Intelligent Design wingnuts never come up with things like this: Chemists at Oregon State University have pioneered a controversial theory about how supposedly-stable DNA bases can be pushed into a “dark state” in which they are highly vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet radiation – an idea that has challenged some of the most basic concepts of modern biochemistry. The theory, not long ago dismissed as impossible by much of the science community, has just in recent months begun to garner increasing interest, and is being confirmed by other studies. And though it began as scientific heresy, the findings could help …
Month: April 2006
the newest domestic disturbance
Just because I don’t often link doesn’t mean I don’t read it. Melissa’s domestic disturbance hit a nerve for me this month, with, you know, a funeral in recent memory.
World War II Advertisements
I was googling around the web looking for an advertisement for my Media English midterm exam, and I found something useless for that, but fascinating in many other ways: an archive of American advertisements from during World War II.
Geek Machinery
I would be more impressed if they had some purpose other than just making little bells go off, or displaying little signs I cannot read, but this Japanese Rube Goldberg device video still captured my attention till the end. Via Japundit.
Englishie Movie About Korean Royalty
Apparently a co-production between a US and a Korean film company is set to make a dramatic film about Julia Mullock, the woman who married the last crown prince of Korea. The film is supposedly going to be a “mainly English-language feature”.
Okay, Okay, Just A Meme
I’m just off to bed, but I saw this meme on Melissa’s blog and decided to try it. Two Names You Go By 1. Gord 2. 고드 (but never 고든) Two Parts of Your Heritage 1. French-Canadian 2. Scottish-Malawian Two Things That Scare You 1. The fact my girlfriend risked herself getting renal failure while pumping a suicide-attempter’s stomach in the ER a few weeks ago. 2. George Bush and his Administration Two Everyday Essentials 1. Coffee 2. Some time online Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now 1. A gold chain with a medallion my mom gave me after …
Merry Christmas
This is a short post I’ve forgotten to put up many times over, so now I’m finally doing it. For a long time, one of my most commonly-used sarcastic remarks has been to wish someone Merry Christmas. To those who claim that Koreans don’t get sarcasm, I tender my disagreement. When used sarcastically, most students understand exactly what I am saying. It doesn’t matter what level they are, or what their sense of humor is like. In a low-level class, one’s first use of “Merry Christmas,” in a sarcastic sense never fails to get a round of laughter. I’m sure …
I’m All Shook Up
I realized today that I’m just not taking care of myself. I am sleeping at odd hours, not eating proper meals, spending a lot of time working on all kinds of things, feeling some stress, and it’s starting to wear on me. Even though I had breakfast (a late one, at 11am, but breakfast all the same) I was shaky by 4pm. I mean literally shaky. Sweating a lot, inexplicably itchy, and weak. I’m sure it’ll pass, if I sleep enough tonight. So I’m going to let all pressing issues slide until tomorrow; tonight after work, it’s just a little …
DriveThruRPG.com
For those of you who are, like me, an ex-gamer who still gets a kick out of leafing through RPG books set in various worlds, or with new mechanics, the Free Stuff section at DriveThruRPG.com is worth a trawling-through. While a lot of the stuff there is supplementary to game systems, there’s still a lot for free, and there’s more every month or two, so it’s worth signing up for the announcements, as well.
Here Comes World War III
What, they haven’t messed up Iraq enough, they have to go and mess up Iran, too? And with NUKES? How stupid can an Administration be? Quite frankly, if this does go forward, the whole world’s gonna be a bloody mess. The tone of so much of the commentary is horrifying, really. “We’re the good guys,” and the repudiation of an “Islamic Republic” by, oh, yeah, high-ups in a pseudo-Evangelical Christian Republic. Good grief, you’d think they would see all the contiguousness and work together on oppressing the rest of us! Mark my words, eventually people will look back on America …