Gummy Glory

It's an intriguing title for an exponentially more intriguing subject. Vague enough? First, points to Nicole for exposing me to the latest glory of teh intarwebs. This is not only mind-blowing, but crazy. We could also use the title: "When is a gummy bear actually a gummy Megatron?"

Next, cue deep-voiced movie announcer guy: In a land, where snack food is king… One man is on a journey to reshape the chewy, fruit-based candy industry.

Over at the website Pimp That Snack (oh yes, that's its title), there is a magical tale. A tale of ingenuity, of dedication and of too much free time.

I implore you to read it. Now. Right here.

When Statistics Blow Your Mind

I am an apologist for statistics. It's time for everyone to accept that. I have.

I love stats. I also fear stats. Statistics are easily manipulated – indeed, in this post-modern world one could argue that all statistics, by virtue of being measured, are manipulated. I'm sure that I'm not the first person to wonder about Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle as it relates to social indicators. Concepts like "teaching to the test" and "gaming the statistics" exist because people attempt to achieve a statistical gain – in, let's say, student intelligence as measured by a test – at the expense of meaningful advancement. It's what happens when the numbers become more important than what they try to describe.

I think the power of statistics, though, is when they help us to understand a particular dimension of a difficult or complex problem. Hidden complicating variables can obscure a seemingly obvious connection between simple events. The challenge to consider all the complicating factors is a thrilling mental puzzle. Using 14^th Century England as an example – because, why not? – it would seem that the significant decline in exports witnessed in the middle of the century might be attributed to the outbreak of the Hundred Year's War. But with regression analysis, one can see that other factors include poor harvests from a changing climate and -- quite significantly -- over-taxation by the English Kings (Marriott, 1999, pg. 30).

Mostly what I love about statistics (and numbers and indicators and regressions and all of the rest of it) is that it is so interesting to find multi-dimensional connections between events or actions that seem, perhaps, intuitively related but are not proven to be related in that way. Then, with an intelligent model and some good data, suddenly everything becomes clear! It's that move -- from intuition to illustration – is where the magic is for me. It's where people have epiphanies that lead to brand-new research.

[Of course, when one suspects an intuitive link, and goes hunting for results, one will invariably suffer from confirmation bias and a myriad of other statistical ailments. Let us put those aside for another post.]

The reason I'm writing today [instead of studying for my macroeconomics midterm] is that I was recently reminded of Hans Rosling, a Swedish MD/MPH who does some pretty cool stuff at his site Gapminder. He speaks regularly to TED (the "Ideas Worth Spreading" people) about a number of global issues. In this particular video, he's discussing the relationship between HIV/AIDS prevalence and Income. I think it's a pretty good example of what happens when a compelling speaker finds persuasive data and develops a simple, elegant way to demonstrate an outcome. Essentially, this is the highest and best use of statistics, to my mind:

So carve out 10 minutes, and enjoy Hans Rosling.

Claudia’s Visit - With Pictures!

Amity's mother, Claudia, visited us this past weekend. During her visit, we toured Chinatown, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, The Cathedral of St. John the Devine, Rockefeller Plaza, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Fairway Market, the Cloisters, Queens (without Ryan), and beautiful Inwood.

Of course, there was significant Olympics-watching, tea-drinking, and cousin-visiting. In fact, Claudia was able to visit BOTH of her grand-nieces!

Here are some pictures:

The gang at Columbia University, all hail Her hallowed name.   Behind us is Low Library, which bears a certain resemblance to the Library of Congress, especially on the inside. The face of the building, directly about the Corinthian columns, reads

King's College Founded in the Province of New York, By Royal Charter in the Reign of George II, Perpetuated as Columbia College by the People of the State of New York, When they became Free and Independent - Maintained and Cherished from Generation to Generation.  For the Advancement of the Public Good and the Glory of Almighty God.

 Amen.

Rockefeller Center.  Can you detect the wistful look in their eyes? We had just walked past the ice skating rink (below Prometheus there in the background--he's hard to miss, what with the gold).  Still plenty of holiday cheer in this plaza to keep me going until next December. 

Directly after this stop, we crossed the street to check out St. Patrick's Cathedral. Our impromptu visit to St. Patty's was inspired by our earlier visit to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, up by Columbia. What a nice segue....

/sighs.  Oh St. John the Divine....  Look at the stained glass inside this Cathedral!  This is in my favorite chapel, which is the one directly behind the High Altar.  I really want those lamps.  This picture doesn't do them justice, either.  Although, they probably don't look so good without true "cathedral ceilings" to go with.  Sad.


Claudia and Amity are really only in this picture to provide scale.


Each of the chapels is equally stunning, and should appeal to a variety of tastes in neo-gothic cathedral connoisseurs.

We still have yet to swing by and hear Evensong on (I think) Wednesdays.  Popping into this Cathedral in a rainstorm or otherwise unpleasant day is really an excellent way to center oneself in a quiet, reflective, art-filled, beautiful space--which leads me to (wow, I'm on a roll!)...

While not visible in this picture, the Cloisters are simply stunning.  Amity and I ran past here on Sunday (part of a 5.5 mile jog).  Here are Claudia and Amity, right after leaving the museum.  Behind them is the rest of Fort Tryon park, the drop-off into the Dykman Street valley, and then back up to Inwood Hill.  Just over Amity's right (our left) ear is the Hudson River and then New Jersey.

Aren't they sweet?

Pomology

Not just the study of hands, it would appear. ;)

As a native Washingtonian, I am particularly in love with Apples--tasty, crispy, and truly one of the most important foods in anyone's diet. Grown the world over, the apple is a native of (are you ready to be shocked?) Kazakhstan. Years and years (millennia) of careful cultivation took what was a tiny, tart, bitter fruit into the glorious apples we know today.

Of course, as a child, the only apples I remember in the store were the Granny Smith, Golden and Red Delicious (poorly named in my opinion). Then came the Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, and more. And, of course, today, there's the Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Cortland, McIntosh, Crispin, Macoun and more. Did you know, though, that the science of fruit studies (pomology) led to some beautiful artwork, funded by the American taxpayers. Regardez:

Ever eaten a Lilly of Kent? Neither have I. But I want to now.

And that's the point! The USDA's pomology archive in the National Agricultural Library is full of beautiful watercolors, detailing the variety of apples grown around the country. And that's not all. Pears, apricots, citrus, berries…

Thank GOD no one had a camera 100 years ago! Now I want to grow something.

In case you want to check out the USDA archive of watercolors, click here.

George Washington Carver

We all know about the Land Grant University system (enabled by the forward thinking Senator Morrill of New York in 1862) that provided Federal funding to the states to allow for agricultural research. It turns out that there were three rounds of Federal funding. The first, in 1862, was to all states. The second, in 189?, was to provide an opportunity for former African-American slaves to gain higher-education. The third, in 1994, was for Native Americans. Check out the map:

In the second round of grants, it's clear that the vast majority of these universities are in the southeastern US. One of these is the famous Tuskegee Institute (later of the famous Tuskegee Airmen and the infamous Tuskegee public health scandal), championed by Booker T. Washington. One particularly interesting professor and researcher there was George Washington Carver. He spent his time investigating new ways to use agricultural production, so as to help farmers increase profitability. What is interesting (FINALLY we get to the point, right?) is the list of inventions ascribed to him and his research. (NB: he didn't necessarily invent each of these for the first time, but found a way to make them with current agricultural products in the South.)

Attributed to Carver

Adhesives

Axle Grease

Bleach

Buttermilk,

Cheese

Chili Sauce

Cream

Creosote

Dyes

Flour

Fuel Briquettes

Ink. Instant Coffee

Insulating Board

Linoleum

Mayonnaise

Meal

Meat Tenderizer

Metal Polish

Milk Flakes

Mucilage

Paper

Rubbing Oils

Salve

Soil Conditioner

Shampoo

Shoe Polish

Shaving Cream

Sugar

Synthetic Marble

Synthetic Rubber

Talcum Powder

Vanishing Cream

Wood Stains

Wood Filler

Worcestershire Sauce

From Tjossem, Sara F. Struggles for Sustainability, February 15, 2010.

I feel lazy.

Oh Maui...

Not sure how this guy got the picture Amity and I tried to take over and over…  Look at this, from the top of Haleakela.

From NASA Picture of the Day

From the Department of Zoonotic Transmission Vectors

If only the Gates Foundation had a time machine.  Then who knows what might have happened in Egyptian history.  King Tutankhamun, the boy king who died mysteriously at the tender age of 19, was felled by a mosquito.  King "Tut", as he is colloquially known, is most famous for having the most complete tomb in the Valley of the Kings.  Tutankhamun was, apparently, also born with a cleft lip and a congenital bone disease - which may be ascribed to his parentage.  Until recently people considered him the son of Amenhotep III.  New DNA findings released in Febraury, however, point to Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) and his sister.

Tutankhamun was also the first Pharoah to be worshiped as a god in his own time - as much good as that did him.

Either way, it's interesting that malaria has been lethal (and just as "equal opportunity" in who it kills) for millennia.  Other famous people taken down by malaria:

Emperors/Kings

Titus Ceasar

Otto II

Charles V

Edward IV

Oliver Cromwell

Popes

Gregory V

Sixtus V

Damasus II

Pius

Leo X

Urban VII

Conquerors

Alexander the Great

Genghis Khan

and many more!!

So add King Tutankhamun to the list!