I like the design, and more importantly I like the fact that the books are not going to moved to a remote location. Information management is one of the key factors that determines the long-term success of a research and educational institution, and having the books readily available to the students and staff is a aprt of that. A lot of research is done online, which is a good thing, a revolutionary thing, but having the printed word still available at the center of campus, physically and conceptually, is also important. Until Google Scholar successfully uploads all the books in the world, it will probably remain important. Libraries in general (not just college libraries) are information gateways with the availability of internet access, electronic editions, and, heaven helps us, microfiche. Keeping the books available along with the new media only makes it easier to study, criticize, and create.

Plus, this building gives me a reason to bring up the old video game Crystal Castles. I adored that game. Only Super Mario Brothers 3, the Legend of Zelda, and the Final Fantasy series (before it just became an excuse for anime video sequences) occupied more of my life.


From the Chicago Tribune article:

Designed by Chicago architect Helmut Jahn, the library is expected to open in 2010 and will be named for Joe Mansueto, chairman and chief executive officer of Morningstar Inc., and his wife, Rika. The Mansuetos, U. of C. alumni, contributed $25 million toward the $80 million cost of the building.

This website will be seen as prescient. Now, if only I could convince Barack Obama to add Ben Affleck as his running mate…

Here are some other blogs, websites, and assorted detritus that I like regarding evolutionary biology:

National Center for Science Education: A great resource for students and teachers who want to learn about the teaching of evolution and the problems with trying to wedge intelligent design into the rubric of science.

American Association for the Advancement of Science Evolution Press Room: This is the clearing house for evolution news by the AAAS. I check it every couple of weeks, as it is not updated that often.

Red Queen’s Hypothesis: One of my favorite evolutionary theories which paraphrased states that continuing development is needed to “stand still” in the evolutionary arms race.

Pharyngula: My favorite snarky biologist’s blog, this is a great vanguard in the science vs. intelligent design tussle. P.Z. Myers doesn’t hold back in his criticism of religion in general, which is great, even for a clean and wholesome Catholic like myself. [Ed. note: Mark is neither clean nor wholesome]

Thoughts from Kansas: This blog is written by a graduate student at the University of Kansas and former classmate of mine, and is exactly the right level of thoughtfulness to be accessible to non-scientists.

The Panda’s Thumb: This is the USS Enterprise of science vs. creationist blogs. It’s updated daily, and good learnin’, too.

University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology and the University of Chicago: Ok, these links are just because I went to school at this places.

If you get a chance to check out any of those links, drop me a line. I miss talking science.

Oh thank heaven. Schlitz beer, the greatest gift for which a man on limited budget could ever ask, is returning to Chicago.

Gabriel’s Horn, a/k/a Torricelli’s Trumpet

There is a three-dimensional mathematical figure known as Gabriel’s Horn which has an infinite surface area and a finite volume. You create it by graphing y=x^(-1) where x >or = to one, then spinning that 2-D graph around the x-axis. Put into layman’s terms, that is like a banana with an infinitely large peel but that doesn’t contain any more “banana-stuff” inside. Imagine that: an infinity contained within a finite volume, an unlimited amount held by a limited object.

This the perfect analogy for my student loans.

Here I am, a finite individual in a finite space with a finite income and a finite attention span, and somehow I am expected to pay off a debt that growing, presumably exponentially, every day. I say “presumably exponentially” because I didn’t look at the terms of my promissory note that closely. The interest rate may be geometric, for all I know. The main point is that a whelk has a better chance in a supernova than I have against the financial volcano that is Sallie Mae.

Being debt-free is like this.

I have so much debt that I cannot realistically picture the day that it will be paid off; I can imagine that day, but not in any way that resembles the real world. When I imagine having zero debt, I also imagine other fantastical things that I’d like but will probably never have, like a unicorn. Or a teleportation pad in my house. Or an angst-free childhood. I’ve often heard that “you can’t put a value on an education.” This is true: a precise value is impossible to pin down because interest accrues. To put a value on an education, you have to add the e^(rt) term.

The reason I’m writing about this is that, for the first time in my life, I no longer see the “paying back the debt” phase of my life as occurring some time in the future, but as happening right now. I wouldn’t trade the college or graduate experiences that I have been lucky enough to get for the world, but, dang, it turned out to be a lot of money. How I feel about my education right now is broadly equivalent to how I feel after a night of hard, hard drinking. It feels awful, and yet I oddly don’t regret the decisions that have gotten me to this point. Also, I’m probably going to throw up.

Happy Easter! Happy Purim!

And a very special thank-you to the guy driving the Escalade who double-parked today at mass, thereby trapping two different compact cars. Well done, sir. You’ve shown the true spirit of Easter by avoiding the hassle of parking in the lot two blocks away. If I hadn’t been hung-over and hungry, I might have waited around to give you a piece of my mind. If the CCPA hadn’t had a special on drinks last night, there would have been trouble today.

To anyone who thinks I may have actually gotten into a fight in a church parking lot, I am kidding. I know better than to fight on Holy Ground.

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On a related note, I have always taken the side of latkes in the legendary Latke-Hamentashen debate (I like salt more than sweet). Therefore, I will only post a picture of latkes instead of the traditional hamentashen.

“[The] fishes’ numerical abilities were actually on a par with the numerical abilities of monkeys and human infants between six and 12 months old.”

I think I can speak for all freedom-loving Americans when I say: STOP TEACHING THE FISH TO COUNT. We’re already in enough trouble now that the dolphins are in the Navy; we don’t need the fish competing for our hard-earned accounting jobs, too.

I think of this Onion article, too.

1) A long history of alcoholism and drunk driving.

2) An inability to pronounce basic English words.

3) The tendency to believe a job is done when, in fact, it is not.

4) A disbelief in evolution by natural selection.

5) The continuing need to invite people from his father’s work to help do his job.

6) Is homophobic.

7) Chokes on pretzels.

8 ) Exempts self from rules, after the fact.

9) Believes in use of waterboarding to do one’s job.

10) Continues to hang around with friends who have shot people in the face.

11) Confuses Muslim people with Muslin fabric.

12) References to past include “when I used to do blow.”

13) Asks, “is our children learning?”

14) Believes that scientific rigor is subject to political expediency.

15) Believes that the proper response to an emergency is to take a vacation.

16) Believes that the proper response to a lack of emergency is to take a vacation.

17) Is liked by less than 29% of the people who know him.

18) Knows anyone named “Turd Blossom.”

19) Takes advice from someone named “Turd Blossom.”

20) Has actually named someone “Turd Blossom.”

21) Cannot actually name a philosopher.

22) Spends more than three times the original estimate.

23) Regularly uses the concept of “evil” without irony.

24) Listens in on my phone conversations.

25) Believes the Superdome is an adequate place to live.

26) Does not know the price of gas.

27) Wishes Austin was less weird.

This simultaneously posted on ThisIsBy.Us, but without the hilarious picture.

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