Linear Regression
A simple summary of
linear regression.
posted at: 17:07 |
path: /school |
link
Volume to Weight food conversion
There are some things, like butter, that I much prefer to measure by
weight. Here’s
a useful volume to weight conversion chart. Unfortunately it isn’t in
metric, but it’s still useful.
posted at: 14:39 |
path: /living |
link
Nice discussion of 2 way anova
Here’s a nice
discussion of the various results you can get with a 2 way ANOVA and how
to interpret them.
posted at: 14:29 |
path: /school |
link
Vietnamese Desserts
I saw a picture of a dessert on the LJ food blog that Colin subscribes to
and had to learn more about it. It turns out that there are a whole slew
of wonderful sounding Vietnamese Desserts called ‘che’ something- for
example Che Ba Ba, or
Che Ban Lot, or Che Thap Cam. This
blog has a nice explanation of what’s involved. Coconut milk. That’s
what’s involved. And lots of gummy, chewy stuff.
posted at: 00:26 |
path: /living |
link
Social Role Valorisation
I’m quite interested in the fact that different people are valued
differently in society and that certain properties of individuals
influence their value in one direction or another. Here’s
the wikipedia entry on Social Role Valorisation, a theory which seeks
to explain how valuation occurs and what the effects of being assigned low
societal value are on individuals.
posted at: 18:04 |
path: /living |
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Chi square challenges
Here’s
a discussion of what to do if your contingency chart has columns with
zeros in it.
posted at: 16:24 |
path: /school |
link
Oh yes- I love pasta
Here’s
an all encompassing page on how to do what with all different kinds.
posted at: 16:42 |
path: /living |
link
Carbon/Silicon- The News
I heard this song
on an indie internet radio station, and there was something about the
chorus that really got to me.
Good morning here’s the news- and all of it is good.
Good evening here’s the news- and all of it is good.
And the weather’s good!
What can I say, I have a soft spot for old school punk, and punk rockers.
Keep an eye out for the slipper shot.
posted at: 13:17 |
path: /living |
link
Making International Calls
For some reason the details of making international calls occassionally
elude me. Or sometimes the person who supplies you the number gives you
extra digits or information that you need to drop when you call
internationally. While looking for information to call Colin, I found
this neat
website. You put in where you’re calling from, where you’re calling to
and it gives you the proper codes, up to the city code. It also gives you
time zone information. Nice!
posted at: 18:58 |
path: /living |
link
Points on a sphere
I’ve been avoiding working this out for a while, but I need a way to
generate points on a sphere of a certain radius. That’s because my agents
are composed of spheres, and I need to set their perceptual fields at
points on the outside of the spheres.
It’s easy enough to figure out the general formula for points on a sphere- it’s all points that are the radius away from the center of the sphere. The problem I’m having is getting actual points out of that equation. Picking x and y points randomly is likely to lead to a situation where there is no z value that fits on the sphere. I’m sure there’s some easy way to do this but, as usual, my complete lack of education in 3d geometry is not helping me out here.
I found this
sphere FAQ which might provide some helpful info. I also found this discussion about
how to convert spherical coordinates into cartesian coordinates. And,
doing a bit more searching, I think
this will probably do the trick.
posted at: 11:30 |
path: /school |
link
Major Cities and Agglomerations of the World
What are the major
cities and agglomerations of the world? Sometimes I wonder about these
things.
posted at: 13:04 |
path: /living |
link
More information on grains
This
article on grains edible by people with celiacs has a very
comprehensive list of grains consumed by humans. By the way, according
to wikipedia, cereals or grains can be defined as “mostly grasses
cultivated for their edible grains or fruit seeds (i.e., botanically a
type of fruit called a caryopsis).”
posted at: 10:06 |
path: /living |
link
Tasty wheat alternatives
Always nice to mix it up when it comes to food. I eat a heck of a lot of
wheat. Nothing wrong with wheat, per se, but a diet composed largely of
wheat might be going a bit too far. Here
are some tasty wheat alternatives.
posted at: 09:55 |
path: /living |
link
Red fish, blue fish
I wasn’t sure whether or not to put this in the school or living
categories. Here’s a story
about using animated fish schools to understand cultural differences.
Cool. Here’s a quote: “Ellsworth proposed a hypothesis of “universal
contingency”—if people from different cultures or roles appraise a
situation in the same way, they will feel the same emotion. If they feel
different emotions, it is because they have interpreted the situation
differently in one way or another.”
posted at: 08:15 |
path: /living |
link
Proper Disposal for Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
I have some reservations regarding compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Without saying any more about that, I encourage everyone I know to follow
these
safety guidelines if you break a CFL. The main one you need to know
right off the bat is: “Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or
more.” Another important one to know is: “Do not use a vacuum cleaner to
clean up the bulb (even if it lands on carpet).” Read on for more on how
to deal with a broken CFL.
posted at: 21:59 |
path: /living |
link
Comparative Calorie Burning
I found this
nice calculator that calculates how many calories you burn for a
particular activity. It lets you put in your weight and how long you’ve
done the activity. What I find most interesting is comparing activities.
In particular, I find it interesting that doing pretty much *anything*
other than simply sitting burns way more
calories than sitting. I wasn’t expecting that. I thought there would be
more of a gradual curve. But simply switching to typing burns 50% more
calories than just sitting alone (or sitting on the bus, or sitting reading). Standing burns 225% more calories than
sitting. Walking burns 375% more calories. This explains why, when you’re
lost in the woods with no food they say- don’t move! Stay still until you
are found. And no typing!
posted at: 15:20 |
path: /living |
link
Clear Sky Clock
So- I’m on this little quest to see the moon when I’m outside at night. So
far, I haven’t had success. Where is the moon? I’m sure it’s out there.
Colin pointed out that part of the problem might be that the sky is
cloudy when I’m looking. Good point. So here is the Ottawa
Clear Sky Clock.
posted at: 00:47 |
path: /living |
link
Implicate and Explicate Order according to David Bohm
Read all about it right here.
posted at: 00:44 |
path: /living |
link
The Elf Project- Divine Comedy, Wizard of Oz and more
Every once in a while I come across a website that makes me go- “Wow, the
internet is really, really cool.” Not that there isn’t a lot of cool stuff
on the internet regularly, but there are some things that seem really
unique to, and made possible by the technology of the internet. This week
I’ve stumbled across two sites like this- the first being the zebrafish
imaging site, and the second being the Electronic Literature Foundation
website. I came across ELF when I was looking for an online verison of
Dante. The website’s Dante section has 3 different English versions (along
with Italian, German and Finnish) and lets you compare all the different
translations side by side. The ELF site has a host of other authors’ works
available as well, including The Arabian Nights (two English versions) and
The Wizard of Oz.
posted at: 00:06 |
path: /living |
link
International Association of Color Consultants
I think I wrote a while back about how I liked colour and thinking about
how different colours go together, and affect things. I may have already
linked to this already, but if not: the International Assocation of Color
Consultants page (linked to their blog).
posted at: 14:37 |
path: /living |
link
Moon Rising Info and other events
I like to keep track of when the sun rises and sets, and since we checked
out the moon in my dad’s telescope I’ve been interested in moon rising and
setting as well. I realised the other day that although I often know when
the moon is rising and setting, I’ve never thought about where it rises
and sets. I noticed this when I was looking for it the other day. Here’s
some info on where it rises and sets. I also came across this
page, which has a calendar of astronomical events that are visible to
the naked eye and binoculars. I’ve become more aware of such things since
my dad is into astronomy these days, and keeps buying binoculars.
posted at: 17:27 |
path: /living |
link
Fish Database
And also, a fish
database that I came across a while a go but forgot to add to my blog.
It has a page on zebrafish, with know information gained from research.
It’s interesting what sort of information has not been published on the
zebrafish. For instance, there appears to be no information available
about how fast zebrafish move, or how they move through the water. This is
data that I have, so I may be able to publish it, and contribute.
posted at: 15:23 |
path: /school |
link
Zebra fish anatomy
I’ve spent some time trying to find out about the physical characteristics of
zebra fish, but I’ve never had much luck. This seemed really strange to me,
because everyone is all about the zebra fish these days. Suddenly, today, the
phrase ‘zebra fish anatomy’ popped into my head. Jackpot. My first hit- the Zebrafish anatomy project. Sweeeet.
Also exciting- a zebra fish anatomy
poster.
posted at: 15:20 |
path: /school |
link
Diagram of zebrafish eye
this
article has a diagram of a zebrafish eye. I’m not sure how useful it
will be, since it’s just a picture of the eye, not where it is in the
head, but it could be useful.
posted at: 14:58 |
path: /living |
link
Zebra Fish Slides
Fishnet is “is a
three dimensional database of zebrafish development from the early embryo
to adult. Models of zebrafish development may be virtually sectioned,
viewed as 3D renderings, or downloaded for your own manipulations.” Is
that insane or what?
posted at: 14:54 |
path: /school |
link
CERN FAQ on book Angels and Demons
Andrew (Hi Andrew!) showed me this really entraining faq put out by CERN, answering questions
generated by the popular fiction book Angels and Demons. Hilarious!
posted at: 10:18 |
path: /living |
link
UMMS Health Calculators
Happy New Year! I love little calculator applications on the internet. I
love being able to type in some little piece of information (or a couple)
and have a webpage calculate something for me and give me an answer. Here is a whole page of
Health Calculators from the University of Maryland Medical Center. I found
it when I was looking for a calculator that would tell me my recommended
daily intake of carbs, which I have looked up in the past, and even
calculated myself, but can never remember.
posted at: 17:51 |
path: /living |
link
Danio Rerio Facts
A fact
sheet on Danio Rerio
posted at: 23:50 |
path: /school |
link
Yeast Starter
Here’s a page with
information on how to create and maintain a yeast starter.
posted at: 17:12 |
path: /living |
link
Even more on culturing yeast
This web
page is even better than the last one.
posted at: 17:02 |
path: /living |
link
Yeast- crossing over into Colin’s beer territory
Speaking ofleavening, here’s
an article on how to keep and grow yeast cultures. I’d really like to get
over the mystique that I feel towards this critter and get into trying to
do some baking with it. Maybe this article will help.
posted at: 16:48 |
path: /living |
link
What counts as cake?
The King
Arthur Flour Company also has nice page that discusses what counts as
a cake. Their definition: “A “traditional” cake contains flour and an
equal amount or more, by weight, not volume, of sugar with a little salt
to intensify flavor. From there, the variation in ingredients is
infinite.”
posted at: 16:36 |
path: /living |
link
Old School Cake Recipes
I’m interested in baking mechanics, and also in how people baked things
before modern food inventions like baking soda. This article has a nice
amount of information in it about pre-baking soda cakes.
posted at: 16:33 |
path: /living |
link
FAQ on Paleo Diet
As I do from time to time, I’ve delved back in to the dietary morass
because I’m trying to add more fiber to my diet. While doing some reading
on that, I came across this interesting FAQ on one
person’s version of ‘the paleo
diet’- a FAQ which, for once, seems to address many of the questions I
have had
about it, among them: Isn’t a high protein diet bad for your kidneys?
(Answer: possibly, if you already have kidney problems), Isn’t a paleo
diet unsustainable on a large scale? (Answer: Yes) and Isn’t there
evidence that pre-agriculture humans did in fact eat grains (Answer:
Maybe, they might have eaten them, but not in very many places or very
often).
The main thing I like about the version of the ‘paleo diet’ presented on
this website is that the person says basically “Realistically, you’re
going to buy your
food from grocery stores. Okay, how do you adapt that food so that it is
more in line with my ideas about good diet.” This makes much more sense
than some paleo diet sites that basically advocate getting some kind of
bird of prey and using it to kill pigeons and rabbits in your friendly
neighbourhood field.
posted at: 13:06 |
path: /living |
link
Chemistry fun with nitrite
Yay chemistry! Here’s
still more info on the chemistry in a fish tank, including the atomic
weight of nitrogen, and some more information about how tests measure
nitrogen levels.
posted at: 11:28 |
path: /living |
link
Yet more on the chemistry of nitrite and salt
Here’s
a link that has even more precise information. Yay chemistry.
posted at: 14:30 |
path: /living |
link
More on salt for nitrite toxicity
Here’s some more details on
the chemistry, and why the chloride ion helps.
posted at: 14:15 |
path: /living |
link
Salt water to counteract nitrite poisoning
We’re currently trying to establish a new tank without exposing our fish
to too much nitrite. The problem, as people who own fish tanks know, is
that you need a certain amount of nitrite in order to get nitrate
producing bacteria, which will then remove the nitrite for you. We’ve been
doing numerous water changes to keep the nitrite low, but at this point it
seems we’ve kept it so low that the nitrate bacteria can’t even get
started. It seems like we’re going to have to let the nitrite
shoot up at least a bit. Apparently, adding salt to the water can help
protect fish when this happens. Here’s a
nice page that talks about the chemistry involved, and how much salt you
actually need to add to help out.
posted at: 11:19 |
path: /living |
link
Bruised Fruit
I’m on a fruit eating kick at the moment. I’m not generally a huge fan of
fruit eating, because in that area I’m kind of a picky eater. I realized
that the main reason for this is I don’t know if it’s okay to eat bruised
fruit. Is it okay, or bad for you, or what? According to Tuft’s
univerisity it
is perfectly okay. (This
scientific american article has a bit more of the chemistry). I also
came across this cute fruity faces website,
which makes cute inflatable containers to help cushion your fruit on the
way to school or work.
posted at: 20:35 |
path: /living |
link
Or how about canoeing?
Of course, in addition to biking, I like canoeing. These
guys managed to canoe across Canada, although I don’t think I’d want
to do quite that much canoeing. Also, I can’t say that their description
of canoeing through 10 foot waves is that appealing to me. I didn’t think
that was even possible to do in a canoe. Other names also pop up- Ilya
Klvana, Joe
O’Blenis, Joanie
and Gary McGuffin, these Scottish folks (Abigail
Baldwin-Thomson and Duncan Thomson). And here’s
an interesting discussion group page on the topic with more information.
posted at: 22:04 |
path: /living |
link
All material copyrighted by Jen Schellinck. All rights reserved.