Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Mysteries and Mayhem
Reading great books (thrillers, pulitzer winners, lit, science history, etc), studying Calculus and Analytical Chem, buying gifts, eating great food, training to climb an amazing route, Badman (my page can be found on www.mountainproject.com, search for Badman, Smith), climbing a bunch of other amazing stuff in the meantime, and working very hard in the lab, which is satisfying. I also built a cat house last night (made from the last remaining wood from the truck wood supply). Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas.
Friday, December 4, 2009
I heard a joke yesterday...
Q: What do you call a guy who was rejected for entry to medical school?
A: Sean Ferrell
____
The day after finding out that you are second rate is more difficult than the first. I harbor the deepest desire that something very heavy and preferably jagged will fall on me.
With numbers, both gpa and mcat, higher or meeting accepted students' averages, a couple hundred hours of direct patient contact, and a year and a half in private sector research, it must have come down to the interview; I failed.
A: Sean Ferrell
____
The day after finding out that you are second rate is more difficult than the first. I harbor the deepest desire that something very heavy and preferably jagged will fall on me.
With numbers, both gpa and mcat, higher or meeting accepted students' averages, a couple hundred hours of direct patient contact, and a year and a half in private sector research, it must have come down to the interview; I failed.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
couple of movie picks
Management -
Recently to DVD, this movie with Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston sat surprisingly well with me. The plot is built mainly on unrequited love (the definition of unrequited is not returned or reciprocated), and I was sure it would feel Wonder-Years-awkward. Not so. There are a few great jokes, but the strength of it is in its originality. The characters are believable beings doing unbelievable things. Their behavior is close enough to the way we typically behave that it seems all the more paranormal. Be warned, I liked this movie, but I think most of you will find it somewhere in the vicinity of dullsville.
Proof -
Proof was based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play about a brilliant mathemetician forced to watch his mind fall apart... and his daughter. The cast is strong: Anthony Hopkins plays said mathematician, Gwyneth Paltrow plays the daughter, and Jake Gyllenhall plays her friend. Don't read anything else about it before you see it - in the style we have come to expect from challenging theatre, this thing will have you guessing, and that is a huge part of what is fun about it. Thankfully, we are seeing more of this kind of film, ie: Doubt. Be careful what you assume.
Hope Davis plays her role brilliantly as the list-writing nazi older sister. If she wasn't such an effective villian, I would shower more praise. Hopkins embodies madness fantastically, and Paltrow makes us dance like puppets with her performance.
I have always been an introspective thinker - I love sitting down and working on something hard for days at a time. In the same way that comics and adventure movies and books are exciting, I loved this film because I was able to enter the film and be superhuman, along with the characters.
Recently to DVD, this movie with Steve Zahn and Jennifer Aniston sat surprisingly well with me. The plot is built mainly on unrequited love (the definition of unrequited is not returned or reciprocated), and I was sure it would feel Wonder-Years-awkward. Not so. There are a few great jokes, but the strength of it is in its originality. The characters are believable beings doing unbelievable things. Their behavior is close enough to the way we typically behave that it seems all the more paranormal. Be warned, I liked this movie, but I think most of you will find it somewhere in the vicinity of dullsville.
Proof -
Proof was based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play about a brilliant mathemetician forced to watch his mind fall apart... and his daughter. The cast is strong: Anthony Hopkins plays said mathematician, Gwyneth Paltrow plays the daughter, and Jake Gyllenhall plays her friend. Don't read anything else about it before you see it - in the style we have come to expect from challenging theatre, this thing will have you guessing, and that is a huge part of what is fun about it. Thankfully, we are seeing more of this kind of film, ie: Doubt. Be careful what you assume.
Hope Davis plays her role brilliantly as the list-writing nazi older sister. If she wasn't such an effective villian, I would shower more praise. Hopkins embodies madness fantastically, and Paltrow makes us dance like puppets with her performance.
I have always been an introspective thinker - I love sitting down and working on something hard for days at a time. In the same way that comics and adventure movies and books are exciting, I loved this film because I was able to enter the film and be superhuman, along with the characters.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
great books ive read lately
Sustainable Urbanism
Urban Design with Nature
by Douglas Farr
Ive never been all that big on the whole "let's change society by tearing down what we have and rebuilding it in this awesome way". Sure, it would be great if we could tear down everything and rebuild it in a more responsible fashion, but who has the money for that? How practical do they think this idea is? I came across a lot of this when studying modernism. In laying out a case for sustainable urbanism as the way to transform the health of americans and reduce CO2 emissions, however, this book also describes reasonable individual choices in contemporary America.
In terms of all of my opportunities to influence the way in which new communities are built, this book doesnt mean much to me. But it has reinforced a lot of ideas that I have about the way to set up my life. Live close to everything you need on a daily basis. Walk, bike, or ride the bus to everything that you can. I've always tried to live this way. The effect on my life is that I have had to spend little time commuting (which has left me a lot mroe time to work), have been healthier, and have spent more time outside. This book may not have the effect that it would like (to rip apart the buildings in which I live and work, and rebuild them), but it does present a lot of great ways to live more responsibly.
What Do You Care What Other People Think
Richard Feynman
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Richard Feynman
Another couple of great books about and by Feynman. This man is really changing my life. I have started studying calculus for fun, and observing, listening. Look on youtube for videos of Feynman - I had no idea how powerful his voice was. Once you hear his voice, it will come out of his writing.
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace
Still working on this one. I'm really starting to worry about Hal.
Better
Atul Gawande
A sensitively written book by a general surgeon about difficult moral issues facing medicine today. Gawande's great investigative mind shows us the inner workings of things like: Who are the doctors responsible for executions? How much should doctors be paid? Malpractice - WTF? and many more. It's another in the series of books I'm reading to get an idea of what I'm getting myself into. Happily, the effect is that I get more excited the more I learn. Next up, Complications, by the same author, and If I can find it, Notes from a Country Doctor, by Mikhail something.
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
This book never gets old. I spent a great weekend reading it, and have been thinking about it since. My favorite thing was someting he said in a relatively new introduction. As a child, he felt out of control, and disrespected. He always felt that people undersestimated him, and thought little of his intellect, despite his being as aware (or more) as the adults around him. I felt similarly as a child, which might explain why Ender's Game has always been more to me than an action story.
The Voyage of the Beagle
Charles Darwin
Everyone, at some point, should pick up this book and read some of Darwin's observations. This was a scientist. The guy was brilliant. With the exception of maybe Piaget, I know of no one who comes close to having the kind of observational power that Darwin had. Feynman tells you to observe, Darwin shows you how.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Wish Steve Davis a happy birthday on Halloween.
Urban Design with Nature
by Douglas Farr
Ive never been all that big on the whole "let's change society by tearing down what we have and rebuilding it in this awesome way". Sure, it would be great if we could tear down everything and rebuild it in a more responsible fashion, but who has the money for that? How practical do they think this idea is? I came across a lot of this when studying modernism. In laying out a case for sustainable urbanism as the way to transform the health of americans and reduce CO2 emissions, however, this book also describes reasonable individual choices in contemporary America.
In terms of all of my opportunities to influence the way in which new communities are built, this book doesnt mean much to me. But it has reinforced a lot of ideas that I have about the way to set up my life. Live close to everything you need on a daily basis. Walk, bike, or ride the bus to everything that you can. I've always tried to live this way. The effect on my life is that I have had to spend little time commuting (which has left me a lot mroe time to work), have been healthier, and have spent more time outside. This book may not have the effect that it would like (to rip apart the buildings in which I live and work, and rebuild them), but it does present a lot of great ways to live more responsibly.
What Do You Care What Other People Think
Richard Feynman
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
Richard Feynman
Another couple of great books about and by Feynman. This man is really changing my life. I have started studying calculus for fun, and observing, listening. Look on youtube for videos of Feynman - I had no idea how powerful his voice was. Once you hear his voice, it will come out of his writing.
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace
Still working on this one. I'm really starting to worry about Hal.
Better
Atul Gawande
A sensitively written book by a general surgeon about difficult moral issues facing medicine today. Gawande's great investigative mind shows us the inner workings of things like: Who are the doctors responsible for executions? How much should doctors be paid? Malpractice - WTF? and many more. It's another in the series of books I'm reading to get an idea of what I'm getting myself into. Happily, the effect is that I get more excited the more I learn. Next up, Complications, by the same author, and If I can find it, Notes from a Country Doctor, by Mikhail something.
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
This book never gets old. I spent a great weekend reading it, and have been thinking about it since. My favorite thing was someting he said in a relatively new introduction. As a child, he felt out of control, and disrespected. He always felt that people undersestimated him, and thought little of his intellect, despite his being as aware (or more) as the adults around him. I felt similarly as a child, which might explain why Ender's Game has always been more to me than an action story.
The Voyage of the Beagle
Charles Darwin
Everyone, at some point, should pick up this book and read some of Darwin's observations. This was a scientist. The guy was brilliant. With the exception of maybe Piaget, I know of no one who comes close to having the kind of observational power that Darwin had. Feynman tells you to observe, Darwin shows you how.
Hope everyone has a good weekend. Wish Steve Davis a happy birthday on Halloween.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thoughts on Meditation
A few months ago, Kara and I watched a documentary on brain function. One of the sections was discussing the brain when it was considering specific thoughts, ie.: compassion. Monks, who are masters of focused thought, were brought in and asked to concentrate on specific ideas. One of the monks was engaged in interview, and said, in answer to something like, 'What does meditation do for you?' The monk was taken aback by the question, but then his eyes set as he began to think how to respond. He said, 'If others could feel that peace...' He was overwhelmed, and his eyes began to water, '... I wish everyone could feel this way. If everyone could, the world would suffer so much less.' I, too, was overwhelmed when I saw this. I have found this state only rarely, but I knew what he meant. To be able to enter it, at will, was extraordinary to me.
I was reminded of this by this talk, by Jill Bolte Taylor. Her description of the nirvana that she experienced was strikingly similar to the monk's, and her desire, that everyone experience the same peace, was the same. Are the monks limiting activity in the left side of their brains when they meditate? In Bolte-Taylor's description, the right side is the "present", only. The left side is planning, retrospection, and judgment. Being released from the left side of the brain means a release from all the pressures and realities of life. Or maybe that release opens a window into the truth. In the words of my master, "Luminous beings are we, not this crude flesh." I wonder if this is a physiologically reasonable explanation for brain activity during meditation. How to test it?
I was reminded of this by this talk, by Jill Bolte Taylor. Her description of the nirvana that she experienced was strikingly similar to the monk's, and her desire, that everyone experience the same peace, was the same. Are the monks limiting activity in the left side of their brains when they meditate? In Bolte-Taylor's description, the right side is the "present", only. The left side is planning, retrospection, and judgment. Being released from the left side of the brain means a release from all the pressures and realities of life. Or maybe that release opens a window into the truth. In the words of my master, "Luminous beings are we, not this crude flesh." I wonder if this is a physiologically reasonable explanation for brain activity during meditation. How to test it?
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