The Next Big Thing

These days the brevity is all the rage. 160 characters before the second text starts. Tweet this, tweet that, #shortandsweet.

I'm looking forward to the next big thing, contextual messages. In these messages all kinds of information will pre and proceed the other embedded messages. The context will explain what has happened and foreshadow what is to come.  We might have to wait a while for the next big thing, until then I we'll just have to stick to books.

Buena Suerte

Buena Suerte

Good Times

There was discussion around the value of unifying fundraising efforts to support all projects/trips rather than on a trip by trip basis. There was discussion around the value of personal accountability as well as the importance of creating a more long term fund raising strategy that can be resilient through school staffing changes. The discussion was tabled until the next meeting. 

Halloween Ideas

As a lad one of my favorite treats to get at halloween time was a popcorn ball. Tonight I thought of another great take on the balled treat.  What would you think of passing out edible figurines made of pressed sticky rice. Sounds good to me.

Game Plan

As I'm thinking about how I'll start in on my targeted evolution/science writing again I've been considering what to write about and how to write it.  I think it will be important to just write to the end then go back to review. I've gotten stuck in an endless cycles of review and edit in the past and I don't want to go back there again.

I also think that I will write from a perspective of addressing common issues people have with evolution.  As I managed to keep the though from being completely fleeting this morning I jotted down transitional species and age of earth as topics that are often sighted as troublesome for "believing" in evolution.

If anyone can think of other topics PLEASE POST THEM TO COMMENTS .  We are approaching the end of the year and I'd like to get something done before then.

Even Though

Even though it has Julia Roberts in it Mirror Mirror isn't the worst movie. The kids had fun. It was fun.

Back to Work, Again

Once again it is time to get back to work. In order to get it right, first it has to get done.

"The last thing one discovers in composing a work is what to put first."
  -- Blaise Pascal

One theory to rule them all

Cell Biology, invertebrate Anatomy, comparative vertebrate anatomy and plant biology. I was cautioned against this work load for good reason. It was a beast. Four upper level lab classes, four labs etc etc. The journey brought me from the forests to the swaps, from the tops of mountains to the depths of the seas.  And on this journey, amidst the fatigue, the isolation from my family and the camaraderie with some strange and incredible characters I found the theory.

One theory to rule them all,
one theory to find them,
one theory to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

32 is less than half of 64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfCcvlLEwZo

Not sure if you knew but it turns out that 32 is a lot less than 64. If you end up watching the video you really only have to watch the first minute or so to get the explanation. The rest is just about upgrading if you are interested in that.

The Elusive Green Screen

Weather professionals make the green screen look really easy. Every night they stand in front of that monochromatic monolith and are transported into weather systems or amongst animated graphics. They do have advantages in terms of technology and a permanent set up. The biggest challenge for an amateur chromokeyer is creating the single solid color that can be easily removed by any number of software applications. Shadows are an issue, folds are an issue, the color and texture of materials are issues. But it’s all worth it.

And you said you'd never use it in real life

Scene opens in long view of Martian landscape. There is a pod in view as well as a suited worker outside the pod working amidst some science equipment.

Cut to inside of pod. A second worker is attending a heads up display (HUD) control panel and monitoring various feeds. The primary feed is of the suited worker outside the pod.

Pod Attendant: [Inside pod looking over a nearly completed request form]Do you have a count on the remaining supplies? I’d like to make a request to the main colony for additional supplies before we lose satellite communication.

Suited Worker: [View from the helmet of the suited worker] Looks like we have about 15 sols of food and water left and enough sensors for 5 or 6 more dust storm soundings. When we came out here I thought we’d have plenty of sensors to accomplish our mission but were almost out.

Pod Attendant: We had plenty but we keep losing sensors in the dust storms or blasting them so far that they can’t be retrieved. [Animated recap of sensor loss is displayed on HUD as Pod Attendant recounts the team’s challenges]

Suited Worker: It sure would be nice if we could retrieve and reuse some of the sensors. I guess we’ll need to request some more from the main base. [View from Suited Worker’s helmet glancing over at pod]

Pod Attendant: [Inside pod] Hey I’m getting a transmission from headquarters. Looks like the engineers have come up with a solution so we don’t lose so many sensors. I’ll send it to your helmet so you can take a look.

Suited Worker: [Inside helmet, graph appears on helmet HUD] Oh I see what they did here. They did some test launches and made a graph to help us predict the force we’ll need on the rocket based on the size of the dust storm we want to sound. It looks pretty simple to use. We just have to match the distance we need with the force that will get us there. [an example of how the graph works is animated and seen on the HUD as the suited worker describes the graph]

Pod Attendant: [Inside Pod attendant pulls up satellite imagery] Well we’re going to get our chance to test the engineers graph because satellite imagery indicates that we’ve got a dust storm bearing down on our location and we’ll need to get some sensors in the air ASAP.

Suited Worker: Ok I’ll start loading the rocket. How many sensors should we use this time?

Pod Attendant: Let’s start with just one. Until we know this graph is going to work we better not risk losing too many sensors. And you better hurry. The storm is coming in quick and we’ll need to get you inside before it reaches our location.

Suited Worker: [inside helmet looking at loaded rocket the graph and other data blinks out from the HUD] Alright I’ve got the sensor loaded but I lost the graph in my helmet display. I can’t predict the force we’ll need without that graph.

Pod Attendant: [Inside pod HUD display breaks up and cuts in and out] Yeah it looks like the storm is interfering with our communications. My display is breaking up inside the pod too.

Suited Worker: We’re going to need that graph to make the prediction. Maybe we can get another engineering team to recreate the graph for us.

Pod Attendant: I think I know just who to call. I just hope the message will get to them in time. [Pod Attendant sends a message just as his display blinks out]

Message appears on screen for audience to read before blinking out – “Engineering Team- we need your help. Test rocket sensors and record all data. Create a graph to help predict the force needed to travel through dust storms and MAKE SURE IT WORKS! Hurry- the storm is coming!

So much done so little time to write…so maybe later

Today was a glorious and busy day filled with potential blog fodder. However one of the results of the day’s event is low screen time with the old computer and a late night. So rather than expanding on any of these topics I’ll list them and perhaps come back to one or some at a later date.

To buy men’s pants today you have to be built like a girl

Donuts- they’re not just for breakfast anymore

Talk to strangers

So ends another reading of the Hobbit

Another great wedding

Secure enough to leave the door open

Best people ever

What do you get when you put a sports agent, neuro nurse, corporate lawyer, pediatric nurse, corrections worker, hair stylist, accountant, pastor and a science teacher around the same table?

Building a Better Bell

The local taco shack has been going through an upgrade so we drove to the other bell in our area only to find it was closed.  Hoping to find the new store open we were happy to see the lights on and the paring lot full of cars. However as we drew closer it became clear that the public was not yet allowed in and we had to settle for chicken.

End with a Bang

4 pitches, four balls, first at bat, safe on first.

4 pitches, four balls, second at bat, double play kept me from second.

Pep talk, new stance, ball one high, fouled one straight back, ball two low, fouled one back, ball three low, pick up the ball above the shoulder, load, hands to the ball, jammed to third base, fielder's choice, safe on first.

Catcher overthrows down to first , advance to second, middle doesn't hold, take off for third, throw is off line and into the baseline, athletic play to get to ball, carries third baseman into base path, collision, holds ball, out on the tag.

Not my fault

I'm a pretty regular pocket dialer. Like everyone else I don't mean for it to happen but feel some responsibility when it does. Yesterday asn sat, still, oh the couch my wife presented her phone to me had lo and behold she was getting a call from me.  The phone was in my pocket, I was sitting still and a number was dialed. I don't think I can take responsibility for that.

So Ends Another Season of Our Lives

Kids, soccer, practice, games. Learn, work hard, have fun. Play in space, hustle back. Tuesday nights-open. Saturday mornings-open.

What are they?

What are the important questions? What are the important things to do? What are the implications of doing them or not? Asking them or not? What if you're doing other things or thinking about something else? How do you start?

Least productive day ever

After a nice book discussion early in the morning we spent the rest of the day on the couch. There was a brief trip to Cub for hot dog buns,milk duds and whoppers after my nap but that was about it for the day. We did watch Karate Kid two, several clips of American Ninja Warrior and a documentary about monster trucks, so the day wasn't comketely lost.  I guess I worked through about 40% of a book too. Great day.

Battle of Wits

Sometimes in a battle of wits victory depends on a little luck and asking the right kind of question. Take this exchange as a case in point.

What has roots as nobody sees,
      Is taller than trees,
      Up, up it goes,
      And yet never grows?

Thirty white horses on a red hill,
      First they champ,
      Then they stamp,
      Then they stand still.

Voiceless it cries,
      Wingless flutters,
      Toothless bites,
      Mouthless mutters.

An eye in a blue face
      Saw an eye in a green face.
      “That eye is like to this eye”
      Said the first eye,
      "But in low place,
      Not in high place."

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
      Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
      It lies behind stars and under hills,
      And empty holes it fills.
      It comes first and follows after,
      Ends life, kills laughter.

A box without hinges, key, or lid,
      Yet golden treasure inside is hid.

A live without breath,
      As cold as death;
      Never thirsty, ever drinking,
      All in mail never clinking.

No-legs lay on one-leg, two-legs sat near on three-legs, four-legs got some.

This thing all things devours:
      Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
      Gnaws iron, bites steel;
      Grinds hard stones to meal;
      Slays king, ruins town,
      And beats high mountain down.

What have I got in my pocket?

Boom! Game, set, match. Post answers to comments.

Good Kids

We were settling into the quiet part of the night, the time for reading just before bed, when my middle guy announced that he had something to read. He went to his back pack and pulled out a staple bound bundle of notebook paper filled with handwritten stories. He went on to tell me that he and his friends wrote them at school, not because they had to as part of an assignment, but because they had some extra time and thought it would be fun. We postponed our impending bed times and read the book together right there on the spot. The stories were filled with humor and also the sources of pride and worry that exist in the minds and experiences of 10 year old boys.

Soon after, the oldest presented an alphabet he had created.  He had fashioned 26 new characters to replace those used in traditional English writing. I again inquired about the motivation for the alphabet, thinking it was an assignment for school, only to hear again that he had just done it for fun. The characters were as unique as their author and thoughtfully expressive in their visual equivalent to the onomatopoeic  relationship they share with the sounds they will make when spoken.

Blah blah blah

Blah blah blah
Head shake, pompus smile, head shake
Blah blah blah
That's a fact
That's a lie
Blah blah blah

6th Grade Education

Recently I sat, captive in a room filled with elementary age kids, and heard an incredibly illogical position described as logical and a logical position as illogical. The positions were respectively, the creation of the world by the Divine and the creation of the world by the Big Bang.  The former bolstered by the first creation account in Genesis and the later mischaracterized as just a theory.  

I need to be clear. I was in the room because I believe in many of the same things as the speaker; The inerrancy of the Bible, the existence of God, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the freedom from sin He offers us all if we will only believe and accept it, and the importance of teaching our kids those same truths.

I also need to be clear that as I sat in that room my blood boiled, I bit my tongue and feared for every impressionable young mind that sat in the room with me.

Faith, by definition, is at least in part, illogical. Science, by definition, is logical.

It is possible to effectively convince a group of kids that the illogical is logical and the logical is illogical. You can condition your audiences response with your tone and phrasing  "... can you believe some people think the world began with a bang?... Like a firecracker…?" and mischaracterizations "…this is what is called a theory…which is just an idea…"

However this type of indoctrination falls apart in the face of actual facts and logic.

When these same kids are in high school or college, faced with a mountain of logic and evidence in favor of scientific explanations of the natural world, their world will seem to be presenting a choice. And what choice are they more likely to make?

They may think it through like this.

When I was 10 years old my Bible teacher said I shouldn't believe in science, instead I should believe in God. But now my science professors have shown me, and I've even seen for myself, that science ideas are not just ideas, but ideas built on evidence and reason. These ideas have been held to the highest levels of scrutiny and have stood up.

 The science makes sense.

But my Bible teacher said I should be skeptical of science…

But science says even science should be skeptical of itself…and only hold as true what holds up to the best evidence.

Who should I believe? Who is in a more believable position?

If my Bible teacher was wrong about science…maybe she was wrong about God too…

This might sound extreme but I know it can happen because it happened to me. I'm fortunate to have seen this crisis of indoctrination, logic and faith all play out in my adult life. Being a late comer to faith I was fortunate to have the maturity to consider and think and be patient and pray and read and learn and grow and pray and find peace. Peace with science, peace with my faith and peace with the knowledge that we have been made by a Creator God who doesn't ask us to reject logic, but emboldens us to pursue truth, because if it is true it is from Him.

Case in point

I recently asked if nothing can be something and tonight I found a case that proves the point.  There is a group I have been a part of that reviews its budget every year and every year maintains a line item that used to be used for a specific purpose. However in the last 5 years that use has evolved away from its original intention to the point that the money is paying for something that is completely different than its original intent. The money is doing something good but not the good it used to do.  We've let something happen by doing nothing. Tonight we recognized that fact, actually said it out loud and now we can move the money into the area that was using it anyway. Really nothing has changed but at least we did something about it. 

What do you get?

What do you get when you mix a carpenter, an architect, a science teacher, an engineer, a corporate VP and a pastor?
A really great time.

Give it up fo the runners

Today almost 200,000 people ran the Twin Cities Marathon. That's a lot. I know at least 2 of them and got to watch them at different points throughout the race. It was fun, they did a great job and both said they will never do it again. This might be true but I've heard this kind of statement before. It is often heard outside of delivery rooms after a marathon of a different sort, but then after the pain of the moment fades, perspectives change. This might have been a last marathon for some, but it might not too. Either way the task was Herculean and the effort was epic. Job well done.

Let's Kick It

This afternoon in crisp fall air and under a steel grey sky the good guys beat the bad guys in a 5 ½ inning game of pick up kick ball. Snow flurries arrived late in the game but never threatened its competition. The bad guys were anchored by two seasoned league players but a pair of gutty kid performances helped the good guys in their victory.  No doubt the falling temperatures factored into the game as the air filled kick ball flattened throughout the contest as the air filling it continuously donated some of its energy to its colder surroundings. The game may also have been impact by the previous overconsumption of ribs, potato salad, cole slaw and beans. However this fact didn’t prevent any of the players from enjoying post game cookies and cake before parting ways.

Not sure if you knew about it

Not sure if you knew about it but there is a wealth of free books out there. Oh sure there is the library but if you want free books, now, you can always turn to the wealth of pages in the world of the public domain. Basically anything you were supposed to read or heard you should read is available, as long as it’s old. There are audio books too.  I have an app on my iPod, it is awesome. I fell asleep to Aesop’s Fables yesterday and this morning I drove into work listening to Darwin’s Origen of Species.  Awesome. Try it.

Indoctrination Nation

My tendency is to think of indoctrination as a negative concept. In fact I think this mindset is probably shared by much of the country. No matter what affiliation, background or cause, I think most people don’t want to be indoctrinated or be considered as indoctrinators.

But that’s really how things get done. That’s how people and institutions and causes get things done. Ideas, long drawn out logic and carefully considered decisions are far more costly, and risky, than brute force indoctrination.  And so we are an indoctrination nation and will continue to be until someone tells us not to.

The Right to do Nothing

We are in deciding times. What if you decide to do nothing? Is there any nobility in nothing? Power in nothing? Influence in nothing? Or is nothing just nothing? Is deciding on nothing really just deciding not to think?

Can a decision to do nothing come from a series of somethings? Listen, weigh, consider, do, nothing?

If nothing is something, what is it?

Interestingly, after a quick Google search I found these two posts about doing things (or not). Two interesting perspectives on the nuance of doing.

http://echohub.com/posts/design/the-decision-to-do-nothing/

http://echohub.com/posts/creativity/the-creative-process-writing-and-waiting/

Too Good

I’ve watched this twice and couldn’t stop laughing. Laughing to the point of tears.  It’s pretty rare that I come across something that invokes that response. Even thinking about it now a smirk emerges. Apparently not everyone thinks it’s eye watering worthy hilarity. But those people are also big Jay Leno  fans, so that explains a lot.

 

To fix or not to fix, that is the question

As I’ve reported in the past I have a couple of bikes hanging in the garage. These bikes are beyond rideable right now. I have gone through several fixing cycles on these bikes including attempts to swap parts between the two in order to arrive at least one functional bike. None of this has worked, so I’m looking at getting a new bike.

This is of course an exciting prospect but also presents its own challenges. Any bike I get should serve the purpose of a reliable commuter as well as an enjoyable ride.  And so I’ve been considering a fixie. In my attempts to fix my bikes I’d attempted the fixie conversion but it never works. There is always a problem with chain tension.

As it turns out the frame, and specifically the drops that secure the rear wheel, are important. The drops on a fixie should be horizontal so that the chain tension can be regulated by how far the rear wheel is secured from the front crank. All of this is to say that simply taking away parts from a multispeed bike isn’t necessarily a road to a simplified ride.

Buying a fixie is pretty economical compared to another multispeed bike. However what is gained in cost savings is lost in performance versatility. We’ll see how the decision plays out.