Bits and Pieces
jlynch | April 24, 2006riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.
So begins James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, a work that makes Ulysses read like Dr Seuss. I just love that phrase, "from swerve of shore to bend of bay" ... reminds me of Dublin Bay.
Famously, Finnegans Wake gave us
Three quarks for Muster Mark!
Sure he hasn't got much of a bark
And sure any he has it's all beside the mark.
a chorus "sung" by seagulls and from which the term 'quark' was taken by Murray Gell-Mann.
jlynch | April 24, 2006Another poem for National Poetry Month, this time by W.H. Auden (my second favorite after Yeats). In this case, it's "Epitaph on a Tyrant" from 1939.
Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.
Draw your own conclusions.
jlynch | April 24, 2006About a week ago, I asked readers to design a banner for the blog. Thanks to everyone who submitted an entry ... it was (trust me) a difficult choice. As you can probably see, we have a winner! The banner was designed by Dora Ng, an ex-student of mine who is a talented graphic designer, and apparently likes badgers as well. Long story.
jlynch | April 18, 2006Despite being a reserved leader, I have my sheep-like qualities. One of which is, like most sheep, I am talentless when it comes to Photoshop, Gimp and the like. As my Sb sibs have all done this to some degree, I though I might give this a shot ... the Stranger Fruit banner competition. All very simple: design a 576 x 70 masthead that doesn't feature hot pink and gain my eternal gratitude, the knowledge that you prevented me looking like a complete amateur compared to my sibs, and mad props from me.
jlynch | April 15, 2006Since GrrlScientist made me:
Apparently, I'm not a sheep after all. Actually, the results are strangely accurate.
jlynch | April 14, 2006OK, somehow, I've managed to screw up my templates so that comments no longer appear. Hold tight. I'll get the Seed gurus to bale me out.
[un-fubared. --admin]
jlynch | April 8, 2006Since GrrlScientists asked:
You Belong in Dublin
Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.
You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.
What European City Do You Belong In?
And the irony is, of course, that Dublin is where I escaped from in 1994.
And changing one answer gives me:
You Belong in Paris
You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris.
You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying…
jlynch | April 5, 2006Longtime readers may remember the April Fool's prank played on me by some students last year, wherein I got "pinked" and "badgered". The culprits were never apprehended.
This year, I returned from class to find my office "possified," that is wallpapered with
(see below the fold for one corner of the room). Fear not, gentle reader, the culprits will be eventually brought to justice .... at least after my daughter and I finish the cupcakes that are, apparently, traditional on these occasions.
jlynch | April 2, 2006On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after one in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. Celebrate as you see fit. With cowbell. More cowbell.
HT to Burt H.
jlynch | April 1, 2006A sheep ... a smart, somewhat evil, non-metrosexual sheep.
I am 5% Idiot.
I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people.Take theIdiot Test@ FualiDotCom
I am 45% Evil Genius.
I want to be evil. I do evil things. But given the opportunity, and a darn good reason I may turn to the good side. Besides I am probably a miserable evil genius.Take theEvil Genius Test@ FualiDotCom
And, oh, what the heck ...
I am 19% Metrosexual.
I need some advice. I need to STOP BUYING MY CLOTHS AT…
jlynch | March 26, 2006Since GrrlScientist asked; a mere 6.25% - ten time less than her and five times less than Janet. Confused? Don't be.
jlynch | March 23, 2006 I recently finished a biography of Ludwig WIttgenstein and came away thinking that, while the man was probably brilliant, he was not by any means a person who was easy to know. That aside, I started to read his first work, Tractus Logio-Philosophicus (1921/2), and immediately realized I was way out of my depth, particularly as I'm not a huge fan of analytical philosophy.
Wittgenstein's basic argument is thus:
The world is everything that is the case.
What is the case, the fact, is the existence of atomic facts.
The logical picture of the facts is the thought.
The thought is the significant…
jlynch | March 19, 2006The British critic and novelist, Melvyn Bragg, has chosen twelve works that changed the world for an upcoming book and TV program. Nice to see a good representation of scientific works:
Principia Mathematica (1687) by Isaac Newton
On the Origin of Species (1859) by Charles Darwin
Experimental Researches in Electricity (three volumes, 1839, 1844, 1855) by Michael Faraday
Patent Specification for Arkwright's Spinning Machine (1769) by Richard Arkwright
Married Love (1918) by Marie Stopes
Magna Carta (1215) by members of the English ruling classes
Book of Rules of Association Football (1863) by…
jlynch | March 13, 2006As I mentioned previously, I'm getting to spend the latter half of Spring Break over in Colby College, Maine - where the temperature is currently 43 degrees. That's not too bad (it's only 52 here in the desert at the moment). Problem is, they are forecasting a high of 39 and low of 20 for Wednesday (when I arrive) and then Thursday (when I talk, see below) is 39/15. Friday will be 35/14. I mean, come on, that's not a high! No snow though. (Which is kind of a pity ...).
On Thursday, I will be giving a public talk ("Darwin, Design, and Democracy") at Colby . The venue is the Olin Science Center…
jlynch | March 11, 2006Boy, I thought I was getting some traffic yesterday when PZ linked to me. Today, DarkSyde over at Daily Kos linked to the hairy lobsters and the hits keep a-comin'. Welcome one and all !
jlynch | March 6, 2006"One could certainly ascertain that if you're in a barn and in a secluded area with a lamb and you're behind her and your pants are down by your ankles, then an unnatural sex act is probably occurring." That's an understatement.
(I know, I know. I shouldn't have posted this. But, come on ... I'm baaaaaaad)
jlynch | March 5, 2006As I'm still mid-grading, I still don't have time for any real posting. So, in lieu, I give to these two videos which are flying around the internet.
Natalie Portman goes gangsta on Saturday Night Live (YouTube)
The Simpsons opening credits redone with flesh people (YouTube)
That's all for the moment folks.
jlynch | February 28, 2006Busy, busy here. Lectures to prepare, theses to read, grading to be done. Will be back later, but for the moment, feast your eyes on "Microsoft redesigns iPod packaging" ... so true, so true.
jlynch | February 25, 2006
You Passed 8th Grade Math
Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!
Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?
Well, PZ and Grrrlscientist were doing it. And I only want to be one of the cool kids in 8th grade.