linkstream2 microblog

Toy Stories: Nice listing of odd #toys from ’10, e.g. HexBug, Tetraxis, Flash Scrabble, Perfume Sci.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/06/101206fa_fact_marx via @NewYorker

ON AND OFF THE AVENUE
TOY STORIES
Rating this year’s playthings.
BY PATRICIA MARX

* Tetraxis from momath.org
http://momath.org/shop/tetraxis-2/

* Sophisticated Science Perfume Science
by Thames & Kosmos
http://www.amazon.com/Thames-Kosmos-646517-Sophisticated-Science/dp/B001ALLMWS

* Diet coke & mentos – makershed.com

* Zometool Bucky Ball Kit
http://www.amazon.com/Zometool-0B-BKY-PRJ-Bucky-Ball-Kit/dp/B0007W1E3S

* Sophie the Giraffe
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dbaby&field-keywords=Sophie+the+Giraffe&rh=i%3Ababy%2Ck%3ASophie+the+Giraffe

* Scrabble Flash – high speed electronic version of the classic http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Scrabble-Flash/dp/B004WOZZ6E

* HexBug (Am Mus Nat Hist)
https://www.facebook.com/hexbug

I list below a number of courses that I think should be
included/excluded from the undergrad bioinformatics program. This is based on a discussion with a student who did an undergraduate double major in CS and Biology.

The courses that I think essential for the program are:

– Algorithms, Data structures, Cell & Molecular biology, and Genetics

The courses that I think should be included in the program are:

– Discrete mathematics, Algorithms on strings, Computational complexity, Statistics, Data mining and Databases, Machine Learning, Biochemistry, Unix/Linux operating system, Scripting Languages (Perl and/or Python), and Scientific writing

The courses that I think might less important are:

– Computer architecture, Compiler theory, Circuit design, Inorganic chemistry, and Chemical engineering

Curious to get people’s thoughts on this. Feel free to comment or email me (http://contact.gerstein.info).

Summary of NHV=>NYC for (M)nr, amtrak (R)egional & (A)cela evening trains: [567]:50 M, [67]:20 A, [89]:10 R, {9,10}:20 M, {11,12}:35 M/R

5:53 PM mnr 7:46 PM 113 THROUGH TRAIN OFF PEAK 6:21 PM acela
6:51 PM mnr 8:41 PM 110 THROUGH TRAIN OFF PEAK 7:29 PM acela
7:51 PM mnr
8:14 PM amtrak
9:12 PM amtrak
9:22 PM mnr 11:13 PM 111 THROUGH TRAIN OFF PEAK 10:22 PM mnr
11:35 PM mnr
12:35 AM amtrak

What if Normandy had failed ?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2013/06/14/what-fortune-didnt-tell-you-in-its-linkedin-cover-story/

Interesting list….
http://lifehacker.com/five-best-online-backup-services-1006345049

Cancer Risk Increases With Height: +4-inch in height => +13% in risk for developing any #cancer
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/cancer-risk-increases-with-height #health via @nytimes

QT:”
They found that for every 4-inch change in height, there was a 13 percent increase in risk for developing any type of cancer. The cancers most strongly associated with height were cancers of the kidney, rectum, thyroid and blood. Risk for those cancers increased by 23 to 29 percent for every 4-inch increase in height.
“

Here’s What Happens When You Light a Fire in #Space: flame doesn’t go up & you can get cool flames
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/06/heres-what-happens-when-you-light-a-fire-in-space/276950 via @TheAtlantic

How to make a decent cup of tea, following George #Orwell: #tea must be infused with boiling, not just hot, water
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2011/01/how_to_make_a_decent_cup_of_tea.html

QT:”
But ground beans are heavier and denser, and in any case many good coffees require water that is just fractionally off the boil. Whereas tea is a herb (or an herb if you insist) that has been thoroughly dried. In order for it to release its innate qualities, it requires to be infused. And an infusion, by definition, needs the water to be boiling when it hits the tea. Grasp only this, and you hold the root of the matter.
“

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/42s-rpn-calculator/id301525577?mt=8