Today there was a fascinating piece in the science section of the New York Times that discussed the topic of “deep homology”. Deep homology is the idea that groups of genes (i.e., modules) keep working together, over millions of years, in various organisms, often doing rather different things. Really interesting stuff. From a quite different [...]
This afternoon I went over to the west playing fields in North Oaks to watch a rugby game between Mounds View and Duluth (technically the North Suburban Rugby Club against the North Shore Rugby Club). It had been raining in the morning, but fortunately the rain tapered off before the game began. Mounds View won [...]
Periodically I watch the lectures for a college class online, typically using the site AcademicEarth. Most recently I viewed the lectures for a Yale biology class on Evolution, Ecology and Behavior by Stephen Stearns. This was a really good experience, though I did think Professor Stearns got a few things wrong. On the other hand, [...]
In both 2008 and 2009 my exercise consisted almost entirely of hiking. This approach resulted, in part, from the fact that I had been plagued by a series of aches and pains. In addition, there was a lot to suggest that Hana was a better behaved dog if she got plenty of walks. As a [...]
Roughly 3 decades ago, when we were living in Montana, we bought a wheelbarrow. Not being long on funds, we purchased the least expensive wheelbarrow we could find. Since we weren’t tackling any major projects, this wasn’t an unwise course of action. But, there is no question that it is a very rudimentary wheelbarrow with [...]
Today as Hana and I were hiking along the eastern side of Deep Lake, we came across a pair of trumpeter swans. There is substantial variability in how skittish waterfowl can be. The species most prone to fly way are the wood ducks. Trumpeter swans, on the other hand, can be fairly tolerant. All I [...]
Today Pat and I went down to Target Field to catch the last game of the inaugural series against the Red Sox. The pitching matchup was Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. At the start of the game Wakefield was sharp and Liriano wasn’t, suggesting it was going to be a long afternoon. [...]
With unseasonably warm weather, and a record no snow in March, the ice is off Pleasant Lake. As a consequence this afternoon Pat, Hana and I took Pat’s kayak over to secure a spot at the beach on Pleasant Lake.
