NYTimes: Meat without Slaughter

A most interesting article on synthetic meat and its moral implications, from one of my favorite New York Times blogs (Dot Earth):

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/meat-without-slaughter/

I can sort of understand why some people might be "squicked" (for lack of a better term) by the idea, but I'd be all for synthetic meat, if it were indeed identical to (or better than) naturally-begotten meat and the production process were better for the environment than the current one (which I imagine wouldn't be all that hard for synthetics to achieve). I'd be curious to know what a moral vegetarian (that is, someone who abstains from meat for ethical reasons) thinks of it.

NYTimes: New York Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage!

Happened just yesterday:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/nyregion/gay-marriage-approved-by-new-york-senate.html

Needless to say, it's a triumph for my home state. I'm still a little shocked that it happened in New York before it did in California (that Prop. 8 fiasco, and all). But mostly, I'm proud. I'm proud that after the long, hard-fought struggle, they -- we, the people -- made it happen.

A brief history of said struggle: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/nyregion/the-road-to-gay-marriage-in-new-york.html?ref=global-home

I have to hand it to the governor, to those Republicans who voted in favor of the bill despite their party line, to the Democrats (all but one), to the donors and organizers and everyone who worked so hard for the dreams and natural rights of a downtrodden minority. I wish I were here, then. But that's small potatoes.

How to Get the Most Out of Your iPhone as a Reporting Tool

I think it was someone at The Stanford Daily who sent me this article:

http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-iphone-as-a-reporting-tool_b3226#more-3226

Having used my iPhone in the field, I can attest to its journalistic value. I've recorded interviews, taken bunches of still photographs (alas, no video, seeing as I have an older model), and even used it in lieu of pen and paper (though I still prefer paper to the iPhone notepad). It's probably even more of a game-changer for those journalists who do more live (or somewhat-live) reporting; a lot of my articles are book reviews and such.

I'm not sure if this matters to anyone who isn't a journalist, but I thought there might be interest.

Owl Hunts Invisible Prey

Speaking of birds, here's a cute video my sister showed me a few days ago:



I want one! I think a large component of my early enthusiasm for Harry Potter formed around the arresting idea of keeping a pet owl to carry my mail. It's a literal amalgamation of two things I love: owls and handwritten letters.

I have no idea what it thinks is on/behind that door, but I'm sure it makes perfect sense in its own little head. Its expression is wonderful -- but then again, I suppose that's not really its doing. It reminds me of kittens with ping pong balls. (My father likes telling stories about how kittens are adorably stupid -- they can keep on chasing a ping pong ball for ages not realizing that they're never going to catch it.)

Washington Post: Ospreys Nest on a D.C. Crane, Halting Construction

An inspiring tale of government bureaucracy pulling together to save endangered animals:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ospreys-nest-on-a-dc-crane-halting-construction/2011/05/07/AFQeSMKG_gallery.html#photo=1

Sometimes it's the little things for which it's necessary to move mountains.

Overheard in the Office

"Come to the reception area with your magic sponges."

That is all.

If I Used Twitter

tonight's post would have been:

Wheat Thins + fish sauce + strawberry cookies + ice cream = 3am snack with sister.

 It's good to be home. :-)

Finals are over!

An eminently appropriate HistoricLOL:

All I have left is packing, storage, things of that nature. I'm flying home on Friday.

Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock

The classic game, new and updated for the 23rd century:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock

I am amused.

I found this not long ago on a Wikipedia crawl (you know, where you just keep clicking on interesting links until you look up half an hour later and find that you've ended up on a page completely unrelated to the one you started with). I think I was looking at cathedrals at one point.

Edit: I am told that I am completely behind the times, and that this game is old news in the nerd (and especially the Trek) community. I can't say I'm surprised.

The Onion: Franz Kafka International Airport

Today is the 87th anniversary of the death of Franz Kafka. Seeing as he would probably have approved of our celebrating his death more so than his birth -- he was like that -- here's a clever, funny Onion video that one of my English professors, Elizabeth Tallent (who is absolutely amazing -- if you're at Stanford, do yourself a favor and take a class with her before you graduate!), showed our short story class:



Enjoy -- I did!

The Stanford Daily: Essential Summer Reading

My last article of the year:

http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/06/02/essential-summer-reading/

These are pretty much all on my to read or reread list. I'm especially looking forward to "A Dance with Dragons" and "On China," the former because I've been waiting for it since high school (oh, GRRM, please don't do this to us again!), and the latter because I'm taking a class on modern China this quarter.

Anyhow, if you were looking for things to do this summer (maybe on your commute to and from work?), check out the above.