On Happiness

"If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad; if it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?" - Sheryl Crow

"No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, which is the good he seeks." - Mary Wollstonecraft

Free item exchange in laundry room

An interesting and organic thing has happened to the extra shelf-space (or the clothes folding shelf?) in the laundry room at my apartment. I think it began before I moved in, but one afternoon I noticed someone left a stack of books, a small whiteboard, some plates and a pot there. It certainly didn't seem like anyone was planning to come back for them. I took some of the books that looked interesting. At later times I would go back there and notice all manner of things- kitchen appliances, flatware, cd-cases, etc. It was apparently somewhere people left things they did not want or could not take with them on their moves out. Now-a-days however, the selection of things is a lot more varied- and most strikingly not always in large bunches. Tonight I was there and there was only a pair of high heels, a trashy love novel, some female jeans and a sweater. Perhaps these are special things someone wanted to give away- not just give up.

I am always trying to reduce my worldly possessions, and I frequently find myself with things that are too nice to throw away, but that I really don't need or use. Now I know the perfect place where I can leave it as a free, anonymous gift to a stranger. I like to think that other people are doing the same. It is a wonderful mystery exchange that makes all parties happy and saves a lot of space in landfills.

A system like this could not have been better planned. I guess the people living here just know what to do.

Human quorum sensing

A recent microbiology blog post made me think about possible analogous quorum sensing mechanisms between human and bacterial population growth. Do humans have quorum sensing traits and will we stabilize into a stationary phase?

Childhood Angst

Found outside my apt. I believe it reads "Why?" It's a good question.

Predators in Grassland Ecosystems

The way things are going, grassland ecosystems may cease to exist. I wonder if that's troubling to this research group in terms of the relevance of their work and its longevity.

I suppose I do see the value of this, as it will be cited by the planetary terraforming company, as they are install the animal ecosystem on World 928CX00Bk7.

Seminar Poster

Here's to boatcraft

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Thought question

Is sanity linked to the desire to conform?

In insane/crazy are those with dramatically different ways of thinking that make them either unable to operate with majority society, or cause them to be ostracized to the extent which they become confined to the fringe.

Without a reasonable amount of conformity, society would never have been able to expand to support so many people. No immediate judgement on whether this has been a good or bad thing.

Only those who think outside of the box can come up with 'new' ideas, which drive our technology and cultural evolution. Pure conformists would cause total stagnation, while pure insanists would cause total destruction.

Where are you on the sliding scale?