A Geeky Girl Reads

Motors

2007-10-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't played with a motor in over 10 years - and Make blog has been making me jealous lately with all their toys. It makes me want to do something, anything, that skitters around and plays with the basic elements of electronics.

Electromagnetic motor #1

Electromagnetic motor #2

linky

2007-01-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

ancient scripts archive and cool stuff
rotational force

japanese paper dimensions
Digital behaviours and generative music cool mathematical/artistic images here.

the beauty in the universe

2007-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Marie Winger-Meyer 1/7/2007 10:20 am

I never felt special -- instead I felt -- different. Like I was right in some way I should be - and everyone else just didn't get it. And since no one else was 'open' there - I tried my hardest to shut it down. That is -- until I went to the college and discovered the drawings.

There were always littler ways it 'got out/made itself clear' to me before - I couldn't change what I was - just what I did with "what was me." But the drawings made themselves LOUD AND CLEAR - no denying it - no 'voices' or 'visions' - just a sincere sense of ("what you are doing right here - it is the beautiful thing - do it until you finish -- when it is done - it will be apparent when it is finished - and it should be finished and finished to its true completion.")

and so the art became both the medium and the messages and the teacher of many things -- by suggestion, not by force. [I still love that feeling |[-|x-F-© makes me feel it)

And over time the messages have changed much - I would expect no less from it - it tells me more about truth, beauty and being than anything else -- and then tells in its way [[when and sometimes how, or no direction at all -- that wisdom of this message so beautiful in itself]] to go out into the world and seek and practice -- for I am not only the container - but also the medium - and the motivator. If in it I did not feel motivation to comply - I wouldn't. It is by this simple revelation and truth that I comply at all - and when the ties/(threads?) of the world fight or (comply as well)agree -- then -- beauty is in the fight or the singing -- the synchronicity and the harmony - which is the closest thing I can identify - physically - with here in this [container - body - medium] -- all the rest of life is the threads that others weave - and often they are in discord [[not to say mine at times aren't for I am not an expert at following (the) beauty -- only a continuous learner -- there is too much to learn for any one soul - it is expressed by all -- at once -- in different ways - and also, *sadly* is the "opposite of the beauty" *sadly* which by its nature - seeks to balance?) and thus I must always twist my [strings - my weaving - my life - my song] around/about what is already constructed.

this is being - this is existing - to be within the song and the singing at once - and the turning - and the flowing of the time in the universe. It is to make the time beautiful in its own unfolding from the point where it passes over and within you.. over and over, listening and internally 'singing' the song of the Universe, as best to your knowledge, ability and motivation.

very hard to describe, but this is my best.

This passage floored me today...

2007-01-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil.

----------------------------------

Indeed, to understand how the abstrusest metaphysical assertions of a philosopher have been arrived at, it is always well (and wise) to first ask onselef: "What morality to they (or he) aim at?" Accordingly, I do not believe that an "impulse to knowledge: is the father of philosophy; but that another impulse, here as elsewhere, has only made use of knowledge (and mistaken knowledge) as an instrument. But whatever considers the fundamental impulses of man with a view to determining how far they may have here acted as inspiring genii (or as demons and cobolds), will find that they have all practised philosophy at one time or another, and that each one of them would have been only too glad to look upon itself as the ultimate end of existence and the legitimate lord over all the other impulses.

For every impulse is imperious, and as such, attempts to philosophize. To be sure, in the case of scholars, in the case of really scientific men, it may be otherwise -- "better," if you will; there may really be such a thing as an "impulse to knowledge," some kind of small, independent clock-work, which when well sound up, works away industriously to that end, without the rest of the scholarly impulses taking any material part wherein. The actual "interests" of the scholar, therefore, are generally in quite another direction -- in teh family, perhaps, or in money-making, or in politics; it is, in fact, almost indifferent at what point of research his little machine is placed, and whether the hopeful young worker becomes a good philologist, a mushroom specialist, or a chemist; her is not characterized by becoming this or that. In the philosopher, on the contrary, there is absolutely nothing impersonal; and above all, his morality furnishes a decided and decisive testimony as to WHO HE IS, -- that is to say, in what order the deepest impulses of his nature stand to each other.

----------------
floored me:

1. Impulses acting as genii and demons.
2. The clockwork of the impulse to knowledge, set in motion - by what? Not specific - but the result is still a search for knowledge.
3. In What ORDER the deepest impulses of his nature stand to each other. Such that his morality defines who he is by the order of the deepest impulses (deciding which are acceptable and which are to what ends.)

More on neurons and related subject

2006-12-27T22:01:00.000-08:00

signal transduction - the cascading of signals is very relevant to electricity outside of the brain - such as in electronic or robotic things - and can be the beginning of something very interesting, even on a small simulation in a program type of beginning.

reference: neural net

more interesting: Neurons - and synaptic transmission - the way photoreceptors process information about light and colour in the environment transmitting light in its intensity and wavelength to something that is recognized in a dual process (rods and cones) and reformulated into information about the environment in the mindboggling miracle of the human (or animal) eye.

mathematical musings

2006-12-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

Quadratic equation - in program, it is said that we do not need to test if the discriminant is less than 0, why is this. -- "Thus the roots are distinct, if and only if the discriminant is non-zero, and the roots are real, if and only if the discriminant is non-negative." Thus, if the discriminant is negative, the values returned will not be real numbers, and thus will not be able to be presented by the program? No, because we have tested if the result is positive, and if the absolute value of it is less than 0. If it has failed those two tests, it is a negative number and thus will produce non-real roots (complex).

Other:
positive and negative number facts

brain language links

2006-12-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Neurolinguistics and article (semantic processing in music and words).

Cognitive neuroscience


                      Plato
                    /  |
  Descartes -?- Kant   |
    /          /       |
Schopenhauer__/________|

Chomsky

visual imaging in the brain - cognitive processes and psycholinguistics.

links, and a strange dyslexia I am experiencing

2006-12-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Equanimity, Charisma, Enlightenment, satori, asceticism,

Ocular dominance and Anisometropia and cross-dominance.

Other Notes: I have farsightedness in my left eye, and nearsightedness in my right eye. Before I began to wear glasses, my art teachers noticed a decided 'slant' to some of my work, especially when concerning the human body. I would reverse hands on the figure without noticing the problem.

I favour my right hand for most tasks - but can use my left hand for legible writing and taking up of other tasks more convenient to the left (shooting across the table in pool - grabbing something that is falling etc.) I am decidedly left-leg dominant (aches after a walk of several miles to a much greater degree when the muscles are not used to the activity).

Personal Note: There are two things that assist me in reading comprehension - that is, to absorb deep or difficult material with certainty that it has been understood.

method 1: To read at normal pace, and - when something particularily seems important and/or difficult to wrap my head around, to write it out with my right hand while looking at it with my dominant left eye.

method 2: To put on wordless flowing music (classical strings or orchestral are perfect for this) at a medium tone. I believe that this occupies my right brain just enough that it relinquishes some dominance over the reading of the text to the left brain - which can better deal with the language concepts. This is not always practical - but for true study, it is useful.

However - since I have a strange ability to draw large works, possessing of often literal symbolic translations - perhaps all of this shows some that my right brain takes a part in my language processing, moreso than is normal or average - and perhaps it has interfered with some of my learning in the past.

When I was six years old in the first grade, my teacher came to the house to speak with my mother. I was not learning to read as quickly as my peers - even though I seemed to pick up on things very quickly in general - there were certain elements that seemed very difficult, specifically words where the letters were unlike their sounds (laugh, cough, other, hour) etc.

My mother does not read or write very well, either - but she is a very artistic person. After speaking with my mother - the teacher began private tutoring with me She brought me a set of books, which were to be read in order - and a children's Bible. I did a lot of extra reading practice - out loud, and silently. Before the halfway point of the year (midterm) - I was promoted to the advanced reading group within the class. (Mrs. Nikki Holden - I am still in your debt for this, although I have not seen you since this time and I know you have passed away.)

This was also the time we were learning to write - and several of my letters, although appearing forwards, were drawn in reverse order of what was taught - starting a letter 'B' at the bottom right, or a letter 'N' at the right side going to the left. I still catch myself doing this on occasion - and can write legibly with my left hand, and backwards legibly with my right hand, as well as forwards.

Something about all of this - not the typical dyslexia, but something akin to it - is still being experienced in my adult life. It is not exactly hampering - and can even be helpful - if I learn where to improve it(where it is deficient from 'normal') and where it excels.

Genies and Demons

2006-12-21T12:20:00.001-08:00

Genies and Demons
an Essay by Marie Winger-Meyer.
copyright 12/21/2006

The genies and the demons are both myself and I am them.

The genie is when I feel the potential and the enormity of the world and all of its complexities. As the frantic beating of the wings of a hummingbird, inside my arm muscles - inside my head - my legs - all of me - I want to go out and run the fields - build the Tower of Babel - draw circles in the sand. The enormity of the possibilities is contrasted against my very limited resources, my mind, my body - time and space itself. It is as if I am the genie residing in the bottle of this place, time, and substance. And yet, there are still great things to be done inside this bottle - or - as if a funnel or a lens, through it. And the bottle itself holds great secrets that can satiate bits of the mind with their surprising intricacies and unexpected treasures. The genie is a wonderful force, a frustrating force, my goal and, when listened to and reacted to - the best thing about being alive.

The demons.
This is hard to describe - but beside the genie force there is a dark thick thread that wraps itself around things. It pervades them. It suggests and I deny. Perhaps every human being has this - my mother told me when I was a little girl that it was the opposite of the conscience - or very close to it. It tells you what could be wrong - what evil could occurr, to inform and allow you to keep yourself from it. And especially to keep yourself from being the cause of it.

It is frightening. It is disturbing. And it does that job well. It is a deep sense of dread and shock that something could be crushed, cut, fall and otherwise be damaged by my hands, (or by my actions or inaction). It is almost a premonition - that rarely comes true. I see it - I feel it, it terrifies me to no end, I hate it, as strongly and as deeply as humanly possible.

Yet as much as I hate it, I respect it, and have come to appreciate it. Initially, it seems to take the beauty out of things - and yet then it lets it flow back in, stronger than before - more purposeful and fully understood just how beautiful it all really is.

To hold a newborn kitten and wonder at it - take extreme joy in the life and essence of it, and have that dark thread boil up - 'it is fragile, so fragile your hands could damage it easily' - it frightens me for a second, then reminds me as well 'be careful, be gentle, it is so soft and so wonderous, so tiny and defenseless. It trusts you - it is real and separate and beautiful in itself. Your care and carefulness keep it beautiful, keep it as it should be. And you - you are the one who could also protect it, keep it as it is by not allowing anything else to harm it - to ruin it - to take away that which makes it as it is.' It is a tangible interior dichotomy - a split-second that occurrs in the spaces in-between. I am very aware of it. Maybe I am too aware of it, and other people simply ignore it.

And there I am, between the genies and the demons. The genies, with their potential and restriction as the two faces of a coin, joined face to face, opposite - but required - predestined, to be as they are, and to make on the edge of it what can be made... And the demons, with their potential for evil - that becomes a shield of resistance, opposite of it's intention, yet beautiful in that same regard. It prevents what it predicts. By the sheer shock of its suggestion - it causes caution.

The "I" has always existed between the two, in some indescribable way. I am all of it and, again, neither of them entirely. These poles, they are not at one end or the other. They are both above me as much as they are both below me. They are both to the right and left of me simultaneously. They attract and repel - absorb me and spit me out. I am made up of them, as much as they would not exist without me.

And of the good? The protective, beauty-preserving instinct? Is it a separate thing as well? I can't say at this time. Perhaps it is the genie - reacting to the demon? Or is it me? I'd like to think it is me. And the things I achieve, that which I know, those abilities I have gained from following the genie - I hope those are me as well. The genie is only inspiration - a door through which to view and realize what can be done.

The genie leads. I follow. The demon presses. I repel.

Folktales and narrative structure

2006-12-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

AT numbers explained, for classifying folk tales

Vladimir Propp Russian folklorist who further defined morphology of the classifications used in the Aarne-Thompson classification system (AT numbers)

Heuristics
Mythography

Note : Looked all over last night, finally found my star charts - where else, but in an old Astronomy magazine, at the bottom of the maps and magazine drawer. So nice to have them again - used to always have them close at hand while drawing to make connections and get ideas, along with a stack of anatomy books (human and animal), math, physics and medical books. Wow - I don't travel light... at least not when it comes to intense drawing sessions.

Good clear light, a pen and a pad of paper are the absolute minimum, though. Add classical music and I can start jamming on it - add stacks of visual information, and you probably won't get me away from it for several hours unless something really important is going on that requires my attention.

Food Cravings

2006-12-13T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've been having strong, strange food cravings this past week - and I've been listening to them.
For the past month I've been feeling run-down - but now I feel energized and have been sleeping incredibly well (in less time than usual). I really wonder what is going on (it's not pregnancy - that is a one in a hundred-shot without a doctor atm...).

Highest Cravings
Curry, cumin and paprika - (I just smell it and have to add it to whatever I'm eating)
Almonds (eating them like candy)
Barley (very strange, but wow pearled barley tastes good right now, with olive oil, pepper and soy sauce)

Strong Cravings
Turkey
Eggs
Salt

Funny thing is - Most of that was not a large part of my diet at all. My husband is vegan, so we usually don't have eggs or meat in the house at all. He doesn't like the barley, so I've been cooking him his own meals and making curried or soy sauce barley for my dinner.

It looks like some of this is high in vitamin B and E.

Diet and Meal Plans for Calorie Counting and Nutrition

2006-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Smart ways to see what you're eating - without all that 'weight loss' and 'diet with my plan' garbage. Especially good for those who are underweight or just want to stay the same weight.

Look up calorie values of foods (like a banana, slice of meat etc.) here: Calorie Counter

Put together sample meal plans in the CyberKitchen to add up three meals a day to your reccommended calorie intake.

Get the actual Nutritional Values of food (not calories though) you consume.

Quiz

2006-11-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

You paid attention during 86% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Mememe

2006-10-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

1. FIRST NAME? Marie, but only people who don't know me well use 'Marie.'
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yes, my mother's sister and a lady who helped my mom when my brother was just born and in intensive care. Jeanne-Marie+Lynn = MarieLynn = RheLynn
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? When I heard a little kitten I knew died.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, and I can mostly read it when I'm done too ;o)
5. FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? Pastrami with that peppered edge.
6. KIDS? Soon.
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOURSELF? Not sure, she is such a recluse, would I ever meet her?
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Many of them, mostly half-full.
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yea.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Hmm, not sure. I like amusement park rides, but bungee is different.
12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL? Oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins.
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM OFF? If they have shoelaces, I do.
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? stronger than I look
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM? Real New York Vanilla
16. SHOE SIZE . size 9.5 or 10 American
17. RED OR PINK? Red
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Not spontaneous enough.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom. I worry about her.
20. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
21. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW? Jeans, and brown.
22. LAST THING YOU ATE? Hacho miso soup and rice.
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Something on the office server that is on a loop.
24. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? Cerulean - I always loved that colour how it was transparent almost.
25. FAVOURITE SMELL? Hmm.. almond soap.
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My aunt, but it was trying to contact my Mom.
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their intellect, how they speak or react to the situation.
28. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes!
29. FAVOURITE DRINK? coffee.
30. FAVOURITE SPORT? Archery with a recurve bow (and no scope/sight).
31. HAIR COLOUR? Dark blonde or light brown - depends on the light.
32. EYE COLOUR? Hazel.
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.
34. FAVOURITE FOOD? Hmm... coffee count?
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy endings.
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? argh.. it was the Kim Possible movie, my husband rented it.
37. WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Red, white and blue striped.
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
40. FAVOURITE DESSERT? Lemon pudding.
41. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
42. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
43. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Do computer programming manuals and knitting patterns count? I really need to get back to reading more regular books.
44. WHAT.S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? don't have one
45. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? we don't get a signal, and we didn't have a DVD last night, so nothing nada zilch.
46. FAVOURITE SOUNDS? I really like good violin music.
47. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? err.. I guess the Beatles as I had my mom's old 45s.
48. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM home? The Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming.
49. TALENT? I try, and that is what it usually takes to make things work out ;o)
50. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? On a Summer Solstice, that was a Thursday, over 20 years ago - in the hospital of my hometown, at 7:35 in the morning. I still make sure to wake up around that time each birthday to just go out and look at the world on my doorstep... it's a weird thing, but it's my thing.

Bash Scripting

2006-10-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

a guide

Knitting at a Linux Convention...

2006-09-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Linuxfest!

Theatre Shawl knitting project, on a size 8 circular with a 60" cord. (Knitpicks Options are fairly good, by the way!)
Digital camera
Two sets of rechargable batteries, charger and USB cable
Chapstick
Larry Niven's Rainbow Mars
New eyeglasses - boy I look like a school marm now...
Steno notebook for taking SQL and Apache notes
Change in quarters
ID case on a belthook that goes in my pocket - nice.
belt-clip eyeglasses case, also nice.
Headphones
Case of sewing needles and thread
Crochet hook, 2 dpns and a weaving needle
folding scissors
tiny flashlight
Sharpie, rollerball and three other colours of permanent ink pens
USB flash drive
USB All-In card reader
Laptop computer with Windows/Linux partition(upgraded to a decent battery too)
Lots of pictures of Sally and Willow on said computer.

POV-Ray and python and whatever else

2006-09-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Fibbonacci spirals in POV-Ray and python.

A few interesting things here

a spiel about OpenGL and trigonometry

stellar parallax trigonometry of the stars, very cool.

Wakame

2006-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Article: Anti-obesity compund found in brown seaweed.

Oh No :o( My miso soup is going to get more expensive, isn't it? I like my miso!

seeking

2006-09-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

lore - chipmunk and owl woman <--found this interesting.

It is strange - I started a new small weaving on my board, then I dreamt again of the chilkat weaving, and also of the owl woman work that I saw by Clarissa Hudson. There was a woman there I had seen before - I asked her, but she would not tell me her name. She said I knew it - so she didn't have to tell me. She was a small woman with long black hair - and she was wearing something white.

She had the red owl blanket in her lap - or something that looked like it. Instead of answering my questions she showed me hazy memories of things I've already forgotten again - and told me she was someone I had spoken with before, at the time of the first dream? She would not tell me when. In the dream I knew what she meant - but when I woke up, it dissipated. The memory was like a long forgotten taste - I could not place it, but knew it was something I had experienced long ago.

I wonder who she was, and what she was trying to show me. My grandmother died when I was four. She had long black hair, but that was before I knew her. Her hair was white as snow when I knew her - and she was a small dark-skinned woman with lively eyes and strong hands. I'm not sure -- maybe the dream woman was simply a personification of something I am supposed to look for. Maybe I will dream of it again. I want to dream there again.

Chilkat blankets, a Tlingit art form

2006-09-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

I had a dream where one of these blankets changed colour as it was turned over. It was black with white symbols, and as it turned over, it was white with black symbols. It was odd, as I haven't seen one in many years, and then only in a college art course. I am a weaver, but of small, non-complicated things. So -- I thought I'd put up a few links to this and see what it inspires.

This site has a few pictures: Civlization Treasures. It describes them as being made of goat hair and cedar bark.

Clarissa Hudson is a modern artist who, among other things, has the knowledge of Chilkat weaving. I also greatly admired her owl woman robe in the Chilkat style, made for a friend.

A Chilkat weaving in progress, at the website of Anna Ehlers, another master Chilkat weaver.

Japanese royal family has new male heir

2006-09-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Article
The Chrysanthemum royal line of Japan, which is over 1,500 years old - has a new male heir, born to Prince Akishino (Fumihito) and Princess Kiko on Sep 6, 2006. This defuses a large amount of pressure on both Princess Kiko and Princess Masako (mother of Aiko). There had been a large debate over whether females would be allowed to inherit the throne, if a male heir was not born soon.

Also on Reuters: Scientists identify brain's concept control core Where the brain connects words with objects. The study was done with patients suffering from Semantic Dementia. This new insight may also help with several other neurological disorders, the causes of which was heretofore hazy or unknown.

More obese people in world than undernourished

2006-09-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Article Obesity pandemic engulfing world: experts say.

National Animal Identification System - say No!

2006-09-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Join the LibertyArk Coalition to fight NAIS!

The NAIS or National Animal Identification System is not what it seems.

It claims to be a 'voluntary' electronic identification system for all livestock that will help track and prevent disease from spreading.

What it really is - A costly, expensive system that the farmers will have to pay for themselves! It will drive many small farmers out of BUSINESS!

It will help the large corporations sell more animal products by labeling their products 'safe' for export - but it won't change the way they raise their animals, which is the root cause of many diseases and causes of tainting meat! These corporations can easily afford the tags, and don't care what it will do to smaller farms (their competitors).

Small farmers know their livestock much better than feedlots and corporations ever could - yet they will also be required to electronically tag their livestock with $300.00 (or more) 15 digit tags or face fines.

Not only will farmers have to pay for this system on their farms (even small, hobby farms), but they will have to report the movements, births and deaths of their livestock within 24 hours to a government agency. This will cause a legislative nightmare! Do you know how hard it is to hand-raise livestock, even without all that paperwork?

Not to mention, it is completly against the beliefs of the Amish and people who are trying to live simpler, low-tech lives in rural communities!

Find out more about this - eventually (2009) it will be mandatory, not voluntary! Farm Bureaus are supporting this system because they will get money for operating the databases, including the names, addresses and vital information of all the farmers. Fight the NAIS - it is unnecessary and not very well thought out! Vermont has already stood up to their legislature and made headway!

Visit LibertyArk Coalition to find out how to fight this in your state! There are state pages there that can hook you up with coordinators in your area.

Group forms to fight animal ID system <-- debut article for LibertyArk

NASA awards moon rocket contract

2006-08-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Lockheed Martin wins NASA moon contract
"The nation's space agency plans to use the Orion crew exploration vehicle to replace the space shuttle fleet, take astronauts to the moon and perhaps to Mars."

Is Phenylephrine an Effective replacement for Pseudophedrine?

2006-08-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Article

I'm glad to see this being brought up to the FDA for comparison. I know many people who this 'equivalent' drug doesn't work for them. I continue to use it when needed, and get okay results. My own husband cannot use it, and doesn't want to go through the trouble at the pharmacy counter of waiting in line, going through an id scan, phone address and photo check - all for a $2.00 box of medication when he is sick.

The lady at the end of the article says 'it's being well received in the marketplace - so it must be working'... well, for some people, not all of them! And how can they tell how many people are just going without, and suffering through their colds?

When you introduce a new product to replace a product that has been restricted. How can you tell how many people are just not buying the restricted product, AND not buying the new product?

Science talk podcast

2006-08-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

see link at Scientific American magazine's website.

Super Size -do you see something wrong here?

2006-08-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

Super Size Britain leads to more stringent ad rules, no junk food ads before 9 pm at night.

Why?
Why can't people just learn how much is 'enough' and get out there and do some physical work to make up for hours spent at office jobs?

America's Obesity Epidemic Getting Worse
According to a new report from Trust for America's Health (TFAH), adult obesity rates continued to rise in 31 states over the past year while government policy efforts have consistently failed to provide viable solutions to the growing obesity crisis.

Here I am, often struggling to stay at 'minimum weight' because of a stressful, highly physical lifestyle. I've lost 25 lbs in 2 years, and went from a size 14 to a size 6 (although sizes have changed some, too). And, most of the U.S. and Britain can't stop eating?

One of the worst problems is that people stock their super market carts with soda, chips, snacks and processed 'prepared' foods instead of the basics of grains(rice, quinoa, bulgur), lean well-cut meat, flour, milk, fresh eggs veggies and fruit. They choose food based on 'convenience' instead of their health.

When shopping, I see this trend in almost every cart I pass by. Whole carts full of junk and processed packaged food, with very little good food at all. Carts laden with 24 packs of soda (which is either pure sugar or flavored expensive water).

Wise up, eat right and just plain eat less. Your body can live with a hunger pang. It isn't necessary to fill your stomach up with junk just because you are hungry! This is why we have the power of choice. Learn to wait for a good meal, or learn to bring something with you that is decent. Also, unless you have another medical problem that restricts your diet, start eating less! Learn more about your actual bodily needs and execute some willpower.

Anorexics aside, it seems like a good amount of Americans and Britons could stand to not only watch what they eat, but DECIDE not to eat as much of it!

What kind of flower are you?

2006-08-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Again, prompted by CarrieK over at My Middle Name is Patience blog. I do like the quizzes she finds :o)

I am a
Canna

What Flower
Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

Fields Medal

2006-08-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Math Genius declines high honor for his work on the 'geometry of the universe.'

Blogthing: What kind of soul are you?

2006-08-17T13:27:00.001-07:00

You Are a Prophet Soul

You are a gentle soul, with good intentions toward everyone.

Selfless and kind, you have great faith in people.

Sometimes this faith can lead to disappoinment in the long run.

No matter what, you deal with everything in a calm and balanced way.

You are a good interpreter, very sensitive, intuitive, caring, and gentle.

Concerned about the world, you are good at predicting people's feelings.

A seeker of wisdom, you are a life long learner looking for purpose and meaning.

You are a great thinker and communicator, but not necessarily a doer.

Souls you are most compatible with: Bright Star Soul and Dreaming Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Cool Sydney Opera House

2006-08-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

Sydney Opera House model found after being lost for more than 20 years. Model is of the interior AND exterior of the complex building - and in 2,500 pieces, with no instructions. No pics of the model, but story is great!

Space Imaging photo of Sydney Opera House. Click on photo to see the whole space satellite image.

On Celebrities

2006-07-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find yourself standing in front of a row of magazines, or even looking at an advertisement on the Internet, and wondering.. 'Who in the Heck are these People?' Sure.. sometimes they even have names under the pictures.. but still, that doesn't help me much.

I guess I'm really out of touch with 'popular culture.' But then -- maybe that is a good thing, considering these magazine covers!

I mean.. why do I really want to smell like some pop song singer or drink a soda just because a rap singer likes it? I don't. I'd like to think my life is more interesting than that.

Browsing around

2006-07-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Routinely I browse around for stuff - like everyone, instead of spouting off on some topic. Here is my fun 'browser cruise' today.

cool stuff:

Wikipedia: List of Problems Solved by McGyver very cool. also check out the article on the St. John's College - the college attended by MacGyver's creator Lee David Zlotoff. Now I wish my college had been more like that!

'Heavy' Rain reveals age of Sierra Nevada Mountains

King Tut's Mummy's Mummy?, maybe not, but still cool.

Skeleton on Coral marine creatures can be made out of varying materials - cool creature! U.S. marine geologists say they`ve determined corals can change their skeletons, using different minerals depending on the seawater`s chemical composition.

Response to Hawking's question on Yahoo Answers, article by FOX News

Law of Supply and Demand in real lifebaking bread can be geeky?

2006-07-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

We used to buy four loaves of fresh-baked bread at our grocery store every Monday night. They raised the price from .90 to 1.28 three months ago. We dropped down to buying only two loaves of bread each week.

After two weeks, there was a gap there that needed to be filled. But - we didn't like paying more for the bread, because over time, .68 a week (for no extra gain) adds up quickly. Instead, we invested a little extra money in yeast and flour. We now bake bread, biscuits or pizza at least twice a week. The price of the bread fell back to .98 cents last week. This Monday we still only bought two loaves.

Our demand went down. If we hadn't started making more of our own supply (which admittedly, took effort and investment), it probably would have went back up. But now, we spend that extra two dollars on a packet of yeast and a bag of flour.

So, maybe the store's net profit is the same (we are still spending two dollars, just not on bread), but our net gain has went up, as we can choose what to make, when to make it, and usually, make more than one thing out of it.

You might ask - but what about your time? Doesn't it cost you a lot because you could be watching TV or something? Isn't it a lot of hard work? Well... we are geeks. We don't watch TV - we appreciate things like the multiplication of yeast and analyzing different recipes. Breadmaking is hard work - but it is interesting hard work that involves natural chemical processes and that 'look what I did' phenomenon. :o) Who'd have thought baking bread was geeky?

Who wants to be a House-nimare? or is that House Nightmare?

2006-07-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

The House that Swallowed its Owners

Yet another reason to live below your means, and be happy with less.

My view: Kentucky doesn't get it when it comes to critical thinking in math

2006-07-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

In response to article:
Kentucky: Math aid program would be expensive Should they spend money on an expensive computer program for students instead of on more traditional methods?

My View (*on their message board*)

Actually, this goes for all schools, not just the state of Kentucky.

They should spend the money on teachers and time in the classroom. Students like computers - but they view them as games, not as education tools. They will forget 'playing' the computer program much sooner than they will sitting down with a real person and finding out why the math problem is so hard for them.

This coming from a computer programmer -- programs make good visual and calculating tools and reinforcements but are not a replacement, by any means, for a real person when it comes to the fundamentals.

I am 26 years old - and learned best from a teacher who taught algebra in several different ways at once. He showed that there was more than one way of visualizing a problem - in numbers, graphics and words He then related the specific math process we were studying to previous chapters, science and business. Critical thinking skills like these are what our students need in all of their subjects - to "learn how to learn"(not how to punch keys and look at the screen to see if they got it right).

By the way - that teacher was my stepfather, an ex-Marine and truck driver. He saved me from repeating the seventh grade by looking at WHY the math wasn't sinking in - what mistakes I was making over and over - then finding a way to show me the key steps I had missed in the school teacher's explanation.

Interacting with your kids when they want to learn something will last a lifetime. Otherwise, they will simply be frustrated and feel like no one cares whether they pass or fail.

**Without my dad, I wouldn't have cared about learning math. Without math, I would have never continued on to a career in computer programming and web development.**

Stephen Hawking at Yahoo Answers

2006-07-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

First off: Yay for space shuttle Discovery and her crew! Take-off on Independence Day! Godspeed to them and safe journey home.

Stephen Hawking is asking the question: How will the human race survive the next 100 years? Yahoo Answers blog post about the subject.

My answer is on this page. (Rhelynn)

This is a remarkable opportunity - even to think about answering a question posed by this great physicist (and inspiring person all-around!). Even if he doesn't get to read every answer personally, maybe just reading what everyone else thinks around the time you post - and contemplating yourself on the idea, will set something in motion.

I hope it does.

I'm reading: The Metropolitan Opera Murders, and the two high school math books ordered as a comparison to the 1953 Third Course in Mathematics book. This topic really makes me want to get out by Brief History of Time, however, and take another read through it.

Japanese book of tea text at Gutenberg

2006-07-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Book of Tea -- to read later.

Producers, not consumers. Citizens, not divas.

2006-06-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Affluenza.org and Kids and Commercialism
Check this place out!
I hope my children never grow up to be 'consumers.' At least, not the kind I'm seeing all this advertising and commercialism directed at.
Heard on the radio: Buy these shoes - they're half-off, even without knowing any math you know that's a good deal!

No, I'd like our kids to be producers. I'd like them to be capable and confident that they can do things for themselves and their community.

Credit Card Kids and the Buy-Me Generation

I am extremely peeved at my generation, and the generations that are growing up right now - with their credit cards, 'I want everything mentalities', cell phones and ipods.

My niece still thinks she can grow up to be a rockstar or a diva, because of too much Nickolodeon, Disney Channel and no discipline. Rockstars and divas don't need school, didn't you know? They don't have to concentrate on that boring homework or even crack a book. They can quit in high school, walk out on the street and become 'discovered'.. never working a day in their life. They swim in cash and spend it on all sort of fabulous (unnecessary) things such as diamond tiaras and cars they can't drive yet! Sheesh!

Where are the people that are going to be the future's scientists and artisans? Where are the thinkers, inventors and great community leaders? Well, they certainly aren't growing up on my street... not unless somebody starts turning this around and fighting back at the media mentality.

Children need to learn to grow their own food, make things with their hands, balance wants and needs and realize that all of the 'new gadgets' in this world have very little to do with the path to happiness. They need to network with other people - learn skills and seek knowledge.

A person who is afraid to get their hands in the dirt or take the time to cook a meal ? I see way too many of them. Or, 'It takes too much time to read a book - why not page through a magazine or watch a movie?'

Sure, maybe technology is changing - we are in the Information Age - but the needs of the human mind should pretty much stay the same. We need to do things, see cause and effect, and know the value of our participation physically, mentally and socially at an early age. Kids need to understand everything won't be handed to them - they have to work to make it happen. This makes productive adults who put value back into their community.

Would you rather have this generation sitting out on the street wondering why nobody talked some sense into them? Or, worse, (and some already have seen this) living in Mom and Dad's basements until they are forty because they can't figure out what went wrong with all their plans to become rich and famous?

My husband and I will start having our children next year - on a farm with sheep and a large garden, far away from the lights of the city. We're not survivalists.. but we are survivors. We have a room full of books on "archaic" subjects such as physics, geometry, botany and philosophy. We hope our children will become smart intelligent citizens by watching how much their parents are intersted in and value their accomplishments.

what day of the week were you born?

2006-06-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is a cool link: What day of the week were you born?

I was born on Thursday, June 21st, a while ago. :o)

While you're there - check out this clock and gear fundamentals page (same site).. kind of cool!

Online article: ebook of Food Guide for War Service at Home on Project Gutenberg written 1918 - interesting ideas of the diet and use of different foods during WWI.

Fiction reading: Finished 'Black Coffee' by Agatha Christie - the novel that had been converted from the 1929 stage play! Very cool - there was a point there where I even thought maybe 'They all did it?', but it was wrapped up skillfully in the end.

Also reading 'Her Majesty's Wizard' by Christopher Stasheff. I just picked up the first few chapters after finishing the other book - but it looks like a good read. Quite a few references to old verse that I'll have to track down!

My math books (the high school ones) haven't arrived yet. When they do, I'll begin my comparison to the older math book.

re-engineer your brain and your wallet will follow

2006-06-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

Living Frugally (post I made to an online group in response to a topic)

Jump to the Tips for Re-engineering your Wallet

I'm not selling you anything, although this looks like an ad. I'm just a girl in TN who wants to live simply.

I really wish more people would do this! Especially the people I know who are 'barely making it', they tell me that... but then they refuse to not live like the Joneses. I've learned a lot of this from my husband, as he grew up in a family with lots of kids and few resources. The first year we were married we barely made ends meet - then we started doing this. Now, we have enough in the bank to make a downpayment on our own house and land.

I grew up in a poor family too, but we always made ends meet.
Now, my siblings think my husband and I 'live like monks.'
but, we have most of the things we want!

You don't have to live like a monk all the time.
But you have to know what you want out of life
and not just 'go with the flow' because everyone else does.

If you try to keep up with the Jonses' for keeping-up's sake
that is how big companies get all your $$ and you are stuck holding things you don't want, don't need, and a big stack of bills you can't pay.

The Tricks
Re-Engineer your Brain and your Wallet will follow

Don't run out everywhere the moment you need something small. With gas prices like they are, make all your shopping on one day a week, bring a list and stick to it. Plan for the week ahead, so you don't run out of anything important. It can be done. This was a hard thing for me to do! This one thing alone has saved us more $$$ than any of these others put together.

If you can make something (chair, dishrag, rug etc.) for much less than you can buy it - do it. Unless you have absolutely no time to spend making something, it is worth it and will probably be a better product than what you can buy in a store.

We wear clothes and shoes until they wear out - unlike my siblings who throw something away the moment it is 'not in perfect condition' or even worse, 'not in style.' We buy used if we can, but do not deprive ourselves of a set of dress clothes or good fitting shoes. We don't buy clothes just because they are 'on sale' or 'in style.' That is what the big $$ companies want you to think is 'required' because they want your $$ too!

First off - cook your own food when you can. You'll know what is in it, and not be paying gas and lots of $$ for fast food. We also 'streeetcch' food by adding cheaper things to it, like rice or pasta to expensive vegetable stirfry, or making cheap baking powder biscuits to add more bulk to a meal. Understand your nutrition with this - a good cook can make lots of healthy meals with very little. Remember olive oil is a good fat and know which foods create 'complete proteins.'

We also soak dry beans on Friday or Saturday night to cook in the oven (during the cold hours of morning or late at night is best, heats up the house in winter or doesn't heat it up during the noon hour in the summer). A married couple can live on 30-50 dollars a week for groceries (meatless) if they do this (that is even with a few special items thrown in for each person, like my favourite jam and his favourite fruit). Garden as well (with cheap farm bureau seeds, not designer ones) - it brings your costs down even lower.

Use up your leftovers or learn to cook exact portion sizes. Keep an eye on expiration dates (when you buy too) so food you buy is not wasted. Forgo the dinner you planned tonight if there is something else that won't keep as long and needs to be used first.

All the old clothes that we do finally throw out either become rags or can be sewn into something else. I learned to sew quilts, toys and rugs from my grandmother.

We drink tea (hot and iced), coffee and WATER instead of wasting our money on large packs of soda. I see so many carts at the supermarket with very little food in them, but several large packs of sugary soft drinks. This wastes money, adds empty calories and think about your dental bills too! We buy packaged snacks very rarely.

Don't skimp on dental or necessary health care when you can afford it. Small things turn into big things. Keep yourself healthy and you will be able to work more efficiently, and work harder for the things you want to do for yourself.

This one will be hard for a few people to accept - but it has also saved us a lot. Consider every item you have or buy as either useful, having sentimental value, or as clutter. I won't throw out the ceramic knick-knacks my grandmother gave me - but I won't pick up more at a garage sale just because they are 25 cents. Live simpler, and you will have less to clean, organize, worry about getting broken, or pack if you have to move. If you really want something (like a skein of yarn, or a new book) the money will be there and less will be wasted on things that 'just came up.'

Pay bills on time to reduce late fees. Plan a budget and know what needs to be paid - the important things. Don't be the person that loses their phone, electricity, rented apartment etc.. when they miss one paycheck, or even two! What is more important, the shoes on sale, or your rent? Paying bills on time improves your credit rating - but don't give into all those credit cards either. MOST PEOPLE DON'T NEED CREDIT CARDS! Put your saved money in the bank where you can't get it at every whim! Set aside some regular portion of your paychecks as 'savings.' Keep an emergency fund as part of your regular expenses. Even if you can only save 5.00 per paycheck, that still is something - and don't touch it until you really need something!

And last but not least - if you can get somewhere (safely) by walking or riding a bike instead of driving (ex. the post office, the library maybe? maybe just a friend's house?) - do it. You'll be healthier and save gas money at the same time. Some people have health problems to keep them from walking too far (like my father), but take shorter trips to the mailbox, the back corner of the backyard, etc.. at least to keep yourself active.

quiz

2006-06-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

News link: California professor wins Millennium Technology Prize for work with laser and light.

The quiz, pointed to by CarrieK -
What is Your World View? (updated)
created with QuizFarm.com

I don't quite agree with these findings -- I think there IS a higher power out there - I'm just not sure what the nature of it is entirely, and have been contemplating on it my entire life. I think one has to feel a deep and life-penetrating faith in something, with every bit of their being, before they have a definite answer to this question. Some people get there easily. It has been a harder journey here, but one I am still attempting to make.

You scored as Existentialist. Existentialism emphasizes human capability. There is no greater power interfering with life and thus it is up to us to make things happen. Sometimes considered a negative and depressing world view, your optimism towards human accomplishment is immense. Mankind is condemned to be free and must accept the responsibility.

Existentialist	69%
Idealist	63%
Postmodernist	63%
Romanticist	63%
Cultural Creative	56%
Fundamentalist	44%
Modernist	38%
Materialist	31%

Vintage books for me!

2006-06-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Here's what is on the Geek Desk.
The New Mathematics, a Third Course - (1953)
Edward I. Edgerton and Perry A. Carpenter

The Universe Around Us - (1929)
Sir. James Hopwood Jeans
The second book is almost like a birthday present, and it is so great! I read that it helped an astrophysicist (or two) to realize they wanted to be a scientist when she grew up! It is in such good condition for 1929 - I can't wait to start reading it!

Interesting blog links - math and memory

2006-06-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Blog Link: Mind Games harder for Kids at Eide Neurolearning Blog.

Blog Link: Homeschool Math Blog - ranges from simple to complex mathematical posts, quite interesting! Jumped from here to the link on 'online maths newspaper with funny headlines' at The Sum (think, the 'Sun' tabloid).

Blog Link: Casting Out Nines <-- this looks like it could be interesting, I'll have to check back later.

and now.... a paragraph from the math text I'm currently admiring.. the 1953 'Third Course in the New Mathematics' by Edgerton and Carpenter:

Copyright facing page: (Seen under a beautiful b/w photo of the Grand Coulee Dam)

Long before this dam was begun, engineers had to do an enormous amount of mathematical work. Without the knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, as well as higher mathematics, they never could have planned this gigantic structure.

Just for the record - I'll state that this is an eighth-grade level math book -- and I am currently admiring it for the way it keeps stressing what math is used for, frames problems in the sections on real world problems (explaining textile manuf., machinists' work, farm issues and the like along the way) with real world reasoning and solutions, and reminds the students that their future business goals depend on knowing enough math to do their work and keep their finances in order. By the last 1/5 of the book - they are covering quadratic equations, factoring, stock market dividends, insurance policies and a special section on aerial navigation. Just a beautiful hardback book - and only a little over 5"x7.5", 490 pgs.

If you've gotten through all that - then you are worthy of reading this (eventually):
The Mathematical Realm of Nature by Michael S. Mahoney, Princeton University. A fascinating online article.

News links and algebra textbooks

2006-06-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Algebra Textbooks

I went looking for what our kids are learning in math classes today - and found this list of highest ranking textbooks, in use, that might help kids learn (according to the AAAS Project 2061. Well, I want to compare this to the very good 1953 specimen I bought earlier this week. I ordered both copies of the first course of Contemporary Mathematics in Context from an Abebooks.com bookseller.

More info when they arrive!

AAAS = American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cloned Mules Compete against each other, come up nearly identical times.

Rivers found under Antarctica ice - I think they mean under the ice but between deep lakes on the land though - 'under tundra' lakes... so kind of like caves? I'm not sure. I'm still trying to picture this one in my head.

This one is actually from April - but so interesting! Polyglots have 'different' brains. My question here is - what skill is it when you don't know a langauge at all, but by reading long paragraphs of it - patterns and similarities to other languages you can read and understand begin to appear - and you can properly translate large areas of it? Of course - some languages are quite similar to others.. maybe learning some German, French and Latin gives you the 'keys to the castle' on stumbling through many others?

Blog Link: the Stevens list of the 100 greatest science books first 30 listed here from the Stevens Center for Science Writing - plus there are some great suggestions in the comments! Gotten to by EurekAlert! (again.. great site!) article

Soay Sheep and Geometrical Drawing

2006-06-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

not together ;o)

Soay Sheep - Natural selection in island sheep - found at EurekAlert! Great article - I didn't even know that these sheep existed, much less all by themselves, wild on a Scottish island! The article covers some genetic testing and analysis done by scientists.

Saw this book - Geometrical Drawing 1935, from the International Textbook publishing company, at our local flea market today. However, the copy they had was not kept in the best of places the last 80 years - and it would be worth ordering one from a good place online, now that I know about it. What I could stand looking through (bad old book odor.. you know what I mean) had some great charts and formulas in it. The same company had a few other trig and geometry books (apparently the previous owner worked for the DoT or something.. lots of things about highway surfaces and statistics of materials etc) but they were in such bad shape I didn't even try to look through more than the first few pages.

Fifth Dimension

2006-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Browsing Around

Physicists probe the fifth dimension news story at msnbc.
science and space quiz at msnbc as well. I scored an 80. Have to go check out those ancient cave ecosystems again ;o)
WhoWhatWhenAIR blog about the MIT moving skyscraper sculpture

Yes - I spent too much time at one site, but it was actually interesting this morning :o)

Book Finds

1953 'Third Course in the New Mathematics'
small school textbook I picked up at the library sale yesterday. Excellent condition - beautiful pictures scattered throughout the text. Many exercises and word problems. Covers a wide berth of general arithmetic, geometry and algebra, as well as a nice chapter on converting data to charts for 'practical uses.'

I had the luck to see the lady checking it in - not many math books make it to the sale shelves (I'm not sure where they take them.. but they disappear). She said - this? if you want it, give me a quarter and it's yours. :o)

there was also a 1929 french grammar that was free!

Found printed on the back cover of the mathematics book. A sign of the times: 'An additional protractor will be sent by the publishers on receipt of three two-cents stamps. Address the nearest office of Allyn and Bacon.'

Symmetries of Culture

2006-06-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

I have got to read this in more depth later - fascinating!

Especially in Chapter 2 - translations and reflections. It reminds me so much of when I was first wrapping my brain around the coordinate system in programming POV-Ray (by hand, not with a modeller), back say... 10 years ago now.

I also ordered this book today: 'The Universe Around Us' by James Hopwood Jeans (1929)

- it was highly reccommended in this article and I love old science books.. just love them. I got my copy on abebooks.com, which is celebrating its 10 year anniversary!

My First Apartment - a survived summer

2006-05-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

When the summer rolled around after my first year at college, I didn't want to go back home. It was a strange situation - but I knew that if I went back to my small hometown, and lived in my mom's house again, I wouldn't be back to college the next year.

They say college kids have a 'safety-net,' that they aren't really poor, just college poor. Well, that summer I would have loved to have had a safety-net. Instead, during the worst of it - the best I could have done was scrounge fifty-cents to call someone to take two days to drive out and pick me up. I didn't have a phone, I didn't have money in the bank, and my family was barely getting by themselves because my income was gone.

I lived in an 8' by 10' basement apartment that summer with a refrigerator, a microwave and a bathroom. There was no kitchen. I washed my dishes in the bathroom sink.

It was cheap - and it was in the same neighborhood as my college dorm. I couldn't afford summer classes, and I had to get out of the dorm. But I didn't want to go back home.

The job I had gotten in November offered me 'full-time' for the summer, at $6.00 an hour. It was a great place to work, but full-time ended up being, at the most, 22 hours a week. That added up to less than $100.00 per week, after taxes. My rent, for the shoebox apartment, was 185.00 a month, with me paying my own electricity, about 20.00 a month. That was a cheap aparment - very cheap by today's standards, but it was a hard summer.

In my way, I learned how to survive. It was quite different than the 'all together now' we had grown up with in Minnesota. I began to wonder if maybe the prospect of being stuck in a small town for the rest of my life wasn't half bad.

As I didn't have a phone in the apartment, I made short calls at the corner payphone to tell my mom I was alive. I bought stamps - and wrote longer letters. I searched in my car cushions for gas money - even returned canned food once or twice. I washed laundry in my bath-tub and hung it over the shower rod to dry. I lived on dollars stretched thin and change collected in jars. I budgeted. I made grocery lists and added up the tally before I went shopping.

My diet consisted mostly of rice, oatmeal, and whatever canned protein was cheap that week. There was a brand of beef stew (not anymore) that was 70 cents a can, and if I split in three portions it made the rice much more bearable. I drank a lot of water, worked every shift I could pick up and apologized a lot to my mom that 'I just can't drive the 400 miles home.. I don't have the gas money.' I watched Late Night with Conan O'Brien at midnight on a 13" screen my brother had given me - staticy even with the rabbit-ear antenna posed 'just right.'

One day, when it was raining hard out, I was very hungry. The rice I had eaten for breakfast just wasn't enough. I should have just taken the twelve minutes to make more (I had that microwave time down to a science by then) - but I didn't. I realized I had almost two dollars in change saved in a jar on the TV.

I was driving the four blocks up to the fast food chain when the light began to turn. My brakes didn't work well in the rain, and I slipped through just as it was turning. The young cop behind me pulled me over and gave me a ticket for running a red light - saying he saw me try to stop but it wasn't good enough. I sat there for a long time, stunned. He came back over and told me to get going or he would give me another ticket.

I didn't get the food - I drove home, still in a partial daze, and crawled under my table in the shoebox apartment. I sat there and cried myself to sleep. The ticket was 60.00 - to be paid in four days or I was to appear in court. My rent was 185.00 - and I had just enough to pay it in the bank, and just enough to pay only that.

That was the lowest point of those three months until schools started again - somehow I scrambled enough to pay the ticket on time, and my paycheck from work arrived on the last day for rent. The lady was nice and let me pay that evening instead of during the day.

I lost 20 lbs that summer ;o) not that I needed it.

I still believe if I had went back to my mom's house for the summer I would have either been convinced to stay in a low-paying job (as I've seen many of my friends and relatives do) that doesn't go anywhere (except into debt) - or been convinced to get married to some other guy - or get pregnant -- something that would anchor me to that little Minnesota town and never let me go again.

Instead I have a wonderful husband I love - who waited four and a half years for me to come back from college. Our fourth wedding anniversary is at the end of June. We are planning our first baby next year and have hopes for land and a house. We both work at a computer company in Tennessee. And - we are survivors - both of us (his childhood was more of the same above, except all of the time with four other siblings). Heck - now, with each other, we've already been through times almost as bad, and came out of them better and stronger.

I'm glad I stayed in the shoebox apartment - and even more happy that I lived through it :o)

Yes, I know there are people who live through worse - all of the time - but there are also people who don't believe even this story, that won't accept people stretch themselves even in these ways in order to make ends meet. Well, this is for them, and for all the college students from poor families who struggle on their own paycheck and scholarship to make their way.

Some books that helped make me .. me... maybe

2006-05-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

When my parents were divorced, when I was eight, my father left behind a large series of '*NAME* made Simple' red and black hardcover books from the 1950s and 60s.

They covered subjects like German, Philosophy, Mathematics, Accounting, Physics, History, Astronomy etc etc there were some 40 books, all on high-brow (for me) subjects. They were extremely good books too -- with exercises and answers in the back of the book to test yourself.

I read them because they were his. I learned all I could from them, and kept rereading them over the years grasping concepts here and there as fast as my little brain could go.

I learned to read German, to love Geometry.. to be interested in all the sciences and philosophy - I learned a little French, Latin and Spanish while I was at it too.

And, when I was nineteen... I asked my father again about those books. I told him they really made an impact on me - and he said 'Oh those? I really wondered where they were - I didn't mean to leave them behind.' *sad sigh* well... I'm glad he did, even if he didn't mean to. His absence made those books a treasure to this little girl.

Without them - and my brother's dictionary and encyclopedia set to help out, I wouldn't be who I am today. They are still on my bookcase - and most are still a good reference.

Read the books your father read..
try to solve the problems in your own sweet time...

Descartes' Geometry: I've got it!

2006-05-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

My Inter library loan of Descartes is in at the library -- I really hope it is the one I asked for! The lady said 'discourse of the mind'.... o-0, which may, or may not include the Geometry. Now to get down there and get it -- I've been laid up with bronchitis for a while and am just now starting to crawl out of it.

...

It was the right book!
Oh this might start something indeed! I even bought math toys!
I wish they had better math toys at the store
but this is what I get for living in the middle of nowhere

Fair Warning: There is other work and projects to be done too though -- so it might be the weekend before I am bisecting secants and the like again ;o)

sigh -- so many good books!

2006-04-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

I was using my copy of Barlow's Tables (1952) to find square roots in graphing circles, and happened to notice an advertisement on the back cover for Engineers' Illustrated Thesaurus 1952, which looks like an awesome book! It has 'over 8,000 illustrations of mechanical movements, machine parts and details...' just the few graphics in the advertisement are intriguing -- but since we went to an auction (for household things) today, books will have to wait a bit longer.

I have a new chapter for the math problem -- but I have to take the time to work out a new diagram and decide if I am going to work on this part separate from the original, or as a continuation of the original problem. I think separately, at the moment.

Some stuff on gears

2006-04-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

The math problem is a piece towards investigating gears, but also, in the other direction, towards the geometry and trigonometry behind the shapes and motions happening in the gears -- towards some grasp of calculus... did I lose you yet? I'm still figuring out how many pieces, and where from, I need to satisfy my curiosity.

Type of Gears <--some cool lego stuff here too
Epicyclic gear trains and the math calculations of
this page on timing gears from this online book Construction Mechanic Basic V.1

this is a cool site -- not quite what I am working on now, but soon... clockworks

Bisecting secants in an circumcircular curve

2006-04-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'm bashing a bit on this problem that has to do with an element of epicycloidal curves. However, this particular element is really about secants.

The Problem:
This is the rough diagram I drew of the problem, as far as I have gotten:
Relevant corrections (but no solutions) will be appreciated

Pathway to the solution:
The following math was contributed by a friend, Dasunt, to solve the red and pink lines.

Radius of Circle = AZ = CZ = BZ
by definition: AC = BC
known side: AB
AD = BD = (1/2 AB)
sqrt( AZ² - AD² ) = DZ
CZ - DZ = CD
sqrt( AD² + CD² ) = AC = (by definition) CB
Sides AC and BC are now known.

I made the graphics here from base drawings found online - if you want me to I will remove them and put up POV-Rayed examples when I get a spare moment. MLWM 2006

Found Links that I want to remember:

I found this post about science blogging on Science & Politics blog (hopped to from Confessions of a Science Librarian which had a great set of links!)

Oh I'm Happy! (I found my books!)

2006-04-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

We are still unpacking from our move to Tennessee last April, and there are books I have yet to locate! (we have a LARGE collection)

This morning I found my much-missed 1936 Sisam & Atchison copy of Analytic Geometry (I had misidentified it before) I am happy!

I still haven't found The Way we Think, but did also locate 'The Elegant Universe'.. which so far I hadn't noticed was missing...

Also found: The 1895 set of 'Stories by English Authors' that I was truly hoping was safe (I promised the lady who sold them to me ten years ago that I would take care of them!) I only own 7 of the 9 -- missing 'Ireland' and 'The Sea.' All but 'Germany' (of mine) are in excellent condition.

UPDATE: The Way We Think is found! -- but I'm in a math kick now...

on Leonardo da Vinci (again)

2006-04-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

I spoke some in another post about Leonardo da Vinci -- and today have found more that is on the same cue.

Leonardo da Vinci said:

"Let no one read me who is not a mathematician."

I guess I really do need to study more ;o)

from the book 'The Age of Adventure' 1956 - compiled by Giorgio De Santillana

It begins with a chapter again telling how Leonardo did not lay out his theories as did other learned men and 'philosophers' of the age -- but goes on to say this...

The universe that Leonardo saw was a logically tight universe, fit for profound meditation; but he was not interested in trying for what he felt could not be done, namely, translating the universe into purely verbal tightness.

He refused to think in words only, as the scholastics did. He was searching for a passage towards a new language. What that language itself was, Leonardo tried to establish through soundings that range over many depths, from the portrayal of form to applied mathematics.

Dartmouth's outline of Leonardo speaks a bit more about Leonardo's mathematics and just above that, his trouble with the NeoPlatonists, the philosophers mentioned above.

The paths I myself am looking to take are very well-trodden. Studying mathematics is not going to tell me everything I want to know. However, a deep scanning of many related subjects (which will require knowing math to do) will bring me closer. Leonardo da Vinci's life's work is exemplary of this.

In which I get into some cognitive philosophy -- you may want to look away

2006-04-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

For a really long time, I've been interested in the way we think. It is one of the most brain somersaulting things a human being can focus on, the process with which they process information... imho

I don't have a whole lot of time for myself lately -- but I've been trying to be productive with my thought processes.

While driving back from the post office (tax time), I made this little postulate about it.

click to enlarge and read text

writing/speaking <--> conscious flow <--> philosophy/study of logic <--> experiment/diagram/actual logic/mathematics <--> drawing/sculpting/building <-->images/symbols/pattern recogition/making connections <--> subconscious flow

yes I'm getting into muddy waters here, but maybe I need to study the mud and the water atm to find the truth.

It seems like there is a point in that continuum (which is not absolute, and is my own mock-up) that is almost like an 'access point.' At some stage there, my brain stops working in symbols and images, and begins to make logic and words. Logic and words are the key to expressing oneself in the physical world (although drawings and sculptures could, they are not understood as absolutely, especially by the masses).

I need to exercise that region of my thought process until I can either expand or improve that access point. Maybe math is the way to do this -- or it will lead the way to it. Maybe a bit of A, B, and C are required.. art, math and philosophy(study), in order to attain this goal.

I'm sounding flaky even to myself here, but somewhere here is a kernel of truth that will help, somehow, to a better and greater understanding of what I really want to know. Know theyself, in order to know the world?

The results may yield the formula, as much as the formula yields the results. But what truly yields the truth, is something that the formula and the results hold in common.. the process -- the calculation, the transfiguration.

Book Links:

The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending and the Mind's Hidden Complexities book.. although I've read part of it and need to read some more.. especially after this.

I might have to look into getting this one afterwards.. if I can think straight after all of this ;o) Mappings in Thought and Language --"This book examines a central component of meaning construction; the mappings that link mental spaces. A deep result of the research is the fact that the same principles operate at the highest levels of scientific, artistic, and literary thought as do the lower levels of elementary understanding and sentence meaning. Some key cognitive operations are analogical mappings, conceptual integration and blending, discourse management, induction, and recursion..." from card catalog desc at Amazon.

Online articles and archives

Cognitive questions archive

Cool Blogs

Mixing Memory <--look at all the past archives!

Goedel, Hofsteader and LeibnizG.H.L within G.E.B?

2006-04-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

I was reading a selection from Leibniz' 'Dialogue on the Connection Between Things and Words' (1677) today and was getting 'deja vu' from Douglas Hofsteader's Goedel, Escher Bach (GEB).

I went out looking and here is why: On Goedel's Philosophy of Mathematics, specifically his part on the existence of mathematical objects. So of course, if Goedel refers to Leibniz (which apparently he does), and Hofsteader refers to Godel, on something much the same subject as Leibniz.. it comes around logically that one will sound very much like the other -- even though it comes about it thirdhand(?).

Anyway -- what I am babbling on about is this:

I only mean that characters must show, when they are used in demonstrations, some kind of connection, grouping and order which are also found in the objects, and that this is required, if not in the single words -- though it were better so -- then at least in their union and connection.

This order and correspondence at least must be present in all languages, though in different ways. And that leaves me with hope ...For even though characters are as such arbitrary, there is still in their application and connection something valid which is not arbitrary; namely, a relationship which exists between them and things, and consequently, definite relations among all the different characters used to express the same things.

And this relationship, this connection is the foundation of truth. For this explains why no matter which characters we use, the result remains the same (as in algebra), or at least, the rsults which we find are equivalent and correspond to one another in definite ways. Some kind of characters is surely always required in thinking.

quot3ed from Leibniz' Dialogue on the Connections Between Things and Words - 1677

If you've read G.E.B -- you will find a ring of familiarity in the talk about 'arbitrary symbols' and the things they represent. I'll have to go back through that book myself and see if (probably), how and where he himself references Leibniz... it has been several years and G.E.B is one LONG and heavy-reading book.

Leonardo da Vinci - beyond the artist

2006-04-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Wikipedia's article on Leondardo da Vinci

Free e books at Project Gutenberg:
Leonardo's Notebooks (text only)

Online Sites:
Leonardo's Machines <--nice site
A good many Leonardo da Vinci illustrations at this site, including medical illustrations (anatomical drawings).

I found this interesting, about where Leonardo got his books and what was in them-->Leondardo Da Vinci and Ancient Printed Medical Tests HTML version of a PDF

Of course Da Vinci was an artist..
but he was also ( schooled in / skilled at ) mechanics, anatomy, geometry and a wide range of subjects. I read his notebooks my first year at college -- not ALL of it, mind you.. there is so much there to absorb -- but just seeing the wide range of subjects and taking some of it in, is enough to spark anyone into some sort of creative thought ;o)

Odd though.. my sketchbooks did start to look more and more like that afterwards! They still do.

I read in my book 'The History of Mathematics' that most of the math Leonardo did in his notebooks, was incomplete. He would get to a point where he couldn't figure out the calculations, and just trail off... He would get frustrated. I identify with that. Then he would go build a model, or work on something else for a while. He was a genius, true, but even geniuses must get stumped once in a while, on something. He never lost his curiosity though - and that is important. He always wanted to know, or at least to seek, even if he found he could not always understand.

Back to sketching...

Planetary and Epicyclic Gears (and notes)

2006-04-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

We got some sleep last night - but also watched some Netflix-generated MacGyver... it is nostalgic to see him pull down a helicopter with a car-winch (season 1 - ep 1) and etc etc.. things you don't really notice when you are a kid, that wouldn't really work! I also liked the chocolate bars plugging up a large acid leak in the pilot... would have to do some research on that one... force behind it, size of the bars, bare hands etc etc...

Here is where my brain was this morning (spec. planetary gear systems and pulleys) about 8 am. I had drawn a little mechanical doodle while in a morning meeting. Actually, I had to ask a few people if they recognized it! I couldn't remember what it was exactly... just that I had seen it before and it made sense. It was something close to the epicyclic gear in the second article.

The worst thing I've noticed as I get older, is that the longer I don't use some bit of knowledge, the easier it is for me to forget the specifics of it.. and get confused by the generalities as well.

Online Reference Links

Planetary Gears: Online article : How stuff works
Epicyclic Gears : Online article : Sun and Planet Epicyclic Train
Online Article: This one has a nice 3D image in it
Online Chapter: A good reference on Gears in general with lots of good equations and diagrams.

Oh wow!
I can buy a science toy to try it out *wishlist* --> Planetary Gear Box Set

I have a nice little set of pulleys, magnets, pipe-fittings, faucet valves and other physics toys that are at home. It has been a while since I played around with them. :o(

Back to Python Land! I have some web forms to generate and process dynamically. I worked on them some yesterday, but the plan changed at the meeting.. *sigh* so I have to go back and rework them to the new specs.

Oh my can I get distracted -->
I'm linking these so I can read them later and do work now

Propositionnal Calculus
Logical Connectives

Science News articles

2006-04-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

and now a few short glimpses at what is going out there in the world, before I put my nose back into these books.

Found at EurkeAlert!

Gases in One Dimension -- Not Your Typical Desk Toy <--great! Chaos theory, how it does attract the imagination...

'Tensegrity' structures -- structures that deform on will... odd but interesting concepts! How would you like to drive over a bridge or go into a building that can fold up like a wallet or adjust its shape to the weather or earth movements? Really great topic.

Venus Express space probe arrives in orbit. Will we get just pictures, or relevant scientific answers?

new steps towards Organic Light-Emitting Devices? wow. to replace flourescent lights? no more flicker to drive me crazy? ;o)

Here is a quiz How Geeky Are You? from Newsweek. I got a 50% -- really, just because you don't use your cell phone to take pictures (I have a rocking digital camera for that.. so sue me!) or play Warcraft, text-message people to boredom, or rely on TiVo to get your entertainment.... doesn't mean you aren't a serious geek. Where are the real questions about what you DO do, or what you know? Anyway.. that is my rant. Newsweek needs to get out of pop culture 'geekery' and back to brain food.

Free Books on Geometry at Project Gutenberg

2006-04-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

There are three (so far) books at Project Gutenberg that are free and available to the public for download.
Please help support Project Gutenberg!
If you have a book that qualifies.. you can volunteer to transcribe it, or proofread another person's transcription!

The Foundations of Geometry by David Hilbert
Non-Euclidean Geometry by Henry Manning
An Elementary Course in Synthetic Projective Geometry by Norman Lehmer

In addtion, there is the following which has a chapter on Analytic Geometry (ch 15):
History of Modern Mathematics by David Eugene Smith

Quoting Leibniz, on types of geometry

2006-04-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

a little Leibniz and I do mean 'a little'... I found this an interesting and nicely put way of examining the early geometers.. and linking them for later research.

Quote:

Since theorems serve only to abbreviate or guide the solution of problems and since all theory should assist practise, all we need to do in order to judge the variety of kinds of geometry is to consider its problems.

The problems of geometery are about straight lines or curves, and presuppose only the magnitude of some lines or figures, straight or curved. To the latter sort belong the problems of finding centers of gravity, and consequently, a good many problems of mechanics.

Thus we may say that there are two kinds of geometry, an Apollonian and an Archimedian; the first was revived by Viète and Descartes, the second by Galileo and Cavalieri.

From a 1951 version of 'Leibniz' selections, Ch 1, pg 5. : cited there from 'General Geometry and the Method of Universals, (1674)

some neat links:
six species of information architect

oh what a cool blog! --> Space from the inside, and outside at A Kind of Bastard Reasoning. Just read the top header and you'll know why I am reeling with curiosity and awe that this exists in the blogosphere!

Optic(k)s

2006-04-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

I want this book too:
Opticks: Or a Treatise of the Reflections, Refractions, Inflections & Colours of Light-Based on the Fourth Edition London, 1730
by Sir Isaac Newton

The ideas of lenses, telescopes and microscopes are bouncing in my head along with the various problems of geometry I have been researching. It is coming through in my artwork as diagrams of the human eye, angles of reflection and dilation of images.

I've also found it just plain fun to play around on bristol with my compass and a black ink pen ;o) These little sketches are becoming reminiscent of Wassily Kandinsky or Paul Klee.

Understanding and Plotting the Curve

2006-04-10T10:15:00.001-07:00

The next part of my research is about understanding the curved line better, so as to better represent it in artworks and use the ideas behind it to make statements about real space.

Online Article: Asymptotes

On the geek desk: geometry, optics and related books

2006-04-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sure the urge for 20-something American women to do math doesn't happen out-of-the-blue much, at least not around here, in this day and age... but I had gotten a few questions in my head this week that wouldn't let my curiosity give up, until they were answered.

The Questions (that started it all)

When parallel lines of light hit a certain type of lens -- what does it look like : Answered, easy when I looked for it. It was a convergent type of lens -- and they all DUH converge... onto one point, then go back out from there...

Review the basic properties of circles, curves and angles via some good OLD geometry resources. For some reason, the language used in the older books just hits the spot for me -- it clicks where newer books usually leave me staring at the page blankly.

Right now, I'm drinking strong coffee, and working out connections between geometry, art and optics in a tablet with nice black ink. It is really inspiring some creative art as well. Better pictures of the real art later ;o)

My Books (on the Geek Desk)

Leibniz Selections: c. 1951 Charles Scribner's Sons
Elementary Plane Geometry Self-Taught: Lawrence A. Barrett Little Blue Book No. 748 marked 3/16/1929 by original owner
Practical Physics: by N. Henry Black and Harvey N. Davis 1923 The MacMillan Company
Algebra and Trigonometry: Rees, Spark and Rees 1975
University Physics, Jeff Sanny & William Moebs 1996 (vol.2 Optics)
Copied from book at library (reference book) : the Geometry (book 1) by Rene Descartes

On the Geek Screen

Online Article: René Descartes' Curve-Drawing Devices: Experiments in the Relations Between Mechanical Motion and Symbolic Language
Online Article: Convergent lens and the real image

Online Figures: Deviation of rays by convergent lens

Online PDF (excellent!) : Geometric Optics <--dream come true resource.

Amazon wishlist

Euclid's Geometry
Archimedes
Euclid's window looks interesting
Descartes' Geometry (full version)

For my own memory: Essentials of Analytic Geometry 1939 by Professor Raymond Brinks of the University of Minnesota. I have a copy of this somewhere!! I haven't been able to find it since our move :o( It was the first book that made polar coordinates click in my head.

Saturday - Main Street

2006-02-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

I just took out 'Main Street', by Sinclair Lewis from the local library. I was walking to the 'L/M' author section, to look at a different author, and it sort of jumped out at me on the shelf. I remember having to buy it for a class in high school, but the teacher changed the book, so we didn't actually study it. After looking through the first five pages, I decided it was time to read it.

My DH and I went for breakfast at a small restaurant and chatted about Japanese hiragana, to the dismay (I'm sure) of the waitresses. He even wrote it out on a napkin to prove he has been studying. I can only recognize about ten characters, much less write them legibly. We are both supposed to be studying this. He is definitely kicking my a** ;o)

Now we get to sit on the porch and read some. He rented out 'Eats Shoots and Leaves' and two other non-fiction books.

At the thrift store today we scored a copy of 'Dead Man's Dance' by Robert Ferrigno (for him) and a 1956 copy of Cours moyen de Francais (for me), which is stamped 'Property of the Board of Education.' ;o) I love old books, and especially foreign language books!

Japanese Homes and Architecture

2006-02-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

Japanese Homes and their Surroundings is a reprint of an 1895ish monograph of an Englishman in reopened Japan. There are hand-drawn sketches, descriptions of the formation and use of elements of the house and also of the culture. Rating 5/5!

The Japanese House has stunning visuals of many elements of a traditional Japanese house. Illustrations galore! Seeing a real Japanese bath (the kind you sit in, not wash in) and all the trappings is a real experience. Rating 4.5/5!

Haruki Murakami

2006-02-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

My DH J has reccommended both of these books. They are on the 'odd' side. For example, in Hard Boiled Wonderland the man is concerned because his shadow is dying... so he goes to find the end of the world. I am set to read them soon, but they definitely require a creative frame of mind ;o)

Vegan cookbooks

2006-02-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

My DH is vegan, but he wasn't always vegan.

I had to relearn how to cook, as he made the switch just one year after our marriage! These two books have served us well, giving us both new direction and instruction.

Vegan Planet

Pros : Great recipes like Anasazi bean chili and quinoa and Balsamic-glazed Kale and Carrots

Cons: So many recipes! Is this a con?

Great Feature: Cooking and Soaking times for a wide variety of uncommon legumes. Nutritional information as well.

Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

Pros: A lot of the same ingredients show up throughout the book, making it easy to have 'the right things' on hand.

Cons: However, some of those ingredients (like capers) may be hard to find in some areas.

Great Feature: The recipes are split into parts of the meal -- soup, appetizer, entree, dessert etc. It is easy to pick and choose a menu just by paging from front to back.

Books on Hand

2006-02-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

Beekeeper's Apprentice, The
by Laurie P. King - 1994
ISBN 0-7838-1932-3(large print)

I'm close to finishing The Beekeeper's Apprentice, by Laurie King. It was reccommended to me by a friend, and has been quite good! It is the 'further adventures' of Sherlock Holmes, after he retires to the countryside. He randomly takes on a 15-year-old girl as a pupil, who will become his assistant and collaborator throughout the book. One very odd thing, is that a little girl who gets kidnapped has the name of 'Jessica Simpson.' I wonder if that is a coincidence? ;o)

Other Links online to Beekeeper's apprentice:

The Orange Chair blog

Shina-laris' journal

l_aurens of Arabia blog

OTHER READING

I'm trying to cozy up again to Lucretius' On the Nature of Things and find out why it so intrigued me as a hardcover-bound volume in my childhood library. I'm not sure yet.. maybe I haven't gotten back to the part I remember yet. I thought it was something about cows and how Nature knows that cows have baby cows, and not grass for offspring ;o) Weird, huh?

Other than that -- I resisted borrowing the Complete Sherlock Holmes from the library in order to push the finish of Beekeeper's up a bit. It is due on Valentine's Day and I want it read before then!

BLOG-HOPPING:

I found this cool list of books other bloggers added onto! I've only read a handful of them. However, it gave me a few to add to my list!

OUR HOUSE:

Well, we brought in two more boxes of books from the storage today. Soon, we will have all seven bookshelves up again. It will be so nice to be all moved in ;o)

The Mermaid Chair

2006-02-11T17:56:00.000-08:00

The Mermaid Chair
by Sue Monk Kidd

They have been reading this book on the radio on 'Radio Reader.' I saw it at the library today, as well as the author's previous book 'The Secret Life of Bees.' I'm wondering if I should look into renting them out later in the month.

Two Pre-1900 books for young adults

2006-02-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Cast Upon the Breakers

Dora Deane

Cast Upon the Breakers
by Horatio Alger

(at Project Gutenberg)

A young boy in early America finds himself mostly on his own in the world, and without the inheritance that should have rightly been his. However, he uses his wit, honesty and hard work to make his way, even though others are not as scrupulous as he.

Rating: 4/5! It is a period piece, but very good. The reading can be a bit 'simple' at times, but I found it a page-turner in the 'updated tale of fate and morals' sort of way.

Dora Deane
by Mary J. Holmes

(at Project Gutenberg)

This book has a girl as the protagonist. It is a kind of 'Cinderella' story, typical of its time, in that the girl's goal is marriage and family. She is 'rescued' from a terrible situation with uncaring, unkind relatives by a wealthy man who has lost his wife and child. She goes from rags to riches and keeps her humility. The rest of the story is how she does not have spite for those who treated her badly, and how they meet their ends. Again, good for a period piece, and more tuned to simpler language and somewhat predictable plot.

Rating: 3.5/5! I own a 1900-era copy of this book, lovingly falling apart at the binding. I bought this copy from a one-room antiques shop when I was seventeen. I recently re-read it, finding the second reading almost as good.