big teddy
  • Jun
    23
    Fun with Science
    by mike at 1:09pm

    Today I was listening to Science Friday on NPR and they were having a discussion about embryonics and restoring neural pathways to cure paralysis. Suddenly the guest was talking about proteins and growth agents needed and one was called “Sonic Hedgehog”

    SonicSonic Hedgehog??? what is that?

    I was utterly convinced that I either misheard or the guest was pulling one over the unsuspecting audience. But apparently not.   There seems to be a class of genes called “hedgehog” genes found in fruit fly embryoes, which are covered in pointy bumps.   In mammals there are three equivalents the desert hedgehog, the indian hedgehog and the sonic hedgehog.

    Who knew geneticists were so silly?

    BTW there’s also the tiggywingkle hedgehog in zebrafish.

  • Jun
    16
    I love the smell of sawdust in the morning.
    by mike at 10:09am

    Pinewood
    So I still remember as a kid going to the pinewood derby workshops where we would build our cars for the upcoming race. Ah the smell of sawdust as we cut out the shapes on the band saw, the bubbling lead used to get back to regulation weight .

    And the victory of winning. That’s right I had the joy of being the winner of our pack’s Pinewood derby one year. Unfortunately I had to send a proxy to run my car at the regional competition because I had to be somewhere else.

    But sweet memories to be relived. Apparently there’s going to be a pinewood derby fundraiser in early August. Time to bust out the bandsaw and paint

  • May
    17
    Holy Crap
    by mike at 9:00pm

    Tyler (scroll down) won the amazing race.

    Very cool!

  • May
    08
    Tivover?
    by mike at 9:59pm

    So today on Slashdot someone posted a story about Cox Communications doing some surveying of satellite customers wondering if Cox offered Tivo service whether they’d switch from satellite to cable.
    Perhaps the most “uh duh” comment posted was this gem:

    Cox is more interested in getting folks to switch from satellite to cable than they are in replacing their current DVRs with TiVos.

    In case someone didn’t realize it the only way for cable operators to get more customers is to A. Buy more cable systems B. Move people from satellite. Granted the companies can make more money by increasing premium services such as DVR services, but this revenue stream already exists. Now that DirectTV has moved away from Tivo with it’s adoring fans then implementing Tivo software on thier DVR’s can be a real switching point.

    Interestingly, as much as Tivo opened the door to the DVR revolution, what distinguishes their product isn’t their hardware but their software. I think most in the cable industry see Tivo running a race against time. As a hardware product Tivo is no longer that viable. It’s got zero IP protection and it adds an additional box to an already cluttered home entertainment center.

    Their UI however is brilliant. I have friends who appreciate the integrated DVR from Comcast at home who have threatened to go back to the Tivo simply because it’s so easy to use. This may be what Tivo’s business model turns into, Developing the premier software for DVRs. Maybe the service model by taking a bit from the cable operators. Hey it ain’t all roses but at least they can keep their niche.

  • May
    02
    so true
    by mike at 3:37pm

    Immigrant Day