientific life.
tsmith | March 17, 2006 Not to steal Janet's sprog blogging motif, but overheard in my kitchen last night:
Z (son, age 3): Mommy, your card has a "3" on it! You're three, just like me!
A (daughter, age 6): Uh-uh, that's a thirty, 3-0. She's old now. [dramatic eye roll]
So, break out the botox and retinol...and have a few green beers on me. (Never had a taste for the stuff myself). Happy St. Patrick's Day! (secondarily known as "Tara's birthday")
tsmith | March 15, 2006Tim Lambert over at Deltoid notes Dunk malaria day is coming up this Sunday, and has offered to match donations (up to $300 total) readers make to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria. Very cool--I'm kicking in a few bucks for a good cause--if you do the same, drop a line at Tim's blog.
tsmith | March 13, 2006A bit busy today, so I'll direct you elsewhere for some good reading.
First, afarensis is thinking about re-naming his blog Aetiology Jr. after writing another post on bacterial meta-genomics in the sea; Mike discusses the Republican War on Epidemiology; John has more about the candiru I mentioned here, and Joseph revisits probiotics.
Second, as mentioned, an appeal. Some of you who are Panda's Thumb readers may remember this post from November, mentioning the death of Allan Glenn (aka "WinAce" from Wonderful World of WinAce). If you've not seen that site before, check it out--it's…
tsmith | March 11, 2006Via Pharyngula, I found this site: the Schoepenhauer Awards. Man, I'm in love. Not only do they profile the intestinal roundworm, but they also discuss the Tasmanian tiger (one of my favorite extinct animals); the candiru, a parasitic catfish that enters body openings you'd rather not think about; the scabies mite; and liver fluke.
Finally, they even have an entry on one of my favorite organisms, the human botfly.