Stanford Steve is the coolest

Reading ars technica today, I saw an article entitled “New form of entanglement plays with time and energy.” It sounded cool and important, from what I could understand. I skimmed the article, then I clicked on the link to the paper in Physical Review Letters and what did I find? The article was talking about work done by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Steve Sensarn. I’m blown away by the caliber of Steve’s work and the fact that a prominent site like ars would cover the research. Congratulations to Steve! Time to step my game up and do something magazine-worthy

Does Ringling Bros really hurt elephants?

PETA is on campus this week, and as I was walking to lunch I saw a cute company van featuring an elephant painted across the visible surface. On the passenger side was the slogan, “RINGLING BEATS ELEPHANTS.”

Ringling Beats Elephants - PETA van

My immediate reaction was, “how else would you control a 5 ton beast?” which is, of course, an insensitive joke; however, the reasoning stands. Elephants are too dangerous to roam freely around people. The much smaller, notoriously docile bovine don’t even wander without restraints (fences, cages, leashes, etc.). Wild animals must be approached cautiously and humanely controlled.

So, with no more than three words and my own imagination I believe PETA’s complaint is either excessive violence or the larger idea that elephants should not be caged at all. As I just said, a certain level of “violence” is necessary to protect circus patrons. I can understand people being upset  excess violence. I cannot understand the idea that elephants should not be caged because that implies they should never be transported out of the wild.

Thinking about it further, I’m not sure I understand the controversy. I personally believe that elephants are wonderful, peaceful creatures. This opinion was formed, largely, by favorable depictions from the circus. My respect for the animal helps reinforce my distaste for ivory or anything that would harm the graceful giants. Ringling has helped many people appreciate pachyderms! I don’t endorse beating elephants, but doesn’t the circus create a net positive? Ringling Bros may hurt elephants in the short term, but they have helped elephants in the long term. Wouldn’t the effort be better spent stopping people that are killing elephants (e.g., poachers)?

Do you agree? Am I missing something?

Anyone interested in a Clicker invite?

I recently got accepted to the Clicker.com beta. Clicker is a promising way to watch TV online, through a single portal. In their words:

What is Clicker?

Clicker is the complete guide to Internet Television. Our mission is to make it simple for you to find the right show, right now.

As massive amounts of programming move online, consumers entering a world of infinite choices, all on-demand. Great! Finding the show you want to watch? Painful. Thousands of episodes from thousands of shows are housed on thousands of different sites, mixed among billions of random clips and videos.

Clicker catalogs all broadcast programming online, along with TV-quality Web originals, from these silos and delivers them in one seamless, organized experience so you can easily discover what’s available to watch (and what isn’t) online, where to watch it, and what’s worth watching.

I’m lucky enough to have five invitations to share, so if you’re interested follow the link and sign up: http://www.clicker.com/invite/Z4LwmGGNN71Cp8OO0QKw7w (first come, first served)

May Clicker succeed in their mission and help reforge television!

Fixie: The Black Sheep of Bikes

After I started riding my bike more often, I got interested in bike culture. I’ve talked to seasoned UT cyclists learning best routes, safety tips, how to maintain a bike, how to stay warm/cool, etc. One of my favorite topics has been the fixie. The fixie, or fixed-gear bicycle is something of an anomaly. Fixies do not have “speeds” like the ubiquitous childhood 10-speed; instead, fixies are single-speed bikes that directly tie pedal rotations to tire rotations. If your tires are moving, so are your pedals. So much for coasting!  Most fixies do not have brakes–not even coaster brakes like your old BMX bike! A fixie rider has to stop the bike by resisting the pedals. By avoiding modern technology, fixies are the black sheep of bikes.

Below is a picture of a typical fixie. There are a few things to notice

1. the lack of gears and a tight chain
2. the colored wheels
3. the thin, custom handlebars
4. somewhat flashy, although aesthetically pleasing

A typical fixie

Please see Wired’s article on five inexplicable fixie trends for more ways to identify a fixie.

Fixies seems to have risen to prominence in New York City where crazy bicycle messengers would deftly maneuver through traffic en route to deliveries. Other big cities followed suit and a cult of cool was spawned: if you didn’t ride a fixie, you weren’t hardcore.

Fixed-gear cycling is said to be the most intense experience one can have with the road, and the bicycle is incredibly easy to maintain because it is so simple. Opponents point out that this style of riding is hard on the body, particularly the knees, and generally dumb because 1) brakes are incredibly useful, especially in the city, and 2) gears are incredibly useful, especially in a hilly city where speed and effort need to be modulated quickly.

You see quite a few fixies in Austin, generally ridden by hipsters. I’ll unscientifically say they’re 1/4 bikes I see ridden (while the absolute number of fixed-gear bicycles is small, fixie riders use their bikes a lot so you see more of them as a percentage). Originally, I thought the fixed-gear bicycle was just a fad, but the ridership is still strong.

In case you’re wondering why anyone would ever ride a fixie, here are a few videos that demonstrate the true power of fixies (hint: none of these videos take place on the drag):

Or the more graceful, feminine bicycle ballerinas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48C_KHwt53c and the bicycle ballerina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxV1X5EzfCA

What do you think? Would you ride a fixie? Do you already? Are they a good-for-nothing trend or the ultimate bike experience? Perhaps both?

Do you have something in your teeth?

Chances are, you don’t know if you have something in your teeth because no one will tell you. It’s embarrassing. It’s intimate. It’s real.

If you do not have a friend who will tell you that you have something in your teeth, get one. If you will not return the courtesy to your good friends, change! Life is greatly enriched by deep social interactions.

Thanks to all my friends who treat me with respect, fairness, and honesty–my teeth would not be so clean without you all