I came across these while searching for something online... Enjoy!
Douglas Adams -
"The most misleading assumptions are the ones you don’t even know you’re making."
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
"A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair."
Franklin P. Adams -
"I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way."
Scott Adams -
"Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience."
Anonymous -
"An engineer thinks that his equations are an approximation to reality. A physicist thinks reality is an approximation to his equations. A mathematician doesn’t care."
"A couple of months in the lab can often save a couple of hours in the library."
"Confidence: The feeling you have before you understand the situation."
"Statistics means never having to say you’re certain."
"The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was."
"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity."
Isaac Asimov -
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny. . . ”."
Burt Bacharach -
"A synonym is a word you use when you can’t spell the word you first thought of."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Just the right thing for a Friday afternoon...
Yesterday afternoon I received the following departmental email:
"A bright green frog was found by the Building X elevators on the 4th floor. Does this frog belong to anyone in a research area? (This is not a joke and its not even a full moon). If this frog is unclaimed, do you know anyone that wants it? I am not not that fond of frogs!"
Shortly afterwards, the following reply was sent to the whole department:
"This is your chance…..Kiss it."
Ah, Friday!
"A bright green frog was found by the Building X elevators on the 4th floor. Does this frog belong to anyone in a research area? (This is not a joke and its not even a full moon). If this frog is unclaimed, do you know anyone that wants it? I am not not that fond of frogs!"
Shortly afterwards, the following reply was sent to the whole department:
"This is your chance…..Kiss it."
Ah, Friday!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
If I am a secret agent, it's news to me...
I got an email from a workmate today, and for a moment I thought I was a spy...
"... and if you wouldn't mind looking for it, I have a scrap piece of white paper on my desk or in my black folder that has several PI names in someone else's handwriting and 2 names written in the bottom right corner in my scribble. I was wondering it you could tell me those 2 names (one's last name is Pickup)..."
Contact the people written on the fry-pan... Where's Whoopi Goldberg when you need her?
"... and if you wouldn't mind looking for it, I have a scrap piece of white paper on my desk or in my black folder that has several PI names in someone else's handwriting and 2 names written in the bottom right corner in my scribble. I was wondering it you could tell me those 2 names (one's last name is Pickup)..."
Contact the people written on the fry-pan... Where's Whoopi Goldberg when you need her?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Honeymoon
It's almost time for Sweetie and I to go on our honeymoon... We're going on the first week of August, actually! We've had the date booked for over a month, but we had no idea what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go... Right up until Sunday night (actually, our search parameters got narrower the Friday before, after I realized that the visa in my passport that allows me to re-enter the US had expired... No overseas honeymoon for us!). So, you might ask, where are Sweetie and I going? Drum roll please... No drum role?.. Budget cuts?.. Oh well...
We're going to ride a train! Two actually! Now, this may seem a bit boring, so allow me to explain: We're flying to Los Angeles, spending a day and then taking the Coastal Starlight (sleeper) up the coast to Seattle. We'll spend two nights there before hopping on the Empire Builder (sleeper again) to Chicago. One more night and a short flight back home. We're very excited!!
We're going to ride a train! Two actually! Now, this may seem a bit boring, so allow me to explain: We're flying to Los Angeles, spending a day and then taking the Coastal Starlight (sleeper) up the coast to Seattle. We'll spend two nights there before hopping on the Empire Builder (sleeper again) to Chicago. One more night and a short flight back home. We're very excited!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Science Badges
Well, I was going to blog about some interesting stories I heard recently, but Odyssey's blog lead me to Science Scouts. Here are the badges I qualify for...
The “non-explainer” badge (LEVEL I) [At least this use to be the case...]
The “working on alternative fuels” badge [It's a bit of a stretch, but...]
The “statistical linear regression” badge
The “somewhat confused as to what scientific field I actually belong to” badge
[So been there!]
The “science has forced me to seek medical attention” badge [More than once!]
The “totally digs highly exothermic reactions” badge [Who doesn't?]
The “cloner” badge
The “have used a dental drill and I’ve never been a dentist” badge
The “I’m pretty confident around an open flame” badge
The “MacGyver” badge [Sure... why not...]
The “talking science” badge [Of course!]
The “I use twitter to spread science” badge
The “non-explainer” badge (LEVEL I) [At least this use to be the case...]
The “works with acids” badge
The “working on alternative fuels” badge [It's a bit of a stretch, but...]
The “statistical linear regression” badge
The “somewhat confused as to what scientific field I actually belong to” badge
[So been there!]
The “science has forced me to seek medical attention” badge [More than once!]
The “totally digs highly exothermic reactions” badge [Who doesn't?]
The “cloner” badge
The “have used a dental drill and I’ve never been a dentist” badge
The “I’m pretty confident around an open flame” badge
The “MacGyver” badge [Sure... why not...]
The “talking science” badge [Of course!]
Friday, June 5, 2009
White Vans and Red Pandas
I wanted to relay a couple of stories that occurred recently during my teaching...
First of all, I have just completed a 2 day stint as the driver of a 15-seater van (yes, it was white!). Given that, apart from my wife's Nissan Altima and my brother's Ute, my driving experience centers around small hatchbacks, this was quite an experience! It felt like what I would expect to encounter if I got to drive the mining ship Red Dwarf (minus the cool optional extras!) - It wasn't the length that bothered me as much as the width, which made it feel like you took up al the lane and then some. Also, the indicators sounded like sound effects from Pac Man... Still, I didn't crash it (or even lock the brakes...).
Previously I have told the story of the red panda at our local zoo. To recap - we were watching the red panda as it wandered across the front of the enclosure. It came across a log with a broken branch stem sticking out. It straddled the log and braced it with both back feet, and proceeded to thoroughly scratch his arse (pointed directly at the crowd)! Recently, our students got to do their own research project with two groups visiting the zoo. They weren't studying the red panda, they were studying meerkats, and the eland/ostrich/zebra "triple alliance" (honestly, it's a really thing!), respectively. One group member took time out of his research to name some of the other animals, one of which was the red panda. His name for the beast?... "Fire Crotch"!!! Pure gold!
First of all, I have just completed a 2 day stint as the driver of a 15-seater van (yes, it was white!). Given that, apart from my wife's Nissan Altima and my brother's Ute, my driving experience centers around small hatchbacks, this was quite an experience! It felt like what I would expect to encounter if I got to drive the mining ship Red Dwarf (minus the cool optional extras!) - It wasn't the length that bothered me as much as the width, which made it feel like you took up al the lane and then some. Also, the indicators sounded like sound effects from Pac Man... Still, I didn't crash it (or even lock the brakes...).
Previously I have told the story of the red panda at our local zoo. To recap - we were watching the red panda as it wandered across the front of the enclosure. It came across a log with a broken branch stem sticking out. It straddled the log and braced it with both back feet, and proceeded to thoroughly scratch his arse (pointed directly at the crowd)! Recently, our students got to do their own research project with two groups visiting the zoo. They weren't studying the red panda, they were studying meerkats, and the eland/ostrich/zebra "triple alliance" (honestly, it's a really thing!), respectively. One group member took time out of his research to name some of the other animals, one of which was the red panda. His name for the beast?... "Fire Crotch"!!! Pure gold!
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