Gotta love a nerd

Anyone who ever watched footie at a stadium (live or as a telecast) and/or is a hardcore rock music fan would know this iconic STOMP-STOMP-CLAP. I even had Generation Z students who used this song as template for a performance to explain mitosis.

This masterpiece is the brain child of one Dr Brian May, lead guitarist of the quintessential arena rock band, Queen. Dr May is more than a wild-haired electric guitar virtuoso, he is also an astrophysicist who wrote a book on the cosmology (aptly named Bang! A History of the Universe) based on his work on interstellar dust.

Yup, wild-haired brainy dude.(Thanks Wikimedia Commons!)

Initially, the sound effect was not to be included in the final cut of the song; but he was intrigued by the feedback from the audience during a concert that he thought deeply of how he could incorporate the audience participation in their live act - "a means of uniting the audience".

"I was thinking, 'What can you give an audience that they could do while they're standing there? They can stamp and they can clap and they can sing some kind of chant,' " he says. "To me, it was a uniting thing. It was an expression of strength." - excerpted from NPR interview.


He drew from his physics and mathematics background to create a distinctive sound of thousands of feet stomping and clapping in unison, building sound using old boards and prime numbers. Bet when you were swotting through mathematics, calculus, algebra and geometry, you never thought that you can use it to create a song that nets you millions in royalties, no?

Dr Brian May is the reason why girls love wild haired musicians: the guitar will loosen the knickers, but that brain? Totally meltworthy.

Happy International Women's Day!

Eye candy and an emphatic message for women = FTW!




For those who are wondering, the answer is "Yes. I have a thing for Daniel Craig." Silent or otherwise.

The scariest book I ever read

No, it was not Twilight. Nor did it feature any of the usual monsters of the week hunted by the Winchester brothers *dreamy eyes* (even though reading it may scare the crap out of Dean).

Did not feature these darlings.

Eric Schlosser wrote a frank and engaging examination of one of the biggest icons of Americana: Fast Food. Its history unfolds in early 20th century and helped produce some of the biggest self made men in the US, the perfect embodiment of the American dream.

This book exposed the nightmarish side to these success stories.  From unfair business practices that ruins small businesses, fatal food contamination,  hideous and slave-like working conditions, to the globalisation of obesity via fast food and even exploitation of children through advertisement, Schlosser exposed any number of issues that we do not think about when we unwrapped our burgers. Although most of the companies featured in the book refused to officially cooperate in his research, Schlosser was able to persuade a number of the employees of those companies to speak to him; giving him first hand accounts of what lay behind the shiny facade of the big corporations that made the fast food machinery what it is.

Naturally the corporations featured in the book did not take it lying downand fought back with threats of lawsuits and such. Boldly, Schlosser invited them to conduct fact checking and prove any of the allegations in his book as untrue. Although there was much blustering and threats, none of the corporations named in the book took legal action against him. Instead, they launched an online campaign that petered out like a deflated balloon.

What I find most interesting in the book is that even though the successes of the individuals that built these giant corporations underscore the possibilities promised by the American Dream, it came at the expense of the iconic Western cowboys and the freedom promised in the frontiers. As small and medium sized ranches disappear to the pressures of economy, it also diminished the mythical tough men of the West: suicide rate of the American cattle ranchers and farmers are three times the average in the country (refer to page 146). The legendary West featured in films and dime novels are now lost in the mist of history.

Books like Fast Food Nation makes one pause and contemplate one's decisions over things that were previously taken for granted. I don't think a reader of the book would immediately swear off McDonalds and KFC. But perhaps you would scrutinise the fine print even more after reading this. After all, caveat emptor.

Like Dean Winchester often said; it is people who are the worst monsters, not the demons and ghouls and beasties that stalk in the night.

Valentine's Revenge

Valentine's Day is not just about lovers reconnecting with one another. It could also provide an excuse for the lovelorn to drive down to the love shack to get some.

But one should also be careful to protect oneself to avoid the fate that inspired this song.



Also, if you are a gentleman trapped in a mine with a few dozen another men (or any on a seafaring vessel, or an oilrig, WHATEVER), try not to share the inflated doll that is made available. It is safer to stick to sudoku.

"Those who take a shot whenever a Republican lies ...

... get a designated driver."

This is the kind of politician I could get behind. The guy is articulate, MAKES GREAT SENSE, don't pull punches and is entertaining as all get out.

Go, Rep. Weiner.

The small slam syndrome

If you want to know what it means, read this paper. It's one of the reasons why I am grateful I am not a male.

And guys, if you have an urge to do manly home improvement stuff, dispose of the flammable stuff properly before snuffing out your cigarettes. Your buttcheeks will thank you.

The inedible jam

Yesterday morning, I was caught in an explicable jam along a 1 km stretch long enough to read at least 80 pages of my novel. If you saw a female person who was absorbedly reading while bopping her head absently to whatever was on the speaker while driving in Petaling Jaya, it is likely it was me.

I am sure that many of us, when caught in a traffic snarl, often wishes we were on the other lane. The magical lane next to ours are often moving at a miraculously speedier clip than our own sluggish ooze. But somehow, once you changed lane into said magical lane (after suitably indicating with the car signal, naturally), the magic disappears and the lane you vacated appear to be moving faster than when you were queueing along in it.

Why does this happen? Is it Murphy's Law? Is it God's wrath?

Mathematically, this is the explanation.



In other words: You can never win in a traffic jam.

:p

Facebook is hazardous to asthmatics?

Apparently, a young Italian gentlemen has had his asthma exacerbated by Facebook.

 

Or is it because he should stop stalking his ex-girlfriend?

Ah, l'amore.

Iron Chef ... not quite

We don't eat much turkey in this part of the world. I don't think I have heard of a traditional Malaysian dish (be it Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Orang Asli, Kadazan-Dusun, Bidayuh, Melanau, Bajau, Siam or Sikh) that is made with turkey, even if we do have those flightless birds in the rural area. What happens to them if they don't end up on our plates? I don't know. I only see non-sandwich turkey on the menu during Christmas season; many restaurants offer them for both dine-in and delivery.

For those who actually cook the turkey themselves and decided that roasting their turkey is old fashioned (or having discovered that your oven couldn't accommodate the bird), please watch this video before contemplating deep-frying your turkey.



It wouldn't do to join the inglorious ranks of Darwin Award winners just for a bird.

However, if you would prefer another version of turkey ... like this one:

go here for the cooking instruction. And don't forget to invite me to come over for a taste.

Arthropod abuse with trebuchet

Not many of us like the leggy creepy crawlies. If you want to see them get what's coming to them, mediaevel geek-style, take a look at this video.



Ganked from Improbable Research.

Cookies for egg heads

Cute and edible!

All from Ms Humble.Some are her artwork while others are done by other contributors who share their scientific artwork.

Gel electrophoresis cookies. Looks very close to the real thing what with the drum-stick appearance of the bands and the colour! Just like it was being viewed under ultraviolet light! ♥

Petri dish cookies inspired by Escherichia coli streaked on a nutrient agar. No complaining of the streaking technique; icing is a lot harder to work with than broth-and-inoculating loop.

Exploding brain + popped out eyes FTW!

Gingerbread men in aqua containment / clean room suits are so adorable. They look paranoid, though.

Zebrafish makes for an awesome haematopoiesis model because they are practically transparent during the juvenile stage (or so I'm told). Edible glitter simulates the translucence beautifully.

Atomic cookie + nucleus (proton + neutron+ electron represented yo!). Gorgeous and delicious.

Gingerbread scientists are so adorable and edible!

What's a laboratory without beakers, test tubes & Erlenmeyer flasks?

Drosophila melanogaster, the humble household fruit fly, has been the workhorse of genetics for decades.

Who says that scientific people are boring and not creative?

We salute women who kick ass & take names

Step aside Dr Brady Barr. Your chiseled features may make you a darling on the National Geographic Channel, but there's another herpetologist who kicks ass harder than you.

Why do I say that Dr Kate Jackson is more hardcore than Brady Barr?

That's because she's doing near the same thing he does, without the benefit of a television show funding, while half crippled by transverse myelitis.

Hats off to you, Dr Jackson.


Kate Jackson SNAKES from Rose on Vimeo.

Science is so cool ...

Next time you get into a bar brawl, don't drink up all the beer first before smashing the bottle over your opponent's head. An empty bottle takes more energy to break. The damage: Not so different.

Also, if you work in the healthcare industry and feel the need to let fly some swear words, feel free to do so. It helps reduce your desire to maim the offending party.

Tequila is a girl's best friend. Not only can you get deliciously smashed from drinking it, you can also make diamonds from it. No kidding.

New agrarian economy?

Apparently, the Canadian government reaps roughly C$20 billion a year from weed. That's right, peeps; selling TWENTY BILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS worth of marijuana to their southern neighbour annually, providing employment to near a quarter million citizens.

Who said agriculture is not profitable?

Scientists say the darndest things

Many people become scientists because they have a passion for finding answers. Me, I'm okay with other people doing the work and me being told the answer. I guess I'm just lazy.

But what are the burning questions that are being answered courtesy of your
hard-earned tax-payers' money?

1. That male ducks outstrip the Homo sapien variety in terms of sexual appendages.
    a)  The male duck penis can change shapes (giving new meaning to screwing).
    b) The male duck penis can grow 25% larger than normal during mating season (guys, forget those pumps and enhancers; you are a confirmed loser in the evolutionary battle for larger you-know-whats).

2. That it is easy to break up with your now-insignificant other via Facebook (text messages and phone calls? phbllltt. So yesterday).

3. That to measure courage in terms of brain activity, one can make people with ophidophobia bring a snake close to their face while they are stuck in the MRI machine (and get published in a high impact journal, yo).

4.  That you can measure boredom (and get funded by the military to do so).

5. That you can teach a monkey to floss (and have better oral hygiene than most Homo sapien).


Monkeys teach young to floss their teeth using human hairs
Uploaded by ITN. - Watch more comedy videos and sitcoms.

6. That you can frame someone for a crime using synthetic DNA (forget what you see on CSI; please remember that it *is* a television show).

And the list just goes on ....

Men are from Mars, Women are ... ?

It is amazing the things people do in the name of research. It is also amazing the things people study in the name of research.

Nicolas Gueguen begun publishing in 2000 stuff that we already know; except that he included a proper hypothesis, experiment and detailed the outcome mathematically (the way a good scientist would).

For example:

1. Women with bigger boobs get more male attention.

2. That romantic songs puts a woman in a mood to say yes.

3. Waitresses who wear makeup get more tips.

4. That women in their fertile phase are also more likely to say yes to a guy.

Gratuituous Angelina Jolie shot for the gents.

You gotta admire a man who is systematically and mathematically profiling factors that influence men-women interaction. Especially when met with lame pick up lines, women are more wont to be doing this:

Vive le sciences et recherche!

The economics of hygiene

Forget shaking hands. Bum shaking is the way to go!

Beard-ome and the science of aesthetics

I have a friend who has never been successful in growing a beard. He would be green with envy at the luxuriant facial hair sported by other men and bitch about the pathetic stubble that was the product of losing the razor for 3 weeks.

Dude, people are doing research on it. Perhaps you just don't have the right genes for it.

*pats him in commiseration*



Who says science geeks aren't creative?

Too many cooks will spoil the broth

As a baker, I know that specifics can be helpful in order to get the best outcome of the recipe.

But "Whole eggs may be liquid or frozen and shall have been processed and labeled in accordance with the Regulations Governing the Inspection of Eggs and Egg Products (7 CFR Part 59)." ?

I think that is a bit much. Trust the military to complicate desserts.

But you gotta admit the precision of the instruction is truly a thing of beauty.

Existential medicine

Good news, everybody!

Apparently, hallucinogens can be good for you. However, there are caveats.

Whatever. Time to harvest my 'shrooms.

*pops a few acid before heading out*