billy dalto

This map of a rabbit retina, the production of which is...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:42:46 -0500

This map of a rabbit retina, the production of which is described in detail here, was created using TEM and computation molecular phenotyping.

words wholly related -or- words wholly unrelated

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:22:06 -0500

ragbag:

junior etymologists from across the information super highway have very kindly sent me their own list of words that may or may not be related to other words. here are the best of them.

my ex-lover’s ex-lover, matt langer writes to tell us that shebang (a nerdy mark for for unix nerds) and interrobang (a nerdy mark for grammar nerds) are wholly related through banging—where bang is slang for the exclamation point!

my current union rep, billiam dalto has informed me that mosaic and mosaic (with a capital m) are wholly unrelated. the former, meaning “the juxtaposition of colours and patterns,” comes from the latin word, mosaicus and is related to the word muse. the latter is an eponym for christendom’s own wily muse—moses malone.

my færie godfather, albert jorgenson had clued me into an etymological hat trick: host, host and host are wholly unrelated. host in the ecclesiastical sense means “sacrificial victim” and comes from the latin word, hostia. host in the riders of rohan sense (a company of armed men) comes from the latin word, hostis. And host in the sense of the farmer that feeds you fried chicken and strawberry rhubarb pie and lets you doggystyle his daughter in a hayloft comes from the latin word, hospes.

In using my given name, billiam, raynor has revealed himself as an old friend and ally from what now feels like another life.

Ghostface Killah Interview

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:47:46 -0500

Q: How many bathrobes do you own?

A: I don’t know, I never counted, man. You know, just a few that I have.

Q: Like 60?

A: Nah, probably like 50.

Q: Are those things comfortable or what?

A: If I throw them on, yeah! I ain’t gonna wear nothing that’s not comfortable.

From this interview.

I am Spirogyra, and this is a screen cap of my latest...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:50:33 -0500

I am Spirogyra, and this is a screen cap of my latest humiliation. When I last posted, it was in response to a tabloid running a compromising photo of me. Now, as I try to remember the days before my conjugation tubes were a matter of public record, I’m left to wonder how my sex tape was entered in an imaging competition. But not only that, it didn’t even win first prize. FML.

Results of the Olympus BioScapes competition were announced...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:41:17 -0500

Results of the Olympus BioScapes competition were announced yesterday, and this image of the tail of a transgenic zebrafish, its sensory neurons labelled with brainbow, was in the top ten.

"Hugo Chávez’s belligerent rhetoric trades at a substantial discount."

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:15:30 -0500

“Hugo Chávez’s belligerent rhetoric trades at a substantial discount.”

- The Economist.

Building Strong Relationships

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:02:59 -0500

billy: “How’s your dog doing?”

coworker: “My what?”

billy: “Your dog. You have have little dog, don’t you?”

coworker: “Oh. My dog died…It was the day after my birthday.”

My company takes emergency preparedness seriously, which has...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:45:20 -0500

My company takes emergency preparedness seriously, which has naturally resulted in some discussion around the office of how many unarmed humans it would take to overpower a single polar bear. This is evidently an old pastime, as Time mentions boxer Gene Tunney’s assertion that Gargantua would be no match for a heavyweight boxer in fighting shape:

“It is my firm conviction that any fairly good heavyweight boxer could put the great Gargantua [460-lb. Congo-born gorilla now on tour with the Ringling circus] to sleep or to rout within two minutes.
.. .
Gargantua is a big boy but a Dempsey left hook landing on his stomach might figuratively tear the poor animal in two… . He didn’t spend years doing bending and mat exercises. A man has 24 ribs. Your encyclopedia will tell you that a gorilla has but 13. Between the ribs, below the breastbone, there are nerve centres. If they are shocked the shock travels to the spine, temporarily causing paralysis. The ribs, and well developed muscles between the ribs, protect these nerve centres. Twenty-four ribs are much more protection than 13.”

The article notes that gorillas have 13 pairs of ribs.

Image source.

Although I don’t wish to tempt fate, I consider it...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:08:58 -0500

Although I don’t wish to tempt fate, I consider it unlikely this evening will involve me being forced to bathe while my clothing is incinerated.

An article from The Times-Picayune, found here.

Gargantua was an attraction of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:57:49 -0500

Gargantua was an attraction of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus from 1937 until his death in 1949. GARGANTUA is an unnecessary and incomplete mnemonic for songs performed by Celine Dion (Go Where Love Goes; A Song For You; Right In Front Of You; Goodbye’s (the Saddest Word); All By Myself; New Dawn; Think Twice; Up Where We Belong; All Because Of You).

Image source.

A nice assortment of algae from here.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:34:03 -0500

A nice assortment of algae from here.

These are the oxygen saturation curves for adult and fetal...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:34:20 -0500

These are the oxygen saturation curves for adult and fetal hemoglobin. Interestingly, the placenta, even before being used to make pizza, has several important functions, including the exchange of gases between maternal and fetal blood. In part, the exchange of oxygen through the placental barrier is facilitated by the production of different variants of hemoglobin in mother and fetus. The above comparison of adult and fetal hemoglobin reveals the latter has a greater affinity for oxygen.

Image source.

This is an electron micrograph of Corethron criophilum, a...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:27:12 -0500

This is an electron micrograph of Corethron criophilum, a species I’ve mentioned previously. At the moment, I don’t have anything nice to say about this alga.

Image source.

i am posting this as a reminder to billy dalto about how large and in charge he is living it

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:06:25 -0500

i am posting this as a reminder to billy dalto about how large and in charge he is living it:

baitandswitch:

I had to trade Julia my first round pick in the next algae draft to get her to post this. I think it was worth it because, as far as I can tell, this year’s draft-eligible algae are a bunch of jokers.

When I hang out with the few horseshoe crabs I know, there’s...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:33:35 -0500

When I hang out with the few horseshoe crabs I know, there’s always a lot of trash talking, especially when the subject of oxygen-transporting metalloproteins comes up. While I admit hemocyanin, used by horseshoe crabs, has a nice blue color when oxygenated, it’s just not good enough for me to abandon hemoglobin, which is, I must say, a great protein.

Image source.

No stranger to controversy, I am a supporter of algae postage...

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:53:16 -0500

No stranger to controversy, I am a supporter of algae postage stamps. This one features Corethron criophilum, an Antarctic marine diatom, and would be perfect for mailing diatom party invitations.

Image source.

From here, either a periodic table or a board game.

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:38:59 -0500

From here, either a periodic table or a board game.

mills: Ills Manor, Est. 2008 (larger) I got many nice presents...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:31:55 -0500

mills:

Ills Manor, Est. 2008 (larger)

I got many nice presents for surviving -in the face of no obstacles whatever- another year, from the gifts from the Locomotive Sisters to the kind note from Andy (happy birthday!) to Abby’s presence here in Louisiana to well-wishes from many to gifts from family, friends, and coworkers. It was all much more than I deserve, not solely because I’m a reprobate but also because -and I here channel my inner-athlete in the post-game homily of empty phrases- I just came out and tried to execute on metabolizing and not getting killed.

So I don’t want to slight anyone when I say that as far as presents go, Lacey’s absolutely incredible gift is hard to beat: a sturdy and beautifully-made wooden sign for application to the front of the ostentatious compound I share with Will and which is known far and wide as Ills Manor.

None fighting through the surrounding swamps to attend one of our lavish cocktail parties will ever again wonder, Which mansion do those guys live in? It’s the one that says Ills Manor, chum. Now get inside and grab yourself a Clearly Canadian.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lacey! What an awesome present!

An emissary has been dispatched to announce our presence to a nearby house called Shadows on Letitia.

As you may have read, Halloween in New Orleans with Calvin and...

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:11:27 -0500

As you may have read, Halloween in New Orleans with Calvin and Hobbes was quite eventful, and unfortunately yielded images produced using electromagnetic radiation outside of the visible spectrum. Mills has posted an excellent flickr set of the evening.

Porphyridium: Unicellular. Eukaryotic. Single stellate plastid....

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:21:35 -0500

Porphyridium: Unicellular. Eukaryotic. Single stellate plastid. Chlorophyll a. Phycoerythrin. WANT.

Image from here.