Re-Right-Ing

I've mildly reorganized and added to the sidebar on the right-hand side of the page. Of particular note, for our legions of mad super-fans, are a collection of links to our recurring series and the XML address to use when subscribing to our ramblings.

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Check it out: According to our ClustrMaps map, Industrial-Strength Science has passed 500 visits (D visits to you Romans) since March 7. Granted, half of those are by the two of us, and half of the remainder are are probably mistakes, but still...

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to use my Razr to post some photos to Flickr. Maybe then I'll watch some Wondrfalls and Doctr Who.

Muffy the Mom Trainer

So here is part 2 of today's puppy-related posts. Pupposts I call them. Ha! I crack me up.

Anyway, for those of you who have not heard me prattle on and on about my family's dog, Muffy, I am going to begin a series of stories about her. I have a million of 'em, but here is one of my (and Michael's) favorites.

First of all, Muffy is a malti-poo. Check out the link for a picture of the breed. Basically it is a cross between a maltese and a toy poodle. Muffy is little (10 lbs soaking wet), girly, and as a puppy was about as cute as any animal can be. Between her utter cuteness and the fact that she was often home alone with my sister, who was seven years old at the time, Muffy didn't get trained much...or, um, at all really. In fact, she is extremely smart so she has done a bang-up job of training us. One example of her people-training prowess is illustrated in the following story.

Last Christmas, Muffy received three different kinds of treats from Santa Paws (Santa Paws is, of course, the doggie Santa). When she wants a treat, she will go stare longingly at the pantry until she has been ignored for too long, at which point she will go find you and bark at you. Anyway, one day after Christmas, she indicated to my mom that she wanted a treat. My mom gave her one, but Muffy did not run over to her usual treat-eating spot (the braided area rug). Instead, she stood there looking at my mom, with the treat hanging out of her mouth uneaten, wagging her tail uncertainly. So, my mom opened the pantry again. Muffy immediately dropped the first treat and got all excited. This time, my mom gave her a different kind of treat and Muffy trotted off to eat it on the braided rug. So, the next time Muffy wanted a treat, my mom put a few of each kind in a little tin. She then held it down so that Muffy could pick which kind she wanted. See? A perfectly trained mom!

The really funny part of this is that Muffy would not always choose the same kind of treat (although she did have a favorite) and, moreover, she would only choose one treat each time rather than trying to eat all of them when she had the chance. She is nothing if not polite, huh? :)

Anyway, stay tuned for more Muffy stories in the future!

I'm baaack.....

Hello everyone! Well, I survived finals and spring break, so now my schedule is back to normal and I can blog again. Please, wipe away those tears of relief! I wouldn't leave you all alone to read blog entries exclusively about robots and such. No, today we are going to have a couple of girly blog entries! Entries about...puppies! :D

I thought I would put up a short review about a book I recently read entitled, Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog. It was mentioned in a comment on a different post a few days ago. Check out the link for a synopsis. Basically it is a true story of a family and their dog, who was not very well behaved to say the least! Of course, they loved him anyway and he became an integral part of their family. This book is a quick read and I honestly laughed out loud regularly while reading it. Of course, I also cried at the end, so be warned: buy tissues before reading this book. Nonetheless, I highly recommend it!

The Grandest Challenge Yet

Tonight, I watched an episode of Nova called "The Great Robot Race." This documentary chronicles the second race of the DARPA Grand Challenge, in which robot vehicles competed to travel over 132 miles of the Mojave Desert in the minimum time. As a person with an interest in robotics and who has worked on numerous DoD projects, I found it very interesting. (Unfortunately, it also made me feel quite inadequate, since the robot vehicle I'm trying to build is coming along very poorly.) If and when the documentary re-airs in your area, you should check it out. Alternately, the entire episode will be available for download beginning tomorrow.

Geeks Get Girls?

I’m a big nerd. Or maybe a big geek; there’s some debate about the difference between the two. Anyway, what I mean is the following:

• I like science and technology. In fact, I have a pair of advanced degrees in engineering.
• I enjoy science fiction and fantasy.
• I have a few technical skills not found in the general populace.
• I use scientific methods and terms in my everyday life and conversation.

These characteristics are not generally associated with being a babe magnet. Thus, you may not be surprised to learn that, despite my mother’s insistence that I’m quite a catch, I’ve never been what you’d call a ladies’ man.

Most of my friends belong to the same category. In fact, if anything, I’m less of a science nerd than they are, because they are all smarter and more productive than I. Imagine my surprise then, as the following events unfolded:

• In early 2005, Ketan announced his engagement to the ever-so-cute Patricia. (I say “announced,” but Ketan never actually told me. After I heard through the grapevine [Patricia-Melinda-Alison-Michael] I called him for an ostensibly ordinary what’s-new-with-you conversation, he made no mention of the big news. I’m still amazed about that. And flummoxed. Can you tell I’m amazed and flummoxed?) A month later, they were married. That’s right: one month. And it was an Indian wedding; in this context “Indian” means “huge.” I think every Indian American on the East Coast was at the reception.
• Brian proposed to Kristan at CLEO in May, and they’ll be wed in June of this year. The fact that Brian proposed at a technical conference should give you some indication of how much of a nerd he is. However, the fact that Kristan was also attending should indicate how perfect a match they are, as should the fact that they have virtually the same job. Their wedding is schedule for June, so it will make a good run-through for my own.
• Just a month or so ago, Todd informed everyone that he and Laura will be wed sometime this fall.

That’s right: including me, 4 former members of my grad-school research group will be married in a period of about 18 months. And 3 of us will be married within a 6-month period. Additionally, two of my science-geek friends, Nick and Greg, were already married when I met them.

What’s the explanation for this? Here are my hypotheses:

• The women in this country have lost their minds.
• There’s something in the water, perhaps placed there as part of some geek conspiracy to get women.
• The rapture is near.
• It’s somehow become hip to be square?

Well, it can’t be either of the first two reasons. You see, in addition to all the marryin’ I mentioned above, Alison’s friends Laura and Kristin each have been or will be married this year. As you might guess by their names, these two, though science nerds in their own rights, are women. I don’t think the third hypothesis is correct, because I’m not a Christian. So, by process of elimination, geek chic is the explanation. As a geek, I say, “Rock on!"

Tugs

In 2004, Tyler Hamilton, who was frequently called the toughest man in cycling and who would soon be the Olympic time-trial champion, wrote this tribute to his recently departed dog, Tugboat. It's quite touching.

Nast!

Today, NPR's Morning Edition had an interesting and revolting segment about disease being transmitted by insects in the American Civil War. The most disturbing part concerned the soldiers' meals. I urge you to listen to the piece, but not while eating, like I did.

Robo Roundup

There have been a lot of interesting developments in robotics lately. I expect robots to take over and wipe us all out any day now.

• Boston Dynamics has developed BigDog. This robot's a sort of small robotic pack mule, so perhaps "SmallMule" would be a more appropriate name, but I guess that didn't seem cool enough.
  
• Boston Dynamics has apparently been busy, because they've also developed RiSE, a nifty little hexapod that can climb trees, brick walls, and other assorted vertical surfaces. (RiSE looks curiously similar to the killer robots Gene Simmons--yes, that Gene Simmons---sent after Tom Selleck in the 1984 movie Runaway. Runaway was written and directed by Michael Crighton, by the way.)
  
• Meanwhile, snake locomotion has fascinated scientists and layfolks alike for millennia; as Barry White said in that episode of The Simpsons, "I love the sexy slither of a lady snake." Apparently, plain old terrestrial robot snakes have become passé now. A team in Japan---no surprise there---has developed an amphibious robot snake. It can slither across land and swim in (or under) water. Neat!
• Hitec, makers of radios and servos for radio-control hobbyists, has just released the Robonova-1, a humanoid robot sized to compete in Japan's Robo-One. More importantly, the bot's designed to be hacked---if being designed to be hacked is not a contradiction in terms---so that sensors, actuators, and wireless connections can be added. I really need to get my grubby little hands on one, to put my plans of world domination effect.
  

Be sure to check out each robot's entertaining video.

They're Snakes. And They're on a Plane

Fans of Anaconda will no doubt be lining up for Samuel L. Jackson's latest film, Snakes on a Plane, which opens August 16. The premise of this film is that---get ready for this shocker---some snakes get loose on an airplane. Can you imagine the meeting where this movie was pitched?

Screenwriter: OK. There're these snakes, see. And they're on a plane.

Studio Exec: Wait, wait. You lost me. Go back a bit.

How did this thing ever get green-lit? Well, probably because the film will likely make money both in the theater and on DVD. Plus, I'm sure it will find its way into regular rotation in the Sci Fi Channel's crappy-monster-movie schedule.

If that happens, I'm sure there'll be sequels. This is how I see them progressing:

• Snakes on a Boat
• Snakes in a Car
• Snakes on Vacation
• Snakes on a European Vacation
• Snakes: Return to the Plane
  

Ugh!

Aside from the stupidity of the plot, I'm very impressed by the profound lack of creativity in the film's name. I suppose we are lucky for that the screenwriter didn't try to be clever, or it would have been called Snakez or some such. Which brings me to the interactive part of this post. Let me hear your suggestions for more creative names for this flick. The author of my favorite name will win...let me see...what do I have around the house...oh, how about my, um, respect and gratitude. How's that grab you?

Update: In light of Nick's amusing and creative comment, I hereby encourage you to submit your own ideas for potential sequals. Since my own respect and gratitude are already spoken for, whoever submits the best sequal ideas will win Alison's respect and gratitude.