Friday, February 12, 2010
Brewing!
We learned about how to brew beer and wine. My camera died half-way through the presentation, but that's okay. I found a neat link on Saccharomyces cervisiae! There's a neat little video that describes the process of fermentation.
Apocalyptic Dream
I woke up too early today and decided to get back to bed after studying. I had a very strange dream. There was an interesting old man, and he dealt with bugs. He died though. There was a fungus that was basically taking over people and killing them. The military was using it to take control. The only thing that I could do was run.
I felt like I went to the base in Japan for some reason. I was with Tyler. Oh! And it was Misawa, but everything had changed substantially. I had to ask where the main gate was so that we could go out to eat. They put up a new mall and shopping center. The locals were kind of strange because they were speaking English. I couldn't find anything I was looking for. This dream was before the bug guy/ mushroom dream.
When I woke up, my head was killing me. I'm taking some medicine before having to go to class.
I felt like I went to the base in Japan for some reason. I was with Tyler. Oh! And it was Misawa, but everything had changed substantially. I had to ask where the main gate was so that we could go out to eat. They put up a new mall and shopping center. The locals were kind of strange because they were speaking English. I couldn't find anything I was looking for. This dream was before the bug guy/ mushroom dream.
When I woke up, my head was killing me. I'm taking some medicine before having to go to class.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Fungus Test 1
Well, I got my test back. I wanted to do well, but looking back on the day of the test, I was really anxious. I got a 224/250, which isn't so bad! I will have to try harder!
Here's the stuff I missed:
Zygomycota are the first on the scene. Similar to weeds. (-3)
The fungus that started attacking our state tree (the dog wood) in the 1980's is Dogwood Anthracnose. (-12)
Tatum was the other scientist interested in understanding how genes work. (-2)
I need more detail! (I knew the answers, but I didn't elaborate enough.)
Stem rust can be passed on via Puccina pathway. (-2) Look up name. I didn't write it down because I didn't have confidence I could spell it...
I should ask what he means by the "Fungicides" comment.
Rhizomorphs are important because the allow long distance transport (-3)
Shotgun fungus likes horse poo! (-2)
Extra Credit
I knew the fungus but not the names, or I didn't spell the names correctly.
Gibberella zeae (I missed the second b...honestly, I thought I had this in the bag ; ;)
Phytophthora infestans (I missed the "tho" part)
The other two fungi were the ones that are killing the frogs, and the Artist Conch.
Here's the stuff I missed:
Zygomycota are the first on the scene. Similar to weeds. (-3)
The fungus that started attacking our state tree (the dog wood) in the 1980's is Dogwood Anthracnose. (-12)
Tatum was the other scientist interested in understanding how genes work. (-2)
I need more detail! (I knew the answers, but I didn't elaborate enough.)
Stem rust can be passed on via Puccina pathway. (-2) Look up name. I didn't write it down because I didn't have confidence I could spell it...
I should ask what he means by the "Fungicides" comment.
Rhizomorphs are important because the allow long distance transport (-3)
Shotgun fungus likes horse poo! (-2)
Extra Credit
I knew the fungus but not the names, or I didn't spell the names correctly.
Gibberella zeae (I missed the second b...honestly, I thought I had this in the bag ; ;)
Phytophthora infestans (I missed the "tho" part)
The other two fungi were the ones that are killing the frogs, and the Artist Conch.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
I get to ask the questions!
Danny was talked about Fundamental attribution error today in class.
I thought I should come up with some questions for the test!
Maybe I would feel more comfortable.
Bus Full...for the Second Time
My hopes are dashed. I decide to take pictures to keep me from feeling too cold.
Rewrite
At first I tried doing some voice recordings of passages, but I got tired, so I'm rewriting some tidbits from the book here! Later, I may add pictures. Woot!
From S&M p 28-29
Scientific theory is composed of three requirements:
What do "love," "aggression," and "anxiety" have in common? These are all constructs, or abstract concepts that can't be directly observed.
Scientific theories describe causal relations among constructs. If you change one construct, a corresponding change in another is expected.
Scientific theories are intended to be general in scope, applying to many people in different settings and times. However, the range of applicability may vary from one theory to another.
...Now I'm really lazy...I'm going to just type the stuff from the margins!
Construct validity: extent to which the IV & DV used in research correspond to the theoretical constructs under investigation.
Independent variable (IV): concrete manipulation or measurement of a construct that is thought to influence other constructs.
Dependent variable (DV): concrete measurement of a construct that is thought to be influenced by other constructs.
Social desirability response bias: people's tendency to act in ways they believe others find acceptable and approve of.
Internal validity: the extent to which can be concluded that changes in the IV actually caused changes in the dependent variable in research study.
Nonexperimental research: research design in which both IV & DV are measured.
Experimental research: research design in which researches randomly assign participants to different groups and manipulate one or more IV.
Random assignment: procedure of assigning participants to different experimental groups so that every participant has exactly the same chance as every other participant of being in any given group.
External validity: extent to which research results can be generalized to other appropriate people, times, and settings.
Demand characteristics: cues in a research setting that lead participants to make inferences about what researchers expect or desire and that therefor bias how the participants act.
Replication: conducting new studies in an effort to provide evidence for the same theoretically predicted relations found in prior research.
Informed consent: consent voluntarily given by an individual who decides to participate in a study after being told what will be involved in participation.
Debriefing: Informing research participants--as soon as possible after the completion of their participation in research--about the purposes, procedures, and scientific value of the study, and discussing any questions participants may have.
Whew...there's a back log of things I need to type, but I am going to read in depth now.
From S&M p 28-29
Scientific theory is composed of three requirements:
- Constructs
- Causal Relations
- Generalizability
What do "love," "aggression," and "anxiety" have in common? These are all constructs, or abstract concepts that can't be directly observed.
Scientific theories describe causal relations among constructs. If you change one construct, a corresponding change in another is expected.
Scientific theories are intended to be general in scope, applying to many people in different settings and times. However, the range of applicability may vary from one theory to another.
...Now I'm really lazy...I'm going to just type the stuff from the margins!
Construct validity: extent to which the IV & DV used in research correspond to the theoretical constructs under investigation.
Independent variable (IV): concrete manipulation or measurement of a construct that is thought to influence other constructs.
Dependent variable (DV): concrete measurement of a construct that is thought to be influenced by other constructs.
Social desirability response bias: people's tendency to act in ways they believe others find acceptable and approve of.
Internal validity: the extent to which can be concluded that changes in the IV actually caused changes in the dependent variable in research study.
Nonexperimental research: research design in which both IV & DV are measured.
Experimental research: research design in which researches randomly assign participants to different groups and manipulate one or more IV.
Random assignment: procedure of assigning participants to different experimental groups so that every participant has exactly the same chance as every other participant of being in any given group.
External validity: extent to which research results can be generalized to other appropriate people, times, and settings.
Demand characteristics: cues in a research setting that lead participants to make inferences about what researchers expect or desire and that therefor bias how the participants act.
Replication: conducting new studies in an effort to provide evidence for the same theoretically predicted relations found in prior research.
Informed consent: consent voluntarily given by an individual who decides to participate in a study after being told what will be involved in participation.
Debriefing: Informing research participants--as soon as possible after the completion of their participation in research--about the purposes, procedures, and scientific value of the study, and discussing any questions participants may have.
Whew...there's a back log of things I need to type, but I am going to read in depth now.
Winter Wonderland
I got an alert canceling 8ams today. I don't have any, but that's okay. I feel like I've got some work to do, but I forget!
Oh! It turns out I have another quiz due tonight. Okay! I'm going to get that done before class. (I should make sure to do this after recitations from now on!)
Oh! It turns out I have another quiz due tonight. Okay! I'm going to get that done before class. (I should make sure to do this after recitations from now on!)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Grave miscalculation
Today I almost missed my exam for linear algebra!
The teacher sent out an email, and just be sure, I double checked by signing into the testing system. The time was wrong on the email. I actually have to start before 9 pm.
[A few hours later] Matrices are irritating. I keep misplacing my signs, and somehow I get strange numbers to work with (fractions) when I'm expecting nice whole numbers. I hate doing arithmetic. But it's all over now. I got 13/18. In the C range. Kind of surprised that I missed so many, but I kind of lose my steam for these things after a while. The mistakes keep piling up once I get tired.
I am glad I ate before the test. It would have been murder to have to sit for two hours in the hum of the Empo doing calculations on an empty stomach.
Getting back home was a pain. I ended up getting home around 11 pm. I finished the test before 10! Next time, I will definitely finish during daylight hours.
The teacher sent out an email, and just be sure, I double checked by signing into the testing system. The time was wrong on the email. I actually have to start before 9 pm.
[A few hours later] Matrices are irritating. I keep misplacing my signs, and somehow I get strange numbers to work with (fractions) when I'm expecting nice whole numbers. I hate doing arithmetic. But it's all over now. I got 13/18. In the C range. Kind of surprised that I missed so many, but I kind of lose my steam for these things after a while. The mistakes keep piling up once I get tired.
I am glad I ate before the test. It would have been murder to have to sit for two hours in the hum of the Empo doing calculations on an empty stomach.
Getting back home was a pain. I ended up getting home around 11 pm. I finished the test before 10! Next time, I will definitely finish during daylight hours.
On the Bus to Christiansburg
On the bus to Christiansburg. I want to check out the dollar tree there...maybe the walmart. I am interested in a tripod and a usb to usb cable.
There was some other stuff I wrote about. This was actually a good post, but...it ended up getting lost and now I can't remember what I wrote! Oh well. Lesson learned! Post first. Edit later.
Here are some photos from my trip though!
I found out that this camera is waterproof! I wish I could buy it.
This must be the worst tasting drink that I have bought to date.
I can't get over the strong medicine taste.
Maybe it's the extra vitamins that are added!
I was waiting here for over thirty five minutes.
The metal seat was freezing!
The bus I transfered onto was filled to the brim.
Sometimes it's really miserable getting home.
I felt nauseated in the crowd.
When I finally made it home, I noticed the neighbors had made an igloo-like thing!
Variables
I really need to illustrate these concepts (sampling) in Research Methods...
During class, I realized that there is a lot of text per slide. I mean a lot. Like "copy and paste pieces of the book" a lot. Which made me wonder if this is the teacher's preference for learning. (She will read the slides, so she might be into the whole auditory thing.) That was kind of bad because I should have been paying attention to the points, but I ended up concentrating on something else. The book is like that too. While I do like to read, I prefer looking at a picture to reading anytime. I should bring some extra paper so I can start illustrating these concepts in a comic of sorts.
On the flipside, my fungi class has a lot of slides, but they're mainly pictures or diagrams, which is really helpful. (Especially when there's something to look at like fungus!) Yet they aren't just random pieces of clip art (pet peeve) that has nothing to do with the topic at hand. I'm really impressed by that! I also love how I don't have to look at blocks of text. I'm not really digging the comic sans serif font, but the class is the closest thing to perfection that I've seen the two years I've been at Tech. I really hope this isn't the last time.
I got a point taken off for not writing my sources in APA-style...I wonder why the computer failed me!
First Test of the Semester
Today, I have a test in Fungi. I am glad the lowest grade gets dropped. I'm not really sure what to expect on the test. I prepared for it, but I'm always a little bit nervous. Next time I will make note cards for the Latin names of fungi. I have an awful time with the names of things. Names seem to only stick after I've said them a thousand times, and even then, I will still call something a completely different thing. (I feel bad for future children.)
I've actually been making lots of cards. I'm kind of obsessed with printing, which is possible because I got a laser printer. The quality of text is better compared to ink jet printers. The price of printing is substantially cheaper too! I am going to make a booklet of some common Latin/Greek words to help me with the names.
In retrospect, I think I did alright on the test. It was kind of funny because during the last 15 minutes of the test, someone had placed a call with their butt. However, the call was made on speaker phone, so the whole class could hear it! There were a few things I know I missed. I could only do one maybe two extra credit points, but I am hoping I'm in the A range without it. By the way, did I mention the lowest test grade gets dropped?
I've actually been making lots of cards. I'm kind of obsessed with printing, which is possible because I got a laser printer. The quality of text is better compared to ink jet printers. The price of printing is substantially cheaper too! I am going to make a booklet of some common Latin/Greek words to help me with the names.
In retrospect, I think I did alright on the test. It was kind of funny because during the last 15 minutes of the test, someone had placed a call with their butt. However, the call was made on speaker phone, so the whole class could hear it! There were a few things I know I missed. I could only do one maybe two extra credit points, but I am hoping I'm in the A range without it. By the way, did I mention the lowest test grade gets dropped?
Bright
It is so bright today. The snow reminds me that winter is here for at least another month. The bus was full again. There are at least 9 of us waiting to ride.
I can never seem to make it on time for class. The buses just fill up and pass me by again and again. Luckily, I've never been too terribly late for class. Even today, I was able to arrive before the lecture started. (The teacher was passing back papers.)
I can never seem to make it on time for class. The buses just fill up and pass me by again and again. Luckily, I've never been too terribly late for class. Even today, I was able to arrive before the lecture started. (The teacher was passing back papers.)
Chocolate Party
I found a neat program, that would let me arrange my photos the way I wanted. Enjoy!
Blood pressure
Today, I was upset. I can't take a decent blood pressure reading because of it. I hope I can calm down soon; I'm not feeling well at all.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Stink Horn
From an egg that's never laid,
Overnight hatches
An alluring odor to flies
White is my stalk
Brown is my cap
Smells of vomit and crap
Flies and beetles come
Licking up my spores
Spreading them all around
Some awesome lyrics I thought up about the Stink Horn, Phallus impudicus . I'd love to illustrate this for a children's book. I was feeling really bummed out, so while the other melody came to my head I tried to think of something to cheer me up. Hurray for the phallic-shaped mushroom. Always good for a chuckle.
Overnight hatches
An alluring odor to flies
White is my stalk
Brown is my cap
Smells of vomit and crap
Flies and beetles come
Licking up my spores
Spreading them all around
Some awesome lyrics I thought up about the Stink Horn, Phallus impudicus . I'd love to illustrate this for a children's book. I was feeling really bummed out, so while the other melody came to my head I tried to think of something to cheer me up. Hurray for the phallic-shaped mushroom. Always good for a chuckle.
Fish market?
I had the most amazing dream about this outdoor place...there were storage containers full of food. And I guess the food was going expired, but somehow, I knew the person in charge and got to pick out things in advance, or I got a special deal to buy the items. I was like the big spender for fish and seafood. The food wasn't even really going bad...There was a deal on whole tuna, and I was going to buy this big eel-like fish too. There was oysters individually vacuum packed, and other shell fish. I was nearly in heaven. It's funny how I worried about the price though.
At the Bus Stop
I was tossing and turning in bed last night. A dull pain was radiating from my leg. It hurts even now. I took some medicine, but it isn't working yet. Everywhere around me, there are couples. I am alone.
Melody
All by myself and
I am okay with that
Tears fall down
With no one around
Silently wetting the ground
Stars in the night
Fade into the light
But in the dark I lay
Wondering away
Will anybody find me
And catch the tears I cry
Will anybody care if
I am alive or if I die
When I wrote this, I was upset and in my bed. Sometimes when that happens, I hear a melody and I sing.
I am okay with that
Tears fall down
With no one around
Silently wetting the ground
Stars in the night
Fade into the light
But in the dark I lay
Wondering away
Will anybody find me
And catch the tears I cry
Will anybody care if
I am alive or if I die
When I wrote this, I was upset and in my bed. Sometimes when that happens, I hear a melody and I sing.
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