Twitter is on the Fritz

Hey, just a note to say that I removed my Twitter posts. Twitter could be such a cool way to post brief posts to a blog. Currently, however, it requires that the account is unlocked in order to link to the blog. I got sick of people subscribing to my twitter account. So, I blocked it. And, blocked, the blog requires a log-on to see my twitter updates----dumb.

I still like twitter for getting quick news summaries from the BBC, science news and soccer stuff. But, other than that - it's just another vehicle for marketers and porn purveyors.

GF

Lungs Suck AND Blow

It appears that the mystifying human body has mystified me once again. Just in the set of diseases that are not blatantly caused by the blatantly conspiring tobacco companies, or the ever-popular drug culture, there are more than 200 different identified diseases that result in some type of fibrosis reaction in the lungs.

Funny thing, (ha ha), is that fibrosis starts out as a normal method the body uses to repair itself. It's scar tissue. Sadly, the scarring goes into overdrive and can result in death. I'm going to try not to think too much about that result. The object of my desire is the few of these 200 diagnoses that can be treated quickly and simply, with non-lethal drugs, and result in a full recovery.

GF

Next Best Thing to Having an Expensive Hobby

Hand Launched Gliders (HLG) are so cool. Sometimes they have wings that are solid wood (balsa with a harder wood for a leading edge). Sometimes they are made with a bunch of "ribs" made of balsa glued to a leading and trailing edge and then covered with a tight tissue or mylar skin. There are HLG used for indoor events and outdoor events. The point of these events is to test your building skills and to see just how long these gliders will stay aloft. The first bit is about skill but the staying aloft has a lot to do with luck.

I found a bunch of places that sell kits. I also found places that sell tools, materials and plans. I had no idea there were so many cool little tools. One of the cool things I found is a razor plane called the David Combi Razor Plane. It's like the bigger hand planers for wood working but it's little and uses a razor to plane balsa or foam. I noticed that they are pretty popular for surfboard shapers as well. So cool.

I've built quite a few model airplanes. Most of them were plastic. however, I've done my share of balsa planes. Some were powered by rubber bands. The biggest were rope towed gliders that had wingspans over 6 feet. Both were cool for different reasons but they both lost my interest because one was too little thrill for the work and the other was too much work for the thrill. I think these HLGs might just be a good balance.

And, if I'm lucky, I can sever one of my fingers with an exacto knife like I almost did as a Cub Scout.

GF

Work Isn't So Bad

Just like the kissing scenes in The Princess Bride, I'm finding that if I can just get to the True Love part, I begin to see that work isn't so bad. I mean, I'd rather finish the story, knowing the good guys win and the Prince Humperdinks get their butts kicked with a lifetime of self-loathing. (I've been wanting to use "self-loathing" in a post.)

I just have to keep searching for Miracle Max. I'm sure he'll have the cloak and wheelbarrow I've been looking for. Besides, when work is really bad, I just have to keep in mind that I'm only mostly dead. Even a little head-jiggle should make me happy.

Test Questions

Why is the test for mononucleosis based on finding mono anti-bodies? Why isn't it based on something that will show up closer to the onset of illness?

The same question applies to Strep. Why can't we come up with test that's a bit more binary, earlier.

I guess what would really be cool is if we could predict ideal conditions for these ailments to happen and then prevent them.

Pay to Pray

Maybe if it were to cost money, we would do it more...

Pay to Play, Who Really Came up with Itunes?

I've, recently, been on a tune by tune music purchasing spree. I purchased two songs by Royksopp, a song by ms. john soda, a song by Klee, a song by Husky Rescue, a song by Lisa Loeb and a song by The Broken West.

It is always a pleasure to think about how much I relish not having to purchase entire albums and then hope my children won't turn into losers because of some offensive song in the collection.
I'm always open to the concept of using masking tape on album covers. Now, it's even possible to download a song to the Mac and edit it. But, all that work is so painful when you can just buy what you want and ignore the rest.

I want every reader to know that my wife came up with online dollar-a-song music purchasing fifteen years before it was a reality. We could have made millions if we had just done something about it. Note to self; listen to wife more often and then do something about it.

More about the individual tunes later.

Golden fleas