The other Nancy Drew?

Does anyone remember Janet Louise Johnson -- y'know, the other Nancy Drew? She took over the role from Pamela Sue Martin back when the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries was on the air.

I didn't get to watch many of those episodes, though. Our family only had one TV set back then, and my mother insisted on using it to watch this incredibly stupid family drama. At least, that's how it looked to my prepubescent eyes. Personally, I prefer mysteries, as I like a good mental challenge.

And no, it had nothing to do with the fact that the two Nancy Drews were both cute. In fact, I never even noticed that until many years afterwards.

The Post-It Note

From The 75 Greatest Management Decisions Ever Made:

Innovation often involveds putting two and two together and making four. A simple idea from one plice combined with a simple idea from another place can yield gold. That's the story of Art Fry and the Post-It.
...
The Post-It was invinted when Fry's colleague, Dr. Spencer Silver in 3M's Central Research Department, came up with a weak adhesive that stuck strongly enough to keep pieces of paper together than could be separated without leaving a mark. It was an invention in search of a use.

The rest, as they say, is history.

A great moment from the latest Narnia movie

There was a really great moment toward the end of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe: Prince Caspian. I was when the bad guys saw Lucy standing alone on the other side of the bridge, dagger in hand. There was a moment where the new head baddie (what was his name again?) was stunned, then confused. Then he realized that this was all too good to be true and that something very bad was about to happen.

Then Aslan appeared, and you could see that the army was hesitant to cross. They didn't dare presume that they could simply tackle this beast, despite their numbers and armor. The Narnian army was right behind them though, so after some hemming and hawing, forward they went...

The Prince Caspian movie

Saw the Prince Caspian movie last night. They took a considerable number of liberties with the original story. I'm not complaining, mind you, especially since the original story was not as engaging as the other tales in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. Just for the record though, the major changes included the following:


There was a James Bond-esque attempt to infiltrate Miraz's castle and take the fight to him. This ends with a battle in the castle itself and a tragic setback.

Romantic sparks between Susan and Caspian. I don't normally appreciate shoehorning a romantic subplot into a classic story, but in this case, I didn't mind. Susan was supposed to be the beauty of the Pevensie group, and so it made sense that they'd show a couple of guys responding to her in that manner.

Caspian blows Queen Susan's horn when he falls off his horse as he escape from Miraz.

The witch/werewolf scene takes place toward the end of the movie. The way this scene unfolded was changed as well.

New word: Parkour

I learned a new word today: parkour. At least one writer has referred to it as "urban gymnastics," but that's not an accurate synonym, as parkour can be used in a rural setting as well. It's all about using efficient body movements to overcome obstacles.

A recent Spider-Man issue had Spidey battling an urban gymnast who claimed to have the "parkour luck." This made Spider-Man cringe, since Spidey has often lamented the "Parker luck"; that is, the way bad things keep happening to him.

(As an aside, Johnny Storm once noted that the Parker luck also involves him dating all manner of incredibly beautiful women -- Gwen Stacey, Felicia Hardy, and Mary Jane Watson, to name the obvious standouts. But I digress.)

Lori Drew has been charged

I see that Lori Drew has finally been indicted for her role in the death of Megan Meier, a young girl who was driven to suicide through cyberbullying on MySpace.

It's about time. A federal grand jury handed down this indictment, and it's good that they did. I'll withhold judgment on whether she truly deserves to be sentenced, but it seems to me that she should be.

Peter Falk is a treasure

Peter Falk is a national treasure. You may know him as that pop culture icon, Lieutenant Columbo. Everyone loves the guy; that's why we celebrate Columbo day in October.

Mr. Falk will be turning 81 in September. Well, guess what? This means that we need to have at least one more Columbo movie, darn it! Unfortunately, ABC has not been supportive of Columbo's Last Case, thinking that Peter Falk is too old to draw a crowd.

They are nuts! Columbo is perhaps the most iconic of TV detectives, and a show that's billed as his final case would surely draw in large crowds. Would it draw the demographics that they want? I don't know, but I just have to believe that this would be a major television event.

And if Mr. Falk dies before somebody produces this movie, it'll be a horrible shame.

I hate dandelions

I hate dandelions. Hate 'em. Hate 'em. Hate 'em.

I wish that my neighbors would do a better job of keeping their dandelions under control. I swear, some of them don't even seem to mow their lawns at all. Ugh.

I hate using chemicals against them, and I also hate the tedium of pulling them up. Yeargh. Ugh. Blechh.

MFA: The New MBA

Creative skills are vastly underrated in many business circles. That's why I was pleased to see this podcast that said, "The MFA is the New MBA."

The thing is, you need creativity in the workplace. This is even true of technical types like scientists, engineers, and programmers. That's just the way it is. They might need to develop marketing materials, for example, or a clever way of presenting their ideas. Or maybe even a creative technical solution or business strategy.

Instant rebates

The following snippets have been excerpted from a discussion in which somebody proposed that rebates should be made instant. It's the sort of idea that people endorse because they perceive a personal benefit without considering the economics of the matter.



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

I am in the middle of an unsettling experience with a rebate. I purchased a $20 item thru the Internet (a reputable dealer, I think) with a $10 rebate. I filled out the forms, attached the invoice, and included the physical barcode from the retail product box as instructed.

8 weeks later, I get an email from the rebate service company. They claim that the barcode I sent was not a UPC code as the form requested, so they denied the rebate.

I have copies of all rebate forms, and the original product box. Checking the papers, I find that, sure enough, neither of the two barcodes from the box are UPC style (wrong number of digits, for one). However, there is absolutely no other barcode or UPC number anywhere on the box, any side. (It's probably a Taiwanese special "clone" product.)

So the rules say "must be original UPC barcode" to get the rebate, but there is no original UPC barcode available to the consumer. Catch-22.

I have written both to the rebate servicer and the dealer, since it appears that 100% of the claims for this product will be rejected. What a scam. Let's hope the dealer sets this right, or I will escalate it to some government authority just out of spite.

But this brings me to the OP: rebates are universally hated by consumers, regularly not redeemed, but frequently used as a sales tool when the advertisers know well that many (most?) purchasers won't get the rebate either for reasons like the example above, out-and-out fraud by the rebate servicers, or consumers who don't care for a measily ten bucks.

I am against the idea of "there oughta be a law" in principle, but in the case of fraud, laws may need to be passed to prevent it. And this situation is at least a borderline case of fraud, IMHO.

So should there be a law that all rebates must be given (or at least offered) at the time of purchase? It would make every transaction fair. The consumer would know at the register or checkout that they qualify or not for the rebate, and if there was a problem, it would be solved before the transaction was completed.

What are the implications of such a law?
Manufacturers would have to adjust the amount of the rebate offered to allow for a greater number of redemptions, and adjust for the reduced float, but see #2.
Retailers would have to work out an arrangement with the manufacturer or distributor to be compensated for the instant rebate. Doesn't sound like a big problem with electronic transfers and computerized billing. It's a lot easier for a store to do this as a composite figure for one day's sales than for each customer to do it individually. It would make the rebate centers go out of business, and perhaps the amount of rebate could be increased, since the administration cost would be less.
Does any state or country have such a law? Would it be a good idea?

...

No they shouldn't.

That defeats the point of the rebate. The rebate is a clever little ploy to make it seem cheaper. They bank on the fact that not everyone will send it in, so they get to advertise a cheaper price than they actually will end up receiving. If you make all rebates instant there won't be much of an incentive to give them out anymore. If you give out 20 dollar rebates they will only really cost you say 10 dollars, because maybe half the people don't use them.

Manufacturing WebExpo

Just wanted to plug the following event. I'm copying this text verbatim from an e-mail that I received, but somehow, I don't think they'll mind.

===========================

2008 National Manufacturing WebExpo & Conference
Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm ET

The manufacturing show that comes to your office!

The Manufacturing WebExpo and Conference brings you and your management team the advantages of a traditional trade show without any of the travel cost! Participate in a webcast, visit a trade show booth and pick up valuable literature – all from the comfort of your office.

Webcasts
Tune in to any or all of the Webcasts (including Parker Hannifin - Tube Fittings Division, Bimba Manufacturing and AutomationDirect). Ask questions. And if you have a member of your management team who missed a live Webcast, don’t worry – each Webcast is archived for 3 months.

Trade Show
Visit booths at the virtual trade show (Sealevel Systems, AutomationDirect, EFD, FactoryMation, Parker Hannifin - Tube Fittings Division, Strong-Hold Products and more) where you can learn about new manufacturing and industrial products, subscribe to newsletters and download white papers or literature.

Stay for an hour or stay all day – you decide. Without burdensome travel costs, you can invite your whole management team to view a Webcast or review product features at company booths.

What a movie reviewer does

I read the following comment on what movie reviewers do, and I thought that it was worth emphasizing.

Movie reviewers (and we're talking here about reviews, not criticism*) are just watching the movie to determine its strengths and weaknesses. They are often out of step because they have seen more movies than the moviegoing public and can recognize cliches more readily. In addition, they tend to be interested in elements like plot and characterization, which a lot of the movie audience these days don't care about, since they're interested in flashy special effects. Ultimatly, though flashy special effects just become dated, making the weakness in the story more obvious (once you remove the "bullet time" elements from The Matrix -- which has become a cliche now -- the movie is very dull and cliched)

I will say that there are very few examples of films panned by all critics, and those that are panned by an overwheming majority or critics are nearly always as bad as the critics say. When you have so many critics saying the film is bad, then those that like it are the ones who are likely to be wrong.

*A reviewer assumes you haven't seen a film and want to know whether to see it; a critic assumes you have seen the film and want to discuss its strengths and weaknesses. Most newspaper film "critics" are generally reviewers, except for occasional special articles.

I hate yard work

I hate doing yard work.

I've just spent nearly an hour mowing my lawn and laying down compost. I would much rather have spent that time reading or exercising.

Now I have to lay down some pre-emergent herbicide. Then I have to spray some more standard herbicide to kill all the dandelions and ground ivy around my place. Then I have to tend to the compost pile again.

Oh, and I planted some lilies in these oversized pots. I sure hope they turn out well.

I wish I didn't have so much lawn to take care of, and that the previous owner had taken better care of this place. I also wish that my neighbors would take care of their weeds, so as to prevent them from infecting my own lawn. I view this place as an investment, and I'd really like to take care of it.

I need to plant a couple of fruit trees in a couple of weeks. Boy. Ugh.

The first season of the SuperFriends

I'm posting this article with permission from the original author:



I'm surely in the minority here, but... I kinda liked the "Wendy, Marvin, Wonderdog" era. Sure, the stories were fairly juvenile, but no more so than the Wonder Twin episodes. In fact, there are several things that I liked about the original series. For example:

Characterization. Wendy and Marvin had distinctive personalities that were not entirely comical. Wendy was acerbic, bright and full of initiative. Marvin was not as bright, but often was insightful nonetheless. He had a typical teenaged ego problem, and entertained fantasies of being a full-fledged superhero. The Wonder Twins, on the other hand, were nothing if not comical. Zan was a one-note character -- an egotistic, bumbling boob. Jayna, on the other hand, had no character to speak of, and was blander than tap water. As for Gleek... ugh. Don't even get me started on monkeyshining, banana-craving, consistently-played-up-for-sight-gags-and-forced-laughter Gleek.

Even the villains were portrayed in a manner atypical for Saturday morning cartoons. They weren't your typical power-crazed baddies who were hungry for revenge or out to conquer the world. Rather, they had more substantial reasons for the crimes they committed -- misguided reasons,
of course, but certainly better than the standard "Must kill/steal/conquer because I'm evil" that characterized many of the later SuperFriends episodes.

Not having any powers, the Junior SuperFriends actually had to use initiative and their wits to solve the crises. This was quiet different from the Wonder Twins' approach, which was to simply use their powers -- ineffectively, at that.

We got to see more of the SuperFriends than just their powers. We saw Marvin relate the story of Superman's origin, and his early years on Earth. Wonder Woman was shown to have brains and scientific savvy, instead of merely being the resident lasso-bearer. Aquaman was more than just a man who talked to fish; instead, he was often shown to be an expert on ocean geography and marine life, and on some occasions, was depicted as having superhuman strength, in keeping with his comic book portrayal. Batman used his analytical skills as often as he used his bat-gizmos. And Robin... Robin got to reminisce about his aborted circus career, and was shown to be a vital member of the team -- not just some kid who took orders from the man in black.

Okay, so the show was hokey. Okay, so it was flawed. Still, I think there's a lot to appreciate about it, when contrasted with
the years of predictable, one-dimensional SuperFriends stories that came in its wake.

Freezing blood cells

Using peripheral blood mononuclear cells in an experiment can present a bit of a challenge. Ideally, one should use fresh blood cells; however, it's not always possible to extract this blood as needed, and it certainly won't stay fresh forever. Not to mention that using samples that were taken from different blood draws creates obvious problems, even when they are taken from the same donor.

Cryopreservation is the key. The challenge is to freeze the cells in a way that yields high recovery rates, i.e., where you don't lose too many cells. In addition, one needs to guarantee that the cells remain productive.

Specialized PBMC cryopreservation techniques are available to suit these purposes. They require the use of serum-free cell culture media, among other things, to achieve the required post-thaw productivity and viability.

"Enchanted" is enchanting

Gotta rave about Disney's Enchanted. This is one of the few live-action Disney movies in recent years that I really enjoyed. It would have made a pretty darned good date movie, too. The only other Disney live-action flick in the past 20 years that I enjoyed as much was George of the Jungle.

Amy Adams was wonderful, of course. Totally enchanting and a real discovery. Here's hoping that she does a lot more with the creative Disney wizards.

Oh, and I did not recognize Paige O'Hara at all. She looks completely different. What the heck...?

Anyway, I loved the music, I loved the storyline, I loved the characters, and of course, I loved the Disney homages. These folks were darned amazing.

Travelling on the cheap

When I travel on business, I like to do so for cheap. For example, instead of taking a taxi to my hotel, I prefer to take a shuttle if at all possible. It's much cheaper that way, and I don't want to create unnecessary expenses for my employer. I also take cheap flights, even if this means getting up at ungodly hours of the morning.

To be sure, this is less comfortable than picky a cushy flight or a taxi cab. Still, I just can't justify spending an extra $200 or so without any really good reason.

That's not to say that I won't ever spend the extra money. Recently, for example, I picked a decent hotel over one that had a reputation for being a bit of a rat trap. Why? Quite simply, it was a question of safety.

I hope that my employer appreciates how I'm trying to save them some money.

Death to dandelions!

Owning residential land is such a hassle.

Now that I own a home, I'm forced to pay attention to the upkeep of the lawn. This includes annihilating the dandelions and other weeds whenever possible. Why? To preserve its resale value.

Sure, I don't plan to resell this place for many years. Nevertheless, unless you stay on top of these weeds, keeping them under control, they will continue to spread. I've seen the lawns of some of my neighbors, and they are practically swimming in yellow petals. Not good.

In fact, I wish they'd take better care of their lawns. After all, their weeds will eventually wind up infecting my property.

Oh, and I wish that the corn gluten I ordered would finally arrive. I ordered that stuff two weeks ago. Where is it??? It makes for a darned good organic (non-toxic!) pre-emergent herbicide, and I want it here NOW!

Watching "Bones"

I'm watching "Bones" on TV right now. Thank God for DVRs!

These guys are really inspiring. I wish I could do this kind of work. I know that I have an aptitude for it, but that's not the direction that my life took.

Emily Deschanel does a terrific job of playing a cool and sharp scientist, one whose beauty does not compromise her credibility. David Boreanaz shows more acting chops here than in his previous roles. The rest of the cast is also impeccable and stellar. Even the new addition of Dr. Sweets (what is that actor's name again) simply makes sense.

If only DeForrest Kelley were still around to make a guest appearance.

Plate reader applications

I decided to come up with a list of applications that the UV instrument listed here can be used for. It's actually a combo plate reader that uses a variety of filters and light sources such that it can be used for both visible light and fluorescent assay applications.

The applications that I came up with are as follows: ELISPOT assays, FluoroSpot assays, microbial load testing, sterility testing, bioburden testing, stem cell assays, viral plaque counting, clonogenic assays, cell counting (fluoroscent and visible light), apoptosis tests, cell viability tests, cytotoxicity tests, virus neutralization assays, genotoxic assays, and SBA assays.