Wednesday Woes

So, Monday didn’t go all that well. It went very, very badly, in fact. Plus, my conked up printer is still conked up. (Though I sort of got it working again with a screwdriver.) Things look horrible.

I’ve managed to get back to work on my current project. I don’t want to say that my ability to work seems related to the way things are going around me, but I will anyway. It’s not exactly proven, but I’m keen to believe that history cannot be explained purely by coincidence. It goes well. I wish I could say the same about so much else, but it goes well.

Having spent much of my time on lab reports, papers, and projects, I now realise that I have quite a bit of catching up to do reading-wise. There are so many readings. I started yesterday. There’s plenty of work still to be done. I just don’t want to still be in debt by the time it gets to Week Thirteen.

My homework list seems reasonably stable. It really is the end of the semester, isn’t it? Few things get added and it’s just a matter of crossing things out now.

I have been reunited with my closest friend. We are doing Waiting For Godot next. Perhaps there is reason to believe that things will start looking up. Perhaps not.

I have added a couple of books to my (immediate) shopping list. This cannot be healthy for either my wallet or my shelf space. Maybe I should have a one-book-a-week policy. That means I’ll get 52 books in a year. With the way my shelf looks, that can’t be good, but I’m sure it’s less painful than the oh-I’ll-just-get-these-fifteen-books-for-this-month plan.

There are two pairs of glasses that I swap between every now and then. I realise that neither of them sits very well. One of them is too short and narrow, so it doesn’t hook onto my years properly. The other is big and heavy, and falls off my nose easily. I love them to death, though.

And just as all of these unexciting things are happening, “Researchers find a way to make drops on a surface move in just one direction.” [via PhysOrg]

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Say You Want An Evolution

Dinosaurs!

A newly discovered species of pterosaur/pterodactyl has been named Darwinopterus, and appears to be evidence of rapid, modular evolution. [via ScienceDaily] It has the head features of more advanced pterodactyls, and yet a body resembling the more primitive ones. And Dr. Unwin explains all of this much better than I ever could in the article:

‘The geological age of Darwinopterus and bizarre combination of advanced and primitive features reveal a great deal about the evolution of advanced pterosaurs from their primitive ancestors. First, it was quick, with lots of big changes concentrated into a short period of time. Second, whole groups of features (termed modules by the researchers) that form important structures such as the skull, the neck, or the tail, seem to have evolved together. But, as Darwinopterus shows, not all these modules changed at the same time. The head and neck evolved first, followed later by the body, tail, wings and legs. It seems that natural selection was acting on and changing entire modules and not, as would normally be expected, just on single features such as the shape of the snout, or the form of a tooth. This supports the controversial idea of a relatively rapid “modular” form of evolution.’

On a side note, when I was young, I always thought I would do paleontology one day. Or natural history. That was not to be. |:

Vegetarian

On the other hand, a vegetarian spider has been found. First of its kind. [via National Geographic News] It has been named Bagheera kiplingi after the panther in The Jungle Book. Newly discovered species always make me happy. Unless they are subterranean arachnids that have been waiting since the dawn of time to eat our brains and wipe out the earth, of course.

Cards

Yesterday, I took a bunch of photos, five of them, and gave them to five friends. I wrote some stuff on the back, in the way that I always do, and just gave it to them out of the blue. I imagine it must have surprised them, but it was surprising to me too, that I did something so randomly and so whimsically. Maybe it’s the season. There are months of the year where I appear to be more serious and times of the year when I happen to be more quirky, maybe, and this is one of those quirky times.

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Busy Days

Presents

I wanted to take a photo of some of the presents I received for my birthday but I’ve been quite busy and (as a result) lazy, so I suppose that will wait. Besides, I’m still waiting on a couple of presents. But thank you, thank you, everyone. Bottom-of-my-heart thanks.

Business As Usual

So the semester bustles into Week 6 with all the fury of a truck armed with an angry driver. I’d like to think that this semester’s going worse than any of the ones that preceded it, but I suppose it’s impossible to compare that fairly and I’m always going to think that anyway.

I had at first thought that this week, being the one before the mid-semester break, would be slightly easier to get through, but it’s turned out to be quite the opposite and it’s in fact crunch time for a couple of subjects. Not looking good. Not looking good. But I’m sure it’ll all sort itself out. Eventually.

Brontosaurus

For some reason, I enjoyed this xkcd a lot. [via xkcd] I think maybe because it has to do with love. And then also that it has to do with dinosaurs. Few things are more awesome than these two put together.

Neuron Gene

“Scientists discovered a gene – called AP2gamma – crucial for the neural development of the visual cortex, in a discovery that can have implications for the therapeutics of neural regeneration as well as provide new clues about how the brain evolved into higher sophistication in mammals.”

[via PhysOrg]

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Harmonies From Hell

The Birthday Party

Yesterday, I attended a birthday party of some sort. It was all a quite simple and comfortable affair, though there weren’t really many people around that I actually knew. The highlight for me was the birthday song, which in these events tend to be about a lot of clapping and a bunch of strangers trying to come together to sing a 30-second song in tune. It didn’t quite work, though there did seem to be some conscientious effort on all of our parts to not embarrass ourselves. In the end, it turned out to be some humdrum humming and then some harmonies from hell. Very lovely stuff.

I also realise that when I begin to space out, I tend to slip into this mode where I try to turn everything into a story. I’d always wanted to write a slightly sad (the total darkness sort) or maybe slightly horrific (the nightmarish sort) story about a party of some kind and call it The Birthday Party, although that title has long been taken by the Pinter play, and then I’d have to live with the pressure that I could never ever write anything even remotely as brilliant as that, so I’ve always thought that I’d just forget it.

In any case, happy birthday again to the birthday girl, who it seems is fast catching up with me. We are all old people.

Catch-Up

Speaking of catching up, there’s quite a bit of work that I’ve got to catch up with. I didn’t imagine that I would be this far behind at this stage off the semester (well, it’s not that bad, but I kind of didn’t expect being behind at all), but I’m sure I’ll be able to work it out in the next couple of weeks.

Which is not to say that I’ve been doing nothing all week. I mean, the lab report alone took me twice as long as I thought it would. I did an assignment too, and then whatever time I had between my other commitments were devoted to the project. Brr.

September

But look at time go, with all the speed and swagger of a roadrunner, all the ferocity of a shoryuken. It didn’t seem that long ago when I’d just finished the first draft of Bukit Merah, and it’s been some two or three months since. School plows ahead like a Malmsteen solo and I’m just floating around trying my best to get a firm grasp of everything. It’s really kind of the best I can hope for right now.

But September is a great month. It always is. For instance, this page is going to turn one in September. That’s supposed to make it a good month.

Anyway, I’m determined to see that this week ends spectacularly (in a good way) so, fingers crossed.

Molecular Pictures

And to end off, scientists have imaged a molecule. [via PhysOrg]

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This is a link rojak.

As A Bee

Today I have a link rojak. This means that I have nothing much to write today. I was supposed to do some Featured post, but I didn’t because I’m still catching up on work. There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel, and normal service should resume very soon.

Fake Photojournalism

Two French students were awarded the annual Grand Prix du Photoreportage Etudiant last week to honor a photographic story that presented images documenting the precarious lives of students today and the things they must do in order to survive and succeed.

The only catch is that the entire story was a fake.

Well, I suppose this shows that you can make anything look like real news if you try hard enough. [via Chase Jarvis]

Chaos

The brain needs a little bit of chaos to work, it seems. [via New Scientist]

Guest Percussionist

James Wood played guest percussionist to Fayaway to celebrate the launch of Heavy Rotation. [via The Book Bench] Apparently, he got injured. [via The Elegant Variation]

If you follow the link from the New Yorker, you can see an interesting article on finger drumming. [via Opium Magazine]

You’ve Got To Be Kidding

It seems that people are interested in making an Asteroids movie. [via Kotaku]

I am particularly amused and sad that it says, “Seems Universal Pictures have won a bidding war against three other studios for the right to produce a movie based on Asteroids.” So it wasn’t just, well, you know, one movie studio. I’m not even sure what to say.

Lee Memorial

I’ve never heard of Lee Memorial before reading this short paragraph, but I have to say that after reading it I’m rather interested in finding out more. [via Josh Spear]

And now I have to go back to work.

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Positivity

Class Gathering

The reason I don’t appear in many photos (apart from my semi-ninja skills) is that they remind me of how awful I look in them. Usually as if I walked into the photo by accident.

But thanks to everyone who dropped by, whether or not you see them in this photo. Much appreciated, and I hope it wasn’t too bad.

Work Ethic

Sometimes I have nothing to do for the day and decide that I can focus entirely on my work. So I sit in my chair and try to start writing and the whole thing is a struggle.

Sometimes I have plenty of things to do, like on the gathering morning, and I place my hands at the keyboard and I just fire away like nobody’s business.

It’s just the way the world is.

Award-Winner

Before I forget, a couple of links. First, Cormac McCarthy has won the PEN/Saul Bellow award. [via cbcnews.ca]

Science!

“Why is the immune system able to fight off some viruses but not others, leading to chronic, life-threatening infections like HIV and hepatitis C?” [via PhysOrg]

Good Vibrations

Monday morning, things look sharp. The gathering for instance went pretty okay (I think). The River looks like it’s in a bit of trouble but at least Bukit Merah is faring better, and I’m actually having fun getting stuff done. Making friends, talking to old friends, sustaining existing friendships, all seem to be going smoothly, so it’s all provided a dose of fresh air. Oh and my jukebox has been very happy with a healthy variety of music.

(Speaking of friends, many are going off for work-and-travel programmes, foreign university education, and exchange arrangements, so I think I won’t be seeing a number of them for quite a bit. Stay safe, all of you.)

On the flip side, haven’t really started with Ulysses. It’s heavy. I brought it out one day, and reading the introduction alone made my wrist tire. I’m also supposed to meet with a couple of people, but those arrangments have failed to work themselves out so far, and I’ll probably have to step on the gas a bit. The River, as I was saying, is kind of in no man’s land. Sometimes I stare at it and it looks terrible. Sometimes I stare at it and it looks terrific. The usual disease. I suppose that actually means it is terrible. Oh I don’t know. I want to get back into a bit of a groove first by writing some of Bukit Merah first.

Still, all things considered, it’s a reasonably good start to the holidays. Let’s hope it stays that way.

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Pre-Exam Monday

One More Paper!

So I’m kind of just dropping by with a bunch of random things.

Opinion Soon!

I’ve been listening to The Hazards Of Love, and I’ll be putting up some thoughts on it as soon as things settle down a bit.

All The Plans!

I’ve also been listening to the not-so-new-anymore Starsailor album All The Plans. It’s not bad. Certainly like it better than the last one. It hasn’t quite won me over in the way Silence Is Easy did, but there are a few songs that I’m quite taken to. The opener is really good, and there are a number of others that have a bit of sparkle to them. A really decent album.

In Fact!

After the exams, I really hope to be doing an assortment of things that just need doing. Like getting a haircut. Getting a shave. Blogging properly. (Sorry.) Writing. Watching movies. Meeting friends. Dentist’s. More writing. Reading. Some games. Hunting unicorns. Loads of editing. You know, the usual things. It’s just that there isn’t the heart for these things when the exams loom dark and dangerous. Especially after that math paper.

H1N1!

Speaking of exams, I now have to go an hour earlier for my examinations because of the swine flu outbreak, because apparently we have to pass a temperature screening before being allowed to take the paper.

I’m sure these precautions are great and all; but sometimes I get the feeling that the half the media reports emerge from the shadow of fear-mongering.

Three Bags Full!

Photographs of the near-perfect baby mammoth found. [via National Geographic] Beautiful stuff.

Touch!

Researchers at John Hopkins University seem to have discovered that microRNA production is at some level regulated by touch/cell density. [via PhysOrg]

Goats!

Google mows their lawn with goats. [via The Official Google Blog]

All right, back to fend off Physiology.

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Hello, Goodbye

Briefly…

No feature today again, as usual. Just popped by for a quick update. Studies are going averagely, though I suppose they could be better. Other things are not going at all.

My Decemberists CD has yet to arrive though I suspect it will on Monday or Tuesday. Just the boost I need for the exams, perhaps?

My desktop is making funny whirring noises every so often. I believe the computer imp is grumbling about the recession. On the other hand, a couple of technical issues with my notebook too. Rather irritating, but I’ll deal with that after the exams.

Can’t quite make up my mind on what to study today. It’s either Signals or Cell Biology.

Finale

Watched the first part of the Series 4 finale, The Stolen Earth, yesterday. Not bad. Not bad at all. A couple of things I didn’t like, particularly the cellphone bit, and it was all a little, uhm, busy, a little too busy. And it was always going to be a little difficult to keep up the immense writing of the four preceding episodes. That said, it is a bit wild, a bit scary, a bit funny, and a bit wacky all at the same time, and it’s this sort of feeling that I’m not sure any other writer can recreate when Russell T. Davies leaves. I mean, remember that absolutely insane Series 3 finale? Hard to imagine anyone else coming up with that sort of story, so I think, no matter the writing complaints I sometimes have of the revived series so far, I’m really going to miss a good RTD story now and then.

Onwards to the last episode though.

Art

Here’s some concept art for the film adaptation of The Road, drawn by Hugh Marchant. [via flickr] Very, very pretty stuff.

The film is taking ages to show up, though.

Cell Biology

It appears the cilia did not originate from separate organisms. [via MIT] I’m sure that bit of information will be handy for the exams.

Corpses

You can order the Neil Gaiman penned Amanda Palmer collaboration Who Killed Amanda Palmer? now. [via jsrdirect] Limited copies, I heard. I’m too poor to afford one.

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Proper Names On An Exam Monday

First Blood

First paper today! And this will probably be the last substantial post you’ll see from me in a while. The photo features should continue, though.

New Name

I’ve finally got rid of the pompous first name we’ve been using around this place for something a little less fancy and closer to the heart. The original name (“scordatura”) was always kind of a filler name and I’m happy to see it go.

Quantum Weirdness

On quantum antitunnelling. [via Scientific American]

Pop-Up Pulp Art

Somebody took pulp adventure books and cut out the covers in a pop-up fashion to create some rather interesting results. Take a look. [via io9]

Pixels In A Wedding

Came across this yesterday, this pixelated wedding. [via cabel.name] It honestly looks quite pretty.

Earphones

I’m interested to see how the Atomic Floyd earphones turn out. [via Josh Spear] Not that I’m considering a purchase, of course. My Ultimate Ears are still young.

All right then, I guess this will be it from me for a while… Time to fling myself against the exams. Rawr.

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Metaphors On Monday

Metaphorical

My dad doesn’t get metaphors, I realise. Yesterday, he was watching a Taiwanese movie, and he attempted to describe it to me. It had some flashback mechanism (I didn’t watch it), and apparently at one point, the kid (who is a kid at the start of the show) lives to a happy old age of sixty-something and is confronted by his mother, who has not aged one bit.

He told me that he didn’t get it. At all. And he wasn’t going to try.

Oh well, you know, different strokes, different folks.

Muah Chee

There’s a new cat in the house.

We took her in on Friday because she did seem too friendly and wasn’t likely to survive very well outside. Her name is temporarily Muah Chee. We’re in fact looking for someone to adopt her, so do spread the word.

She’s less than a year old, I think, and we’ll be taking her to the vet on Wednesday. In the meantime, she’s a very quiet and placid tortoiseshell, and I’m sure she won’t be difficult to take care of.

Once again, do spread the word. Thanks.

Some Science

‘Junk’ DNA might prove useful after all. [via PhysOrg]

Also, scientists have discovered a fungus that naturally synthesises diesel from cellulose. [via Wired Science]

Harry Ransom Center

Images from the Harry Ransom Center, including Norman Mailer’s colourful plot document for Harlot’s Ghost. [via The Elegant Variation] Always interesting to see how differently writers work when compared with each other.

Pigeons

Someone get me this T-shirt. [via Topotaco]

Creepy Doll

Neil Gaiman performs Creepy Doll. [via YouTube]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mik4qw8Vbs0]

And Finally…

I was just trying to relax and read a photography article when, to my horror, I saw quantum physics. [via The Online Photographer] Can’t I take a break from the science for once, Mr. Heisenberg?

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