Webs’ Random Ideas

Life From a Grad Student’s Perspective

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Surviving the Storm

So I finally get Internet and then 90+ MPH winds screw up everything. Damn Mother Nature!

Driving into work looked like a “war zone”. It was crazy with leafs and branches everywhere. Not to mention the trees uprooted, split, and torn down. I got to work okay and my wife and I are fine. But the food in our refrigerator and freezer is done. I really hope the meat in my separate freezer makes it as I have roughly $200 worth in there at least.

My co-worker’s Dad asked him if he needed to borrow a generator for the food in his fridge. He said, “Why? To keep the beer cold? I’m a bachelor Dad!” My boss had his brick chimney pulled out of his roof. Most people here seem to be okay though. Too bad about that beer…

Email of the Day: Science

I got an email a few days ago, won’t say from who, but it sparked my interest.

http://econospeak.blogspot.com/2008/07/science-today-easy-way-to-lie-to-public.html

I know that you guys are in the tank for science, but I found this exchange interesting, if mainly because Brenda Rosser and Bruce Webb are well known and quality.

Think on it for a second, does science help to lie to the public as an arm of the commercial interests? Particularly with greater and greater concentration and specificity of fields. I’m not saying that all scientists fall in this category, but sufficient that certain authority can be bestowed by attaching to the coattails of responsible science.

We need a greater concentration on ethics in science.

It’s a strawman. Just because some people misuse evidence and science speaks nothing to the rest.

Think on it for a second, does science help to lie to the public as an arm of the commercial interests?

No. Science is a way of discovering and analyzing. It’s a way to look at the world and not just see the beauty but explain how it all works and fits together. Science was never meant to be used for good or evil, that’s what people choose to use it for. As stated above it’s more of a way of explaining and analyzing.

We don’t just need ethics in science but all walks of life. I can think of other areas of life where no ethics has done some terrible damage.

The State of the Internet 2008

Click here for a laugh!

Found via Pete

Illinois Work Zone Fines

Just got an email about this and thought I should pass it along…

ILLINOIS DRIVING INFORMATION for

WORK ZONES

Illinois will begin using photo radar in freeway work zones starting July 2008.
The State of Illinois will use speed cameras in areas designated as
‘Work Zones’ on major freeways. Anyone caught by these devices will be
mailed a $375.00 ticket for the FIRST offense, but the SECOND offense
will cost $1,000.00 and comes with a 90-Day suspension.

Drivers will also receive demerit points against their license, which
allows insurance companies to raise their rates.

This represents the harshest penalty structure yet for a city or state
using PHOTO enforcement’s. The State will begin with TWO camera vans
issuing tickets in work zones with speed limits lowered to 45 MPH.

Photographs of both the Driver’s face and License plate are taken.

Pass this on to everyone you know.

Link for more info

Mediacom Sucks! Yes, more so than Comcast

Been living at the new place over a week and still no Internet. Mediacom knew about the installation 2 weeks before they were scheduled to come out. Plenty of time to prepare and plenty of time to figure out what was needed to get us set up.

I made sure they knew that we had no existing cable lines in the place, but last Monday when the installer came out he froze and said he couldn’t get us hooked up. We needed the person that can run cable to come out. The whole thing pisses me off, because there is plenty of cable running through the building. Hell I have ran cable, put in wall boxes, and hooked up people before. None of it is all that complicated.

Anyways I have no idea when I will be able to write again, so I’ll be back when I can.

Still Busy

We are moved into the new place and boxes are still everywhere. Things are slowly getting unpacked and everyday we are discovering new things (well we are finding where the movers put our stuff :) ). I still have no time to write even though I have plenty to write about. I plan to attempt something this weekend about the new job, area, and apartment.

Bag O Mail: Impeach Bush

I got an email from a good friend today that Kucinich has introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush. As much as I like to hear this, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Problem is impeachment is less about righting a wrong nowadays. It’s more about political witchhunts.

So Dems will never do this right now while they have the upper hand in this election. They can smell victory and Impeaching Bush would make the Dems look bad. I know it’s the right thing to do and should be done to show the decider-in-cheif we mean business. But the fallout of such a move would be bad…

Still we can dream.

More big News

So besides moving and starting a new job, I am also getting married. As if my life wasn’t crazy enough :P .

The wedding is this weekend on the 14th and I’m really getting excited and looking forward to it. I plan to attempt to get some pictures up when I can, but for now posting may be light.

Love you baby, can’t wait till Saturday :)

Obama and Health Care

How do you heal a wounded party and a shrinking voter base that wanted Hilary all in one swoop. You say this at the end or your speech in Raleigh North Carolina:

“By the way, I’m going to be partnering with Elizabeth Edwards, we’re going to be figuring all this out.”

WOW!

Found via Blog Around the Clock

Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy

A new documentary by scientist Randy Olsen. Go check out the trailer.