The Mars Scorecard is a pretty funny play-by-play summary of the our record with Martian probes over the past 40 years. So far, the Martians are winning.
What is: Soylent Green?
I don’t know why, but the phrase “Soylent Green” has been running through my head for the past few days. Just pops ito my head for no reason, crashes into my current train of thought, and disappears. Then I’m left wondering “What the hell was that?!”. It’s like a hit and run or something. So I decided to see what I could find about this word Soylent.
- It’s a movie. Don’t know anything about it other than it’s a sci-fi movie about an overcrowded earth where people eat something called Soylent in various colours. Apparently the shocker is what Soylent Green is made from.
- It’s also a drink, no doubt fashioned to resemble something consumed in the movie.
- Soylent Green at Urban Dictionary
- A vegan, health food oriented co-op in Chicago
- A parody song
Chinese New Year
In a few days it will be the start of the Chinese New Year. It will be the Year of the Monkey (a Green Wooden Monkey at that). All over the world, anywhere there is a significant Chinese population, there will be celebrations, firecrackers, and dragon/lion dances. There will be feasts, and large family get togethers.
I remember as a kid, going downtown, watching the lion dances, and getting scared by the firecrackers and loud drum noises. So much excitement around. It was a fun time, and something I’ve missed since moving to the US. All of the places I’ve lived so far have lacked a significant Chinese population, so I’ve missed the festivities. Maybe this year I’ll find something.
My AAPM homework
My assignment for the AAPM task group I’m on is to write a background blurb on the effect of reconstruction filters on CT images.
It’s always hard for me to get started when it comes to writing stuff like this, or writing papers. Where to begin, what to talk about, how to organize it… Once I can get started, I’m usually OK though. Getting started is the hard part.
So far, my plan is to have a brief overview of the image reconstruction algorithm, emphasizing the filter. Then a discussion on different classes of filters along with how they affect the image.
Body Challenge Week 1
Week 1 is over. No significant change in weight, but I didn’t expect there to be any. We’ve changed our diet somewhat, and the way we cook, making an effort to introduce more veggies. Calorie intake is down, but that means I have that munchie feeling all the time. Eating smaller meals more frequently helps, but I think once I get used to the lower calories, the munchies will go away. Even though I haven’t lost any weight yet, I feel better, and am looking forward to gearing up my exercise routine.
Based on what I learned during my past life as a runner and cyclist, I’m opting for the slow and gradual change, targeting to lose maybe 2-3 pounds/week. Nothing fast or dramatic. I’ll be quite content if I’ve managed to drop 10 pounds or so by the end of this challenge.