Since I'm now officially a Ph.D. candidate in physical chemistry, I'm going to use this blog to post and share cool things about science.
Here's a cool article published last year from Journal of Physical Chemistry A: http://phys.org/news/2012-05-lemons-lemonade-reaction-carbon-dioxide.html
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Friday, February 12, 2010
virtue and vice presidents
So I forgot that I started this blog. Earnest apologies.
This post stems from the recent episode of a TV show I never watch: The Colbert Report. In an episode earlier this week the host uses Sarah Palin's own speech to make her sound "f-ing retarded". I really don't care about Sarah Palin, but it made me curious about other past presidential candidates.
But they aren't that interesting.
It's the vice-presidents, that's where it's at.
Some might argue that "the vice presidency of America isn't worth a pitcher of warm piss", but we've had some characters. Point in case:
-Dan Quayle. Baller. And he was a DKE. He epitomizes the "good ole boy" system. And his last name is Quayle. Find me any person born between 1987 and 1995 who doesn't immediately think of the Nickelodeon show "Doug".
-Al Gore. His list of impressive life-time achievements includes inventing the internet, demanding a recount, spreading the gospel of global warming, and winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
-Dick "Darth" Cheney. Aside from looking like Darth Vadar, he also shot someone while quail hunting (see Quayle above). Do we even need to mention his involvement with Halliburton? Though I do believe the piece de resistance is the fact that his daughter Mary really stuck it to him when she came out of the closet.
While these are some pretty crazy VPs, there is one I wish I could add to this list.
John Edwards. Nope, not Howard Dean, but John Edwards.
Not that I really liked John Kerry (nor was I even able to vote at the time, though not for lack of trying. Did you know you can be detained for trying to vote at 15?), but Edwards would have fit in nicely with the vice presidents. He had an extramarital affair, a love child, a sick wife, and a charming accent. My favorite fun fact about Edwards though is that in 2004 when he was Kerry's running mate he actually received one electoral vote. Yep. RECOUNT THAT, GORE.
But really, it was what they call a "faithless elector" in Washington. Faithless electors are members of the electoral college who vote differently than they pledge. In 2004, a Minnesota delegate voted for Edwards, presumably by accident, but we just can't know for sure. In most states it is illegal to be a faithless elector, probably because of the mess they caused back in 1836.
So it's 1836. America has been a country for less than a hundred year, Manifest Destiny was a thing of the future, slavery is the south's predominant economic strength, and Martin Van Buren was seeking the presidency. Unfortunately Van Buren's running mate, a Mr. Johnson, was not well-liked for actually living with an African-American woman, but he was a war hero after all. He killed the Indian chief Tecumseh like a good 19th century American.
But his marriage to a slave really pissed of the 23 electors from Virginia so much that they all voted for Van Buren but changed their VP votes. Johnson didn't have enough VP votes, so the Senate, for the first and only time, had to vote for the VP. They did choose Johnson in the end, but his political career flopped.
So to conclude this long-winded tangent I'll just say one last thing:
You go, Richard Johnson. It was 1836 and you married a slave. A mulatto slave. AND you were the vice president. You fit in so well with the modern VPs it's not even funny. But you would have been a better running mate for Obama than for Van Buren.
This post stems from the recent episode of a TV show I never watch: The Colbert Report. In an episode earlier this week the host uses Sarah Palin's own speech to make her sound "f-ing retarded". I really don't care about Sarah Palin, but it made me curious about other past presidential candidates.
But they aren't that interesting.
It's the vice-presidents, that's where it's at.
Some might argue that "the vice presidency of America isn't worth a pitcher of warm piss", but we've had some characters. Point in case:
-Dan Quayle. Baller. And he was a DKE. He epitomizes the "good ole boy" system. And his last name is Quayle. Find me any person born between 1987 and 1995 who doesn't immediately think of the Nickelodeon show "Doug".
-Al Gore. His list of impressive life-time achievements includes inventing the internet, demanding a recount, spreading the gospel of global warming, and winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
-Dick "Darth" Cheney. Aside from looking like Darth Vadar, he also shot someone while quail hunting (see Quayle above). Do we even need to mention his involvement with Halliburton? Though I do believe the piece de resistance is the fact that his daughter Mary really stuck it to him when she came out of the closet.
While these are some pretty crazy VPs, there is one I wish I could add to this list.
John Edwards. Nope, not Howard Dean, but John Edwards.
Not that I really liked John Kerry (nor was I even able to vote at the time, though not for lack of trying. Did you know you can be detained for trying to vote at 15?), but Edwards would have fit in nicely with the vice presidents. He had an extramarital affair, a love child, a sick wife, and a charming accent. My favorite fun fact about Edwards though is that in 2004 when he was Kerry's running mate he actually received one electoral vote. Yep. RECOUNT THAT, GORE.
But really, it was what they call a "faithless elector" in Washington. Faithless electors are members of the electoral college who vote differently than they pledge. In 2004, a Minnesota delegate voted for Edwards, presumably by accident, but we just can't know for sure. In most states it is illegal to be a faithless elector, probably because of the mess they caused back in 1836.
So it's 1836. America has been a country for less than a hundred year, Manifest Destiny was a thing of the future, slavery is the south's predominant economic strength, and Martin Van Buren was seeking the presidency. Unfortunately Van Buren's running mate, a Mr. Johnson, was not well-liked for actually living with an African-American woman, but he was a war hero after all. He killed the Indian chief Tecumseh like a good 19th century American.
But his marriage to a slave really pissed of the 23 electors from Virginia so much that they all voted for Van Buren but changed their VP votes. Johnson didn't have enough VP votes, so the Senate, for the first and only time, had to vote for the VP. They did choose Johnson in the end, but his political career flopped.
So to conclude this long-winded tangent I'll just say one last thing:
You go, Richard Johnson. It was 1836 and you married a slave. A mulatto slave. AND you were the vice president. You fit in so well with the modern VPs it's not even funny. But you would have been a better running mate for Obama than for Van Buren.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
smale's paradox
This absolutely blew my mind today:
According to Smale's Paradox it is possible to turn a sphere inside out (in 3D space) without creating a crease in the material of the sphere. The material must be able to pass through itself. This is a pretty abstruse theory though it seems simple. It's all about turning numbers and waves! But then again, I'm not a differential topologist.
Topology is the study of the shape of things (in a nutshell). Some would say it's actually a type of botany, but that seems more like a joke to me. Famous topologists include Mobius, Klien, and Boy. Mobius is responsible for the Mobius strip, which is basically you're belt but with a twist. Topologists have even inspired some poetry, such as "Mobius-strip Tease" by A.D. Hope.
To quote:
"Four Mobius strips brought my plan to fruition
Ingeniously joined by original sin;
If you rise to the urgings of your male intuition,
you'll find yourself out every time you go in"
Oh ha ha, it's dirty and mathematical. Math can be pretty vulgar though. There have been mathematical proofs to show that women are the root of all evil, and that hell is indeed exothermic. Both of these are interesting arguments.
According to Smale's Paradox it is possible to turn a sphere inside out (in 3D space) without creating a crease in the material of the sphere. The material must be able to pass through itself. This is a pretty abstruse theory though it seems simple. It's all about turning numbers and waves! But then again, I'm not a differential topologist.
Topology is the study of the shape of things (in a nutshell). Some would say it's actually a type of botany, but that seems more like a joke to me. Famous topologists include Mobius, Klien, and Boy. Mobius is responsible for the Mobius strip, which is basically you're belt but with a twist. Topologists have even inspired some poetry, such as "Mobius-strip Tease" by A.D. Hope.
To quote:
"Four Mobius strips brought my plan to fruition
Ingeniously joined by original sin;
If you rise to the urgings of your male intuition,
you'll find yourself out every time you go in"
Oh ha ha, it's dirty and mathematical. Math can be pretty vulgar though. There have been mathematical proofs to show that women are the root of all evil, and that hell is indeed exothermic. Both of these are interesting arguments.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
a note about the Olympics
My roommate has inspired this post since she likes to watch curling when the winter Olympics are on TV:
As we all know, the Olympics originated in Ancient Greece as an athletic contest. Only free, Greek-speaking men were allowed to participate in the events, which were originally only just foot races. Boxing, chariot racing, and discus throwing were added later. So basically the modern Olympics are not very much like the ancient predecessor since we neither speak Greek, all live in Greece, or just run in footraces (there are currently 26 summer Olympic sports). Hopefully we can all read and are freemen, but that doesn't have to be the case.
But here's a fun fact about the origin of the ancient Olympics: it was founded by King Pelops. Now that might not seem very interesting, except mythologically he is the son of Tantalus. Tantalus actually killed his son Pelops and served him to the gods as a meal. The gods punished Tantalus with eternal hunger and thirst and then restored Pelops. Pelops wasn't a nice guy. After literally being mincemeat he cheated during a chariot race to win Hippodameia as his wife. Basically his whole family is cursed since his sons (Atreus and Thyetes) are totally d-bags who also like to make people into pies. And we wonder where Shakespeare thought up some scenes from Titus Andronicus.
But this rant was really supposed to be about curling. Let's see: ice, brooms, rocks? Sounds like communism if it were a sport.
Curling is actually Scottish and has been an Olympic sport since 1998. But they take curling pretty seriously; ice professionals monitor the ice to make sure it stays at the right temperature. That's crazy! There is also handicapped curling, so the Special Olympics can have curling as well.
As we all know, the Olympics originated in Ancient Greece as an athletic contest. Only free, Greek-speaking men were allowed to participate in the events, which were originally only just foot races. Boxing, chariot racing, and discus throwing were added later. So basically the modern Olympics are not very much like the ancient predecessor since we neither speak Greek, all live in Greece, or just run in footraces (there are currently 26 summer Olympic sports). Hopefully we can all read and are freemen, but that doesn't have to be the case.
But here's a fun fact about the origin of the ancient Olympics: it was founded by King Pelops. Now that might not seem very interesting, except mythologically he is the son of Tantalus. Tantalus actually killed his son Pelops and served him to the gods as a meal. The gods punished Tantalus with eternal hunger and thirst and then restored Pelops. Pelops wasn't a nice guy. After literally being mincemeat he cheated during a chariot race to win Hippodameia as his wife. Basically his whole family is cursed since his sons (Atreus and Thyetes) are totally d-bags who also like to make people into pies. And we wonder where Shakespeare thought up some scenes from Titus Andronicus.
But this rant was really supposed to be about curling. Let's see: ice, brooms, rocks? Sounds like communism if it were a sport.
Curling is actually Scottish and has been an Olympic sport since 1998. But they take curling pretty seriously; ice professionals monitor the ice to make sure it stays at the right temperature. That's crazy! There is also handicapped curling, so the Special Olympics can have curling as well.
Monday, November 16, 2009
conspiracy theory
Today the internet was broken across lower middle Tennessee. I'm not really sure how that happens, but I'm glad my school was courteous to send an email out to all of the students informing us of the problem.
Really, Sewanee?
The internet is down and you send an email. Forgive me if I fail to see the sense in that maneuver.
Of course Sewanee is impervious to common sense. For example, last year they tore up the sidewalks several times during peak admission times. Then they covered the new sidewalk in a cover that was incredibly slick. Not a big deal except that the rain didn't run off and then froze. Asses were busted in front of the library.
What I did find interesting in the whole situation was how reliant we all are on the internet. The world might not physically "end" in 2012, but the internet could break and it would feel like the world ended. The era before the world wide web, after all, seems archaic. Imagine having to write a letter to a friend. Imagine not being able to Facebook stalk said friend's most recent pictures and wall posts! This would be truly catastrophic for the age bracket of the population under 35.
Let's see a movie made out of that one! Sure it's not as exciting as the boom, doom, and expensive special effects of the new movie 2012, but it's like Y2K all over again. Except if Y2K actually happened...
haha. Remind me to stock up on water bottles and canned Dora the Explorer veggies next time I go to Wal-Mart because the government plans on destroying the internet *facebook*.
Really, Sewanee?
The internet is down and you send an email. Forgive me if I fail to see the sense in that maneuver.
Of course Sewanee is impervious to common sense. For example, last year they tore up the sidewalks several times during peak admission times. Then they covered the new sidewalk in a cover that was incredibly slick. Not a big deal except that the rain didn't run off and then froze. Asses were busted in front of the library.
What I did find interesting in the whole situation was how reliant we all are on the internet. The world might not physically "end" in 2012, but the internet could break and it would feel like the world ended. The era before the world wide web, after all, seems archaic. Imagine having to write a letter to a friend. Imagine not being able to Facebook stalk said friend's most recent pictures and wall posts! This would be truly catastrophic for the age bracket of the population under 35.
Let's see a movie made out of that one! Sure it's not as exciting as the boom, doom, and expensive special effects of the new movie 2012, but it's like Y2K all over again. Except if Y2K actually happened...
haha. Remind me to stock up on water bottles and canned Dora the Explorer veggies next time I go to Wal-Mart because the government plans on destroying the internet *facebook*.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
secret society
Last night the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta (better known as FIJI) hosted "Guidopalooza". Needless to say, the Jersey shore is a little misplaced in lower middle Tennessee.
But this really has to do with a conversation I had with a sorority sister by the name of Sarah Pinson a couple days ago at lunch.
Why did they chose Phi, Gamma, and Delta as their Greek letters?
Do they mean anything?
What about other Greek organizations like SAE, ATO, ADPi, and PhiMu?
There is an answer. On the FIJI crest there is a Greek motto (which I am spelling phonetically from the original Greek): philotes glukutate dunasteia. But if you were looking at the original Greek it would be pretty clear that the first letter of each of these 3 words spells out Phi Gamma Delta. Translated to English, this phrase means "Friendship, the sweetest influence".
For SAE, the crest actually says Sigma Alpha Epsilon, just spelled out in Greek.
ATO is more based on Christian principles, not really Greek. Their crest says "pi epsilon pi", which is probably a huge chapter secret. I'm not too terribly interested in learning this secret either.
The sororities actually started out as societies, the Adephean Society (ADPi) and the Philomathean Society (PhiMu). As for my own sorority, good old Alpha Delta Theta?
Who the hell knows. We don't have a Greek motto. Sometimes I feel like we knocked off ADPi and/or the security company.
But this really has to do with a conversation I had with a sorority sister by the name of Sarah Pinson a couple days ago at lunch.
Why did they chose Phi, Gamma, and Delta as their Greek letters?
Do they mean anything?
What about other Greek organizations like SAE, ATO, ADPi, and PhiMu?
There is an answer. On the FIJI crest there is a Greek motto (which I am spelling phonetically from the original Greek): philotes glukutate dunasteia. But if you were looking at the original Greek it would be pretty clear that the first letter of each of these 3 words spells out Phi Gamma Delta. Translated to English, this phrase means "Friendship, the sweetest influence".
For SAE, the crest actually says Sigma Alpha Epsilon, just spelled out in Greek.
ATO is more based on Christian principles, not really Greek. Their crest says "pi epsilon pi", which is probably a huge chapter secret. I'm not too terribly interested in learning this secret either.
The sororities actually started out as societies, the Adephean Society (ADPi) and the Philomathean Society (PhiMu). As for my own sorority, good old Alpha Delta Theta?
Who the hell knows. We don't have a Greek motto. Sometimes I feel like we knocked off ADPi and/or the security company.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
sticky sap
Story:
Today I noticed that PKE, a local sorority, had decorated its front door with wrapping paper to make it look like a present.
Rant:
It is November 14. Thanksgiving is still over a week away. I'm very much against Christmas decorations going up so early. This is not wholly directed at you, PKE. Wal-Mart and CVS have their decorations up as well. Oh Christmas, you consumer holiday! It's not surprising though, considering that even the wise men brought Jesus gifts. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold, well, is gold. That's a pretty nice present.
Frankincense is a type of incense that comes from a tree. It was also used to make Egyptian eyeliner. Nice smelling makeup is still a good gift.
And myrrh. Well. The Romans used it as an additive in their wines as well as a cover up for the smell of burning corpses. According to a Greek myth later adopted by the Roman poet Ovid, the myrrh tree was created when Myrrha was punished. Myrrha, daughter of either Theias or Cinyras (Ovid), was in love with her father and slept with him. She became pregnant and bore Adonis of all people after turning into a tree. Adonis was the most beautiful man that ever lived, which says something really weird about incest if you stop to think about it.
But backtrack another second. Myrrha was punished for wanting what you can't have. The wise men gave Jesus myrrh. Is this a subtle message that we want what we can't have!?!?! That's a little too philisophical/theological for my taste, but it just seemed interesting.
On a last interesting side note, Myrrha also appears in Dante suffering from rabies. How she got rabies is unknown, especially since she is a tree, but it's worth mentioning.
That was a long rant that really didn't have much to do with Christmas.
Today I noticed that PKE, a local sorority, had decorated its front door with wrapping paper to make it look like a present.
Rant:
It is November 14. Thanksgiving is still over a week away. I'm very much against Christmas decorations going up so early. This is not wholly directed at you, PKE. Wal-Mart and CVS have their decorations up as well. Oh Christmas, you consumer holiday! It's not surprising though, considering that even the wise men brought Jesus gifts. They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold, well, is gold. That's a pretty nice present.
Frankincense is a type of incense that comes from a tree. It was also used to make Egyptian eyeliner. Nice smelling makeup is still a good gift.
And myrrh. Well. The Romans used it as an additive in their wines as well as a cover up for the smell of burning corpses. According to a Greek myth later adopted by the Roman poet Ovid, the myrrh tree was created when Myrrha was punished. Myrrha, daughter of either Theias or Cinyras (Ovid), was in love with her father and slept with him. She became pregnant and bore Adonis of all people after turning into a tree. Adonis was the most beautiful man that ever lived, which says something really weird about incest if you stop to think about it.
But backtrack another second. Myrrha was punished for wanting what you can't have. The wise men gave Jesus myrrh. Is this a subtle message that we want what we can't have!?!?! That's a little too philisophical/theological for my taste, but it just seemed interesting.
On a last interesting side note, Myrrha also appears in Dante suffering from rabies. How she got rabies is unknown, especially since she is a tree, but it's worth mentioning.
That was a long rant that really didn't have much to do with Christmas.
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