Double Covered, Double Smothered

Now, y'all should know that I love me some Waffle House, so this piece from the Gwinnett Daily Post of Lawrenceville, GA, warms my heart and sums up true Americana for me:

Scattered, smothered, covered and hitched: Couple marries at Waffle House

The article (and accompanying photo slide show!) brought a tear to my eye...though that might just be the phantom smell of the onions in the triple smothered hashbrowns I'm imagining/craving right now.

My favorite part of the article was the groom, George "Bubba" Mathis, thoughtfully explaining the reason for the Waffle House wedding:

"I don't know, it's something different," Mathis said while fixing his tie prior to the ceremony.

Indeed. What truly captured our nation's modern culture and made me proud to be an American, though, was the reporter's description of the wedding's after-party:

The result was what a NASCAR tailgate might be like if Hank Jr. himself stopped by with all his rowdy friends: Loud and proud - country music, storytelling and plenty of Dale Earnhardt paraphernalia - and not an iota of pretentiousness.

Git 'er dun!

Yum!

Now this is pop science I like:

Edible Antifreeze Saves Ice Cream: Food Chemists Use 'Edible Antifreeze' to Make Smoother Ice Cream

Science Daily (July 1, 2008) — Chemists adding a tasteless edible protein called gelatin hydrolysate to ice cream find that it keeps ice crystals small, resulting in a smoother, more pleasing product. The protein inhibits the growth of ice crystals, keeping them small and preserving the creamy texture of ice cream.

My only hope is that the 'tasteless edible protein' doesn't have any nasty side effects. The last thing we need is another Olestra on our hands! :) The rest of the article can be found here.

Sunday Playlists - Science Songs

Now that I've recovered from my birthday, back to blogging!

This week's Sunday Playlist is a fairly random smattering of my favorite songs with science/chemistry in the title. Please enjoy, fellow nerds. :)


1. The Scientist - Coldplay








2. The Scientist - Johnette Napolitano & Danny Lohner (Wicker Park Soundtrack)

[I know it's the same as song #1, but this version is equally amazing and even more haunting...it deserves its own spot on this list.]



3. Chemistry - Semisonic








4. The Chemicals Between Us - Bush








5. Chemicals - The Notwist








6. Chemistry of a Car Crash - Shiny Toy Guns








7. Rest My Chemistry - Interpol








8. Chemical Calisthenics - Blackalicious








9. She Blinded Me with Science - Thomas Dolby

25th Birthday

In honor of today, my 25th birthday, a list of 25 science/pop culture items (in relative chronological order) that have helped make me the dude I am today:



1. Lego...a perfect blend of science and pop culture! Is there a better way to hone spatial logic skills and build sweet fortresses at the same time? I think not.




2. Number Munchers and Oregon Trail - two of the best computer games of my childhood. That little frog and the stagecoach are iconic images for any American kid in my generation. Learning was so fun back then!




3. Kinder Surprise Eggs. These chocolate eggs were my favorite treat when I lived in Germany as a little kid (and I still love them!). There's a yellow plastic egg inside which contains an intricate and fun toy. (Sadly, they're mostly banned from being sold in the US because of the small toy parts.) I get to enjoy them still, though, because there's an awesome German post-doc in our lab who brings them over from Germany. Mmm...




4. Game shows. I'm a sucker for most any kind of game show. The favorites of my childhood included The Price is Right, Press Your Luck, Double Dare, and Legends of the Hidden Temple. I think I liked the competitive aspects combined with all the contestants being so enthusiastic and pumped up.










5. The "Do Eggs Float in Salt Water?" science experiment I did for at least two science fairs when I was younger. Funnily enough, I hated science fairs as a kid and repeated this project each time to make things as painless as possible.




6. Survivor. I will admit to having seen every episode of Survivor...which is embarrassing since there have been 16 seasons. The show ups my love for game shows (see #4) by combining the standard competitive elements with survival elements, stunning remote locations, and intriguing interpersonal dynamics. I'm a big fan of strategic planning and game theory, of which the show is chock full. It's one of the few shows I'll watch until it gets canceled.




7. Coldplay and Travis. Two bands from the British Isles whose monumental albums from the year 2000 (Parachutes and The Man Who, respectively) single-handedly got me through my late teenage years.




8. Sheila Lightbourne (I couldn't find a picture of her). My high school chemistry teacher was THE reason I first started to love science (a huge feat, especially considering #5 on this list). She brought a passion and enthusiasm to the classroom that made me truly want to dig in and learn the material. She's now helping raise another generation of bring students as principal at a Florida elementary school.




9. The NY Times Crossword (especially the Sunday one). My mom got me started on crossword puzzles at an early age and I haven't been able to stop. Will Shortz brought a new spark to the daily feature when he took over as NYT crossword editor in 1993, turning the puzzle into one that tests not only general knowledge and vocabulary, but pop culture, sports, and everything else under the sun. When other kids wanted to be astronauts or firemen when they grew up, I wanted to be Will Shortz.




10. The works of Kurt Vonnegut. His novels give you the middle finger while making you rethink most of what you thought to be true. His characters' dialogue is the most real of anything I've ever read, hands down. Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse-Five might be my favorite books of all time.




11. HomestarRunner.com. This cartoon website was an internet sensation when I was in college, and I still hold a spot in my heart for the title character. For me, he's easily the most endearing fictional character of the past decade (well, maybe tied with Wall-E). Other cartoons of interest on the site are the Strongbad Emails and Teen Girl Squad!










12. My college organic chemistry textbook: Organic Chemistry: Structure & Function, 4th Edition (Vollhardt & Schore). You laugh, but this book opened up such a world for me. It explained tough concepts in a way that just made sense, and I still go back to it from time to time to brush up on the basics.

13. Facebook. You would all call me a dirty liar if Facebook didn't make this list. Facebook, a social networking site approximately equivalent to crack cocaine, has been the go-to way to keep up/in touch with friends, acquaintances, and enemies since it debuted in 2004. There's a reason it's one of the 10 most accessed sites in all of cyberspace.










14. David Lemal, my undergradate thesis advisor in college. His phenomenal course in introductory organic chemistry that I took during my sophomore year made me drop everything to major in chemistry. If I am one day lucky enough to be a professor, I hope to model my style after his enthusiastic and thoughtful manner of teaching.










15. That class in differential equations I took in college. It was easily the driving force away from a math major and towards a major in chemistry (along with #14).









16. Nalgene water bottles. I absolutely love water and almost always have my Nalgene with me. These bottles are near indestructible, as seen here. I don't think I knew anyone in college who didn't have one.










17. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. An absolute must read for any- and everyone...the title speaks for itself. Even though it was first published in 1936, the principles Carnegie talks about are still quite applicable today. It remains one of the best-selling self-improvement books even to this day. Even if you're amazingly charismatic, Carnegie's sites Abraham Lincoln, train robbers, and railroad executives, making the book as much a history lesson as it is a lesson on social graces.









18. Cycloaddition reactions. Even though I don't work on cycloaddition chemistry, it's always intrigued me. I think it's cool that you can take different individual components and bring them together to make much more complex ring systems. Dorky, I know...but neat!




19. Pinback and Broken Social Scene. My evolution in music tastes brought me from #7 on this list to Pinback and Broken Social Scene, two alt bands that have become the soundtrack of my early-to-mid 20's. Their lyrics are precise, their sounds amazing...I can't recommend them highly enough.











20. Organic Chemistry (Clayden, Greeves, Warren, and Wothers), my new favorite organic chemistry textbook. It's clear, accessible, and a step up from the one I used in college (#12).










21. Suze Orman. Suze is a brilliant financial analyst with a show on CNBC (Saturdays at 9PM and midnight, EST). Her motto is "People first, then money, then things." and she's not joking. Her key belief is that one's emotions play very much into that person's financial life and that we should acknowledge that...pretty simple stuff that a lot of us need to hear. She pulls no punches, telling people to get their financial lives in order for their own well-being...it worked for me!







22. AlterNet.org, the uber-liberal newsblog I check on a daily (or hourly?) basis. It feeds my conspiracy theories and provides me with liberal talking points on myriad issues.












23. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Even though I read the standard organic chemistry-related journals, this is always the one I go to if I'm less motivated than normal...mostly because of the snazzy, colorful abstracts and punny (often groan-inducing) titles. [Read: Something shiny! Oooh...]




24. Ryan Gosling, in Half Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl. Gosling explores loneliness and the struggle for self through two extremely different characters, and does so with expert fluidity. He's easily one of the best actors of my generation.











25. PhD Comics, Jorge Cham's all too real depiction of the lives of grad students. He was a Stanford grad student himself, so it's cool to see iconic Stanford imagery in the background of some of his comic strips.

Website Roundup

I stumbled upon a few crazy websites that I couldn't help but pass along:

Dinosaur Adventure Land
http://www.dinosauradventureland.com/index.php

This is the website for a theme park located about an hour away from where I went to high school in the panhandle of Florida. It's a creationist theme park that seems to base its theme on the idea that humans and dinosaurs were alive at the same time. The website's intro:

Dinosaur Adventure Land is a theme park and science museum that gives God the glory for His creation. It has rides and fun-filled events and activities, each involving a physical challenge, a science lesson, and a biblical truth.

Yay! The best part of the website is the Our Fossils section, where you can peruse and order replicas of your favorite ancient fossils! Included are the Pterosaur Skull Replica, the Megaraptor Claw, and this artifiact from the same era of time:


The item's description starts, "Finally, a way to display your Christian beliefs." Finally, indeed! Displaying one's overt Christian faith was near impossible before this $99.00 replica was made available. I just wish they would include a baby pterodactyl stuffed animal or something for that price.

-----

Wholesome Wear
"Modest Clothing for Wearever [sic]"
http://www.wholesomewear.com/

Wholesome Wear is a company that specializes in (overly) modest swimwear. Their product is an important one, they assert, because "the need for modesty in swimwear is greatest and the supply is almost non-existent." Indeed.

The company especially focuses on swimwear that "highlights the face rather than the body," which is ironic, since the people who'll buy this swimwear are the ones whose faces you'd probably rather not highlight in the first place.

Regardless, here are a few of their hot fashions, taken from their website:

Music Video Time - The Fashion

I feel like I haven't posted anything overtly pop culture in the past few days, so here's one of my favorite new music videos: Like Knives by Danish alt band, The Fashion. The concept for the video is simple, but provides for a really neat effect. Enjoy! (I love the baby 1:47 into the clip.)

ETA: If the video isn't working, you can see it here:

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=8507326

THE FASHION - Like Knives

Parents 1, Scientists 0

An article in the newest issue of Nature shows that a gaggle of ill-informed, whiny parents can trump any number of scientists who know what they're talking about: Autism study panned by critics (Nature 453, 259 (2008)).

Here's the gist of the article: Many people believe that trace mercury from vaccinations is the reason for their children's autism. The problem with that? It's a theory that's been scientifically discredited. Nonetheless, many parents still believe it to be true, trusting their own beliefs over numerous scientific studies to the contrary. The result of this paradigm: a new clinical study has received preliminary permission to proceed, despite the fact that many experts in the field believe "the trial will put children at risk for what is certain to be no medical gain." Parents 1, Scientists 0.

The proposed study intends to introduce chelating agents into affected children as a way to scavenge and remove trace mercury from the body. The method is already used to treat people with substantial heavy metal poisoning, but has noted side effects in that the chelating agents can also remove essential metals (calcium, zinc, etc.) from the body. This treatment has been documented to lead to cardiac arrest in humans, cognitive problems in rats, and other serious ill-effects.

Is this clinical trial, then, justifiable when scientific evidence shows that mercury in vaccines isn't responsible for childhood autism and that chelating agent therapy has potentially serious negative side effects? The trial is currently seeking ethics approval...let's hope that the committee sides with informed scientists opposing the study and not parents trusting their intuition and nothing else.