I agree with all the praise heaped on that poster. And I love that royal purple. An awesome colour, in general.
Tinypliny's Journal
My Podcast Link
06/01/2011 16:43 #54397
e:matthew, did you see this?Category: the odes
06/01/2011 11:35 #54395
Stretching EverydayCategory: dance
I now think stretching is the key to being fit. Every element of ballet and yoga that make me feel awesome about myself involve stretching in some form. I think this post summarizes the value of stretching: 
Also has this nifty basic stretches diagram:
What if you used every small timespan of just twiddling your thumbs to stretch a muscle instead? How many stretches could you accumulate in a day? How much fitness would you gain? What if you stretched whenever you remembered to throughout the week, throughout the month, pretty much whenever it was feasible? Would it make a difference to your body?
I am going to find out!! Mid-year resolution #1!
Also has this nifty basic stretches diagram:
What if you used every small timespan of just twiddling your thumbs to stretch a muscle instead? How many stretches could you accumulate in a day? How much fitness would you gain? What if you stretched whenever you remembered to throughout the week, throughout the month, pretty much whenever it was feasible? Would it make a difference to your body?
I am going to find out!! Mid-year resolution #1!
libertad - 06/02/11 06:49
She is a trainer that specializes in motivational interviewing, she is doing the stretching as a side thing.
She is a trainer that specializes in motivational interviewing, she is doing the stretching as a side thing.
heidi - 06/01/11 22:29
Unlimited summer yoga passes now to Aug. 31 $70!!! :::link::: I already got mine. I am committing myself to one yoga class each week during bar review. Wednesdays are most likely but there's one Tuesday nights that looks like it might be an okay alternative.
Unlimited summer yoga passes now to Aug. 31 $70!!! :::link::: I already got mine. I am committing myself to one yoga class each week during bar review. Wednesdays are most likely but there's one Tuesday nights that looks like it might be an okay alternative.
tinypliny - 06/01/11 20:04
They have a PhD for physical trainers? Why am I not doing such a cool PhD programme?!
They have a PhD for physical trainers? Why am I not doing such a cool PhD programme?!
libertad - 06/01/11 19:52
It was just me and someone else from my office with the PHD trainer they hired, it really did seem helpful to do that this morning. We did it in the short period of time when we get there and when the phone lines open. She is hoping to do this twice a week with a couple people each time.
It was just me and someone else from my office with the PHD trainer they hired, it really did seem helpful to do that this morning. We did it in the short period of time when we get there and when the phone lines open. She is hoping to do this twice a week with a couple people each time.
tinypliny - 06/01/11 18:52
Unfortunately, no :( I have too much on my mind... I don't think I can afford the 1.5 hour today. I am promising myself that I will go regularly from next week till the end of summer...
Unfortunately, no :( I have too much on my mind... I don't think I can afford the 1.5 hour today. I am promising myself that I will go regularly from next week till the end of summer...
paul - 06/01/11 18:36
Speaking of stretching - are you going tonight?
Speaking of stretching - are you going tonight?
tinypliny - 06/01/11 17:40
That is funny, (e:libertad)! Was it for your office alone or for the whole institute?
That is funny, (e:libertad)! Was it for your office alone or for the whole institute?
tinypliny - 06/01/11 17:40
Well.. stretching is exercise. The best form there is! :)
Well.. stretching is exercise. The best form there is! :)
metalpeter - 06/01/11 17:37
A couple of those stretches look a lot like a couple exercises....
A couple of those stretches look a lot like a couple exercises....
libertad - 06/01/11 14:40
That's funny you wrote this today. Today at the start of my work day we went outside and did stretches and simple yoga poses. They are testing allowing us to do this a couple of times a week. We shall see how long that lasts. It was a really nice surprise this morning.
That's funny you wrote this today. Today at the start of my work day we went outside and did stretches and simple yoga poses. They are testing allowing us to do this a couple of times a week. We shall see how long that lasts. It was a really nice surprise this morning.
06/01/2011 11:20 #54394
Using e:strip to its potential...Category: e:strip
If (e:strip) is not about stalking people from my 3rd grade or shouting in clipped sentences, then what is it about for me? I just came to a conclusion that I don't use it enough or rather, I have set some artificial limits for what I want to write here. I was telling (e:Paul) that (e:strip) is like the Fedora of online technology. Why not make it the Fedora of my thoughts and life as well?
I think writing for an audience tempers all of my posts here. What if I didn't write for an audience and wrote exclusively for myself? I am going to try that experiment starting today. I want to be able to write whatever I am thinking about, whenever I am thinking about it here and include links and references in context to those thoughts along with my posts.
(e:Paul) already publishes most of his life on his journal. I think that is the true meaning of (e:strip) - to be able to come online and just document what is going on in your conscious and subconscious mind and not really worry about why you are driven to put it online. The alternate meaning of (e:strip) is to be able to electronically strip the clouds, the salt scales and the tartar away from your core thoughts and just put them here for reference and sometimes, increased clarity.
Of course, I will not put work-related writing here... That is reserved for my citation manager. :)
I think writing for an audience tempers all of my posts here. What if I didn't write for an audience and wrote exclusively for myself? I am going to try that experiment starting today. I want to be able to write whatever I am thinking about, whenever I am thinking about it here and include links and references in context to those thoughts along with my posts.
(e:Paul) already publishes most of his life on his journal. I think that is the true meaning of (e:strip) - to be able to come online and just document what is going on in your conscious and subconscious mind and not really worry about why you are driven to put it online. The alternate meaning of (e:strip) is to be able to electronically strip the clouds, the salt scales and the tartar away from your core thoughts and just put them here for reference and sometimes, increased clarity.
Of course, I will not put work-related writing here... That is reserved for my citation manager. :)
tinypliny - 06/13/11 08:05
I have decided not to worry about the non-existent audience anymore. It makes me breathe easier and just write. But now that I have made that decision, my brain is on a massive freeze and I have nothing to write about except work, which, I don't write about here! What a thing! I am hoping things will get better when I resume dancing and yoga (both of which are at an indeterminate break right now to complete dissertation and other work).
I have decided not to worry about the non-existent audience anymore. It makes me breathe easier and just write. But now that I have made that decision, my brain is on a massive freeze and I have nothing to write about except work, which, I don't write about here! What a thing! I am hoping things will get better when I resume dancing and yoga (both of which are at an indeterminate break right now to complete dissertation and other work).
uncutsaniflush - 06/13/11 00:52
I've been wrestling and rasslin' with the very same questions as you. And I've not come up with a workable solution for me.
I tried doing the "my personal I" especially about my employment at RGIS in another place :::link::: but that didn't work either.
I think I am always too concerned about my audience for my own good.
And I am too concerned about quality (even though I'm not exactly sure what that means) to be immediate and improvisatory.
Sometimes blogging feels like segfault because I'm addressing something that isn't there.
I've been wrestling and rasslin' with the very same questions as you. And I've not come up with a workable solution for me.
I tried doing the "my personal I" especially about my employment at RGIS in another place :::link::: but that didn't work either.
I think I am always too concerned about my audience for my own good.
And I am too concerned about quality (even though I'm not exactly sure what that means) to be immediate and improvisatory.
Sometimes blogging feels like segfault because I'm addressing something that isn't there.
tinypliny - 06/01/11 17:35
Heh - yes, I tried the writing stream of consciousness title that (e:paul) suggested and totally could not hit the publish button because the post was so angst-ridden and totally uncool. When I say "everything", I guess I mean random everythings and boring everythings that I often forget if I don't record them... :)
Heh - yes, I tried the writing stream of consciousness title that (e:paul) suggested and totally could not hit the publish button because the post was so angst-ridden and totally uncool. When I say "everything", I guess I mean random everythings and boring everythings that I often forget if I don't record them... :)
metalpeter - 06/01/11 17:32
That Being said Don't forget though that unless it is in private mode there will or may be a reader , this is more in terms of what you are willing to have out on the net......
That Being said Don't forget though that unless it is in private mode there will or may be a reader , this is more in terms of what you are willing to have out on the net......
06/01/2011 09:40 #54393
Claritin Vs. Benedryl: Mechanism of ActionCategory: science
(e:Paul), (e:Terry) and I were discussing the relative merits of Claritin (Loratadine) in comparison with Benedryl (Diphenhydramine) in combating symptoms of allergy. Apart from remembering that Benedryl is a 1st generation antihistamine and that Loratadine is a 2nd generation antihistamine, I was sorry to note that I remembered nothing more about their pharmacology or specifics of how they differed from each other in their mechanism of action.
What follows is a dry account of the differences. Well... maybe not so dry because I am interested. :-)
Any allergic episode has two components: the early and late component. The early component is when the immunoglobulins (type E) recognize allergens, interact with the foot-soldier cells of the immune system. This interaction promotes the release of histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes from granules within not only mast cells, but also basophils, lymphocytes, and other reservoirs. Histamine then binds to receptors on nerves and blood vessels and leads to sneezing, tearing up, congestion and whatnots. Antihistamines compete with histamine for spots on the receptor and thus competitively reduce or completely block its action.
1st generation drugs such as diphenhydramine (Benedryl) also have additional anticholinergic, anti-serotonin, local anaesthetic, as well as sedative effects that might either provide a broader spectrum of relief from allergies or might just end up giving people more side effects (which explains the trippy experience I had.)
The late component of allergy is a plain inflammation reaction in the tissues mediated by immune cells called T-helper cells type-2 (Th2) and a host of cytokines (hormones/signalling molecules of the immune system). The inflammatory component feels exactly like a cold with the same reactions. In addition, the inflammatory component primes the immune response or "sensitizes" the immune system to even swifter allergy-induction in response to future allergens.
Loratadine (Claritin) not only binds to the histamine receptor, it also prevents the release of histamine as well as prostaglandins from mast cells - thus preventing "mast cell activation". Loratadine also has some effect on Th2 cells and suppresses some of the later inflammatory phase. It decreases the production of some of the late-phase cytokines. So it's not just an antihistamine. It also has none of the other wider receptor blocking effects of 1st gen antihistamines.
If you are inclined to read the nitty-gritties or how Loratadine acts on the immune system, here's a good review:
::READ PDF::
What follows is a dry account of the differences. Well... maybe not so dry because I am interested. :-)
Any allergic episode has two components: the early and late component. The early component is when the immunoglobulins (type E) recognize allergens, interact with the foot-soldier cells of the immune system. This interaction promotes the release of histamine, prostaglandins and leukotrienes from granules within not only mast cells, but also basophils, lymphocytes, and other reservoirs. Histamine then binds to receptors on nerves and blood vessels and leads to sneezing, tearing up, congestion and whatnots. Antihistamines compete with histamine for spots on the receptor and thus competitively reduce or completely block its action.
1st generation drugs such as diphenhydramine (Benedryl) also have additional anticholinergic, anti-serotonin, local anaesthetic, as well as sedative effects that might either provide a broader spectrum of relief from allergies or might just end up giving people more side effects (which explains the trippy experience I had.)
The late component of allergy is a plain inflammation reaction in the tissues mediated by immune cells called T-helper cells type-2 (Th2) and a host of cytokines (hormones/signalling molecules of the immune system). The inflammatory component feels exactly like a cold with the same reactions. In addition, the inflammatory component primes the immune response or "sensitizes" the immune system to even swifter allergy-induction in response to future allergens.
Loratadine (Claritin) not only binds to the histamine receptor, it also prevents the release of histamine as well as prostaglandins from mast cells - thus preventing "mast cell activation". Loratadine also has some effect on Th2 cells and suppresses some of the later inflammatory phase. It decreases the production of some of the late-phase cytokines. So it's not just an antihistamine. It also has none of the other wider receptor blocking effects of 1st gen antihistamines.
If you are inclined to read the nitty-gritties or how Loratadine acts on the immune system, here's a good review:
::READ PDF::
paul - 06/01/11 18:50
I usually take Claritin for months at a time in the summer with 0 usage for Sept through April. Do you think that's bad. I actually find my allergies tend to lessen this way rather than get worse. Like you said that phase of inflammation trains the allergies for next time.
I usually take Claritin for months at a time in the summer with 0 usage for Sept through April. Do you think that's bad. I actually find my allergies tend to lessen this way rather than get worse. Like you said that phase of inflammation trains the allergies for next time.
05/29/2011 22:09 #54383
Make coffee with broken coffeemakerCategory: eating in
My coffeemaker broke LONG ago and I didn't really want to get another coffeemaker because I drink so little coffee anyway. So usually I try one of the million ways of making coffee without a coffeemaker as documented on the net by various random people whose coffeemaker has suffered a fate similar to mine or who are between broken coffeemakers or out camping or don't drink coffee but want to make coffee for their visiting in-laws etc. etc. I think I must be up to at least the 50th way of making coffee without a coffeemaker since mine broke.
Anyway, I was walking down Elmwood when I saw a Melitta coffee-making funnel in a shop window.
I have seen the funnel before but this time as I walked home, realization finally dawned that it is just a glorified version of the average coffeemaker filter basket.
I threw away my coffeemaker framework away when it stopped working but I had re-purposed the filter basket for filtering out water from steamed chickpeas, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, edamame and other big beans. I just dug it out, put a paper coffee filter in it (any fine muslin cloth will work), poured in some coffee grounds, just-off-the-boil water and et voilà ! I have perfect coffee!
So don't throw those filter baskets away. They make even better coffee than your formerly working coffeemaker. Best of all, the cleanup is super easy. Just wash it as you would any other dish in the sink. No pores to unclog with vinegar etc. When not making coffee, you can always use it to filter water out from steamed big beans.
Anyway, I was walking down Elmwood when I saw a Melitta coffee-making funnel in a shop window.
I have seen the funnel before but this time as I walked home, realization finally dawned that it is just a glorified version of the average coffeemaker filter basket.
I threw away my coffeemaker framework away when it stopped working but I had re-purposed the filter basket for filtering out water from steamed chickpeas, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, edamame and other big beans. I just dug it out, put a paper coffee filter in it (any fine muslin cloth will work), poured in some coffee grounds, just-off-the-boil water and et voilà ! I have perfect coffee!
So don't throw those filter baskets away. They make even better coffee than your formerly working coffeemaker. Best of all, the cleanup is super easy. Just wash it as you would any other dish in the sink. No pores to unclog with vinegar etc. When not making coffee, you can always use it to filter water out from steamed big beans.
Did you ever see North & South (e:matthew)? It is another of my favourites. Fantastic adaptation of Gaskell's novella.
This is rather new, yes. Around 2009. but I LOVED the music and the cinematography. It was quite and utterly gorgeous, just as the poster says.
I think I saw this. I've seen so many period dramas that they all blur together. Lol. This is a rather new one, right?