Likes and hates

I'm watching a DVD right now, which has been riveting my attention. At the same time, I had to watch something idly, so I'd like to share my thoughts on things that I like and dislike.

I like quality television with complex plots and characterizations. I love it when people strive for quality and originality. That's why I like "The Dead Zone," "24" and "Veronica Mars." Each one of these shows the earmarks of outstanding writing, plot complexity and attention to detail.

The old "Twilight Zone" series was good too, although i didn't pay as much attention to it.

I'm not such a fan of quality food. Oh, I like to eat, but I'm not one for frequent fine dining. I think that's largely because I tend to be rather frugal, and I'd rather eat for cheap. I am nutrition-conscious though, so I don't go for the ultra-cheap, fattening stuff.

I don't like lazy people. I can't stand it when people feel the need to stroll casually down parking lot lanes, even when they're in the way of vehicular traffic. I also detest it when motorists tie up the mall parking lanes because they just HAVE to wait for someone to back out of a choice parking spot. Never mind that there are plenty of other parking spots available; some of these bastars just HAVE to take a spot that's as close to the mall entrance as possible.

Oh, and I hate it when I come across lazy people at the gym, just kinda lounging around the exercise equipment--in their street clothes, no less! Criminy. If you're going to use the gym equipment, that's fine, but if you're treating the place as a hangout, then get the heck out of the way.

I'm sure that I'll have plenty more to say about these things later. I'm in a ranting kinda mood.

Christmas thoughts

A few thoughts this Yuletide season...

I wish I had more time to watch some of the classic Christmas TV programs this year, or that I could have listened to more of my Christmas music. In part, I blame Netflix and the first season of "24" on DVD. Oh, well.

I wish that I could have spent Christmas with a few more friends this year. Still, it's been a busy Christmas season, with a lot of social activity. I don't think I'll get much rest on Christmas Day itself, but that's okay.

I bought myself a Gerber tool for Christmas. I kinda wish that I had spent $20 more to buy a more upscale model, but that's okay. I'm pleased with what I got, and it has a mini-saw feature that my Leatherman tool doesn't.

Oh, well. Happy Yuletide season to all!

Rubystreak again

I just wanted to say a few more words about this Rubystreak character. I don't want to waste much more time on her, since there's just too much that could be said about her. Suffice to say that she appears to be an exceptionally maladjusted individual. I know there are a lot of jerks out there on the 'net, but they usually act in more trollish ways. Seldom have I seen a non-troll who appears to be an adult, yet acts the way she does.

Sadly, her postings provide abundant fuel for criticism. One could spend days on that matter, but I don't want to waste time with that. Several posters did comment on her angry and jerkish behavior, and frankly, I have to side with them in that regard.

Here's a perfect example. In one thread, she described Donald Trump's chief operating officer (a Mister "Calamari" according to one poster) as an idiot. One poster (her chief opponent, apparently) pointed out that such a judgment is extreme. Calamari had an apparent case of stage fright, and he bumbled his way through his commentary on Jenn Massey. That's hardly a good reason to call him an idiot, though. There are many people who aren't good at public extemporaneous speaking; that doesn't make them idiots. Or does Rubystreak hold that opinion because he doesn't like Jenn? If so, then Rubystreak's judgment is still unfair, since we don't know exactly WHY he dislikes her.

When challenged on that matter, Rubystreak retorted, "Calling someone an idiot is not extreme. Please."

Um, Rubystreak? Nobody said that calling someone an idiot is [em]inherently[/em] extreme. What's extreme is calling Calamari an idiot given what little we saw of him.

In fact, you QUOTED the section wherein your opponent said "And on what grounds is this accusation made, exactly? Because he expressed derision for Jenn? Because he stumbled over his words? Neither of those makes someone an idiot, and so that label is rather extreme." Did you even bother to read the section that you quoted?

(Interestingly enough, Rubystreak had previously criticized someone for allegedly "twisting" her words around. I didn't see that such alleged "twisting" was either accurate or intentional; however, Rubystreak's words are certainly an obvious distortion of the facts.)

As an aside, this is the same individual who went ballistic when someone said that her opinion was "misguided." Um, hello? She doesn't think there's anything extreme about calling someone an "idiot," and yet she raises hell over the word "misguided"? What is wrong with this person?

I have to agree with the posters who said,

"I thought Dex was pretty even-tempered. In every Apprentice thread, Rubystreak's obsession with defending Jen has been heavy-handed, tempermental, and angry."

(Addressed to Rubystreak) "Why should he drop the subject? You don't drop subjects easily yourself, as I know from experience. Just because you and several other posters don't like someone talking about Jenn in an Apprentice thread doesn't mean members are obligated to walk on glass and discuss only what pleases you and your buddies. This is a public message board. Look out your window. See those bipedal creatures? Those are 'other people'."

Like I said, I seldom comment on these people that I come across on the 'net, but this woman is a rather unusual case -- for someone who's not an apparent troll, that is.

Rubystreak

Earlier, I mentioned this "Rubystreak" person on the Straight Dope message boards. Boy, is she a piece of work! (I'm assuming that she's female, based on comments that she's made. I could be wrong, but for now, let's assume that she is.)

Talk about huffy. A few days ago, this person got all upset because another poster said that she was "misguided." Gasp! How shocking!

Calling someone "misguided" is not an insult. Puh-leez.

She seems to have an ongoing feud with that other poster. For example, another participant asked them both to drop a particular topic with regard to TV's "The Apprentice." Whey Rubystreak's opponent continued the discussion, Rubystreak got all riled up. She said (and I'm paraphrasing here) "You were asked to drop this topic, and yet you continue! How dare you!"

Days later, yet another poster chided her for that. (I think his name was "Liberal.") He pointed out that this was a public message board, and that people were free to discuss the topics they wanted unless the moderator objected.

Apparently though, this Rubystreak lass (or chap?) feels that she can bully other people into discussing on the topics that she wants discussed. If she feels that a topic should be dropped, then by gum, people had better drop it. Talk about infantile!

Rubystreak, if you ever read this, you should be ashamed of yourself. You are such a child.

On abrasive leadership

Why did Trump choose Kelly Perdew over Jennifer Massey? Kelly wasn’t a truly charismatic individual; indeed, he has often been described as bland or robotic. I suspect that most viewers would say that last year’s Bill, Troy and Amy – maybe even Nick or Kwame – were much more captivating.

Well, there are several reasons that come to mind. One is that Kelly had a greater number of wins on the show. He also has a much higher degree of real-world business experience.

Jennifer frequently emphasized that she has never been dragged into the boardroom by a PM; however, this seems to be largely because she talks a mean blue streak, and aligns herself with the PM whenever possible. She’s good at arguing and debating, which is probably why Kelly says that she is “good in the boardroom.” (Talk about damning with faint praise!)

I think the bigger problem is that she antagonizes way too many people. Her teammates can seldom stand her, and some of Trump’s top advisors didn’t hesitate to say that she was abrasive or otherwise unpleasant. A leader shouldn’t strive to appease people at all costs, and he/she doesn’t necessarily have to be liked. However, a leader that is strongly disliked is unlikely to be very effective.

I think about this one engineering executive that I once knew. He was known for constantly pointing fingers and tearing into his underlings. Did this help get the job done? Sure, but only at the cost of employee loyalty, efficiency and morale. A happy employee is a well-motivated employee, and creating a hostile work environment is sure to jeopardize long-term productivity.

Jenn M was known for being shrill and shrieky. Now, some would argue that she’s simply being assertive, and that such behavior would be applauded in a man. I strongly disagree. Her actions went way beyond mere assertiveness, and any man that reacted that way would be regarded as a colossal jerk.

In addition, consider the way she implicitly took credit for Ivana’s wheel-o-jeans idea. I know that some would deny that she took credit, but that’s nonsense. Moreover, it’s simply irrelevant. Jenn should have known that this would be perceived as credit-stealing; indeed, even Mr. Trump described it that way. These types of actions may not be outright hostile, but they do promote a hostile environment.

On a tangential note, there is plenty of other evidence that she’s overinflates her contributions. She took partial credit for the Red Velvet ice cream idea, for example. I had problems with that, since he was hardly in the driver’s seat on that idea. As far as I can tell, her contributions to that idea were pretty ordinary. Moreover, it was a lackluster idea, so that really shouldn’t count for much at all.

She also claimed to have risen to the top of her law firm. Hello? Excuse me? Is she a senior partner at that firm? No. Is she a junior partner? No. Does she have any sort of vice-presidential position? No. I don’t think there’s any reasonable sense in which she can claim to be at the top of her firm. Now, if she had claimed to be a top performer, that would be another thing, but she said nothing to support such a claim.

So she came across, as viceroy George put it, as “abrasive as hell.” That is a liability, not a strength. Women like Amy Henry know how to be assertive without being outright abrasive. Ditto for Carolyn Kepcher, although I think she pushes the envelope sometimes. Being assertive without being antagonistic—that’s a skill which Jennifer Massey should learn to master.

More on the Apprentice finale

A lot of people on the 'net have been complaining about the pile-on that Jenn M. endured in the [i]Apprentice[/i] finale. I honestly can't agree with that.

Y'see, Trump had a whole bunch of people--Trump employees and past Apprentice candidates--comment on whether they'd choose Kelly or Jenn, and why. Not surprisingly, the vast majority came out in Kelly's support. Was this unfair to Jenn?

Hardly. Most of them had glowing things to say about Kelly, but they didn't speak negatively about Jenn. In fact, several said that both of them were strong candidates. Okay, so CFO Calamari did openly say that he didn't like Jenn at all (and stumbled over his words in the process), but he was the exception rather than the rule.

Some posters whined, "But by saying that Kelly is all these great things, they're also saying that Jenn isn't!" First of all, maybe they don't think she is. Second, it DOESN'T mean that Jenn doesn't have the qualities that they're extolling. It simply means that they recognize these qualities more abundantly in Kelly, or that they find his qualities to be stronger. It's hardly unfair to Jennifer at all.

"But why have that massive outshowing of support for Kelly?" they asked. "Is is really necessary?" Maybe not, but I doubt that the motive was to humiliate Jenn. Rather, it simply makes for good reality TV, and you can be sure that Mark Burnett wants to milk this show for all it's worth. I'd be shocked if the intent was to put Jenn in her place somehow.

Some cynics say that this was done to somehow justify Trump's choosing of Kelly. They say that Trump's mind was already made up, and that he wanted to justify it to the audience. That theory is just dumb. If he wanted to do that, he could have had the interviewees voice more biting criticisms of Jenn; instead, most of them commended her for her strengths. Trump and Burnett could also have shown more of her negative footage, such as the infamous scene in which she implicitly took credit for Ivana's idea.

So no, this wasn't especially unkind. A few of the comments made were unduly harsh, but the idea of having these people voice their opinions was not.

Apprentice wannabe Jenn M

I watched the excessively long, overdrawn Apprentice finale last night. For a moment there, I was deathly afraid that Trump would actually pick Jenn as his new apprentice. Thankfully, he picked Kelly. Kelly isn't too popular, and a lot of viewers hate his supposed smugness, but he's a darned sight better than Jenn. Heck, I never really sensed the smugness of which they speak, but perhaps I just haven't been paying close enough attention. (I tend to exercise, eat or do computer work while watching TV, since I can't abide the idea of being idle in front of the tube.)

Jenn's worst moment, as far as I'm concerned, was when she stole credit for Ivana's wheel-o-jeans idea. Some woudl dispute that, but I think it's pretty obvious, and her teammates certainly interpreted things that way. Even Trump agreed, based on his voiceovers (which suggested that he was disinclined to hire her).

Still, Jenn has her defenders, and some steadfastly deny that she stole Ivana's idea. (One vocal example is some person named "RubyStreak" on the Straight Dope Message Board.) Personally, I think they're fooling themselves. Sure, Ivana might not have said, "This was my idea! I thought of it!" but her actions clearly implied that -- intentionally or not. Some representative from Levi Strauss asked how the team came up with the wheel idea, and Jenn jumped right in with the answer.

What wrong with that, you might ask? Quite simply, Jenn DIDN'T know how they arrived at that idea. Only the person who came up with the idea (Ivana) could possibly know, unless she shared that information with someone else. Kevin clearly understood that, and so he stated that Jenn stole Ivana's credit away.

What's more, Jenn's teammates repeatedly pointed out that Jenn simply did not grasp the concept of the jeans wheel! How can she claim to know how this idea was arrived at, when she didn't understand the concept at all (not until it was finally created, that is)? Any attempt to explaint hat away is mere sophistry.

And even if that weren't true, she should have still deferred to her teammate. She could have simply said, "The credit for that idea goes to Ivana. Perhaps she can explain." That would not have made her look weak in anyone's eyes, and it would have made her come across as a team player who can give credit where it is due.

I noted that several people on the SDMB made that point, and I must agree with them. I don't understand why this RubyStreak character doesn't grasp that. Strange.

Mediocrity

Tonight I was reminded of some classmates I had as a college student.

In one class, I was scoring a B+, which was enough to exempt me from the final exam. I wanted to take the final though, so as to bump my score up to an A.

Some of my classmates kept dissuading me. "Don't do it! Don't do it! Why risk what you already have?" This bothered me because it showed that they were striving for mediocrity, and were unwilling to aim high. Sadly, I think this is indicative of my people in general.

I can't help but think that I would have been inspired to greater heights if I had been born here, with numerous models of excellence to inspire me.

Software development planning

I like the sentiments expressed in this article. I've seen far too many software development efforts fail due to shoddy planning and short-sightedness. This type of design work would never fly when doing mechanical or electronic design, yet it's often done in the computer programming field.

Stacy Haiduk

Whatever happened to Stacy Haiduk?

I've been reading a whole bunch of books on management and leadership lately. I've also come across this site filled with leadership tips. It also has a whole bunch of wholesome articles on diverse topics.

I've been reading Carolyn Kepcher's book, Carolyn 101. I also started reading Amy Henry's book, What It Takes, but I had to return it to the public library. I've found that watching Trump's show, The Apprentice, has been very educational indeed.

Bill Rancic's book is also on my list of things to read. Maybe I'll include some of The Donald's own books, but I'm not particularly interested in that. Maybe it's because I'm concerned that the Donald's books will focus too much on the money-making aspect of his work, rather than marketing and team dynamics. I don't know. Whatever the case, I shouldn't pre-judge his works.

I do want to read more business articles in general. The more I can deepen my knowledge, the better. I think this should make me a more skilled and capable techie-type in general.

The term "software engineer" is much-abused and often inaccurate, for reasons explained here.

Just felt like posting a link to the following biochemical animation today.

I had some discussions not long about about Lincoln, slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. It amazes me that there are people who demonize Abe so badly. Sure, he wasn't necessarily a great saint, and perhaps he still wasn't properly enlightened about the rights of African-Americans (at least, in comparison to modern society). He had his faults. Still, the way some people speak so viciously about him bothers me terribly.

So I was looking at this multilingual site, and it occured to me that it would be really nice if someone could jump from one page to its translation in another language, simply by clicking on the language name. This would require a bit of Javascript programming though, and a fairly extensive table. Maintaining the site when new pages are added can become a bit messy as well, although not unreasonably so.

Someday I might comment on the design of the splash page as well. Maybe some other time.

I'm not getting a flu vaccine shot this year. I don't think I can justify getting one, even though I normally opt for one. It just wouldn't be right.

I remember reading The Grapes of Wrath in college, and discovering the connection between its title and The Battle Hymn of the Republic (a truly stirring song!). That was a real "Eureka!" moment for me--one of the most satisfying in all my readings of literature.

Of course, I wish I could read me. Heck, I rented a video copy of "The Mysterious Island" this weekend, only to discover that the writers took enormous liberties with Jules Verne's work. What a rip-off.

A little something for Michelle Nicastro fans.

I just wanted to link to the following blog entry on scientific illiteracy.

I mentioned that I fed a Goliath birdeater recently. Like other arachnids, these are truly fascinating creatures. Goliath birdeaters have a real attitude though, so they are not for the faint of heart.

I mentioned that I fed a Goliath birdeater recently. Like other arachnids, these are truly fascinating creatures. They have a nasty attitude though, so they are not of the faint of heart.

These guys have real guts. You just have to commend them.

I have no ethical problem with offshoring of labor. Indeed, I think that it's often necessary for a company's survival.

However, when it leads to horror stories like this one, then it's a crying shame. A lot of companies are shooting themselves in the foot by being too quick to relocate their services abroad.

Speaking of strong female characters, one of my favorites was Gloria Dinallo from the short-lived "Misfits of Science" TV series. Played by a youthful Courteney Cox, she was a stunning young beauty, yet suitably hard-nosed and strong of character. She exhibited feminine empathy, yet she managed to maintain a strong inner character without becoming overly masculine.

What a great show.

I've been watching my new DVDs of the old G.I. Joe animated series. Boy, this brings back memories. The animation wasn't great, but it was pretty good for its time, despite the occasional shoddy bits. It had some fairly intelligent plots, and characters that grabbed one's attention.

I particularly liked the way they portrayed strong female characters--Scarlett, Lady Jaye and Cover Girl. Each and everyone one of them was competent, and capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the men. Each one of them frequently took command in the field, without any guff from the menfolk. They all had feminine wiles, but without being reduced to dainty flowers.

I liked Cover Girl the most, possibly because she got the least amount of air time. Or maybe it's because I was captivated by the concept of a high-status fashion model turning to diesel mechanics and firearms. I even liked her costume, which was stylish yet utilitarian, and decidedly more realistic than the one which Scarlett sported. Too bad she didn't get more exposure in the comic books or the cartoons.

I wish they had gone that way with the A-Team's Amy Allen. The actress who played her, Melinda Culea, was also a former model--and clearly, the producers weren't beyond capitalizing on her leggy appeal. Still, they ultimately failed to depict her as a strong female who could stand alongside the men. What a shame.

A few years ago, telecommunications was all the rage. After a while, it fizzled out, leaving many people unemployed and with shattered dreams. (I am SO glad that I didn't jump on the telecom bandwagon!)

As of late, biotechology seems to have emerged as the field to beat. Unfortunately, a lot of biotechnology firms have likewise fallen by the wayside. I'm hoping that biotech won't follow in telecom's footsteps.

In my judgment though, that's unlikely. Biotechnology is much more diverse than telecommunication, and it can expect to receive heavy funding from both government and private sources. People always need new medicines, especially when their insurance companies are willing to foot the bill. Vaccine research will continue to progress, especially with the advent of new and exciting research tools.

Here's hoping that this rise will continue for years to come.

I've done some reading on flow cytometry lately. I'd love to learn more about this technique. I've been thinking about some potential applications for this technique, apart from its usual usages. Ideas are stirring and baking right now. I'd love to spend about two weeks with one of these devices and an armload of schematics.

I got to feed a Goliath birdeater today. Fed it a fully grown mouse, I did.

This can be quite unnerving, if you're not used to it. I know that a lot of people would feel very squeamish about such things.

This link is good for a laugh.

Earlier, I mentioned Lynda Carter. Well, this article talks about Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. It says that it would be extremely difficult to find someone who can fill Lynda's high-heeled shoes.

I think that's absolutely true. I find it difficult to think of anyone else in that role.

The gal who played Nova on the old Star Blazers cartoon seems like she has an awful lot of pent-up hostility. I came across her guestbook, and I was shocked at what I read. Sounds like a classic case of overreacting.

Apparently, she tore into someone because he posted something about how hazardous it was for Nova to be the only female on the Argo. Maybe I'm being dense, but... What's so inappropriate about pointing that out? It sure didn't sound like a lewd comment to me; more like an observation.

An acquaintance of mine theorized that maybe she was victimized by some nasty fan fiction. Could be; after all, a lot of that stuff transcends the boundaries of good taste. Ultimately though, who knows?

Incidentally, if you meander over to her "rants" page, you'll see a lot more hostility and anger over there. I don't know what to make of it, frankly. I happen to agree with her on a lot of what she said, but she clearly expresses her viewpoint with undue sharpness and hostility. Criminy. Calm down, lady!

I recently read about how many people think it would be impossible to create a new live-action Wonder Woman movie or TV show. The problem is that Lynda Carter filled the role so darned well that it would be extremely difficult to fill her high-heeled shoes.

I think that Stacey Williams had just the right look, and the height to boot. She doesn't seem to be much of an actress though, and she has pretty much dropped out of the public eye.

I like rose hairs.

Do you know what's better than Courteney Cox in Blue Desert? Courteney Cox in Cocoon: The Return. Darn, but she looks painfully good.

Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my.

Courteney Cox in Blue Desert. What an incredible face.

I've been following the DC Comics mystery mini-series, Identity Crisis, and discussing its with some guys on the DC message boards. I tell you, it's become clear that very few of them truly understand the basics of logic. It's positively mind-boggling.

Thankfully, there are a few that do, and they are like a breath of fresh air.

There's some pretty cool animation at this Elispot site. Okay, so it's not really gripping, but from a scientific point of view, it's pretty darned nice.

There's some pretty cool animation at this Elispot site. Okay, so it's not really gripping, but from a scientific point of view, it's pretty darned nice.

Some buddies of mine are doing some work on bacterial colony counting. The concept is explained here. It's been around for a long time now, and it's commonly used due to its ease and flexibility. Automating the counting process though... that's another matter.

Another friend of mine is doing some biochemistry work at a university back home. I almost wish I could join her, but for a variety of reasons, I'd rather not go back there.

I've got a long and tiring week ahead of me. This stinks. This stinks big-time.

Let's see.  What have I been doing?

Well, I did some reading about the Immune Tolerance Network today, as part of my readings on immunology.  Also read about the Science Board, which I encountered a few months ago.

I've also been reading some of the documents from BD BioSciences.

Earlier, I mentioned the A-Team's Amy Allen. Well, these shots are from the first A-Team episode I ever saw. It's what got me hooked on the show, during its prime.

I have fond memories of that show. Up until then, I had no idea why there was such a buzz about Hannibal and his crew.

The A-Team's Amy Allen is a darned fine-looking woman. She had a willowy figure and nice legs. And she was mighty pretty as well.

She was a fairly strong feminine character, at least for her time. Granted, she was no Emma Peel; however, she showed great potential. If only the writers of "The A-Team" hadn't botched things so royally with her character.

There's a listing of immunology terms and definitions here. It's in a hypertext format, which is kinda nice. It certainly makes for a helpful pedagogical tool.

I mentioned that a friend of mine has expertise in colony counting. She has also done work with viral plaque assays and transwells (whatever the latter may be).

This isn't an earth-shaking thing to comment on, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. I've been learning a lot from her, hence my interest.

I'm lonely.

Jennifer Dempster is one lovely woman.

An old friend of mine is in town this week. She has expertise in colony counting and related technologies.

Okay, so I don't have much to say today. However, I thought the following article on biology in Star Trek was interesting. It's nice to see people analyze the science in these shows.

This blog is filled with angst and pain, but some positive stuff as well.

I wish I knew Portuguese. I learned about Ambriex recently, as part of my on-going education, but I can't make adequate sense of the site, even though Portuguese is similar to Spanish.

In my last posting, I mentioned a manager who blamed an employee because his new embedded computer malfunctioned and died. She was quick to blame the employee, on the grounds that the computer was new and he was the only one using it.

I'm just flabbergasted that any manager would think that new computers don't fail unless the user messes them up. Heck, any technician can tell you that if a computer's going to fail, it will typically do so within its first few days of use! That's when the computer gets put through its paces, thus allow it to be tested under a variety of conditions. Factory testing is very limited in what it can do, and it's simply no substitute for on-site use.

This is the kind of story that one expects to read about in the comic strips, rather than hear about them in real life.

I know of a manager who chewed out an employee because this little embedded computer he was using was on the fritz. The employee didn't feel he should be blamed so quickly, but the manager disagreed, yelling, "New computers do not just break down! If you're alone in a room with a vase and the vase breaks, you either accept responsibility for it or you prove that an earthquake occurred!"

I was reminded of this last week, when I read a PC Magazine article about the rampant customer dissatisfaction with HP and Compaq. A lot of consumers were complaining about the failure rate of their desktop computers, and while not all of them were so unfortunate, a large number were. Heck, my own HP Pavilion laptop broke down four times -- twice during the first year, and all before 15 months were up.

In fact, last summer, I did some research for my then-employer on PCB testing, speaking to both circuit board manufacturers and a professional testing firm. They all confirmed what I knew all along--namely, that boards and components are fairly reliable, but that there are any number of ways in which they can fail. In fact, there are a lot of ways in which they can slip by the testing procedures, since there's simply no way to test them completely.

The idea that the user of a new computer should be blamed for its failure--guilty until proven innocent--is simply misguided. A visceral reaction, rather than a rational one.

I'm kinda depressed today. Rats.

I've also been watching Cocoon: The Return on video. Darn, Courteney Cox looked good back then. (The link in question isn't from this movie, but it does contain some mighty nice-looking pics of Courteney.)

While I'm at it, I'd like to mention Stacey Williams as well. Another stunningly beautiful woman. What I wouldn't give to be with a gal like that.

I've just discovered SciWeb .

Okay, so I'm watching the TVLand award show, and its tribute to classic TV. This reminds me of how incredibly horrid television in my home country was. Ugh. People may complain about how insulting American TV is to one's intelligence, but despite all the dreck, there's a lot of clever and classic stuff out there.

The TVLand tribute itself is pretty darned clever, and entertaining. I've really got to hand it to them.

Some would be quick to say that this is due to economic limitations and our relative lack of technology. Balderdash. Look at the Dick van Dyke show, which was groundbreaking and clever despite ancient technology, simple sets and meager production values. No, TV back home was bad because of a lack of creativity and a general striving for mediocrity.

This is one of the reasons why I feel very uncomfortable amongst my own people. It's almost as though they're unwilling to seek excellence. Heck, I was often ridiculed for wanting to do things well.

I like my job. It's a lot of hard work, but I like it, and I like the people.

The boss is a nice guy, too -- the kind of fellow who's quick to show his appreciation. Not like a lot of other managers, who think that their job is to catch people screwing up and correct them. He actually has heart, and he wants to treat his employees well.

Did you ever have one of those days where you feel like writing something down, but can't think of anything? This is one of those days.

I plan to read about the different types of cytokines today. Maybe that'll get my brain going. Perhaps I'll also read a bit about apoptosis.

Someone very dear to me is dying from an autoimmune disease. It's so painful. So very painful.

I wish I were immune to the pain.

Cheryl Holdridge was so cute. At least, when she was a Mouseketeer. Based on what little I've seen, she started to lose some of her appeal as she left her teens.

I recently learned about

Search Popdex:

.

Check 'em out! They're worth visiting.

I just got a fancy new Toshiba laptop. Very nice.

I've also been reviewing some stuff I learned a while back about robotics and agile manufacturing.

The technology involved is fascinating. It would be really nice to develop some more of the robotic techniques which make agile manufacturing bloom into fruition.

I've been reading more about Jan Smithers. Doggone it, why did she have to drop out of the public eye? What a disappointment.

I had to buy a new laptop last night. My HP Pavilion ZE4125 was only fifteen months old, and yet it had failed four times during that period. I didn't want to dig so deeply into my wallet, but I really need to have a laptop that's more reliable. Having a computer which fails frequently and suddenly is worse than having no computer at all.

Oh, and I've also been doing more reading into the different types of immune system cells. Very helpful info for me.

I've been reading more and more about immunology. I want to understand the terminology, and to have a better grasp of what occurs at the cellular level. Why? Because it's interesting, that's why.

I saw some nifty animated graphics today, describing the interactions between lymphocytes, antibodies and antigens. I wish I could copy these animations, but they're copyrighted, I'm sure.

I've also been reading about Jan Smithers. Sigh. The very image of wholesome good looks.

I like robots. Robots are so cool.

I got to play around with an ELISPOT reader today. Also read about the differences between humoral and cellular immunity. Laypeople naturally think of antibodies when the subject of developing immunity comes up, but there's a lot more to it than just that (think: lymphocytes, cytokines).

There's a book on immunology that I borrowed from the library last month. I think I'll check it out again.

I also want to point anyone reading this to a list of clean jokes here.

Last night, I was reading about the hardware and software involved in ELISPOT analyzers. The applications for machine intelligence in these vision routines are interesting. Doing this properly also requires a pretty good understanding of camera design and machine vision techniques.

I'd say more, but I've got a whole bunch of other writing to do.

Okay, so I've just done some intensive reading on immunology -- cytokines, assays, interferon, lymphocytes, B cells and T cells, humoral immunology and the like. Very interesting, and very nice. I almost wish I could reinvent myself as a biologist.

Not really, though. I like the work that I do.

Earlier, I mentioned that I had an opportunity to learn about some ELISPOT analyzers. I've also been reading about immunology. Speaking as a techie, I'd say that the adaptive mechanisms behind immune systems are far more complex than any man-made system I've ever encountered -- indeed, against any ever built. Some info on immunology and ELISPOT can be found here and here.

The humble beginnings of immune therapy are something to behold.

Valentine's Day sucks.

I was recently re-united with someone that I love very dearly.

Yes, my laptop just came back from the shop. Its power circuitry had failed, and it took seven weeks to repair the thing. It didn't help that the power circuitry also blew out my battery, which had to be replaced.

Actually, I'm a little sore at the CompUSA technician that I spoke to, when I brought my laptop in for repair. He said that if I paid $30 extra, it would only take about four days to repair my computer. I think he must have been a new (and still under-trained) employee, since other CompUSA employees later told that this wasn't the case. But enough of that.

I've had opportunities to see the ELISPOT analyzers and software from a company called CTL. I was immediately struck by how well-designed the user interfaces were. If only more programmers would develop a proper understanding of user interface design principles!

Their programmers seemed to be sharp blokes as well. A lot of programmers don't understand software design disciplines and the elements of object-oriented programming, but these people seem like they're on the ball.

Hello. This is my place for miscellaneous ruminations and the like. I expect that this will cover matters of technology, ethics, logic, science, creativity and more. Let's see what evolves, shall we?