Time marches on. No matter what we do, the past recedes and we move forward. We cannot do-over the past, because it is past.
We can start over. Tomorrow, about 12 hours from now, 2011 begins. A fresh year and a blank calendar.
Oh, sure, appointments clutter 2011 already, but the concept remains the same: a fresh beginning.
So have a happy new year. May you not need a do-over!
My iPad accompanies most places these days, if for no other reason than to provide reading material during downtime. I am especially impressed with the graphics and ease of use of magazines on this device.
Naturally, this article left me dismayed:
Courtesy of PhotoXpress
I am a bit frustrated with the periodicals in Zinio, mostly because I haven't found anyway to bookmark the magazines in that app. I rarely read an entire magazine in one sitting, so this is a bit annoying, but hardly a deal-breaker. I love being able to archive back issues without the need to store large piles of dead trees, especially with something like Harvard Business Review.
I just assumed I was not the only one.
Sure, some of the other magazine-apps provide interactive tools and links to more information; it would be great if every periodical made this jump.
And if I'm looking for something to read in the whirlpool, well, I think I will stick with dead trees for their lower disaster potential if dropped.
So, loyal readers, what do you think? Do you like reading magazines online, or are you siding with the majority here?
By the way, if anyone knows how to "hold your place" in Zinio, please let me know in the comments.
Today got a bit hectic, and I decided not to blog. Why put pressure on myself to be witty, humorous, or informative, when I feel none of the above?
Then I clicked on a CNN story, 10 New Year's Resolutions NOT to Make. Most of the advice was sensible, along the lines of failure avoidance. Then I hit this one:
4. Have a baby
Having a baby isn't something that everyone can easily do biologically, and putting pressure on yourself to achieve this goal may only make it that much more difficult. Make a resolution to plan for a baby, including taking steps that can help you get there (saving money, practicing natural family planning, getting acupuncture, etc.), but avoid being too goal-oriented so you don't feel like a failure if you aren't successful.
I agree that resolving to have a baby may lead to disappointment. I agree that saving money for a baby can be helpful; those little bundles of joy require big bundles of cash, especially if assisted reproduction becomes involved.
Could this replace IVF? Image via PhotoXpress.
Where did acupuncture come from? Yes, Google will lead to sites that promote it to treat infertility, alone or in conjunction with assisted reproduction techniques. Some studies have suggested there might be a positive effect of this ancient treatment with embryo transfer, although these studies were not controlled with sham acupuncture needles. When a matched, sham acupuncture group was included, no significant difference in pregnancy rate could be demonstrated. A nice summary of the studies can be found here.
If a woman can afford acupuncture along with in vitro fertilization or other needed treatments, fine, I have no objection. But the science does not support the use of this alternative therapy.
Please, CNN, don't encourage people to pursue acupuncture for infertility!
Artist's Rendition of Pascale Blogging Books (from PhotoXpress image)
Scicurious blogged her readings for the year today. What a wonderful idea! I have not tracked all of this year's readings, but tracking down the ones I managed to blog proved easy enough.
January 2010: Don't Be Such a Scientist: Good advice for those of us wanting to broaden the audience for science. Randy Olson, a film maker, muses on the importance of story.
February 2010: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Like everyone else in the universe, I loved this book. If I gave out an award this book would get it, although it would just be one more trophy to dust.
May 2010: Denialism: I read the book jacket at Experimental Biology and downloaded this volume on examples of belief trumping rational thought. More examples but solutions to the problem are still needed.
August 2010: The Gaslight Series: Murder mysteries solved by an improbable pairing in turn-of-the-century New York. I have now read all twelve books.
October 2010: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Another series of books I could not put down to blog!
October 2010: MASSIVE: A book I was sent for review. Something I never would have selected on my own (subatomic particle physics), but I ended up enjoying the story.
I did not manage to blog every book I read. Some of them I am reserving for posts dealing with meetings in the near future.
My husband, per tradition, gave me 25 or 30 books for Christmas. I will try to blog as many as I can through the year.
Now quit reading blogs and pick up a book!
From Santa Paws, a local fundraiser my sprog organized. She is the blonde, my spouse wears yellow, Dottie is the cat, and I think you already recognize the couple in red. Tomorrow I am back to work, although the week should be less stressful than usual.
Even my iFish has the holiday spirit!
The next couple of days will be CRAZY!!!!!!
First, I see patients for the next 3 hours.
Then I'm off to Whole Foods for the Christmas Day meal fixings. Bulk Italian sausage, fresh onion and pepper, roasted plum tomatoes... In a quest to find something "festive" that little kids would eat, I settled on pasta with red sauce and a large green salad. Throw in some wine, and some cookies for dessert, and you have a meal that pleases everyone. The sauce comes out different every year, depending on what looks good in the produce section.
After that, my daughter and I pop Dogma in the DVD player. It's not a traditional Christmas movie, but somewhere along the way it became our cookie baking accompaniment.
Tomorrow I have to do laundry. That or celebrate the holidays commando. No, I will do a couple of loads. Then in the evening we will go to my parents' home for food and festivities, including a mandatory screening of A Christmas Story. My son got me a leg lamp a couple of years ago, and we display it proudly in the front window every December.
After church with excellent music, we shoo the little ones (now 23 and 18) off to bed so Santa can deliver their loot. We then retire ourselves. My parents spend the night, even though their own home lies only 3 miles away, so they can be there when the grandchildren crawl out of bed.
Christmas morning we all enjoy the blessings provided by decent jobs and our over-commercialized society, plus some cinnamon rolls and mimosas. Once the giftwrap gets cleared out of the way, I begin my special sauce.
As you can see, there won't be a lot of room for the blog in that schedule.Thus, this is my holiday send-off.
Have a great time, however you celebrate your days off of work, and try not to kill any family members, no matter how annoying they get.
Developed with Image Courtesy of PhotoXpress (click for source)
Every few years the folks at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ask investigators and other interested parties to help define research priorities. These conversations help drive the agenda for extramural funding.
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is hosting an online dialogue instead of a face-to-face meeting. This virtual event, the Kidney Research National Dialogue (KRND), begins the institute's preparation of a Blueprint for Kidney Research.
The first phase of KRND runs through March 2011. Participants submit research questions for discussion and voting. Who can participate?
The Division of Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases (KUH) of the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is coordinating this effort in collaboration professional societies, including the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN), National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Renal Physicians Association (RPA), and the Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Foundation. All interested researchers, clinicians and patients are welcome to join the dialogue
Interested parties can request an invitation at KRND@nih.gov or register via the KRND site.
NIDDK wants to identify compelling research questions. How compelling? If answered, the investigator could receive an all-expenses paid trip to Stockholm to pick up a little prize. Yes, that level of compelling. Questions are assigned to broad categories, and the authors tag them with other key words. Participants can comment on any question, making this process into a blog-like asynchronous dialogue (although no PhysioProfisms so far).
The level of conversation becomes important as people vote for their favorites. Each participant receives 20 chips (as in poker, not Doritos) that can be distributed among the questions posed. Chips can be distributed as the participant sees fit. Really like one idea? You can put all 20 there. You can put one on each of 20 different questions, or distribute them anyway in between. Votes help determine which ideas or questions proceed into Phase II.
KRND Landing Page
After Phase I, the voting and discussion should lead to a limited number of broad research areas. Phase II, anticipated for March-April 2011, will focus the discussion on these compelling questions, particularly the strategies to address them. Critical preliminary groundwork will also be identified. Preparation of the Blueprint document in May-June 2011 is Phase III of the process.
First, I want to congratulate Krystyna Rys-Sikora and Robert Star at NIDDK for developing this format. Given the capabilities of the interactive web, this sort of site should work well for this kind of conversation. That said, some in the Nephrology/Urology community have not embraced online interactivity. As of this post, only 1208 users have registered with the site.
If you are reading this post and have any interest in the research NIDDK will fund in the future, your voice should be heard! Click the links and get involved with KRND; if you don't, you have only yourself to blame when NIH ignores your area of interest.
Still need more info? Click for the official KRND Fact Page.
Still looking for that perfect gift for your loved one this Christmas season? How about a sexually transmitted disease?
GIANTmicrobes Red Light District
GIANTmicrobes sells a wide range of microbiologicals and cells. I guarantee that this is the only way anyone will ever declare Treponema pallidum "cute", let alone thank you for sharing it with them!
Our Friend Yeast
Need a less intimate gift? How about Beer & Bread (shown in the photo to the right), our friend Saccharomyces cerevisiae:
Perhaps you need a gift with a sinister undertone? Nothing could express this sentiment like the bad boy in the lower photo, The Plague (Yersinia pestis):
Black Death Says It All
From helpful to fatal, this site presents a wide variety of plush stuffed prokaryotic organisms, with some viruses and eukaryotes thrown in the mix.
Happy Holidays!
My Twitter name pin came today!
How Cool!
Now to plan what I wear tomorrow to feature this silver beauty!
Are you jonesing for one of these pins yet? Or perhaps a necklace, key chain, or tie clip? You're not limited to your twitter handle; hashtags can be formed as well. Find all the details here.
Click on over to Maria Wolter's thoughts on passive voice in scientific writing:
http://mariawolters.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/active-passive-poppycock/
Meanwhile, I have my feet up, attempting to recover from the graduation celebration. My brain lacks the capacity to produce a coherent post at this moment, in either active or passive voice.
Have a good weekend.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
WhizBANG! presents my thoughts on whatever shiny thing catches my attention. Posts may include science, medicine, politics, academia, fashion or lack thereof, and urine. Lots of urine.
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