Shooting the Moon

Tonight, I decided I wanted to shoot the moon. In Alaska, the best full moons are in winter, when we have an actual night, but they still pose a challenge. If the winter night is warm enough to stand outside, then the sky is too cloudy. If the sky is bright, beautiful, and clear, it is also deathly cold. On top of that, you need to figure out the right ISO, shutter speed, and f-stop. Most people over-expose their shots on their first attempt.

After my lab, I noticed a beautiful full moon rising above campus. So I decided to try to figure out how to photograph the moon with my camera. I armed myself with 400 black and white film, a shutter release cable, two telephoto lenses, a borrowed tripod, pens, a notebook, and coffee. I dragged Wil and we drove 20 minutes out of the city, pulling out at a rest stop by the ocean. As Wil set up his tripod, I systematically planned out the f-stop and shutter speed for each individual frame, recording each in my notebook. Scientists are obsessive note-takers, and I wanted to know which settings worked and which sucked. With a digital camera, it would be a few minutes of trial and error, but right now I am working with film, and I'm determined to find the right settings for moon photography. Wil was as patient as ever, and made a great assistant, especially in providing lighting and a stopwatch for my prolonged shutter shots.

The first two rolls were taken with my 200mm lens, nicknamed J-tel. I used the first roll playing with prolonged exposure, setting up 15, 10, and 5 second increments for each f-stop, and a few experimental shots. Roll Two focused on each f-stop at shutter speeds 1-250. I switched out the lenses to my 210mm, named P-tel, and focused on f11 and f16 at every shutter speed, 1-1000, as well as 15, 10, 5, and 3 second increments. According to my research, f11 and f16 are preferred for moon photography, so I hope these ones turn out well. I don't expect my 15 second shots to be more than white blobs, but I want to see it myself. I labeled each roll (scientists ALWAYS label), and hopefully I will have them developed in the darkroom by the end of the month.

I spent nearly 3 hours working with the camera. By the end of it, I couldn't feel my face, legs, or fingers, despite my attempts to bundle up. But I got so into the technical aspects, that I barely noticed. I love photography almost as much as I love my lab work, and everything about it, from the technical details to composition to film development, really appeals to me.

Flammable Spaghetti

I have a confession to make:
I am a terrible cook.

Not simply a bad cook, but a dangerously terrible cook. Which is kind of embarrassing, considering I am a lab geek and my entire job description is to follow instructions, most of which are laid out similar to a recipe. Being a scientist who can't cook is akin to being an architect who is afraid of heights.

My first job was as a certified nursing assistant at a retirement community. Cooking wasn't in the job description, nor were there any questions relating to food prep or handling during the job interview. But in an effort to save money, my section of the retirement home decided that they would leave all food prep to a staff of high school girls, none of whom had any food prep certification. They also decided that they wouldn't hire any nurses aside from the day manager, opting to let the CNA staff administer medications, including giving insulin shots. (In case you didn't know, this is highly, highly illegal. Which is why I didn't work there for very long.)
So, assuming I could cook, or at least follow basic instructions, they put me to work.
Making spaghetti.

Spaghetti really isn't all that difficult or dangerous to make. Except when the instructions ask you to preheat the sauce by putting two cups of canola oil in a nonstick pan, an instruction which I didn't quite understand. If the pan is non-stick, why in Vader's name would you need canola oil, much less two whole cups of it? Also, why did it ask for a frying pan, when a sauce pan would be more appropriate?

But, fully aware of my lack of cooking knowledge, I decided that the recipe knew more than me and was worth trusting.

It's probably also worth mentioning at this point that I grew up in a home with electric stoves. The retirement home used gas. Which involves open flame. Canola oil, being loaded with hydrocarbons, is of course flammable. Now, not nearly as flammable as gasoline, which is why it's safe to cook with. Assuming that said canola oil doesn't get pushed out of the pan and onto the open flame.

Which is exactly what happened when I dumped the spaghetti sauce into the frying pan.

Right as my boss walked into the kitchen.

The entire thing exploded. The flames hit the stove hood, a good four feet above out industrial-sized stove. It all happened in a weird, slow motion detail. While my boss was standing behind me screaming, all I could hear was my high school chemistry teacher's voice telling me to remove it from the heat source. I snapped into action, moving the pan to a different burner, which was off, and cutting the power to the original burner. The flames stopped immediately, and fortunately no damage was done, other than an irate 60 year old boss who asked my why the fuck my mother never bother to teach me to cook.  Still in shock, I snapped back, "Because my mother was busy working her ass off to provide me with a good home and education," and stormed out of the kitchen. (This was also the woman who told me a week before, while on the job, that I would burn in hell if I lived with a guy before I was married. Our company didn't exactly have a human resourced department.)

I didn't get fired, because the head chef looked at the recipe and agreed that it was poorly written, raising the same questions about the excessive use of canola oil. Another girl, who was working in the kitchen at the same time, pointed out that I put the fire out before it caused damage, and verbally pointed out how the fire alarms failed to go off.

So I put my two weeks notice in the next day, started my first semester of college a few weeks later, and to this day, I always read the lab instructions the day before the lab, and always ask questions.

Binary Nails

I am not sure how, but someday, I am going to do this.

Even if I have to print it out on adhesive paper, cut it to the right size, and glue it to my own damn nails.

It's going to happen.

Don't Let the Internet Gnomes Win

I am an Alaskan.

Which means I get paid to live here.

Every year, all Alaskans get a PFD, a nice little check derived from the earnings of the oil companies. The amlount varies each month; within the past ten years, it's been as high as $2065, and as low as $845.As a broke college student living in a city with a high cost of living, it usually doesn't last very long, but every little bit helps.

People are encouraged now to fill out the PFD application online every year, as well as encouraging Alaskan's to donate a part of their PFD to the organization of their choice through the "Pick. Click. Give." campaign. Of course paper forms are available too. Which I am sitting here filling out, at my mother's insistence. A few years ago, they tried the online application, and apparently there was a glitch caused by Internet gnomes and my step-dad's authenticity was questioned.

Because they are already weary of technology, this experience made them think that internet applying is an evil and terrifying thing. And that the Internet is out to get my step-dad. While I can understand wanting to avoid a bad experience, I believe that one shouldn't allow a bad experience and fear of beaurocracy hinder one from embracing beautiful technological progression. Glitches happen. Its not reason to avoid technology; in fact, it's a reason to embrace it. If the programmers/designers of a product become aware of a glitch, then its in their best interest to fix it as soon as possible, or else the masses will move on. 

Don't let the Internet gnomes win.

With the paper forms, errors can happen, and be much harder to rectify. A form can be lost in the mail, and you would never know it until October. With the electronic application, you get an instant confirmation email. You can't pick a charity to donate to on the paper application. The electronic application saves trees. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

I opened my mouth to point out these things, and was quickly silenced as Mom pointed out that her dad is dying. I'm not exactly sure how a dying parental units relates to Internet application forms, but she seems (understandably) stressed, so I let it go.

Next year... I'll convince them next year.

Keyboard Commands

Because I am an awesome daughter on a constant crusade to bring her family into the 21st century, I am always looking for ways to help expose them technology without blinding them with shininess of all the technological prettiness.

Tonight, as I was watching my step dad work with photos, I realized that my parents were unaware of keybpard commands. He had even printed out a whole list of keyboard shortcuts, but the list was 12 pages long. By the time he looked through the list to find the shortcut command, he could have done it with a mouse five times over. So I decided to help them out, and made a short list of common keyboard commands and attached it to their monitor.

I should an award for this. I even drew a picture of the F3 key. Maybe the Awesomest Pink-Haired Nerdy Daughter of the Year award/Nobel Peace Prize in Technology? It totally exists. In my head.

I was in a bit of a rush making this, so it's not too pretty. Hopefully it won't stay too long; it's only 6 little commands. Honestly, how long can it take to learn? My dead beat druggie cat could learn it, if she wasn't so busy getting high on cat nip and sleeping on her favorite rug. (She's like The Dude, but furrier and less inclined to go bowling. I wonder if she would like White Russians.)

 My step dad seemed quite happy with the new tricks, and I know they will come in handy while he's working with photos.

Embrace the Future

I love webcomic Questionable Content. I like the way Japh builds story arcs, I enjoy watching his art evolve over time, and I absolutely love the way he writes women. (I often relate to Dora's sarcasm, Faye's temper, Hannelore's anxiety, and Marigold's awkwardness).

On his last post, he announced the arrival of a new t-shirt he designed, and I had to share it, especially after spending most of my life with the technologtically inept.

Just a friendly reminder to show your local robots some love. 

They are shiny, awesome, and the cousins of our dildos.

 And everybody loves dildos.

Nerdy Comfort

I will admit, the past few weeks have been tough for me. My grandpa (the only person in my family who love technology as much as I do) is dying. My mom is a wreck over the realization of her father dying. I came down with a nasty tummy virus which landed me in the ER.  Both my mom and grandma are sick, causing me to worry about them. My father decided not to visit me on Christmas. The stress of my current financial condition is ever-present, and I am unsure how I am going to pay for my final year of college. The best relationship I've ever been in has ended, mostly due to my own damn personal code of ethics, and I miss him like crazy.  Every friend I turn to for comfort just becomes another person to worry about, another issue to deal with, another problem to solve, causing me to shut myself off during a time when I need them most. With no shoulders to cry on, I find myself crying in bed nearly every night.  I hate crying; it's annoying and accomplishes nothing. 

In an attempt to comfort myself, I bought a black poster board and some gel pens, and spent over 4 hours making a poster of the coagulation cascade. Because it's fucking awesome, when you stop to think about it. All these enzymes reacting with each other, thousands of times within seconds, just to make a simple clot. Blood is so amazing.

This is probably one of the nerdiest things I've ever done for fun. And it looks pretty damn awesome. The way the enzymes flow reminds me of a circut board. Which, in a sense, it kind of is. 

Thrombin even has a tendancy to create an endless loop. Actually, multiple endless loops.

I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of the past few weeks. I found out I got a 4.0 last semester. I am in a degree program I absolutely love. My grandpa gave me two of his cameras, which I can use for my upcoming photography class. Classes are starting in a few days.

...I'm noticing that all my positive aspects are school-related. I've always loved school, and this coming semester contains three of my favorite subjects. It will be a nice distraction from everything else in life.

Faces

Photographer James Mollison traveled to Africa to photograph 50 different ape faces.

This photo never fails to amaze me. All the subtle differences in facial features really drives home the face that these creatures are our closest biological cousins, yet within that <3% genetic difference, there are so many variences. Differences in eye coloration and shape, skin tone, nose structure. Every ape is as unique as every human.

Stuff like this makes me fall in love with science all over again.

You can check ou

Cameragasm

My grandfather, aware of growing interest in photography, recently gave me his old cameras. He was quite the shutterbug when he was younger, even converting the downstairs bathroom into a darkroom so he could develop his photos.

The first was a Minolta X-700. This thing came with a sexy telephoto lens that would make any man feel self-conscious. This thing is probably worth more than a semester's tuition. I incredibly happy to see this camera and I hope to use it for my beginning photography class this semester. My other film camera (given to me by my paternal grandfather) is also a Minolta, along with three lenses. I am hoping that the two cameras use the same lens mounts, so I can interchange the lenses. 

The real treasure is the 1961 Rolleiflex 3.5F. I was completely in awe as I lifted it out of the case and inspected it. I barely managed to resist the urge to hold it up and say "my precious."
 It is in perfect condition. There isn't a single scratch on it, and it's fully functional. It even comes with an attachable flash. From what I could tell from my research, it will take 120 format film. I intend to pick some up as soon as possible. (And of course all this arrives on the ONE TIME I forget to bring my camera, so all I have is the crappy webcam to take photos. A part of me likes the irony, but higher quality photos will be arriving soon.) 

This thing is my new baby, I am completely in love with it. 

Why have babies when you can have twin lens reflex cameras?

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Bacteria

Being the huge microbiology nerd that I am, I had to share this when I saw it.

20 things you didn’t know about Bacteria
(from Discover Magazine and Steve Aoki)

1. At about 5 million trillion trillion strong, bacteria and their cousins, the archaea, vastly outnumber all other life-form on earth.
2. Lined up end to end, they would stretch some 10 billion light-years-literally from here to the edge of the visible universe.
3. And there are always more on the way. Pseudomonas natriegens, an ocean-dwelling bacterium, can go from birth to reproduction in 10 minutes flat. In five hours a single cell could theorically give rise to more than 1 billion offspring.

4. bacteria have been around for at least 3.5 billion years, making them the oldest known life-form on the planet.
5. Humans didn’t catch a glimpse of them, though, until 1674, when Dutch scientist Antoine van Leeuwenhoek spotted tiny swimming “animacules” while fidding with the newly invented microscope.
6. A compelling argument for brushing: He discovered them while examining pond water and scrapings from the human mouth.
7. Most bacteria have yet to be identified. In 2003 geneticist J. Craig Venter began trolling the high seas and analyzing the water. On his first trip he fished out more than a million never-before-seen bacterial genes.

8. The first artificial life-form will be not a robot but a bacterium. Not content with finding natural bacteria, Venter is leading an effort to build a bacterium from scratch.
9. No escaping them: Your body has 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells.
10. Can’t catch them, either. Whipping their tails, E. Coli can travel 25 times their own length in 1 second, equivalent to a horse running 135 miles per hour.
11. Bacteria have even set up permanent camp inside our cells. Mitochondria, the power-houses that supply energy to nearly every cell in the body, are the descendants of bacteria that were engulfed by larger microorganisms billions of years ago.
12. when you pop a pill to kill off a bad bug, you kill off some of the good guys, too. A bacterium called Clostridium difficile can move into the prime intestinal real estate cleared out by antibiotics, causing painful inflammation and diarrhea.

13. Bateria are adept at developing resistance to antibiotics. Among the deadliest of resistant bacteria is MRSA, which killed 19,000 Americans in 2005 alone.
14. MRSA’s deadliness comes in part from a class of chemicals known as carotenoids, which MRSA uses to fight off our immune systems. Ironically, carotenoids are found in many healthy fruits and vegetables and may reduce cancer risk.
15. But most bacteria are harmless, and some are even helpful in aiding our digestion. Mice with bacteria-free intestines need to eat 41 percent more calories than their germy counterparts.
16. Floating bacteria are extremely effective at spurring condensation, leading to snow and rain. Some scientists propose spraying bacteria into the clouds to end droughts.

17. Certain bacteria thrieve in extreme conditions. In 2006 a probe at a South African gold mine turned up bacteria living nearly two miles underground, subsisting on the energy given off by radioactive rocks.
18. Another species, Deinococcus radiodurans, can survive almost 10,000 times the dose of radiations lethal to humans, making it a prime candidate for the cleanup of nuclear waste.
19. The Midas touch: Australian scientists found that a bacterium called Ralstonia metallidurans can turn dissolved gold into solid nuggets.
20. But can they run windows? By programming instructions into their genes, scientists have engenieered E.Coli that act like computers, assembling into glowing bull’s-eye shapes on command.

Soon this will be powered by strains of E.coli harvested from Steve Job's intestine.