Random links part 2

Part 1 was getting too long for a single post and I felt this one really deserved it's own special time.

She finds this guy kind of offensive. So do I. So much so that it makes me mad. I've been an engineer, now I'm a scientist. Both have a place, both can be good and both can be bad. But, the truely great stuff, the stuff that can change the world, is the stuff that has one foot in both. This particular article cites our impending energy crisis and seems to imply that science has no place in a solution. I can't beleive that someone has the gall to imply such a thing. (Then again, I left engineering for a reason, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.) Go ahead dude, build a windmill for renewable energy. I'm sure you'll do a really great job, but do you know where to put it? Do you have any understanding of how the wind blows, or any knowledge of recent observations of the natural world that could make that windmill even more efficient? I do. Scientists do. Are you going to ask? I sure hope so? Otherwise that windmill, while well-engineered, is a complete waste.

A real solution to the energy problem we face is going to come from engineering of new technology, that I will not deny. But that engineering means nothing without an understanding of the natural world (science anyone?) Technology that uses biofuel is useless without enough understanding of the natural world to know if biofuel is sustainable. AND, all of it's crap if we don't do some solid social science understanding of what people want and are willing to accept into their lives. We better watch out, or our sustainable energy technology will be more akin to an edsel than an acutal solution. Sure it worked, but no one bought it.

While he correctly points out some great engineering achievements, he seems to forget that engineers were also responsible for the betamax, the edsel, (30+ other disasters) and oh yea, those space shuttles (technical problems aside) that never would have gone anywhere in the first place if science hadn't first figured out gravity!

Collaboration is the way the future of science, technology and humanity. Crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries is really the way to go. I believe it, and most "academics" I encounter are starting to believe it. The attitude expounded in this article "can actually get in the way", in my humble opinion.

random links part 1

Here are a couple of things I came across in my web travels that struck me as interesting.

This guy keeps all his journals. I do the same thing. Well, not exactly the same, but I love love love blank journals (stationary of all kinds really) and my "research notebook" is never too far away. It's partly a carry over from engineering school, when it was required in senior design and partly because I just feel the need. I wish that I could be as diligent about it being the same size and shape everytime I fill it up like he was, but I'm not. Not even close, but each one is loved and worn in it's own special way, and some are even referred back to now and then. When the rest of the trail goes cold, I can usually flip through the page and find what I'm looking for. It takes me about 2 years to fill one up, so the pile is growing. Maybe in another 26 years I'll have a really good story to tell.

This guy finds social networking somewhat of a burden. Sometimes I do too. Hence the facebook re-org. What I didn't tell you in that post is that I put alot of "friends" in a separate category that basically represents the people that I'm obligated to maintain an electronic social connection, but in reality, they weren't really friendships to start with and the connections would not have been maintained at all if technology didn't burden me to do so. I've also started to use the filter feature in AlertThingy, so that I don't have to waste my brain cells reading status updates from this particular group of "friends". The truth is, the feeling is probably mutal. But no one will say it out loud. People come and go from our lives for a reason.

• MAJOR SIDE NOTE: If you are reading this blog, and know me in real life, and are on facebook you most definitely did not fall into this cateogry. You fall into the category of people that I would have exchanged letters and phone calls with before the days of social networking. I miss letters, I think it has something to do with my weird love of paper and all stationary products (see above). If you are reading this blog and don't know me in real life you aren't in my facebook entourage anyways so this doesn't apply to you, but I'm very happy to have you share in my corner of the world.

Roller Coaster Week # 3

Sorry, it's almost the end of week 4, I'm a bit behind. Week 3 was meh.

Nothing good, nothing bad. Class took a lot of my time, and I didn't really feel like I was on top it. I did manage to find some time to work on a paper and get back to science which was good. I had one phone conversation with that annoying colleague, which, while the subtext is always sexist and insulting, he can also be kind of funny. I'm mostly just learning to laugh at him. Maybe if I can take the high road I'll eventually convince him girls aren't all that bad. Beyond that, I don't really remember much. Just a normal busy week. I'm going to tally it at 4 oks and 1 good.

Fixing my facebook problem

With all the buzz in the news this week about FB* and their rights to what we post and all of that stuff**, I got to thinking about my online life. I go through this every few months or so, and last time I talked about it here on the blog so I thought I'd give a little update.

My main problem with facebook, twitter, and even this blog to some extent is the line between my personal and my professional life. The two do mix somewhat, sometimes, but I try very hard to keep them separate. I was good on twitter (using my dr. rini persona), and mostly good on this blog (the real life people who know me and my actual situation can be trusted to be discrete). Aside from that, I figure if someone does go through the trouble to put the pieces together, I haven't done anything actually wrong. I talk in vague terms about people and events and my own opinions, none of which can get me in too much trouble. Facebook on the other hand has always been a little bit of a gray area. Colleagues are on there, it's rude not to friend them, and it may actually have some uses in my professional life.

Today, my attention was brought to this article and I actually gained a little more confidence in the system. I've spent a little time on my profile tonight and by grouping my friends, family and colleagues and carefully choosing who can see what, I feel a little more comfortable with professional Rini and personal Rini exisiting in the same place and a little less like I'm being watched. Go read it, I thought that I was being pretty good about my settings, but even I didn't know about all of these tricks.

* I'm too lazy to find the links, google facebook TOS and you should be good.

**I'm not going to get into the debate on the good, the bad, and the legal of all of this. I have my own opinions and skeptism but I have come to terms with the fact that online social networking is a necessary evil in our lives. It's going to take the laws and licensing rules awhile to catch up with us. That's the beauty of a democracy, after many years we'll end up with a system that the majority of people feel comforatble with. The wheels of democracy move slower than those of innovators, always have, always will.

knitting

I've got some finished stuff to show off. It took me a while to get some pictures so some are little old, but better late than never. Last week the knitting gals got together and did a little photoshoot. Thanks very much to ashpags for taking all the pictures for us. These are just a few shots, it was so hard to pick from all of the beautiful ones she took.


This sweater got done the night before we took of for home in December. Good thing too because I wore it almost everyday since it was so cold and snowy up there. You can see it already has the fuzz of a well loved comfy sweater.

Pattern: Petra from Cocoknits
Yarn: Classic Elite Two.Two. from Webs. The very first time I ever went there. It's discontinued, and this is it's second life as a sweater. One horribly bad crocheted nightmare was frogged before the move and this is a much better use of this very bulky yarn.



This is the hat I knit a few weekends ago. I am so in love with it, I can't explain it. The yarn is divine. Also from Webs, maybe summer sale of 2007? I'm doing a little stash-busting in light of the failing economy and that (still unsold) second house.

Patttern: Lace Grace Beret from Loop.
Yarn: Grace from Louisa Harding in dark teal. 1 ball and little bit of a second one.

I used different needle sizes because I couldn't locate a size 9 16" circular anywhere, so I used size 8 for the body, I stuck with size 6 or the ribbing. It seemed to work out fine. The pattern is easy to follow and quick to knit. The yarn is lucious and a joy to work with. I'm making some fingerless mitts to complement the hat. This was the first time I've ever done a tubular cast on and it was a neat trick with a pleasing result.

Since I don't think I have any knitting lovelies to show off anytime soon, and I want to make the pretty photographs last as long as possible, I just give you a tease of the other project. Remember that last pair of socks I promised. Well I'm still writing up the pattern, but this should give you something to think about:

I spoke too soon...

Just when I was seduced back into my optimism, the new culture strikes back, and I have the crooked hair to prove it.

One of the hard things about moving to a place is finding the new stuff. New doctors (ugh, we aren't even going to talk about that), new shopping places, new bank, new everything, including the dreaded hair dresser. I've had an ongoing battle with my hair and some struggles with maintaining a consistent hairdresser even back home, and some really bad haircuts as a result, so I had been a little gun shy about this particular process, but hair grows and needs to be cut.

The first try was really bad. When you have an entire conversation with the guy about how you have really straight thin hair and need products to add more volume and then he takes out a flattening iron...bad only begins to describe it. I finally got around to making another appointment before the holidays, and despite some confusion and cancellations, a really nice women cut my hair really well. She took time and care and it was very nice and I was very happy with it. So much so, I made a second appointment in 8 weeks time before I left (something I never do.) The management of this particular salon was a mess, but I figured the good haircut was worth the hassle. That was 8 weeks ago. Yesterday I realized that I knew my appointment was today, but I didn't know what time, it took 2 phone calls to the salon to figure it out, but again, I knew my haircut would be ok so I went with it. Today, after a lovely morning of exploring the city a little, Hub dropped me off at 1pm (the appointed time) and was going to pick me up an hour later, so we could continue our day together with a little antiquing.

My hairdresser was running a bit behind because someone had "called in". At 1:30 I sent a text to hub to say take his time, I hadn't gone in yet. At 1:40 she started to wash my hair, and put in some kind of free conditioning treatment, then left me under the heat lamp for it to cure (?). At 2 she told me to get out from under the lamp and sit by the sink, she'd be "right with me". ~10 minutes (I gave up on paying attention at this point) later she came and rinsed me and brought be out front. Where I sat for another 15 or 20 minutes while she finished up flat-ironing another patron who had shown up sometime during this process. She started combing my hair when hubby showed up at 2:30 and assured him it would be quick, just a trim and reshape, "15 minutes or so". At 3:02 I finally got into the car. Agitated as could be.

I'm not a girly girl, and while I enjoy a good pampering now and then, 2 hours for a trim is WAY beyond my comfort zone. I read an entire In-Style magazine, cover to cover, admittedly not alot of actual reading in such a publication, but still. We have just reached the point were we can start to expect and plan for the phenomenon that we are calling "southern time", everything moves much slower here than it does back home, but this was well outside of the parameters.

And, the haircut, the one that I was willing to put up with a little BS for becuase I was going to be happy with? Terrible. So bad, that I for the first time in my life, went back to have it fixed. Somewhere in between her ordering lunch, discussing color options with the next client and searching for her round brush, the entire left side of my head was left uncut. Leaving it a full inch longer than the right side. And the bangs that had reached that really annoying place where they hit you right in your eye: yup, still right in the eye. After about 20 minutes, hub convinced me to go back, which I hate doing, and get it fixed. Which she kindly did and we left at 4:00. The three hour ordeal was awful and we never did get to go antiquing.


And, there is still a chunk of hair uncut, which Hub will take the sisscors too for me in the morning.

That'll teach me to get too optimisitic.

Roller Coaster Week 2

So many things to blog, so little time. Just a quick roller coaster update before we go enjoy the beautiful weather outside, and hopefully I'll get to the knitting and those beautiful pictures ashpags took last week.

Here we go...hold on to your pants....this week was...good...shocker I know!

One mildly frustrating incident with some inter-departmental competitive politics that seem to be a) more prevalent in my particular University and department and b) heightened because of the impending budget cuts. It did result in one rude/insulting email. Keeping my average at 1 per week. But since this time it was over a fairly isolated and less important topic, it was easier to let it go. Plus it was on the same day as knit night, which always cheers me up. I'm starting to come to realize that these rude emails may be due to some generational gaps and potentially sexist personalities and may not be simply because the senders are jerks. Although, arguably, someone who can't get over the generational gaps and women working in academia may inherently be a jerk.

Teaching also went well this week, my students are starting to open up and discuss issues in class, which is the benefit of small classes. To top that off I gave a research seminar in another department and people were interested in what I do. For the first time, I found other faculty and students interested in what I do. I'm kind of hoping that I can get some type of appointment in this other department since it's where I actually belong. And, in said other department the women faculty are trying to get together for group bag lunch once a week and they invited me and I went and it was so nice to not eat at my desk! Overall it was a big week at the U.

In addition we had dinner last night. I'm sure most of you had dinner last night, but this was especially important because we had dinner with other people!! One of the things we have been struggling with here is the lack of socialization. We had a big social network back home, and there was rarely a weekend/week that went by when we didn't share at least one meal with other people. Now that they are gone, I realize how precious those moments, the simple act of eating and talking, really were. Aside, from all of the crap in academia, this has been the hardest part of the move. The isolation that comes from having no friends is killing people like us who value friendship so dearly. (I don't want my family to be offended, I miss them more, but family is always family, you can't grow more) So last night, going out to dinner with new people, fun people, young faculty-types, both hub and I together, was very nice. Will they become the support network we left behind, I don't know, maybe, maybe not. But just talking and laughing felt so good.

So, total roller coaster count: good(6), ok(3), bad(1)

Yea, the good is winning, for now I feel a little more is right in the world.

Some baby knitting

I know that I have this general rule about baby knitting. I only do it for a) relatives or b) children of people who were in our wedding. I know that seems like a very arbitrary cut off, but when kids were popping out left and right a few years back (and then again earlier this year), we had to set some kind of limit, my little fingers just couldn't move fast enough. With all that in mind, what I did earlier this week doesn't really make much sense. We'll just chalk it up to one of those things that my brain latched onto and just had to do.

Some good friends, (who we didn't meet until after we were married), are having a baby. The shower is this weekend and I, of course, couldn't get home for it. This is really the first such event I had to miss since we moved away and I'm a little sad about it. I think that I was even a little sadder since I didn't get to see the momma when I was home for Xmas because she was in the hospital with pneumonia (yikes!) For some unknown reason I just had to knit. Nothing major, just a few little things to keep the little guy warm. I started a sweater, but the pattern was really wacked and the arms were coming out super long so I switched to the classic bootie and hat combo in the last hours. I sent them off a bit later than I would have liked given that I was completely unaware of how soon February actually was and I thought I had another week. Oops! So I hope they got there in time for the party, if not, such is life. I'll never be the kind of person who has her act completely together and I'm ok with that.

Cute, quick and fun.