High-Tech Cat Rescues

Just something funny I found on HistoricLol:

I wonder what the dog thinks?

BBC: Vaccine Developed Against Ebola

This is news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16011748

I remember reading Richard Preston's The Hot Zone when I was in middle school, shortly after taking a summer course on epidemiology. It was probably one of the scarier experiences of my childhood. I've always had a rather active imagination, and I was busy identifying symptoms, thinking that I had come down with bubonic plague, or leprosy, or some such disease every other day. Ebola took it to a whole new level; I think I had about a week when I was convinced I was about to die. I wish this vaccine had existed back then -- if only for my own peace of mind.

Look What I Got for Christmas!

A ukulele!

It's a concert-sized Lanikai (LU-21C). I did my research (looking at online reviews, mostly), and it seems like this is a solid choice for a beginner (good quality for the price, decent sound, etc.).

There's a story behind it. Remember this post (about the Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer show that I attended last month)? If you don't want to read the whole article (it's short, though), the relevant bits are: she performed her song "Dear Old House," which became one of my favorite pieces on the spot (give it a listen below), and then her "Ukulele Anthem," one of the most memorable lines of which explains that it only takes an hour to learn to play the ukulele, which is comparable to the time required "to teach someone to build a standard pipe bomb." I was intrigued. I wanted a ukulele.

Then, my sister asked me what I wanted for Christmas. It appeared that my parents were a bit stumped as to what to get me. Ergo, I asked for a ukulele. They were a little confused as to what the instrument actually is (I don't imagine that "ukulele" is a word one would encounter in the standard Chinese-English dictionary), but I explained that it was a bit like a guitar, only smaller and Hawaiian. They were afraid it would be made of pineapples or coconuts or something [edit: there apparently actually exists a type of ukulele known as a pineapple ukulele], and I think they were secretly a bit relieved that it was a completely normal-looking, if slightly small, instrument. And so we went to the local Sam Ash when I got back to New York, and my father bought me one. I just learned to play "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. I'm working on "Dear Old House," too, but the chords are harder.

 And that is what I got for Christmas.

NYTimes: Medieval Chess Sets at the Cloister

These look really awesome:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/arts/design/the-game-of-kings-medieval-ivory-chessmen-from-the-isle-of-lewis-at-the-cloisters.html?_r=1&src=dayp

I'm in New York for another week or so. Anyone want to go see them with me?

Edit: I didn't actually end up going (I'm coming home for spring break, though!), but I was reading the exhibit blog, which is fascinating.
http://metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2011/the-game-of-kings-medieval-ivory-chessmen-from-the-isle-of-lewis/exhibition-blog

Angry Birds = High Fashion?

Something for all the techies:
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/belinda-white/TMG8943600/Wife-of-Rovio-chief-wears-Angry-Birds-dress-to-the-Finnish-Palace.html

I don't claim to be in any way fashion savvy, but even I'd hesitate to wear that particular dress for any occasion other than Hallowe'en (let alone to the Palace!).

If I Used Twitter

tonight's post would be:

froyo + pickled egg + pickled pig's feet (the latter 2 in ginger + vinegar + soy sauce) = 3am snack with sister, 6 hrs before ski trip

Advice from the Doctor

Enough said.

Baby Animals!

Because a lot of people are probably in need of a distraction from finals week: 
http://www.livescience.com/12902-world-cutest-baby-wild-animals.html

Aren't they wonderful?

World History in Facebook Updates

Something funny that Wendy found a few days ago, over which I spent the better part of an afternoon giggling:
http://www.collegehumor.com/facebook-history

Just some entertainment over finals week. It's rather Eurocentric (well, Western-centric), but on an English-language site, that's to be expected, unfortunately.

I'm sure that those of you who use Facebook will find this even funnier than I did.

Today

is the 141st anniversary of the death of Alexandre Dumas (the elder). Although he made his literary debut as a playwright, he is most famous as the author of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.

When I first read the Musketeers books and The Count of Monte Cristo, I wasn't quite old enough to pick up on all the greater themes that a literature class might have brought to the table. It was all swashbuckling adventure fiction in my eyes. I wanted to be d'Artagnan for a while (though I had enough sense not to want to be Edmond Dantès; I was never really a vengeful sort of child). I think I told my mum once that I wanted to take up fencing, but I remember she was properly horrified (thought it unbecoming of a little girl, probably), so I never brought it up again. Then I told my father I wanted a feathered hat, and he was amused, and told me he'd find me one for Hallowe'en (which was at the time several months away, so he forgot about it by October). This was my version of "playing dress-up" or "knights and ladies" or whatever small children played.

Anyhow, Alexandre Dumas, a significant influence on my childhood. I rediscovered this particular breed of fiction in my teens, in the form of Steven Brust's Khaavren Romances (also fun reads, and heavily stylistic). If you like one (and are open to some genre-crossing), you'll like the other.

Meowing Choirboys

Courtesy of Brett:


I love the dynamic between them. I wonder how old they are, to have such control (especially in the area of comic timing)?