I took a break and read some fun studies that came out this week in Science (pdfs below). A professor at Columbia conducted some experiments about how our memories operate in the presence and absence of assured information sources online such as Google and Wikipedia.

She found, not surprisingly, that our priorities have moved not towards memorizing trivia but towards more efficient ways to retrieve this trivia from where it might be stored online. And since remembering trivia is a relatively easier task than remembering techniques and algorithms to retrieve this trivia, our IQs are actually getting sharper as technologies progress and our environments become richer with information.

As (e:paul) said to me not long ago, Google has pretty much become everyone's mother. And we are constantly thinking of ways to jog her memory and get relevant information out.

Science is an interesting magazine/journal. For people in academia, publishing in Science and Nature are the pinnacle of achievement. But somehow, a large number of studies from humanities and behavioural sciences which do get published in these journals (Science way more than Nature) seem to get away with the simplest of experiments, approaches and super-obvious hypotheses. More arduous basic and clinical science that takes a ton of effort to perform gets rejected routinely.

I often wonder if we, as basic and clinical scientists, place undue importance to getting published in these so-called lofty journals, and agonize too much about where we get published. After all, some of the finest nobel-winning impact-making science was not published in these journals but obscure journals with lowly impact factors when they first came out. (It's another matter however that these "lowly journals" have since become really prominent and elitist.)

Academia is a funny twisted world.
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Refs:
::READ PDF::
::READ PDF::

I wanted to go to the BPO concert on canalside today. But I had forgotten what Beethoven's 5th sounded like... So I just put it on and it's too much military turmoil packed into one symphony. I am not sure it fits well in my mind with a perfect sunset on a balmy summer's day.

Why can't they have chosen Beethoven's 7th instead?! It's so much more stately, beautiful, nostalgic and fitting.


Or even some of the Strauss family waltzes...


I am not going. I cannot hear mismatched music over sunset.

I need to remember these four commands

Purges configuration files.

• sudo apt-get purge PACKAGENAME

Purges dependencies

• sudo apt-get --purge autoremove

Finds any stragglers

• find / -iname '*PACKAGENAME*'

Purge configuration files for ALL the packages removed.

• aptitude purge ~c

I made my own Gmail theme.


I was just about to head out but I was super-irritated that the clouds seemed to have rolled in from some forsaken place and completely squashed my hopes of seeing a spectacular sunset.

The new Gmail theme is so washed out and sterile, I can't stand it. All the other themes are starting to look tired and the Android theme that I have had for quite a while has no saturation to speak of. Considering I stare at this Gmail interface for a good chunk of time in a day, it was high time I tweaked the damn colours.

Another variation on the theme (this one has legible formatting buttons as opposed the the earlier one that was just too black and drowned out all the buttons in the pane where you compose messages). I like the earlier one, it looks dramatic and sharp but the invisible formatting buttons are a dealbreaker.


Colour Codes for Reference:

Main Background
Background Colour: #000000
Text Colour: #9fc5e8
Link Colour: #ffffff
Background Image: Black to Transparent blur gradient on this awesome pic:
Allign: Right
Tiling: Horizontal

Frame
Background Colour: #bcc896
Text Colour: #000000
Link Colour: #444444

Box
Border Colour: #444444

Box Content
Background Colour: #000000
Text Colour: #bfde83

Button Bar
Background Colour: #bcc896
Text Colour: #000000
Link Colour: #674ea7

Messages
Background Colour: #bfde83
Text Colour: #000000
Snippet Text Colour: #444444

Selected Message
Background Colour: #d6c6ff

One of my wonderful colleagues just forwarded this absolutely dazzling array of fun stuff going on at the harbour and Erie central wharf this week and weekend and early next week. All events are here:

Thinking of hitting the Beethoven's 5th tomorrow evening. Who is coming with me?

This week at Canalside there are 30 events, and they are all free to the public.

Wednesday, July 13
Damn, missed this! I wanted to go on that boat.

• Boat Ride with Buffalo Maritime Center aboard the White Elektra or OK Clark Canalside: Commercial Slip – Central Wharf side 5 p.m. – Weather Permitting - Free (First come–first served with no reservations accepted.)

• Jack Civiletto Sings Sinatra: Concert aboard USS Little Rock Buffalo Naval & Military Park 7 to 9 p.m. – Free

• “Erie Canal Sal” The Story of Sal McMurray An Irish cook aboard a packet boat in 1840 Performed by Gretchen Murray Sepik Canalside: Central Wharf 6 to 7 p.m. – Free

• “From Albany to Buffalo: Erie Canal History, Culture and Music” Performed by Dave Ruch Canalside: Central Wharf 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Free

• Sunset Yoga Canalside: Lawn 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Free

• Thursday, July 14 Thursday at the Square presented by M&T Bank Featuring: Court Yard Hounds Canalside: Central Wharf & Cobblestone Streets 5 to 9 p.m. – Free

Friday, July 15

• Erie Canal Story by Buffalo Tours: One Hour Guided Walking Tour Canalside: Whipple Truss Bridge – Central Wharf side Noon to 1 p.m. – Free

• Friday Family Fun on the Central Wharf with Explore & More Children’s Museum The Sky’s the Limit Canalside: Lawn Noon to 4 p.m. – Free Groups of more than 10 children must pre register by calling 716/655-5131.

• An Evening with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Matthew Kraemer Central Wharf: Main Stage 7 to 9:30 p.m. – Free

Saturday, July 16

• Saturday Family Fun on the Central Wharf with Explore & More Children’s Museum “The Sky’s the Limit” Canalside: Lawn Noon to 4 p.m. – Free Groups of more than 10 children must pre-register by calling 716/655-5131.

• Erie Canal Story by Buffalo Tours: One Hour Guided Walking Tour Canalside: Whipple Truss Bridge – Central Wharf side Noon to 1 p.m. – Free

• “A Mule Named Sal – A Children’s Concert at the Erie Canal” Performed by Dave Ruch Canalside: Central Wharf 5 to 6:30 p.m. – Free

• “Mary Jemison” The story of a young girl captured by the Indians – years later when offered her freedom she chose to remain with her Indian family. Performed by Gretchen Murray Sepik Canalside: Central Wharf 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. – Free

• “From Albany to Buffalo: Erie Canal History, Culture and Music” Performed by Dave Ruch Canalside: Central Wharf 8 to 9 p.m. – Free

Sunday, July 17

• Beginner’s Yoga Canalside: Lawn 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Free

• Intermediate Yoga Canalside: Lawn 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Free

• Erie Canal Story by Buffalo Tours: One Hour Guided Walking Tour Canalside: Whipple Truss Bridge – Central Wharf side Noon to 1 p.m. – Free

• Yogalates Canalside: Lawn 1 to 2 p.m. – Free Boat Ride with Buffalo Maritime Center aboard the White Elektra or OK Clark Canalside: Commercial Slip – Central Wharf side 2 p.m. – Weather Permitting - Free (First come–first served with no reservations accepted.)

• “A Mule Named Sal – A Children’s concert at the Erie Canal” Performed by Dave Ruch Canalside: Central Wharf 2 to 3 p.m. – Free

• “Dug’s Dive” Performed by Kevin Cottrell Stop in at the popular waterfront basement saloon for a visit the proprietor William Douglas – operator of one of the most infamous saloons in all of the Canal District - a one-person interpretive performance Canalside: Historic Ruins – Commercial Slip 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. - Free

• “Mary Jemison” The story of a young girl captured by the Indians – years later when offered her freedom she chose to remain with her Indian family. Performed by Gretchen Murray Sepik Canalside: Central Wharf 5 to 6:30 p.m. – Free

• “From Albany to Buffalo Erie Canal History, Culture and Music” Performed by Dave Ruch Central Wharf 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. – Free

• “An American History Songbook: A program of songs of the 19th Century” Performed by the Hutchinson Family Revival Canalside: Central Wharf 8 to 9 p.m. – Free

Monday, July 18

• Science Outdoors with Tifft Nature Preserve Learn more about the rich biodiversity of the plants and animals of WNY and how everything connects. Canalside: Lawn 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Free

• Zumba on the Waterfront: exercise and dance to Music Central Wharf 6 to 7 p.m. – Free

Tuesday, July 19

• Yogalates Canalside: Central Wharf 6 to 7 p.m. – Free

Wednesday, July 20

• Boat Ride with Buffalo Maritime Center aboard the White Elektra or OK Clark Canalside: Commercial Slip – Central Wharf side 5 pm – Weather Permitting - Free (First come–first served with no reservations accepted.)

• Friends of Harmony: Concert aboard USS Little Rock Buffalo Naval & Military Park 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. – Free

• Sunset Yoga Canalside: Lawn 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. – Free