There is real poetry in the real world ...

... science is the poetry of reality

Dawkins, Sagan, Myers, Feynman, ...



This is the best one from a series of 5 and hopefully many more will be made!!
I trully love this one, the other ones are super too!!

via PZ

By the way..

.. I GRADUATED, with "een grote onderscheiding" (magna cum laude aka with great honor),
mostly because of the dissertation, i got 17/20 on it wich is pretty good.
Anyway: YAY
Anybody got a job for me? :-)
I'm an envrionmental biologist, specialised in environment, did my dissertation on protist colonisation (Testate Amoebae) and i'm interested in doing:
research, communication, working with cradle to cradle, ..
Most important is that i'm helping in bringing the world closer to a healthy and sustainable place!

Interesting books to read..

i've been planning for a while to put up a list here with interesting books, with a short review.
No time now but here's a few important ones, i'll give more info at a later time:
"The New Peoplemaking" by Virginia Satir
"The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins
"Biomimicry" by Janine Benyus
"Cradle to Cradle" by William McDonough & Michael Braungart
and many many more,
the reason i'm putting up this post right now is that PZ got a booklist meme up a day ago or so, and that's a post i'll want to go back to when i'm expanding the series of post about books i'm planning to make here.
Here's PZ's post.

Have fun and read read read!

...from a wonderful movie.

Here's a strange news article..
about a garden gnome that gets stolen, travels all around the world and is then brought back with pictures to prove it..
A cool idea, but certainly not new,
it surprises me the article doesn't mention the movie:
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain
(imdb, wikipedia (obviously already mentions this news feat))
A wonderful and truly inspiring movie, i'm glad someone did the gnome thing!

Good night!

The bloggnome is no longer fighting disasters alone!!

Beware, for i have help now!!

Need help to keep a commitment?

Everybody has a price ...and if you make a contract with Stickk, you'll pay that price if you fail!
Maybe if i have a little more selfdiscipline, i'll try it ;-)

It's easier to be an asshole to words than to people

I've done it, especially when things get a bit emotional, losing touch with reality because of words on a screen and what i made of them in my mind, and i'm sorry!

so as usual, xkcd is right

INTERNET ARGUMENT


Please keep in mind you're dealing with real people.

from: http://xkcd.com/438/

What does an adversity mean to you ??

Well to Napoleon Hill it means this:
"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." – Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
And if I can give you one advice about your mental attitude, it is to incorporate this advice into your character.
I've been working on it for at least half a year now, it's not easy but holds tremendous power when used!
So in stead of tossing and turning and getting upset about spontaneously waking up at half past 4, when i'm trying t get enough sleep to stay awake during studying, i'm using this time to post this here (and satisfy my evergrowing group of fans ;-)), send a few important emails, and come back here to post at least 1 cool thing!
So dear friends, stay tuned, be delighted, and find the good in every bad!

Happy ending!

May everyone have a happy ending..



Of course the ending preferably later than sooner, the happiness right now, and now, and now, and now, ... every now!

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.
– Cherokee Expression

back to work ;)

Giving more power to the people

This one comes from the free Public Service adds i'm letting google put on top of my blog.
http://solar-aid.org/



I'm not (yet) absolutely enthousiastic about this one because i'm unsure if the efficiency and durabillity of solar cells already outweigh the cost and pollution that are unavoidable in their production. But if so, I say: GO FOR IT, we really need to stop putting things on fire all around the world.

Giving power to the people

electrical power from something that looks like a yoyo
This makes me wonder if there are fitness centers who save on their electrical bill by using the "wasted" energy of their customers? Anyone?

Oh no, it's the apocalypse ...

http://www.viruscomix.com/page433.html

Somehow, this kind of apocalypse doesn't look so bad..
via PZ

AdSense

Hmmm, blogger has been telling me i can make money with my blog if i put banners on it, being curious by nature (and facing a huge mortage) i clicked on it, and for now, as long as i don't really register, "non-commercial" ads are being shown..
I don't make any money of it, but a seemingly worthy cause is drawing attention to itself .. not a bad thing i think!
Let's try it for a while.

Early morning math! A game theoretic approach to the toilet seat problem.

If you ever find a woman who will agree with the following (really agrees and not just pretends and makes you pay for it in many other ways), let me know!

Necessary disclaimer: I said "agree" not "understand", I know many intelligent women and some of those are even way more intelligent than I am, understanding it is not the issue here. This is really not about intelligence nor is it about logic.

A GAME THEORETIC APPROACH TO THE TOILET SEAT PROBLEM
By Richard Harter

from The Science Creative Quarterly

The toilet seat problem has been the subject of much controversey. In this paper we consider a simplified model of the toilet seat problem. We shall show that for this model there is an inherent conflict of interest which can be resolved by a equity solution.

Consider a bathroom with one omnipurpose toilet (also known as a WC) which is used for two toilet operations which we shall designate as #1 and #2. The toilet has an attachment which we shall refer to as the seat (but see remark 1 below) which may be in either of two positions which we shall designate as up and down.

Toilet operations are performed by members of the human species (see remark 2 below) who fall into two categories, popularly designated as male and female. For convenience we shall use the name John to refer to the typical male and Marsha to refer to the typical female.

The performance of toilet operations by John and Marsha differ in a number of respects. The costs of these operations are peculiar to the respective sexes and are fixed except with respect to the position of the toilet seat. In particular:

Marsha performs toilet operations #1 and #2 with the seat in the down position. John performs toilet operation #1 with the seat in the up position and toilet operation #2 with the seat in the down position. If the seat is in the wrong position before performing the toilet operation the position must be changed at an average cost C. Optionally the position may be changed after performing the toilet operation, also at an average cost C. (Changing the position of the seat during the performance of a toilet operation is beyond the scope of this note and is definitely not recommended.)

Consider the scenario where John and Marsha each use a separate toilet. It should be obvious to the most casual observer that each minimizes the seat position transfer cost by not altering the seat position after performing a toilet operation.

For Marsha the seat position transfer cost is 0 since all operations are performed with the seat in the down position. For John the cost is greater than 0 since seat position transfers must be performed.

Let p be the probability that John will perform a #1 operation vs a #2 operation. Assume that John optimizes his seat position transfer cost (see remark 3 below.) Then it is easy to determine that John’s average cost of seat position transfer per toilet opeation is

B = 2p(1-p)C

where B is the bachelor cost of toilet seat position transfers per toilet operation.

Now let us consider the scenario where John and Marsha cohabit and both use the same toilet. In our analysis we shall assume that John and Marsha perform toilet operations with the same frequency (see remark 4 below) and that the order in which they perform them is random. They discover to their mutual displeasure that their cohabitation adversely alters the toilet seat position transfer cost function for each of them. What is more there is an inherent conflict of interest. Attempts to resolve the problem typically revolve around two strategies which we shall designate as J and M

Strategy J
Each person retains the default strategy that they used before cohabiting. This strategy is proposed by John with the argument “Why does it matter if the seat is up or down?”. As we see below this strategy benefits John.

Strategy M
Each person leaves the seat down. This strategy is proposed by Marsha with the argument “It ought to be down.” As we see below this strategy benefits Marsha.

Consequences of strategy J:
Under strategy J the toilet seat is is in the up position with probability p/2. The respective average cost of toilet seat transfer operations for John and Marsha are:

John: p(3/2-p)C
Marsha: pC/2

The incremental costs (difference between pre and post habitation costs) are:

John: ( p - 1/2)pC
Marsha: pC/2
Total: (p^2)C

John’s incremental cost would actually be negative if p were less than 1/2. This is not the case; p>1/2. Note that Marsha’s incremental cost is greater than John’s for p<1. Marsha objects.

Consequences of strategy M:
In strategy M the seat is always left down. When John performs operation #1 he lifts the seat before the operation and lowers it after the operation. The respective average cost of toilet seat transfer operations is:

John: 2pC
Marsha: 0

The incremental costs are:

John: 2(p^2)C
Marsha: 0
Total: 2(p^2)C

In these strategy Marsha bears no cost; all of the incremental costs are borne by John. John objects. Note also that the combined incremental cost of strategy M is greater than that of strategy J.

It is notable that John and Marsha each advocates a strategy that benefits them. This is predictable under game theory. However the conflict over strategies has a cost M in marital discord that is greater than the cumulative cost of toilet seat transfers. It behooves John and Marsha, therefore, to adopt a strategy that minimizes M.

This is not simple. A common reaction is to advance sundry arguments to justify adopting strategy M or J. All such arguments are suspect because they are self serving (and often accompanied with the “If you loved me” ploy.) A sound strategy is one that is equitable and is seen to be equitable. In this regard there are three candidate criteria:

(1) Minimize the joint total cost
(2) Equalize the respective total costs
(3) Equalize the respective incremental costs

The argument for (1) is that John and Marsha are now as one and it is the joint costs and benefits of the union that should be considered. This principle is not universally accepted. It is readily seen that (see remark 5) that the joint total cost is optimized by strategy J which has already been seen to be suspect.

Criterion (2) seems plausible. It requires, however, that Marsha put the seat in the up position after performing a toilet operation some percentage of the time. No instance of this behaviour has ever been observed in recorded history; ergo this criterion can be ruled out. (But see remark 6.)

Criterion (3) argues that the mututal increased cost of toilet seat operations should be shared equitably, i.e., neither party should bear a disproportionate share of the costs of cohabitation. A short calculation reveals that criterion (3) can be achieved if John leaves the seat up after performing toilet operation #1 with a frequency

f = (2p-1)/p

Since the value of p is seldom precisely measured and is variable in any event it suffices to use an approximate value of f. If we assume that p=2/3 then f=1/2. This suggests the following convenient rule of thumb:

In the morning John leaves the seat up after performing #1.
In the evening he puts it down.

This rule may not be precise but it is simple and approximately equitable; moreover the use of a definite rule sets expectations. The seat is put down in the evening to avoid the notorious “middle of the night surprise”.

I expect that this analysis should settle the toilet seat controversey for once and for all - if John and Marsha are mathematicians.

* * *

Remark 1: The toilet has an additional attachment called the toilet seat lid which can only be down if the toilet seat is down. When the lid is down the toilet is (or should be) non-functional for toilet operations. Some persons maintain the toilet seat lid in the down position when the toilet is not use. For these persons the analysis in this note is moot. Such persons pay a fixed cost in seat movement for all toilet operations.

Remark 2: Toilets are also used by domestic animals as a convenient source of drinking water unless the lid is down. (See remark 1)

Remark 3: Experimental evidence suggests that almost all bachelors optimize the seat transfer cost, the exception being those who put the seat up after performing a #2 operation.

Remark 4: Folklore has it that Marsha performs more toilet operations than John, hypothetically because of a smaller bladder. John, however, drinks more beer. We shall not discuss his prostate problem.

Remark 5: “Readily seen” in this context means “It looks obvious but I don’t know how to prove it; you figure it out.”

Remark 6: The toilet lid solution is to put the toilet lid down after all toilet operations. This solution imposes a cost of 2C on each party and is accordingly more expensive. It is, however, more esthetic. It also eliminates the “doggy drinking” problem.

* * *

(REPRINTED FROM ISSUE ONE, MAY 23rd, 2005)

Richard Harter is an eclectic auto-didact, a man of letters and software. By turns a mathematician, a software maven, and an entrepeneur, he has retired to the wilds where he tends his garden and his web site. He has a keen interest in science, the philosophy of science, and science fiction, and professes to have the wit not to confuse the three

Old forests are cut down and turned into toilet paper ...

... and still all the toilets are always out of paper ...
this and many other sad or silly stuff are things we all complain about sooner or later in this amazing life.
Some of the complaints are absolutely justified and should really be dealt with, but in the mean time, why not make a song about it?
I just love the concept :)
PZ links to this: The Helsinki Complaints Choir

It's not an all to new concept (a few years at least), but it's the first time (that i can remember) that i encoutered something like this.
First i thought that maybe it was a 'normal' song in finnish and that someone had placed clever subtitles underneath it, with a different meaning (who would notice but the Finnians?)
But apparently they really are a 'complaint choir' and there are others:
Birmingham:

Canada:

and even more but you'll have to look for them yourselves
(post them in the commments if you want)
have a nice day!

Newest playlist additions meme

Nickelback has a new cd out there, "All the right reasons", you can see a few of the vid's on their site
"If everyone cared" is somewhat in the same area as "The world is on fire"
which i've already mentioned twice, here and here
it's not just about nice chords (but they help), an important or strong message in a song is what really convinces me

the other music video's are also nice, go check 'em out,
"Far Away" (love is important, and so is putting out forest fires)
"Savin'me" (just a real cool idea for a musicvideo)
"Photograph" (i like photographs)

Genuine beauty ...

... lies within
Evolution by Dove

Tha joy of givin'

The world isn't just on fire...
www.worldonfire.ca
(yes i know it's a repost, but oh so important)
...here's a very nice initiative that can help you help en feel GOOOD ;)
www.feelgoodgift.be
here's my page for giving me a feelgoodgift
I must admit it's a strange feeling, deciding you don't need all those expensive computer accessories or that cool piece of high tech outdoor equipment...
But as i've been taught in enviromental economics (and even more so in real life), wealth creates happiness, but only up to a certain level, happiness comes from other people, altruism etc...

Like this months qoute from "Movement without a name" (Bond zonder naam dus :))
The most important things can't be bought with money (accompanied with little pictures of hearts)!

and I need a hug

it might not be possible with the one person I have in mind,
but if I'm not mistaken it's a biological fact that just hugging anyone can help!
And let's face it, everybody needs one from time to time :)
mine are absolutely free by the way and apparently so are Juan Mann's
enjoy!


and just typing "free hugs" @ google may just give you a whole lot a links,
some of them even to somewhere nearby

Goed beginnen, is goed begonnen.

Voila, blog opgestart, momenteel geen tijd om veel te typen,
want naar het schijnt heb ik morgen een examen af te leggen.
Wat me gemotiveerd heeft om na de vele maanden van 'geen tijd nu' is het volgende:
www.worldonfire.ca,
als dat je geheel onverschillig laat, blijf hier dan maar ineens weg.

While typing the above I also realised I was typing in dutch ... ok, 99.4% of the people that mean anything to me or are going to read anything at all around here, do understand dutch (or is it flemish). But somewhere in the fase where I was planning/dreaming about blogging I kinda decided on writing in English, not 'just in case' but as a practical tool for improving my English writing.

ANYway, what finally started this blog is the link that can be found above, if it doesn't touch you at all, you might as well stay away from here, or explain yourself further, it might prove te be an interesting debate..

And now on to the syllabus of animal ecophysiology, 26 hours to the exam, and counting ..