Grown Ass People

Damn Arbor

2011-01-03T19:28:00.002-05:00

Damn Arbor is quickly becoming Ann Arbor's most influential source of online news and culture.

Damn Arbor

2010-10-05T00:32:00.002-04:00

Creation deemed too controversial

2009-09-21T11:23:00.005-04:00

Hey gang, it's GAP's our much anticipated return from our summer hiatus*. Be sure to keep checking for new and improved features, usability and content. For now though, just a quickie.

The Guardian has an article today on "Creation" the Charles Darwin biopic. Apparently it is having trouble finding a distribution company on this side of the pond because the subject matter is too controversial for American audiences. From the article:

On the heels of a February 2009 Gallup poll showing that only 39% of Americans believe the theory of evolution, a new British film about Darwin has had difficulty finding US distributors, apparently because the topic was deemed too controversial for American audiences.
It's a remarkably low degree of support, even in a nation that flirted with the idea of vice-president Sarah Palin. After all, America has often been seen as an innovator, at the forefront of technological and scientific change.
Perhaps America's distrust of a major scientific theory could be dismissed as part of the country's quirky charm, with no real consequences because the story of creation has little to do with our practical, day-to-day lives. As long as that 39% of disbelievers are making our microchips and producing swine flu vaccine, who cares?

Ouch. It's always enlightening to see a critique of our culture from an outsiders POV. Is it strange that we (as a culture) don't see anything controversial about the Saw movies, but a movie about Darwin is too risque/offensive/dangerous for widespread distribution.

*Maybe it's not though, stay tuned gentle reader.

Calidad de Vida

2009-06-23T14:04:00.013-04:00

Spin the globe. Once! Twice! Now... stop!

It´s a big-city Metro station, rush hour. The mosaic Virgen La Senora del Silencio demurely watches arriving passengers. Riders in suits and tight jeans pass Metro custodians in maid uniforms of white dresses with aprons and white tights (salaries unknown). Metro floors are as spotless as their dresses -- so clean they gleam. Shining! Like the smiles Metro´s construction brought to some locals´faces 15 years ago when it first enabled expanded employment options. Now a gondola-like system extends from Metro´s two ends, gliding over stairs and winding, steep dirt roads that formerly served as the only avenues for displaced persons in high-elevated, low-class neighborhoods.

Passengers queu behind Metro employees with stop signs. A PA politely reminds riders to stay behind the yellow line. (A local joke says, if you want to limit movement, draw a yellow line.) The train that arrives within 10 minutes bears the name of local artist Fernando Botero, as well as a Metro ad: a teenage boy and teenage girl face each other, eyes closed, lips puckered, accompanied by the caption, ¨Metro is a place to be met.¨Inside the train car are commercial ads, small posters of local artists and authors, and a bio of a bootstraps-type beloved former president. He might have liked the Metro as much and supported its developing partnership with local bus lines that riders use to supplement its three lines. He might have also suggested that the Metro be open past 11pm.

A few minutes more -- the train stops -- Les deseamos un buen viaje -- and riders bustle out, past the welcoming Metro library outpost and student photo exhibit that explores the violence of deprivation and the passion that endures.

It´s the end. Let´s go! Thanks to two nice Colombians for the Metro tour! Spin the globe a final time to leave the cultura Metro in Medellin, Colombia, and return to the first world where the Ford and Chrysler freeways dominate Detroit and old cars are involved in fatal crashes in DC.

Search Engine Wars

2009-06-04T11:30:00.004-04:00

A few weeks back, the internet was abuzz discussing the potential of Wolfram|Alpha. Other than a great opportunity for those of us who are not Unix programmers to locate the | (pipe) key, Wolfram|Alpha, being a "computational knowledge engine", was supposed to present information in a unique and more useful format that Google. Fascinating. So fascinating that they even discussed Wolfram|Alpha's potential on Talk of the Nation Science Friday.

Last night, I was treated to a commercial for Microsoft's new search engine Bing. Like Wolfram|Alpha, Bing is not really a search engine at all, but rather a "decision engine", whatever the hell that means. Apparently it means the term "search engine" is out of vogue with Google's competitors.

Gentle readers, I know you are all wondering how these new search contraptions stack up against Google's search. Based on my very scientific testing this morning I can tell you that Wolfram|Alpha and Bing are both crap. By that I mean that neither will link you to Grown Ass People. Wolfram|Alpha, in its defense wasn't designed to handle such queries and suggests looking in the "people" or "earth sciences" section. Bing, links to a MySpace page and to some other web pages that have linked to us. Mostly, though Bing just produces links to crap that is even less relevant than GAP, and that's really saying something.

In all seriousness though, when looking at the queries that Wolfram|Alpha was actually designed to handle, the results it produces look a lot like boring Wikipedia entries but without the typos. And Bing? Well, sometimes I just get the feeling like Microsoft is just trying to hard. I mean who spends $ 100 million to advertise the launch of their new search engine?

NFS/FS

2009-06-01T13:36:00.015-04:00

Detroit is indeed a city of potential renewal. On its East side especially urban meadows grow in decrepit lots. On the East and West side, Woodward Avenue runs through the city to surrounding suburbs. A downtown drive on Woodward affords a view of the baseball stadium, the art museum, and the main library -- and the Local Detroit Grocery window featured here. I was initially very excited by the display. So cleverly generic! So welcome in a grocery shop desert and overabundance of liquor/lotto/pizza stores! And I, so gullibly optimistic. Local Detroit Grocery is an example of the Detroit Storefront Competition organized by associations of interior designers, architects, Downtown Detroit Partnership, and financially supported by Downtown Development Authority. The displays vibrantly fill vacant avenue storefronts. Created for the Final Four, they remain today. Still, exciting, no?

What's your Drinking Personality?

2009-05-30T11:13:00.005-04:00

The BBC is running a fluffy piece on peoples drinking personalities. It seems a psychologist, Dr. Glenn Willson, has observed the behavior of 500 Brits while at bars and pubs and found that their body language belies their personality. The good doctor has determined that their are eight distinct "drinking personalities". No more, no less.

From the article:

THE JACK-THE-LAD

This "peacock" is conscious of his image and will drink a bottled beer, or cider.
He is inclined to be confident and arrogant, and can be territorial in his gestures, spreading himself over as much space as possible, for example, pushing the glass well away from himself and leaning back in his chair.
If he is drinking with friends, he would be unlikely to welcome approaches from outside the group, unless sycophantic and ego-enhancing.

So, what's your drinking personality? I think I am clearly the "Ice Queen."

Image via the BBC.

2009-05-29T13:43:00.002-04:00

Classnotes

2009-05-21T14:01:00.008-04:00

As more graduates process down aisles of their fair arcadian quads, auditoriums or the halls of a grander building, it can be nice to peruse the Classnotes section. The diversity of reported experiences can be fascinating. From our alma mater's class of 1985: SP wrote, "I'm presently an artist's model in Scotland and 'mother' to three gerbils." What a good balance to the enlarged extraterrestrial-like infant photos! SP's highlight is directly above a note from Tip D., the Commanding Officer of the VFA-103 Jolly Rogers that was deployed onboard the USS Eisenhower and flying in support of the NATO Coalition in Afghanistan. "Before reaching the Middle East, his squadron enjoyed trips to Rome and Cyprus. ..." And on the next page, from JA: "I'm surviving in the Michigan recession. To keep things interesting our first baby is on the way, due about the time this issue of the magazine comes out." That was spring 2007. Let's hope the family's doing well.

Of course, beyond serving as a source of potential networking and curiosity-satisfying, the Classnotes section lets us compare blogs. Here's a link to a blog written by an informational management specialist working for State.

Gentle readers, we'd be delighted if you shared one of your favorite Classnotes, fiction or nonfiction.

Open Acess Journals

2009-05-21T13:13:00.006-04:00

Dan and Bridget have decried the costs associated with accessing primary research in many journals. Despite the fact that publishers charge authors to publish, advertisers, and subscribers for their services, they balk at the idea of having to provide the public with free access to the research that we have supported with our tax dollars. (some) Publishers have also demonstrated that they are not above publishing "advertorial" journals for pharmaceutical companies if the price is right. Specifically I am referring to Elsevier's publishing of the bogus "Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine" for Merck. But alas, I digress...

Open access journals like those published by the Public Library of Science offer an alternative to the collection racket that is the traditional publishing industry. Unfortunately publishing in these journals lacks the prestige associated with many of the more famous traditional journals. This may be changing though. The discovery and description of ancestral primate Darwinius masillae appears not in Science or Nature but rather PLoS ONE, the flagship journal from the Public Library of Science. The fact that the article's authors elected to publish findings of this magnitude in an open access journal may mark the beginning of a change in publishing industry.

Darwinius masillae via: Franzen JL, Gingerich PD, Habersetzer J, Hurum JH, von Koenigswald W, et al. 2009 Complete Primate Skeleton from the Middle Eocene of Messel in Germany: Morphology and Paleobiology. PLoS ONE 4(5): e5723. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005723

Inaccessible education

2009-05-18T16:22:00.004-04:00

In the NY Review of Books, Columbia University humanities professor Andrew Delbanco writes, "Higher education has always been a mirror of American society—and, for the moment, at least, the image it reflects is not a pretty one." The effectual exclusion of talented potential students from pricey programs concerns not only individuals' freedom of choice, but American competitiveness. In a May 14 review, Delbanco looks at the undergraduate financial situation with an institutional focus. That education-as-equalizer is the exception, rather than the American norm, is nothing new. Delbanco's perspective offers current insight into the positions of stakeholders including professors, potential and real students, and the state. We'll assume he was paid more than the nearly incredible 10 dollars per hour many student jobs pay. So, vive la différence?

A sock party: better than a wedding party and a search party

2009-05-12T16:51:00.005-04:00

Sliding from boots into sandals, with joyful abandon we toss over our shoulder wool socks and their liners. Yet perhaps it is premature to store the liners with the ugly sweaters. A Political Puppet Party could put the liners to good use! Sock liners could don an interpretive disguise of sprezzatura, or be decorated to represent a member of the Belarusian Central Rada, or a certain Cold War-era Latin American regime leader. Coy puppeteers wary of the danger of trivializing atrocities could come costumed or not. Just put us on the guest shortlist, please.

Yay

2009-05-11T20:11:00.001-04:00

From USA Today:

President Obama's new budget would eliminate most money for abstinence-only sex education and shift it to teen pregnancy prevention — a U-turn in what has been more than a decade of sex education policy in the USA.

About fraking time.

What diplomats!

2009-05-03T01:00:00.014-04:00

LYSISTRATA: Good day, Lampito, dear friend from Lacedaemon! How well and handsome you look! what a rosy complexion! and how strong you seem; why, you could strangle a bull surely!
LAMPITO: Yes, indeed I really think I could. 'Tis because I do gymnastics and practice the 'kick dance.
LYSISTRATA: And what superb bosoms!
LAMPITO: La! You are feeling me as if I were a beast for sacrifice.
Lysistrata, Act I, Scene I

Lysistrata reminds us how to get a good start in terms of solidarity: a warm greeting that affirms strength and beauty (and also attracts the audience) but doesn't take offense at a smart retort. On this subject of solidarity --and attention, now that we caught yours-- various news agencies have been reporting on the week-long Kenyan women's political protest that is a "sex strike," organized by women's NGOs such as Women's Development Organisation. A male Kenyan legislator is reported to be upset. Moving on... International news media coverage of similar protests in the recent past highlights diverse agents and causes. Headlines have featured Cameroonian women angered by crop destruction (2003), Pereiran (Colombian) wives and girlfriends of "gang members" appalled by violence (2006), and Naples women opposed to men using dangerous fireworks (2008). Radical, longer-term activisms, such as the one based upon the booklet Love Your Enemy?, have taken their own place in history and the present. The anti-misogyny that roots such a (sub-)movement brings to mind the great risk some women assume to participate in attention-getting abstinence. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see how changes in economic status and the general social construction of reality are reflected in the motivation, composition, strategy and achievement of these (in)actions that can be ever so diplomatic.

Robots versus Poachers

2009-05-02T10:27:00.006-04:00

National Geographic is running an interesting article on the efforts of wildlife officials in the US to catch poachers using robotic decoy animals as bait. The robots mimic the behavior of wild animals and are much more resilient than their non-metallic counterparts. The obvious next step here is to make robotic animals that actually arrest the poachers themselves.

On a related note Talk of the Nation's Science Friday had a good segment on animal CSI yesterday.

IRS, come and get me

2009-04-29T20:53:00.006-04:00

While reading the instruction manual in order to pay my taxes in California I found this:

"It is not possible to include all requirements of the California Revenue and Taxation Code (R&TC) in the tax booklets. Taxpayers should not consider the tax booklets as authoritative law."

Time for tax reform?

Machine magnifica

2009-04-29T00:29:00.010-04:00

What might Pam Beesly see in the Espresso Book Machine?
Photo via The Guardian

An Espresso Book Machine, whose name is more sophisticated than its appearance, just debuted at Blackwell's Charing Cross Road branch in London. Creators of the 2007 Time Invention of the Year say that their machine enables smaller bookstores to have the opportunity to compete with stock-holding shops and Amazon. A contentious claim. What is certain is that Blackwell's customers can now access almost half a million books including a fascimile of the original manuscript of Alice in Wonderland. Lucky Londoners! The company is working with publishers in the UK to increase access to in-copyright writings. It hopes to have over a million titles by the end of the summer, or an astounding alleged equivalent of 23.6 miles of shelf space. That is just a few more than the 200 titles the World Bank's InfoShop inaugurated in April 2006. Libraries as well are employing the Espresso as a major space saver: in September the University of Michigan proudly announced itself as the first university to purchase the machine. Mind you, the library's offering is limited to printed and out-of-copyright books from its digitized collection of nearly 2 million, and thousands of books from the Open Content Alliance and other digital sources.* Let's hope this dream-machine isn't ultimately corrupted to a nightmare of self-publishing?

*The Espresso purchase PR is since dwarfed by highlights on self-healing concrete, a spine-tingling vest, and how a baby mammoth study validated a researcher.

Happy Birthday, Monsieur Klein

2009-04-28T07:00:00.003-04:00

¶

###

That's about right...

2009-04-27T09:00:00.001-04:00

Items shared by Chris Blattman

Saturday spring thing

2009-04-25T11:00:00.015-04:00

Gentle Reader, whatever are you doing on this warm sunny day?

No need to ask. You're reading a silly blog post written by someone who is most likely a stranger to you. May we benevolently suggest that you STOP. READING. NOW. PLEASE. Go, go away! Have a hula hoop off with your favorite five year old, write poetry on the patio, bicycle-race friends to the beach.

Hmph. Someone's not listening.

Fine: go ahead. Dismiss our direction. Do not keep reading; do not harvest your neighbor's unsprayed lavender; and do not see the Herb Farm Cookbook recipe for lavender shortbread. Halt! Do not read Margaret Atwood's Encouragement to the Young while the shortbread bakes and by all means do not share the shortbread with friends distressed from unemployment or academic-related anxiety.

Perhaps you are reading this because you yourself suffer student writer's block or are stranded sans paid work. If so we send you a sympathetic smile and we hope that someone special bakes for you.

For the rest of you: do not ever, ever return to read GAP.

Buy American (Radio)

2009-04-23T14:25:00.009-04:00

It's a slice of U.S. Foreign Policy on Panama from the perspective of a Michigan woman who, as a schoolgirl, unwittingly penpal'ed with Manuel Noriega. It's domestic dental health-on-recession told by dentists treating an increased incidence of teeth grinding. It's the competitive selection of caucasian baby dolls over Latino, African American and Asian American baby dolls as chronicled by a former FAO Schwartz worker.

It's an American life. Maybe not yours, maybe not your friend's, but quite possibly your friend's friend's. We know well the rich narrative that is TAL from runs, bedtime, roadtrips and about everything in between. Its inspiration to look beyond the semi-trucks and strip malls of our landscape, or rather be curious about the idiosyncratic individuals behind the wheels, helps drive our desire to construct our own little narratives or at least maintain hope for illusory control.

That the host of a public radio program which so uniquely appreciates the diversity and doldrums of American cultures, should suffer funding problems is a sad -- and perhaps authentically American -- occurrence and commentary. Stephen Colbert's near-glowing reception of host Ira Glass cheers us. (Is it us projecting or does Colbert seem to especially enjoy the company of Ira?) Note: The clip is a mystique-spoiler for those who haven't seen the man behind the mic.

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Ira Glass

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Gay Marriage Commercial

Robotic Penguins

2009-04-23T11:23:00.004-04:00

In non-bike related news, scientists with Festo unveil robotic penguins. Not content to merely mimic nature, they have also created robotic flying penguins. Surely, we are all doomed.

Things to Come

2009-04-23T10:18:00.004-04:00

Maybe tomorrow we can get into the great fixie debate

Well, it's that time again. That's right gentle reader, university classes are finishing up, which of course means finals are on the horizon. You might have noticed a distinct lack of the content you have grown to love over the last few months. What's an intrepid blogger to do to combat the lack of posting? That's right, poach content from other sites.

I've been preoccupied with an impending bicycle purchase and have come across some great information on Wheels of Change, which I will be doling out in small allotments until I run out, or the other authors start writing again.

But, seriously everybody loves bikes, and if you don't, you probably should. I was hoping that I might be able to get some of you (the readers) to comment on whether you commute to work by bike and your reasons for choosing to do so (or not do so if that's the case). I know from my helmet post that several of you do travel by bicycle. What about those of you who didn't comment on the helmet post?

Helmets

2009-04-20T22:47:00.006-04:00

As Bridget points out, helmet-hair is hot, but so few people relish the opportunity to wear them. I'll admit that cool air flowing through your hear feels great on a warm summer day, it pales in comparison to how good not having a closed head injury feels. So few bikers, other than the hardcore, spandex wearing variety seem to wear helmets, despite their proven benefits. Of the 13 celebs featured in Treehugger's Our Favorite Girl Celebrities on Bikes, only Blade Runner's Daryl Hannah is shown wearing a helmet:

Though I am sure we can all agree Ellen Page has a pretty sweet ride:

I'm currently commuting to work on my bike and sporting a pretty ugly and dangerously antiquated helmet. I'm in the market for a new helmet and wondering if you, gentle readers, have any input. Do you always slap a helmet on your dome when you bike? Why, or why not? What would your dream helmet be?

Some cred

2009-04-14T02:00:00.025-04:00

The practicality of a liberal arts degree comes into play: those who aced a political science course on U.S. Public Policy and Poverty, and now find themselves to be subjects-at-large, know to file for their Earned Income Tax Credit. Skipped the course but find the topic personally relevant? The IRS is here to help. "If you’re like millions of Americans, you work hard but you don’t earn a high income, and want to keep more of what you earn," reads its introduction to the EITC. The refundable credit that is based on amount of earned income can be worth up to $4,800. Yet public unawareness and lack of understanding or filing competency -- no, not zombie attacks -- means that a quarter of all taxpayers who qualify don't claim the credit. States such as Michigan are supplementing the federal program by adding a percentage refund of their own. What's the geography on this? Interestingly, in tax year 2005, according to Brookings, the greatest number of filers (8 million) lived in the suburbs of large metropolitan areas; however, big-city and rural taxpayers were more likely to receive the credit. The number of filers will likely rise due to stimulus bill expansion of the EITC for families with children and married couples. Sorry, childfree singletons. Noted: Expanding the EITC was a goal identified during President Obama's campaign. Other new or revised tax credits will benefit qualifying working childfree singletons. Some change has cometh, yes, but we'll wait to hail until unemployment "benefits" are federally stimulated into irresistable radical reform.

Are you a zombie?

2009-04-13T16:37:00.007-04:00

Have you ever been mistaken for a zombie? If you hang out with Woody Harrelson, you probably have.Woody claims that his assault of a paparazzo happened because he mistook the photographer for a zombie. The zombie misidentification happened because Woody took his role as Albuquerque in the upcoming film Zombieland a bit too seriously. If only we could all use our job as a justification for crimes....

...pharmacists could give drugs with nasty side effects to anyone that bothers them.
...gastroenterologists could go around sticking tubes up the butts of their enemies.
...biatheletes could cruise around the streets of Chicago on skiis, shooting anyone they see.
...elected officials could deny anybody their rights (wait, they already do that).

Let's not let Woody use his job as an excuse for violent behavior. It's a slippery slope.

If you're planning on seeing Woody Harrelson in the near future and you're not sure if you're a zombie, you can take the test at OKCupid.com, the only dating website I know that's zombie-friendly. Or maybe you're a zombie in the non-traditional definition of the word: "the average person who has become dead to real news." This definition is from newsforzombies.com which is less a news site for zombies and more a corruption, conspiracy, 9/11-was-an-inside-job sort of site. Real zombies would be very disappointed by visiting this site.

Zombie or not, watch out for Woody Harrelson.

Image: http://auspainia.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/zombie-market-street.jpg

Tweenbots

2009-04-12T16:45:00.005-04:00

What exactly are Tweenbots? Kacie Kinzer claims they are part of a harmless experiment for her thesis:

Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.

I see something much more sinister. Tweenbots are a way of conditioning people to be subservient to our future robot overlords. Check out this terrifying video of these robots in action:

I don't know much about marketing but...

2009-04-11T16:52:00.004-04:00

Boston's Downtown Crossing Subway Station

...I think someone got something wrong with target audiences or ad placement or something.

Photo courtesy of: tjmedici's photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/28739175@N02/3404059218/

Yo Come On Move This

2009-04-10T08:04:00.017-04:00

Applying to study law or build robotic lobsters or do whatever ecologists do is one thing. Sometimes life (read: applying to another graduate program) isn't that simple. For those times, GAP-in-the-gentle-imperative is here for you. We generally dislike the imperative voice unless it's an encouraging command to move this but we're gonna use it today to be concise. Take the below tips with lots of salt as we know you take everything. Mostly it's common sense that you musn't interpret as an insult to your intelligence. You're a GAP reader so you likely knew all this and more light years ago.

1. Ask around. Say hey to undergrad professors and ask about other alums' experiences in the programs of interest. Determine if the field is experiencing an identity crisis in terms of academic vs. professional and explore that. Take a careful look at course syllabi and program reqs to help determine which programs could be more personally rewarding. Spend a night at the school to hang with students for fun and for comparison (and that California sunshine). Meet with Admissions, interesting professors, directors of centers, associate deans, the career guidance director, the program coordinator, and professors who direct research labs and co-chair departments to get a feel for types of incoming students, program size, past and future program changes, thesis/capstone and internship opportunities, alumni networking, student-professor relationships, post-grad employment stats, and funding sources. In certain cases, persistently email the lab heads at large universities to seek the "right" research assistant position. Cyber-stalking or spamming alumni of special interest about the program rigor and their professional paths isn't particularly painful either. Oh, and ask early and often.

2. Apply already. Don't be dilatory: you're not forever young. Delaying application because of standardized test anxiety or underestimating ability to be admitted is kind of, well, lame. Know that not all grad programs require the GRE, especially those abroad that are not heavily quantitative. Get the good course - not bookstore - books and go to it with a study buddy. Or prepare to take a zillion dollar review course that may just be necessary if, say, you're math phobic or you're an English-Spanish major, Bio minor applying to med school. If you found yourself disappointed by rejection for undergrad, or if you are going for gold, consider applying to more programs that your credit card or essay writer is comfortable with. When in doubt, apply for non-traditional programs such as dual degrees or Peace Corps combo and decide later. Remember that fellowships and scholarships are for the early birds in some cases, and contact references long before the holiday season begins, providing a nice little summary of each program and your interest, if the programs vary or your references are uninformed. Don't forget that those darn ocean floor internet-enabling cables are sometimes snipped. Rolling and non-rolling application processes are also to be noted; schools such as the London School of Economics accept applications until their programs are full, but applying in, say, early July may leave one in a terrible month-long limbo that ends in news of program at-capacity. Return to step 1 if you started at step 2, or revisit step 1 if you so desire. And in doing so be aware of irregularly long or strangely scheduled school holidays.

3. Decide. Waiting until the last minute dramatically decreases chances of finding good, affordable and convenient housing in some cases. Agonizing is no party anyways. If financial aid is a distressing issue, talk with Admissions, faculty such as your assigned advisor, and the financial office. Begging, or rather frankly stating the situation, has been a successful strategy by a select and highly desired few. If it's a school abroad remember to start early on loan forms as they can't necessarily be electronically submitted. And, even if the scholarship form says no scholarship can be deferred, ask the financial aid office if support from faculty can override that. Attend Admitted Student Day or e-talk with other admitted students for additional insight. During the entire process don't forget to chat up your bestest friends who have both well-honed critical thinking skills and informed concern for you.

4. Attend and enjoy. After all is studied and done, you may be (f)unemployed upon graduation, so pump up the jam with your social-intellectual community while you can.

How to handle an interview

2009-04-09T14:34:00.004-04:00

Face it, local TV news is crap. On top of that, I'm pretty sure journalism is dead. What then, do you do when you are ambushed by your local NBC's reporter Jim Taricani wanting to interview you about your recent arrest for cyberstalking a rival costume shop owner? Well take a page from Ann Bruno's book and dress up as a cop dressing as the Easter Bunny. Make sure you refuse to answer any questions the reporter asks.

BTW, since when did cyberstalking become illegal?

Jane Austen lives on

2009-04-09T14:02:00.004-04:00

Pride and Prejudice has been done and re-done and re-re-done. No news there. Still, the booming success of the most recent adaptation, considering its themes and cast of zombies, should be no shock, we think. Both zombies and Austen have a habit of tickling our cerebellum. The publisher proclaims some surprise though: "The idea of taking two completely separate, incongruous elements – Regency romance and zombies – you think it couldn't possibly work, but it's so intriguing and has really captured people's imaginations," said Bethan Jones, UK spokesperson for the book. "It's definitely exceeded our expectations – I don't think the publisher quite realised how popular it would be ... ." We'll spare you a review for now. Blackbook Mag also remarks on the development:

In the UK, who we can thank for about 95% of those unnecessary adaptations, Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (subtitled “The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!") has apparently rocketed to the top of the Amazon Movers & Shakers list. But as Americans, we’re just as culpable—the retelling sits pretty inside our own Top 20 Bestsellers. ... Looking at an update of one of the prototypical chick lit’s classic maxims makes it clear that this undead spin may resonate with a generation of suitors and coy maidens raised on Craigslisty dating etiquette: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” And what fitter way is there to describe the overeducated, underemployed, and undersexed masses being let loose upon the world yearly? And yes, there’s also a film adaptation in the works, for which Keira Knightley would, in fact, be perfect. So buy a copy for the die-hard Austenite in your family today! Nothing howls, “Happy Easter,” like Jane Austen ballroom-dancing with the undead.

Robot News Roundup

2009-04-09T11:31:00.003-04:00

The face only a parent could love

Scientists in Japan have successfully created a robot that acts like a two year old: it wont do anything you tell it to. I kid, I kid. CB2 (Child-Robot with Biomimetic Body) actually observes how humans interact with it and then tries to mimic their behavior. In the two years since its birth, CB2 has learned to walk and how to interact with "affection" towards its "family."

Chariot is business on the top, partying robot on the bottom*.

In other robot news, the Exmovere Chariot is the latest in robotic pants. It looks a lot like a Segway you can never dismount. Chariot is intended to increase the mobility of amputees and to allow them more "normal" interactions with other people.

You can read more about CB2 or Chariot if you so desire.

* I totally poached this terrible joke from another website

Web 2.0

2009-04-07T11:33:00.005-04:00

Web 2.0 has become a buzzword used to describe a broad spectrum of new, more interactive features that have been emerging from second generation internet development. On the off chance you are one of the Luddites who does not understand what web 2.0 is, GAP would like to provide you with the following clarification, via worldchanging.com:

Web 1.0 was invented to allow physicists to share research papers.

Web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cute cats.

Any questions?

Like a prayer

2009-04-06T20:00:00.011-04:00

Because the above is in a language foreign to us, we have no choice but to entertain the possibility that the Pope's Appeals included announcements unmentioned by the Vatican's video narrator. Not only does the Pope regret many of his recent words on condoms, he is considering excommunicating the Brazilian José Cardoso Sobrinho and those found guilty of trafficking persons. In the condoms department he's taking a cue from Thailand's successful reduction of AIDS/HIV rates due to state and NGO coordination of condom distribution to sex workers. In the excommunication department he's taking advice from above. Before concluding, Pope Benedict observes Secretary Clinton's example in acknowledging the problematic U.S. demand for drugs: he lets slip into his remarks the identification of the United States as a major destination country for human trafficking. Palm fronds in the air now!

Cute chick

2009-04-05T01:00:00.006-04:00

The sparrow rescue was a mission unaccomplished. No injured sparrows could be found. A second project has similarly been futile. You can't seem to locate a certain leftie who walks with a cane no matter how hard you search. In the short-term you take solace in Italian choral music. It is beautiful. But before long the soprano sentimentally reminds you that you're still sans bird-in-the-hand.

May we recommend considering Rent-a-Chick. A visit to the local market will allow you the chance to acquaint yourself with the enthusiastic farmer or farmer's representative who facilitates the program. The soft fluffy babies can be rented for days or a couple of weeks in memory of the uninjured sparrow or your own repressed Disney Princess. Whichever you prefer! We merely ask that you also keep in mind the chick's undeserved separation anxiety from its mother and siblings: give it a peck from GAP.

New World Dysfunction

2009-04-04T02:00:00.010-04:00

Note to self: The United States and China are married. They've got kids.

In a brief interview with McKinsey and Company's Rik Kirkland, Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, analyzes our world today and tomorrow. Surprise: our future is nonpolar! The increased power of certain state oil corporations in such a system receives due recognition. (Yes, dropping oil prices acknowledged.) Also highlighted is a reality in which Saudi Arabia is starting to "unlock the untapped potential of women as employees," and "50 percent of [its] incoming students are now women." (Let's hope that means all women will be welcomed all days at next year's Riyadh Book Fair.) Not explicitly discussed are the names of the Couple's children. (Civilization is among them, we wish.) The real and potential role in political stability played by Google-like MNCs (or Google) is not addressed, either, but we remain steadfast in our recommendation to read or view the interview.

Chicken Buses

2009-04-02T12:49:00.006-04:00

Rosario in Xela

Those of you who have never been to Guatemala have probably never had the pleasure of seeing chicken buses in their natural environment. You have never been stuck behind one in a traffic jam sucking down its sweet sweet diesel soot, nor been nearly run over by one on a narrow cobblestone street and you certainly have not been packed three to a seat into an already full bus.

Chicken buses are old school buses from the US that have been given new life south of the border. When a school bus here in The States reaches the ripe old age of 10 or 150,000 miles, it begins a long journey south. Eventually the school bus ends up at shop in Guatemala where it is given a more powerful engine, a six-speed manual transmission, roof and internal luggage racks, a defining horn and a slick paint job. Sometimes they even get spinners. Every now and then you will come across an unpainted chicken bus that hints at its past life in the US. These buses are still school bus yellow with block lettering that reads "Cuyahoga County Public Schools", or "Greater Bethesda Unified School District." Sometimes it's subtler; I saw a sticker on the inside of one chicken bus that read "Your child's safety is our number one priority."

In Guatemala, chicken buses are probably the cheapest and most popular form of intercity transportation. Gwyn Lawrence has a great photo essay documenting the conversion of school buses to chicken buses in Antigua, Guatemala at chickenbus.net. You can also check out my flickr album of chicken buses I saw on my trip to Guatemala.

What's your Facebook number?

2009-04-01T22:00:00.015-04:00

As everyone I know (and their mother) is on Facebook by now, I propose a method for determining how addicted you are to The Book.

Determining a Facebook Number is easy, just follow these steps:

Go to the profile of the person in question.
Scroll to the bottom of said person's profile.
Look at the earliest wall post that shows up at the bottom of the page (without clicking 'Show Older Posts...').
Determine how many days ago this post appeared through simple calendar arithmetic. This is your Facebook Number.

The lower the Facebook Number, the more addicted that person is to Facebook. Consult the scale provided below to translate numbers into reality.

My FN is 36.

Apply Yourself.

2009-04-01T05:00:00.013-04:00

GAP internships are a good time.

As we greet the delightful advent of April, we welcome Intern applications for the 2009 summer. The goal of GAP's Internship Program is to offer successful candidates an opportunity to improve their skills as well as the experience of working in a virtual environment with imaginative and casually communicative twenty-somethings. Interns may expect to find the experience non-monetarily rewarding.

Eligibility: To be eligible for the Internship Program, candidates must possess an undergraduate degree and already be enrolled in a full-time graduate study program (pursuing a Master's degree or PhD with plans to return to school in a full-time capacity). Generally, successful candidates have completed their first year of graduate studies or are already into their PhD programs.

This Program seeks candidates in the following fields: agriculture, biology, East Asian philosophy, ecology, economics, finance, social science (anthropology, sociology), environment, geography, law, mathematics and statistics, private sector development, and robotics. Candidates with five years professional experience or particularly good career connections in those fields will be given special consideration. Fluency in English is required. Computing skills, as well as knowledge of languages such as French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, and Chinese, are advantageous.

General information: Successful candidates are expected to work an average of 25-45 hours per week. Work may involve but is not limited to creatively and critically contributing to world peace prioritizing women's welfare, conducting and compiling Web meta-searches of news and employing innovative methods, approved by an IRB, to predict the moods and general futures of GAP management and humor them as appropriate. On the hour, interns may be asked to provide highly informed advice on stock trading and international real estate investment trends, and then be prepared to risk individual resources in demonstration. Assisting in locating affordable and convenient housing in London and Ann Arbor is an additional responsibility that may be assumed immediately.

Application requirements: Interested individuals are encouraged to submit a CV, two letters of reference, and a personal statement of no more than 500 words, including the name of their favorite blog(ger), by the end of today. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Let's do lunch.

2009-03-31T00:19:00.025-04:00

If, politically, little is positively certain in our era of impending and actual large-scale crises, seems there are patterns in consensus that smart innovation is necessary to address global warming and food insecurity. In such a spirit some friendly Brits launched a campaign promoting The Big Lunch. No, it's not just super-sized. It is also super-cool-sounding. The Big Lunch encourages communities to celebrate their food harvests by eating homegrown lunch with neighbors on the street on Sunday, July 19. The Eden Project is spearheading the event, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. We're green with envy if the edible invitation is any indication of the Lunch. The 2,000 sq. foot invitation in London's Convent Garden spelled out "You are invited to/The Big Lunch/on Sunday 19th July," using fruits and veggies.

More than 11,000 parsnips, 9,000 cauliflowers and 80 bananas were used and the produce was later given away to charities and passers-by.

Eden Project chief executive Tim Smit said: "Imagine a summer's day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together with our neighbours: in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks and on every patch of common ground.
"The food, entertainment, music and decorations we will have grown, cooked, or created ourselves. This will be a day to break bread with our neighbours, to put a smile on Britain's face."
Paul Twivy added: "Let's all express our talents, get over our embarrassment, shake hands and work with our neighbours and realise that the neighbourhood where we live is the biggest untapped source of happiness we possess. The way to tackle this recession and global warming is through Human Warming."

We're assuming those 80 bananas are from the Eden Project's outdoor Musa basjoo banana plantation outside of London.

photo via BBC

The Pope, The Lancet, AIDS, Condoms, and Clowns

2009-03-29T15:17:00.005-04:00

The Pope is in Africa misrepresenting science. While in Cameroon he made the bold claim that condoms exacerbate the spread of HIV. From the BBC:

HIV/Aids was, he [The Pope] argued, "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem".

British medical journal The Lancet is not happy:

The Catholic Church's ethical opposition to birth control and support of marital fidelity and abstinence in HIV prevention is well known. But, by saying that condoms exacerbate the problem of HIV/AIDS, the Pope has publicly distorted scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue.

...

Whether the Pope's error was due to ignorance or a deliberate attempt to manipulate science to support Catholic ideology is unclear. But the comment still stands and the Vatican's attempts to tweak the Pope's words, further tampering with the truth, is not the way forward. When any influential person, be it a religious or political leader, makes a false scientific statement that could be devastating to the health of millions of people, they should retract or correct the public record. Anything less from Pope Benedict would be an immense disservice to the public and health advocates, including many thousands of Catholics, who work tirelessly to try and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Harsh words for Benedict from The Lancet. I know the Catholic Church is remarkably progressive for a medieval institution, but the blanket opposition to birth control is so passe, especially in the face of AIDS.

In Guatemala, the clowns of Proyecto Payaso (The Clown Project) take to the streets to educate young people about condom usage. I doubt The Pope is pleased by this.

And finally, gentle reader, if you yourself have any lingering questions about condoms check out this educational video from the Midwest Teen Sex Show:

You can't change the economy, so shake up the bake shop

2009-03-27T13:40:00.005-04:00

So, you voted in November 2008, went to the bar at 11AM to toast Barack Obama as he was sworn in (right, you all did that, right?), and you saw Fannie and Freddie get new face lifts (getting that puffy Lion Woman look). But now, it's that dreary, itchy (does anyone have the name of a lotion that actually moisturizes?!), and old hat period of post Winter/pre Spring. And I bet that new dose of Vitamin D pumping through your system makes you want to get out and make some changes in the world! (No, posting that oft imagined Missed Connection with the Lorca reading coffee shop patron doesn't count). So, yeah, go volunteer at those worthy charities, or rescue a fallen baby sparrow. Or....invent your very own donut! What could be more powerful and inspiring than creating your dream pastry from the perfect shape (sticks are conducive to effective dipping, but rings are just so darn cute!) to the delicate pink (or green! or rainbow!) sprinkles. I've already submitted a mouthwatering pumpkin, dulce de leche-filled, sugar-glazed, walnut-topped long john (aka stick), so don't even go there.

Persistence, persistence

2009-03-25T18:15:00.016-04:00

As Secretary Clinton travels to Mexico City, farmers in the Wa region of northern Burma express renewed interest in growing poppies because the price of other cash crops has dramatically dropped. This we can confirm. We wish but wouldn't write that tomorrow Secretary Clinton's scheduled to visit our hip hop peer Zayar Thaw whom the junta's sentenced to six years imprisonment, or the comedian Zargana who's in for 45 years, or struggling former child soldiers. 'Cause that's neither correct nor cute. We honor our commitment to you, Dear Reader. So for now we hold back rumors and restrict ourselves to observing the winding path of news demonstrated by a press conference transcript, a corrected answer, and NY Times article that are posted in part below. Cheers to the Burma-head bloggers for scooping the story from The Irrawaddy and plodding on.

Daily State Department press briefing, 11:30 a.m., Wed.

MR. DUGUID: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. As you know, Secretary Clinton is in Mexico today. She’s currently in Mexico City. She’s having meetings with Foreign Minister Espinosa and President Calderon, and she will have a couple of public events that I think will be certainly carried by your colleagues in the Mexican media and those traveling with her on the plane. I don’t have any other announcements or any announcements to offer you, so we’ll go straight to your questions, please. Yes, Sylvie.
QUESTION: Can you confirm that a U.S. official met with Burmese officials in Burma yesterday, and that is a sign of softening of the U.S. position on Burma?
MR. DUGUID: No, I will not confirm that because it’s not correct. I did see that this was a report on a blog. I’ve been directly in touch with the officials that the blog named, and there was no contact that either official recalls, let alone sought out. So the report is incorrect.
QUESTION: So it’s incorrect to say that the – Mr. Blake met with the Burmese Government?
MR. DUGUID: It is incorrect.
QUESTION: Okay. And – but is it correct to say that he was in Burma, was in Myanmar?
MR. DUGUID: In what time period? I believe he has visited Burma once in the past. He has not, however, had any substantive conversations with Burmese officials, nor has the U.S. position on Burma changed.
QUESTION: If you say it’s not substantive, what does that mean? Does that mean he’s had other, less substantive conversations?
MR. DUGUID: As all diplomats know, if you go to a reception and the host has invited someone else, you may in that setting come across someone from a – in this case, the Burmese Government. The ambassador has no recollection of that happening.
QUESTION: Okay.
MR. DUGUID: But that is a possibility at some point in the future, of course.
QUESTION: When he last visited Burma? You said he visited there recent past.
MR. DUGUID: I did not say the recent past. I said at some point in the past. I don’t have that – those dates for you. I do believe he has been to Burma at some time in the past. I don’t think it’s relevant to this particular question. Yes.

State Department Release, 4 p.m., Wed.

Question: Can you confirm that a U.S. official (U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake) met with Burmese officials in Burma yesterday and does this represent a softening in policy towards Burma?

Answer: No. As the Acting Deputy Spokesman said at today’s Daily Press Briefing, Ambassador Robert Blake did not meet with Burmese officials yesterday.

However, Stephen Blake, the Director of the Office for Mainland Southeast Asia at the State Department went to Burma as part of a five-country tour of the countries that fall under his office: Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In Burma, Mr. Blake met with a variety of people representing a wide range of views regarding the current situation, including Foreign Minister Nyan Win, other members of the Burmese government, members of ethnic minority groups, and members of the National League for Democracy’s Central Executive Committee (aka “The Uncles”).

His visit does not reflect a change in policy or approach to Burma; Office Director-level officials, including Mr. Blake’s two immediate predecessors, have visited Burma and met with Burmese officials on a number of occasions in recent years.

The Burma policy review announced by Secretary Clinton is still underway. While we have not yet finalized our approach, we remain committed to encouraging a genuine dialogue between the Burmese authorities and opposition that leads to a free and democratic Burma that respects the rights of its diverse citizens and is at peace with its neighbors.

NYT article, 7:56 a.m. Thurs.

Stephen Blake, the director of the Office for Mainland Southeast Asia at the State Department, visited Myanmar as part of a tour of five countries in the region. ... Earlier this week, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared that Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention violated both international and Myanmar law. ...

Hobbies: honed

2009-03-25T14:28:00.003-04:00

Via: XKCD

Ergonomics: evolved

2009-03-25T11:00:00.000-04:00

From Urban Cartography and Boing Boing Offworld:

Grow, Economy, Grow

2009-03-24T04:42:00.009-04:00

Even some pretty Ethiopian flowers have a reduced market. In other recession-related news:
1. The Center for Economic and Policy Research, an especially erudite think tank in DC, issued a report this month analyzing the official unemployment rate. It's entitled "Is the U.S. Unemployment Rate Today Already as High as It Was in 1982?" A bit of a trick question.
2. Case study: Like -- or unlike? -- men, some women working in public finance have been terminated.
3. Green energy doesn't necessarily mean greenbacks. Read-> Alternative Energy Won't Fight the Recession. Did we really think it could or would?
4. Brewing anew, microbreweries or brewpubs survive and start-up.
5. SXSW still sounds grand despite the world economy, with newer music entrepreneurs like Colombian Monica Giraldo impressing.

David Byrne and Brazilian Girls

2009-03-23T20:41:00.002-04:00

From Boing Boing:

David Byrne has teamed up with Brazilian Girls to create a pretty sweet duet track.

Check it out here.

Helmet-head is hot

2009-03-22T18:46:00.031-04:00

We're young and able-bodied. We cycle to work, class, and often to the neighborhood cafe. We love that the Davis, Cal. decorative flags bear a bicycle in lieu of stars. We've got one nagging worry in the bicycle department: a dear friend doesn't use proper skull+brain protection. Gaah. Reminding the invincible that even careful riders can expect to crash every 4,500 miles does not help much. Surprising the subject by near-simulation, intentionally swerving our car too close to the bianchi and beloved, isn't effective either.

What to do? Romance the helmet. Remember the live short Manon sur le bitume? The film is a sequence many of us have imagined: what happens if we die in a bicycle crash, i.e., our flashbacks and our family and close friends' scenes of sadness. It borders on touchingly trite but its springtime setting and its soundtrack of Madeleine Peyroux's cover of "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" are somewhat redemptive. Throw that film together with the friend, a baguette, madly-bought Roquefort and bargain Bordeaux. During viewing, muse aloud to self that narrating twenty-something main character and bicyclist Manon is missing her helmet at time of crash. Then cheerfully toast to a Long Life.

Getting a job, internationally

2009-03-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

During my time as an international development intern in Zagreb, Croatia, I learned a number of things about transnational non-profit work. First, there's a lot of work to be done. Second, it's really, really difficult to get paid. Because of byzantine labor laws and USAID bureacracy, my employer had to pay me in grocery store coupons and gift certificates to the local bookstore.

However, it apparently is possible to get real, legally paying jobs in the very fulfilling world of international development. Yale economics professor, Chris Blattman, has recently blogging about his colleagues' advice for getting a job in development. So far he has posted on the UN and Doctors Without Borders.

From the UN post:

In the end, the competition for these jobs is fierce. So if you have a great CV and perfect background, the likelihood is someone else does as well. So you need good timing and luck. Your CV will land on someone's desk the right day when they are ready to take action and hire someone like you.
Finally, Although I was lucky and didn't have to do it, networking really does work. Apply to any and all UN internships and aggressively follow-up on your applications. Call people, ask for "HR persons" or whoever hires interns.

And for Médecins Sans Frontières:

My experience on getting picked up quickly by an organization was to get a technical skill needed in developing countries. I specialized in tropical medicine and then took courses in refugee and IDP specific health situations.
I applied to MSF with this educational background and basically agreed to go wherever they sent me. Going wherever you are assigned is the key in the beginning. After you “stick it out” for your first assignment, you can begin to pick and choose situations that appeal to you.

My own attempts at getting a job in non-profts, both abroad and in the States, has proved the truth of a lot of the advice given by Blattman's contributors. Mostly these posts have post facto helped me understand why I didn't get a development job, but they were still helpful nonetheless!

Oh year, here's some pictures from Zagreb.

Shower flowers

2009-03-20T02:00:00.000-04:00

Sam Spenser made this London piece on commission in late 2007. Accompanying music not included.

14-0848 Mimosa cheers from GAP to you, Gentle Reader, in spring celebration.

Photo via: Wooster Collective and Growin' Up

Some two-wheeled things I want

2009-03-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

Check out these amazing bicycular designs.

The first is an incredible electric scooter from designer Miguel Ángel Iranzo Sánchez.

This model of Canondale bike might no longer be available, but I love the leather accents and brushed metal.

How to Survive a Zombie Attack

2009-03-16T04:00:00.000-04:00

Pretty self explanatory. Click on the picture for a larger version.

Photo via: Olly Moss

Books over here, over there

2009-03-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Millions recently compared U.S. book cover designs with their equivalents in the U.K. Some of the disparities between the American and European releases are pretty striking, especially Roberto Bolaño's 2666. In my opinion, the British one is nowhere near as memorable as the American version.

Head over to the original post to see the rest.

Pulp Paper, Compared

2009-03-14T09:30:00.002-04:00

Many have predicted the death of the newspaper as the Internet's ascendancy becomes more and more assured. Even the Gray Lady has fallen on hard times, of late. However, it seems that printed comics do not seem to be destined to share this fate.

"Traditionally, when someone wanted to get comics out they used to have to do a small print run or photocopy them," says Tim Pilcher, author of Essential Guide to World Comics and Erotic Comics: A Graphic History, "They would put them in the post or try to sell them at fairs and conventions, which meant they were limited to an audience of 200 if they were lucky. The internet means the same artists can reach a global audience automatically. Comics have become a much more egalitarian medium."

This seems to make sense for a number of reasons. Despite the similarities in publishing materials and schedules, comics and newspaper are intrinsically different. One can't help but feel that there's common ownership of the news; the events of the day affect all of us, and we're going to find out about them eventually anyways. Consequently, I think that this is why most online news sources are free.

By contrast, comics are creative works, more like novels, short stories, poems, etc. As a result, they are more closely related to private intellectual property than current events. I'm not suggested that individual news articles are bereft of literary individuality; their content, however, is not built from the ground up in the same way that comics are. Somewhat paradoxically, I think people are more likely to shell out dough for something that is made up.

It's a brave new world for nerds and newshounds.

First Prototype

2009-03-13T01:00:00.000-04:00

Via: SDU

I'm currently working with my second team in Guatemala on a solar thermal vaccine cooler. The first team has just posted pictures of their prototype for a treadle pump. Eventually, they are going to publish detailed multilingual construction plans on the internet so that anyone who needs (or wants) a treadle pump can build one. Pics of the next prototype will come in a week or two.

Chocolate time!

2009-03-13T00:01:00.005-04:00

To feel dejected about the economy, disgusted by the ways Madoff and Co. made off, and despondent regarding the alienation, the undesired dependency, and the inability to properly care for loved ones that sometimes accompany unemployment, is natural. So is taking comfort in good company.

But the benefits of inequitably-distributed-albeit-shared misery and that affirmation of the recognition of normalcy have their limits. And the interesting interpretations of Keynes, Schumpeter and Marx may only entertain our attention so long. Then, how to sustain ambition?

Gentle Reader, may we move our ever-sophisticated spotlight to Dieter Roth, artist extraordinaire who specialized in absurdity and decay among other things. The Swiss-born true multi-media artist made manuscripts with holes. He made posters with holes. He made books from wastepaper and newspaper clippings and he made Stupidograms and he made 50 literature sausages out of books he didn't like, plus spices he did. (Resourceful and transformative was this man!) Later, living in Rhode Island in 1965 Roth began his organic decomposition line. Etchings with chocolate, banana, etc. evolved to a chocolate-birdseed bust self-portrait and a chocolate lion tower. (Acutely attuned to impermanence!) Ultimately Roth would create sound sculptures and video installations; the latter includes a touchingly frank autobio piece on Roth's decision to give up television and drinking. (In a way, ironic in medium and inspirational, too!) He says he mostly managed by moving to Iceland and becoming deeply concerned about his health and his grandchildren's impression of him. Humm... Perhaps essentially, Roth wasn't reticent to creatively call art and society as he saw them. Did we mention he was temporarily unemployed?

Not your average chocolate bunny.

Thank you, Jimmy Carter

2009-03-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

According to the New York Times' Ideas blog, Jimmy Carter is largely responsible for the surge in microbrewed beer in recent decades.

In 1978 he signed Senate Amendment 3534, a portion of which gave each household permission to produce up to 200 gallons of tax-exempt beer each year...Three decades later, the U.S. boasts 1,463 breweries, including 975 brewpubs.

Although Carter is frequently criticized, I feel that all Americans owe him their gratitude for this act. For if we cannot unite behind beer, then we are truly lost as a civilization.

If you're in the Ann Arbor or Detroit areas in the near future, please be sure to check out some direct beneficiaries of Senate Amendment 3534, as well as some of my favorite brewpubs.

Woodward Avenue Brewers.

Arbor Brewing Company.

Hungry for Change

2009-03-11T13:50:00.005-04:00

The United States is vast. So is its Mall. Visitors to the Mall, as the Gentle Reader may well know, might be greeted by greying grass, dust, little orange construction flags, and delightful unkempt onions. Such potential! Indeed, a study is underway to improve this less-than-lush capitol lawn. Leave room for the future children to protest and post-work picnic, you say! Of course. Let's also consider giving the wild onions some company and investing in an integrated image that promotes some sort of food security on a local level?

Eat the View's proposal for a White House garden doesn't involve the radical grandeur or broad jurisdiction that I yearn for but it's certainly a start. Here's a little (rose-colored piece) on the history we could grow.

When robot love goes bad

2009-03-10T01:00:00.001-04:00

What do you do when your robot lover becomes your robot stalker?

Unconditional robot love has always seemed so promising. Unfortunately, Japanese researchers are finding that love comes with some serious consequences. Kenji is a humanoid robot designed to simulate complex emotions like love. It seems that his programming has had some unintended consequences: Kenji is has become quite adept at simulating obsession as well.

"Despite our initial enthusiasm, it has become clear that Kenji's impulses and behavior are not entirely rational or genuine," conceded Dr. Takahashi.

What does "not entirely rational" mean? Well, for example, a young female intern started to spend several hours with Kenji every day, performing diagnostics. Unbeknownst to her, the tin man had become love struck with his new playmate, going as far as to physically prevent the intern from leaving his room by standing in-between her and the exit. She was only able to get away after phoning technicians who rushed to deactivate Kenji, whose last words were "I'll be back."

Since the incident, whenever Kenji has been re-activated, and again, he instantly bonds with the first person he lays eyes on, ignoring weight issues and/or ugliness -- something we admit were not capable of. He then runs to embrace his new target of affection, hugging them with his superhuman strength. As a result, Dr. Takahashi feels that Kenji will have to be decommissioned permanently,

All I can say is yikes.

Via: ING

The Ecology of Zombies

2009-03-09T04:00:00.000-04:00

Technically, this is what ecologists refer to as a trophic, or ecological pyramid. It reflects that as you move up trophic, or feeding levels (think rungs on the food chain) there are fewer and fewer organisms. Not all energy is available to passed up to the next level of the pyramid because organisms expend energy on reproduction, homeostasis, and things other than growth during their lifetimes.

Image via: Olly Moss

Those hot medical science papers, and the politics of publishing

2009-03-08T18:35:00.005-04:00

Around Christmastime Daniel Blustein wrote on the conundrum of U.S. taxpayers accessing science journal articles whose research the government has funded. In the (public) interest of GAP continuity, an update on the issue follows.

H.R. 801, the Fair Copyright in Research Works Act, is a re-introduced bill regarding open access publishing of science articles. Currently, scientists who receive taxpayer money for medical research currently must publish their findings online for the public. This bill aims to dissolve that mandate and NIH's compliance. Huffington Post's Lawrence Lessig and Michael Eisen write more about this, and cite Maplight.org's finding that the bill's sponsors, including Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) "received twice as much money from the publishing industry as those on the relevant committee who are not sponsors."

The bill is now under consideration by the House Judiciary Committee.

Body Mods for Submariners

2009-03-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

This is the coolest thing ever.

Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute recently solved the half-century-old mystery of a fish with tubular eyes and a transparent head. Ever since the "barreleye" fish Macropinna microstoma was first described in 1939, marine biologists have known that its tubular eyes are very good at collecting light. However, the eyes were believed to be fixed in place and seemed to provide only a "tunnel-vision" view of whatever was directly above the fish's head. A new paper by Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler shows that these unusual eyes can rotate within a transparent shield that covers the fish's head. This allows the barreleye to peer up at potential prey or focus forward to see what it is eating.

Great Gig Graphics

2009-03-07T08:42:00.003-05:00

From NotCot:

Queen for a Half-Day

2009-03-06T16:09:00.008-05:00

Tired of issuing edicts that are plainly ignored? Ready to move that groove? Going to be in metro Detroit next Friday or Saturday? Be a surprisingly subversive chess piece in a game orchestrated by Detroit City Chess Club members in the Detroit Institute of Arts Great Hall. Or, wear your bling to the lecture given by Marilyn Yalom, senior scholar at Stanford's Institute for Women and Gender, who has written a book called Birth of the Chess Queen. Events are in conjunction with the exhibition Master Pieces: Chess Sets from the George and Vivian Dean Collection (through May 17).

Don't jump too high.

Who Watches the Watchmen? I do, that's who

2009-03-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

"Alan Moore is an incredibly tall, hirsute individual, who writes comics."

In anticipation of the imminent release of the Watchmen, please enjoy this 1986 interview with Alan Moore, written by Neil Gaiman. I especially like Moore's description of how he tried to do more with comics that most writers had previously, "by making the stories talk about real, relevant social issues that will mean something to the reader, instead of having an endless sucession of people in skin-tight costumes wrestling with each other..."

However, this is precisely why I can't help but feel a certain amount of anxiety about how well the Watchmen is going to do. Despite the trailers' declarations that the graphic novel is the most acclaimed of its kind - of all time - most people probably haven't heard of it. Comic heroes like Superman, Batman, and Spiderman are staples of mainstream pop culture in America, but how often have you heard anyone make an analogy like, "He was as driven as Walter Kovacs"? Can a movie be successful when the average moviegoer most likely is not even casually familiar with its source material?

I sincerely hope it will be. Comic book aficionados seem to be singing the Watchmen's praises. Wil Wheaton supplies an emphatic endorsement of Zack Snyder's adaptation. Kevin Smith is similarly enthusiastic. Although I'm ambivalent about Smith's movie-making endeavors, he does have some comic book cred.

Alan Moore is notoriously dismissive of the movies that are made based on his graphic novels, and perhaps rightly so. The League of Extraordinary Gentleman movie was astounding at least in its ability to wholly neuter incredibly interesting source material. From Hell was all right. V for Vendetta was purely mediocre. I have high hopes for the Watchmen but it has a lot of history to overcome. I'm encouraged by Watchmen artist Dave Gibbon's endorsement of the film.

Graduate Recessional

2009-03-05T08:22:00.002-05:00

Marginal Revolution recently linked to post about whether it is a good idea to go to grad school during recession. Advice columnist, Penelope Trunk, concluded "no."

I found her advice on law school particularly salient:

4. Law school is a factory for depressives.
It used to be that if you had a law degree it was a ticket to a high salary and a safe career. Today many people go to law school and cannot find a job. This is, in a large part, because law school selects for people who are good with details and pass tests and law firms select for people who are good at marketing themselves and can drum up business. Law firms are in a transition phase, and they have many unfair labor practices leftover from older generations, for example, hourly billing and making young lawyers pay dues for what is, today, a largely uncertain future. Which might explain why the American Bar Association reports that the majority of lawyers would recommend that people not to go into law.

I'm not sure I entirely agree with this, but my own law school experience might be skewing my interpretation of the realities on the law-school-ground. However, I think Ms. Trunk's advice is predicated on current realities of the legal career and not on the very same changes that she is forecasting. First, she seems to be referring primarily to jobs in litigation law firms. Litigation is only one aspect of the field; transactional law, which does not share the characteristics described above, is another very viable option. Second, yes, the field is changing. The sense among lawyers is that the current administration's stimulus efforts are going to increase the amount of legal government work. Although this may not be as lucrative as jobs with large law firms, it is, however, more "certain."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that I take issue with a few of Ms. Trunk's assertions, it is nice to have affirmation of my law-school-induced misery in general.

The post's first item is also important, I think:

1. Grad school pointlessly delays adulthood.
The best thing you can do for yourself is take time to figure out who you are and where you fit in the world. No one teaches you that in school. You need to do it yourself. Grad school is a way to delay this process, rather than move you forward, according to Thomas Benton of the Chronicle of Higher Education. So instead of dodging tough questions by going back to school, try being lost. It’s normal, and honest, and you will end up with more self-knowledge and less debt than your grad-school counterparts, and in many cases, you will be similarly qualified for your next big job.

Before coming to grad school, I spent time lost, and, frankly, I wanted to get back into school as soon as possible. Additionally, I'm not sure I agree with the fact that grad school delays the process of adulthood. Assuming you're not having your parents take care of everything for you, the exigencies of grad school require you to take care of all the things that is required of you in "adulthood." You have to find funding, find housing, manage relationships, perhaps take care of children - and on top of all this, you have your coursework.

Still, the post has some interesting insights:

6. Going to grad school is like going into the military.
Applications to the military increase in a bad economy in a disturbingly similar way that applications to graduate school do. For the most part, both alternatives are bad. They limit your future in ways you can’t even imagine, and they are not likely to open the kind of doors you really want. Military is the terrible escape hatch for poor kids, and grad school is the terrible escape hatch for rich kids.

It's good to know that entrenched socioeconomic statuses are being further promulgated by the excesses of those already on top.

Edit: Chris Blattman agrees with me.

David Byrne on the Colbert Report

2009-03-03T22:43:00.000-05:00

Last night, David Byrne was on the Colbert Report. I always love watching Byrne interview: for someone who can arguably lay claim to the title Rock Star, he is incredibly mild-mannered and humble. This particular interview is especially interesting because, Byrne - amidst Stephen Colbert's rapid-fire witticisms - elucidates how his vision has evolved from his Talking Heads days. This is nothing new; Byrne's developing artistic interests were in large part responsible for his break with the Talking Heads, but it's still cool to hear.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

David Byrne Pt. 1

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Rap Battle
Joke of the Day

Compare this with another interview Byrne had in a very different venue:

Fans of Fanfiction

2009-03-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

Back in those crazy, hazy, lazy days of college, BCB (of GAP) and I dabbled in writing fanfiction. We penned the obvious Malfoy-Harry lust, and imagined the innocent love between Dan Blustein (of GAP) and his favorite redhead, Wendy ("My heart," whispered Wendy, fearing to look at Dan, "is square, like your favorite, all beef, never frozen, hamburger patty.").

As any Google search will show you, we aren't the only ones looking to re-imagine our favorite (or most hated) characters. As of late, I've been enjoying political fan fiction. Here's an excerpt from "Costumed BUSINESS, Not Costumed PLAY":

"Oh, really?" Michelle perked up curiously. "So, if you're Batman, then who did she come as JESUS CHRIST!!!" she nearly shrieked at Hillary Clinton's sudden appearance.

"WHY SO SERIOUS???" Hillary greeted, baring her teeth from behind layers of pancake and prosthetic makeup, as the Joker. "You want to know how I got these scars?" she pointed to the jagged red lines on the sides of her mouth. "I received health care under a Republican administration! HA HA HA!!! Get it?"

Warning: the rest of the piece contains strong language and sexual innuendo

So get out there and let the inspired worlds of fanfiction spur you on to create your own! (Can you imagine the tension in the room where Ben Houston and Ayn Rand meet for the first, heated time? See post below.)

Evangelicals and objectivism

2009-03-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

The increase in church attendance during economic recessions is a pretty well-documented phenomenon, but perhaps a more troubling trend is the increase in sales of Ayn Rand's novels.

Marginal Revolution comments on this counter-cyclical effect on the Amazon ratings of Atlas Shrugged.

Dolled up

2009-03-03T03:00:00.000-05:00

Girl's Festival, Hinamatsuri By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japan, 1839 - 1892)
Color woodblock print. Image: 36.3 x 75.2 cm; Sheet: 37.6 x 73.8 cm
Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection.

March 3 is Girl's or Doll's Festival, or Hinamatsuri, in Japan. (Boy's Day is May 5.) These Japanese paper dolls are no GAP header graphic. Soon haiku about the holiday will appear online in Japan's second-most circulated newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun.

Snuggies

2009-03-02T04:00:00.001-05:00

My future housemates and I have discussed buying matching Snuggies to wear around the house and the neighborhood. I think it would be grand to have matching burgundy Snuggies because: 1) it will allow us save money on heating next winter and 2) we will look like we are in a cult. NYTimes columnist Allen Salkin recently took to the streets of Manhattan to conduct a Snuggie field test. From the article:

The sleeves were useful for holding a wineglass and for attempting yoga poses. But she was frustrated when looking for a place to stash her cellphone. “It would be nice if it had pockets,” she said.“It’s a blanket with sleeves,” I replied. “What you are talking about is called a jacket.”

I can hardly wait.

On greatness

2009-03-02T01:39:00.000-05:00

You know who you are. (We may not always.) You know what you do. (We have an idea.) You know what it takes. (We do too: consideration is critical.)

You're a slightly ad-hoc Amelie, not always anonymous, or the Good Samaritan in sweats. On a rainy morning as a bus rider you yell to the driver to Wait Please! for those heels running to catch the bus. Heels slides past you, wiping her brow, her blue eyes skipping over yours. You re-settle into your seat. At work, as a male and respected authority you write a cuttingly complimentary note to a young woman's boss expressing appreciation for her smart professionalism, and later, months after she's quit that job, you will wish well to the birthday girl you've never actually met. As a first-year successful and busy bee graduate student, you welcomed an unknown prospective student to your school, futon and corner bar. Then you made her tea and little maps. As an extended relative you lent a car, a listening ear and dry laughs. No? Possibly you are a cross-country former college classmate who sends a smile with an article on an obscure finding in your pal's field and supplementarily sustains solidarity with news of feminist achievement. Still no? Perhaps you warmly e-introduce acquaintances who are relevant to each other in knowledge-networking. Or, you constantly question the impact of your decisions on your community and, without ado, you act according to an admirable environmental ethic. Simply, you unassumingly pursue not perfection but passion. You quietly make people happy about those six degrees. You invite, and enrich, intersections. We so like that in you. Yes! Continue to go forth -- without the zealotry or French accent -- and be, well, great.

Photo of the Red Balloon gang

Trilogimeter

2009-03-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

From Not Cot, the Trilogy Meter:

Burning Feelings

2009-03-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

Burning Feelings by ram.baker

Rose, who you may remember from the missed connections experiment and my trip to DC has started started a sex and dating advice column: burning feelings. It's definitely worth a read. If you have any burning questions with regards to your love life or modern dating etiquette, be sure to send them to: BurningFeelings@gmail.com.

AIDG

2009-02-28T04:00:00.000-05:00

I've just finished my first "science project" in Guatemala: prototyping a treadle pump with a team of engineering students. We have been working with the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group here in Xela. You should check them out, they have lots of cool projects, technologies, and internships, if that's your thing.

2009-02-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

Foreign Policy Passport recently wrote about the United States' updated efforts to combat pirates. Some of them, such as using unmanned aircraft to monitor the vast expanses of international waters, sound pretty cool.

Navy Lt. Nate Christensen:

I can confirm that UAVs are being used aboard U.S. Navy ships to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. They bring the ability to stay airborne for long periods and cover hundreds of square miles of ocean during the course of one mission.

Sonic guns are also a non-lethal way to disable pirate vessels (but have unfortunately been used
by Japanese whalers against environmentalists).

What's really fascinating about these new tactics is that the Navy is beginning to arrest pirates and hold them aboard their ships:

The suspected pirates were apprehended and brought on board Vella Gulf, where they were processed and are being held until they are transfered to a temporary holding facility on board the supply ship USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE-1). They will remain aboard Lewis and Clark until information and evidence is assembled and evaluated and a decision is made regarding their further transfer.

Foreign Policy's Derek Reveron writes that international law is unclear on pirates. For my part, just looking at the text of the Navy press release, I can't help but feel that this seems unpleasantly similar to the nature of detention at Guantanamo. There's no definite way to try pirates, whose crimes occur in international waters and outside of any real jurisdiction, so it remains unclear where any "further transfer" would send these men.

How to Make a Zombie

2009-02-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a number of different methods for creating a zombie. Take your pick of the ones from Liqurious or the ones from Haiti.

Zombie #7

10 ml fresh lime juice
10 ml fresh lemon juice
10 ml fresh grapefruit juice
50 ml fresh orange juice
15 ml passion fruit syrup
1 tsp. grenadine
30 ml BOLS Red Orange liqueur
20 ml white rum
20 ml gold rum
20 ml dark rum
1 dash Angostura bitters
15 ml aged damerara rum
Shake all ingredients (except damerara rum) in ice-filled shaker. Strain in to zombie glass (or hurricane) with crushed ice. Float damerara rum. Garnish with exotic fruit.

Here's a few more.

Pancakes! Pancakes!

2009-02-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

I'd just like to start off by saying, thanks for having me, G.A.P.! I haven't seen a literary/blogging circle this scintillating since the "Lost Generation" back in '26 on the streets of the Left Bank.

Now, I'd really like for us to get started on the right foot. (Or the left; really, I care about all people.) So:

FREE PANCAKES are available today until 10PM at your local IHOP. Just like those Christians back in the olden times, the chefs at IHOP will be using their egg, flour, and butter supplies before they fast for lent. Or we would assume so, if they are God fearing Christian cooks. In any case (and no judgement here, I can't remember the last time I went a day without a pancake battered pork cutlet) the International (has anyone ever established if this is true?) House of Pancakes will be serving a free short stack (3 flapjacks, folks!) to every customer. All they ask in return is any donation to The Children's Miracle Network.

This whole pancake charity pairing (mmm almost as good as the classic combo, 2 cakes, 2 eggs, 2 strips) got me wondering about the power of pancakes, and I found I wasn't the only one. Dan Lacey, the artist of the pieces below, uses pancakes as headwear. On politicians. Brilliant or inane? I guess that's the same as asking, Maple or Sotolon (aka Aunt Jemima, Log Cabin)? And if you meet me in an hour at the IHOP at 341 W. Fond Du lac Ave in Milwaukee, you will soon find out.

You Are an Ignorant Racist

2009-02-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

All right, that's a blatant misrepresentation and extremely insulting. I apologize. However, given the state of the Western news corps, the quality of information we get about Africa is almost uniformly sub par. Thus the average American's knowledge of Africa is decidedly lacking.

Disappointingly, Africa continues to be portrayed as a dark continent in many forms of American media. Even beloved NPR has unconsciously regressed into the dismal, Conradian take on the continent that birthed humanity. Exhibit B: this trailer for the imminent XBox 360 release, Resident Evil 5. For my part, a cursory viewing elicited an initial sense of subconscious unease and then a dawning realization that we have not come so far as we might have hoped, our current president notwithstanding. So as not to color your impressions of the promotional video, I won't comment on it further, but after watching it for yourself, check out some other reactions.

To begin to remedy this situation, here is a list of 100 blogs that deal with all things Africa. I do not profess any sort of expertise, but I am trying to expand my knowledge as much as I can and this list is helpful.

I recently had the pleasure of taking a course on the Constitution of South Africa, taught by the chairman of that country's Human Rights Commission, Karthy Govender. Comparative constitutional study is fascinating enough by itself, but South Africa's Constitution is pretty remarkable: their constitutional democracy is less than 20 years old, but already they've outlawed the death penalty and categorically protected gay marriage, among other things. Their Constitution is also long. It's about 100 pages (compared to the 30 pages or so of American Constitution).

I recommend keeping an eye on the imminent presidential elections in South Africa. The dominant political party, the African National Congress, has recently split. Nelson Mandela has sided with the core of the ANC, rather than its offshoot, the Congress of the People. There is some anxiety given last year's violence in Kenya, but by all accounts the South African elections should be both successful, peaceful, and illustrative of the success of a young constitutional democracy.

For some inspirational viewing, check out this archived BBC video from Nelson Mandela's release in 1990, originally posted on the wonderful blog, Africa is a Country.

Guatemala: First Impressions

2009-02-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

Guatemala is great. The people are friendly and and the beers are large (1L). Today they let me drive a pickup or "un pickup" in the local Spanish. I almost killed everybody riding in the bed. It was wonderful.

Spoiler Alert

2009-02-23T04:00:00.000-05:00

Well, that saves you a lot of time.

Welcome, Nora Hickey

2009-02-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the past, Grown Ass Person, Ben Connor Barrie is heading to Guatemala for a spell to do some kind of science project or something. In the meantime, the blog will be graced with the literary stylings of guest blogger, Nora Hickey.

So take heed, children, and reflect.

Destination: Detroit

2009-02-22T05:20:00.000-05:00

We all have heard that the economic stimulus package won't immediately work wonders. We all have heard that the economy of Michigan never really recovered during the last decade. We all have heard the Big Three aren't so big any more.

Dear Readers, we dare say it is past time that we took to the streets -- for a tour of the city. A visit can be of nice value for the wallet and Detroit's distress. A few suggestions for scheduling follow.

FRIDAY EVENING

Make a mess of a Coney Island dinner at Lafayette Coney Island.
Then indulge your inner artist at the recently renovated and freshly interactive Detroit Institute of Arts. Wonder around, make a workshop kite or send the (grown-up) kid to draw in the galleries until 10pm when the Museum's "Friday Night Live!" program ends.
Continue to contemplate those masterpieces as you slide into a booth or stool at the Prohibition-themed D'Mongo's Speakeasy that's only open on Fridays. Listen to locals talk old garage bands and the interim mayoral race over a Kid Rock or Ghettoblaster beer by Motor City Brewing Company.

SATURDAY AM

Start with the best of Detroit's bread at Avalon Bakery, a hip-leaning joint in the historic Cass Corridor where organic loaves bear names like Corktown Cinnamon Raisin, honoring the old Irish 'hood nearby.
Feed your book monster at the real John K. King Used and Rare Books on Lafayette.
Get into second-gear by visiting the Russell Industrial Center, where metal is innovatively sculpted and glass is blown ever so artfully.
Third gear and fuel: tour the country's largest historic public market district, Eastern Market. Note the grinning pig heads, sample the Michigan cider, smile when that old farmer yells at you to, and hit the general stores Rocky's or Hirt's for further friendly and diverse bustle. At the market pick up fresh fruit and Russell Street Deli soup and sandwiches.
Picnic and fly kites at Belle Isle's Cass Gilbert/James Scott Memorial Fountain. Also: look for new beavers in the Detroit River and wave your lower peninsula hand to Canada.
Near Belle Isle, on Jefferson: Peek in at the Arts and Crafts-era Pewabic Pottery founded by Horace Caulkins and partner Mary Chase Stratton Perry, who also haunts the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
Driving Northwest, check out the former house of the Ossian Sweet family, unsung African American heroes in a trial and tragedy pivotal to the start of the Civil Rights Movement.

SATURDAY PM

A nap and tea at your host's home or your lovely bedroom at The Inn on Ferry Street will refresh you to drive off to Dearborn, host to both the Ford Rouge Plant and a very large Arab and Arab American population (see Census for lack of data). What to do? Tour the Plant, of course, and wander the world's first museum dedicated to Arab American culture. That means: see the reinvented Ford Rouge Plant's "living roof" that spans 10.4 acres and then march from the roof or assembly line to the Museum's Utopian Visions exhibit. Utopian Visions features work by women of Arab descent, and runs through March 29.
Stay in the area and make a meal out of بابا غنوج or baba ghanoush with proper pita bread, which is much more pleasant to stomach than the reality of Kwame Kilpatrick's employment -- no matter how much money he could donate to the city.

SUNDAY

Communal organized religion may not be your thing, but a morning religious institution visit can be architecturally or historically intriguing at minimal or zero cost. Second Baptist Church served as an Underground Railroad stop. The smaller St. Ambrose of Grosse Pointe Park was recently the church of Gran Torino. Outside, note the absence of visible Hmongs and Hmong Americans. Hmongs and Hmong Americans are not a comparatively sizable population in Detroit or Grosse Pointe.
Drive the surface streets some more in the daylight for views of vast urban meadows and CSAs, Heidelberg circles and abandoned apartments, houses and schools. The post-industrial grit may just romance you like the many Jackson Five melodies that you will soon find yourself unable to stop singing and skipping along to after visiting the Motown Museum. This Museum is a homey little place -- indeed, a house -- where Motown Records was born and lived until moving to Los Angeles.
Speaking of which, it's Sunday afternoon already, and nearly time for your departure from Detroit. Make the last stop be Mexicantown in Southwest Detroit. Enjoy a lunch of tamales in this population growth enclave that boasts the lowest rate of housing foreclosure in the city. End on a positive note.

Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby.

N.B.:
1. The above itinerary is obviously a mainstream one that is constrained by time, place, personal preferences and is designed for someone unfamiliar with the area.
2. Better ideas can be found in the book, Global Journeys of Metro Detroit by Marcia Danner, Helen B Love and Patricia Banker Peart (ISBN 0-9673379-0-9).
3. The omission of a suggestion to tour CAFOs does admittedly neglect a "positive" part of Michigan's economy.

Detroit is for Lovers tee, pictured above, postcards, and assorted seat belt bags for your non-native or displaced Detroit lover available at Real Detroit.

Coq of the Woq

2009-02-21T16:31:00.000-05:00

It's arrived at last! Head over to sister site, The Funny Side Up, to check out Lisa L.'s delightful video gastronomie on rooster in wine. It's must eat TV!

Also, be sure to vote for next week's recipe. I'm pulling for Green Curry, but that should in no way affect your decision. (Vote for Green Curry.)

Beware Cybermoth

2009-02-21T04:00:00.000-05:00

Apparently if you implant a microchip in a pupal moth, when it emerges from its chrysalis, you can control its muscle movements with radio waves. Thanks DARPA!

May we recommend

2009-02-20T11:49:00.000-05:00

A particularly strong application for the Best Job in the World. Vote as if your vacation destination depended on it. Because it does. If this student of marine biology and experienced blogger receives enough votes he will be able to welcome you to his villa.

Mr. Connor Barrie Goes to Guatemala

2009-02-20T09:24:00.000-05:00

Do they have Shamrock Shakes at the Quetzaltenango McDonald's?

Starting tomorrow, I will be posting from the road

Bristol Palin: Sex Ed. Advocate

2009-02-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

"I hope people learn from my story and just, like, prevent teen pregnancy, I guess."

According to the salon.com's review of Bristol Palin's recent Fox News, the young mother makes some compelling pro-comprehensive sex education and pro-choice arguments. I don't mean that in a tongue-in-cheek, "look at the teen mother have an awkward interview way", but rather a "some kids are going to end up boning so abstinence only education doesn't really prepare them to make good decisions" type way.

Watch out World

2009-02-19T00:41:00.000-05:00

It's official: The Cold War is over.

And electronic warfare is now an army career path, a senior official announced at a Defense Department Bloggers Roundtable conference call last week. During the past two years Fort Sill (Oklahoma) conducted a skill-identifier course for interested servicemembers including those in the Navy and Airforce. Soon electronic warfare specialists will be distributed throughout the ranks. Most specialists will work in brigade combat teams, said Col. Laurie G. Moe Buckhout, chief of the electronic warfare division in Army Operations, Readiness and Mobilization.

“There's been a sea change, a huge paradigm shift in the understanding of electronic warfare,” she said. “For decades, it's been run from the air, and now that you have an asymmetric ground battle -- not the Cold War anymore -- people are beginning to understand that there are a plethora of targets in any square kilometer on the ground, … and we have to protect ourselves and be able to attack from a ground point of view.” [Yikes.]
The colonel cited the words of President Barack Obama in explaining the new direction. "We must adapt and make tradeoffs among systems originally designed for the Cold War and those required for current and future challenges,” she said, quoting Obama. “We need greater investment in advanced technology, … like unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare capabilities.”

The Army’s new electronic warfare career field puts those words to work, Buckhout said. “Like the new commander in chief said,” she told the bloggers, “this is a way to get out of old-style Cold War business and to get into something new. That is right in line with the Army way ahead, our mantra is change.”

Next up: securing Fort Lewis, please.

Beached

2009-02-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

Playing beach volleyball and learning Spanish across the San Diego-Tijuana fence sounds hot. It's probably not possible this Spring Break due to DHS fencing off this fence that, in other sections, is steel mesh and surplus landing mats from the Vietnam War. Sand tubing outlook isn't good either.

In Which Pepsi is Compared to Gravity

2009-02-17T04:00:00.000-05:00

I've gone on record as hating the new Pepsi ad campaign. I recently came across this forum post, where an individual with the nom de plume, pepsisucks, posted a copy of the "design guidelines and presentation of the design process" from the company that is redesigning Pepsi's .

The .pdf is pretty ridiculous, and culminates by comparing Pepsi to gravity:

Or as it's been redesigned (does this make it re-redesigned?):

It's the End of the World as We Know It

2009-02-16T10:34:00.001-05:00

As all of you know, the end of days is fast approaching with 2012 right over the horizon. However, a brave collective is taking measures to prevent the extinction of our species.

The Institute for Human Continuity website is an essential resource for understanding the ragnarok of 2012. Check it out for simulations about how the end might possibly arrive, and also enter the lottery to be among the chosen few to survive the coming holocaust. Space is limited, so act fast.

Surgery on your ears

2009-02-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

An old recreational read as a post-Valentine's Day pick-me-up.

The following telephone conversations among members of the Milosevic family were recorded in 1997 by Croatian intelligence agents and released in January 2002 to Globus, a weekly newspaper in Zagreb. Prior to his death on March 11, 2006, Slobodan Milosevic was on trial in The Hague for several counts of war crimes, including genocide; Mira Markovic, his wife, and Marko, his son, currently live in Moscow. All three were alleged to have embezzled billions of dollars. Translated from the Serbian by Tanja Bosak.

"All violence against nature is stupid," eh?

¡Viva El Valentino!

2009-02-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

Happy VD from GAP.

Via Paper Crave

Best Blocks Ever

2009-02-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

From TED:

MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?

Don't forget the inventor of patent #6469's birthday!

2009-02-12T23:39:00.000-05:00

Abraham Lincoln was born on the same day as Darwin. What a day!
And he's the only president to hold a patent. He invented a device to lift boats over shoals and sandbars. A monument and a patent: I'm jealous.

Ms. Sorvino's scene: modern day slavery

2009-02-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

Today actress and activist Mira Sorvino was named Goodwill Ambassador for the UNODC. In a 2005 Lifetime miniseries Ms. Sorvino played an ICE agent combating human trafficking. Her new role rocks more.

Also today the UNODC released its executive summary of The Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. This is the first report of its kind in breadth. Among the highlights:

Sexual exploitation is by far (79 percent) the most commonly identified form of the crime -- but this may be due to statistical bias. Other forms of trafficking may be more under-reported. Those forms include forced or bonded labor, domestic servitude and forced marriage, organ removal, and the exploitation of children in begging, the sex trade, and warfare.
Women are disproportionately involved both as victims and perpetrators. Crime, especially that which is organized and violent, is typically a male activity, according to the UNODC. Now in Europe, women comprise a larger share of those convicted for human trafficking offenses than for most other forms of crime. How the perpetrator gender trend may reflect women's positions in trafficking rings and in overarching societal structures such as justice systems was not alluded to in the summary.
Legislative frameworks for anti-trafficking are fast developing in countries with large and small purses. More and more countries have seriously implemented the Protocol. Yet an inadequacy of political will and legal instruments means that populations in 30 out of the 155 countries surveyed cannot work to hold their governments accountable to the Protocol's obligations. Worldwide, trials and convictions remain relatively rare.
An average of a jazillion persons are trafficked annually. In reality the report contains no total. (ILO estimates that at any time 2.4 million are being trafficked intra-regionally, within a country, or across an international border.)
The nature of trafficking in persons and certain governmental actions continue to impede efforts to combat it. "This Report increases our understanding of modern slave markets, yet it also exposes our ignorance," said UNODC Director Antonio Costa. "We have a big picture, but it is impressionistic and lacks depth. We fear the problem is getting worse, but we can not prove it for lack of data, and many governments are obstructing. ... If we do not overcome this knowledge crisis we will be fighting the problem blindfolded."

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin

2009-02-12T04:00:00.000-05:00

"Nothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution." - T. Dobzhansky

No doubt many of my biology students from the last two years would agree with the first half of Mr. Dobzhansky's statement. That can easily be blamed upon poor pedagogy. Tragically, 200 years after Carlos Darwin's birth, fewer than 4 in 10 American's believe in evolution. Views are similar across the pond in the U.K. where Chucky D. was born.

Before Charlie published "On the Origin of Species" biology was not a science. Instead a mixture of folklore and religion stood in it's place. It's unfathomable that in an age where there is so much documented evidence of evolution and where we benefit so much from our understanding of evolution, so many people do not believe in the most basic cornerstone of biology.

Maybe our education system is to blame for our collective evolutionary ignorance. But maybe this just reflects our the human ability to disregard facts that don't agree with our feelings. Regardless, you should check out UC Berkeley's Understanding Evolution if you find yourself feeling a little uneasy about evolution.

More to put on your plate

2009-02-12T02:50:00.000-05:00

Go on, dive in.
Apologies the complete recipe is not viewable. We think you get the idea.

Pictured: Woman's Day: 250 Easy Recipes. Waterloo, NSW: Magazine Promotions, 2005.
Photo via: The Last Appetite

Us, Aristotle, and the Octopus

2009-02-12T00:27:00.000-05:00

Ignore that conversation about 24 year-old women getting "preventative" botox treatments. Suspend your anxiety about intellectual inertia, and stop worrying about diversifying those three saved dollars while you madly google "social security" + "hope." Hold up re-doing the math of your five-year plan to fit more friends and family and fellowships in. Just for a moment. Instead contemplate Aristotle's observations of the octopus.

The History of Animals by Aristotle: The octopus is a stupid creature, for it will approach a man's hand if it be lowered in the water; but it is neat and thrifty in its habits: that is, it lays up stores in its nest, and, after eating up all that is eatable, it ejects the shells and sheaths of crabs and shell-fish, and the skeletons of little fishes. It seeks its prey by so changing its colour as to render it like the colour of the stones adjacent to it; it does so also when alarmed. ... The octopus as a rule does not live the year out. It has a natural tendency to run off into liquid; for, if beaten and squeezed, it keeps losing substance and at last disappears. The female after parturition is peculiarly subject to this colliquefaction; it becomes stupid; if tossed about by waves, it submits impassively; a man, if he dived, could catch it with the hand; it gets covered over with slime, and makes no effort to catch its wonted prey. The male becomes leathery and clammy. As a proof that they do not live into a second year there is the fact that, after the birth of the little octopuses in the late summer or beginning of autumn, it is seldom that a large-sized octopus is visible, whereas a little before this time of year the creature is at its largest. After the eggs are laid, they say that both the male and the female grow so old and feeble that they are preyed upon by little fish, and with ease dragged from their holes; and that this could not have been done previously; they say also that this is not the case with the small and young octopus, but that the young creature is much stronger than the grown-up one. ... So much for the mollusca.

Actually, the giant Pacific Octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini ) has a lifespan of three to five years. And octopi are more and more recognized as intelligent animals. That thriftiness and intelligence, that color-changing adaptability, that flexibility, that strong defense and keen eyesight which are unmentioned above: certain characteristics of the octopus might well be emulated. But comparing lifespan, at least, we've still got it good. If nothing else we have numbers on our side and the continuing advancement of science (besides botox) to anticipate. Squeeze on. With stereognosis.

Now, about that world food situation...