Long Weekend?

Is this really a long weekend? It's almost over, kinda. Sunday. I was out Friday having fun, and hit up SF Zoo on Sat. Today, I'm taking it easy before going to a club in downtown San Jose, if you can believe it. Going to hit up the Tapestry and Talent Fair tomorrow.

Yesterday evening...

I went out yesterday. Had a lovely afternoon outdoors over at Viva Sol, a rest'rant on El Camino in Mt. View. Later, at my friend's place, I felt a headache coming on, so I asked where the pain relievers were. This lead me to take a generic Tylenol PM. uhh. Well anyway, my friend was in the mode for hanging out at a place in Downtown Mt. View. We where there most of the night until the PM part of the Tylenol started kicking in around 11. So it ended up being an early night. Damn, that's the last time I don't pay attention to the bottle and take PM anything. I'm still feeling it. yuk.

eBay

I’m an eBay user. I love the service, and use it frequently. I have one piece of advice. If you are looking for VHSs, DVDs, CDs etc, make sure you look at all sources and compare. Examples: Half.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble. I’ve been looking for a hard to find DVD recently. It had been hitting over $30 everytime it appeared on eBay. So, I checked Half.com and found it for under $16, with less shipping charges. The best part of this is that eBay owns Half.com, so ordering was easy.
So, when looking for bargains or hard to find items, it always helps to shop around. Often eBay will be the place where I end up, but not always.

Survival of the...science

As with other sciences, evolution is now in practical use within modern technology. This is due, in part, to the invention of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and other genetic analysis tools. These tools allow for more efficient studies of genetics. PCR opens the door into how all species relate to each other. Exploration of this interconnectivity allows much quicker identification and treatment of old and new diseases. The use of applications based on biological studies of evolution is benefiting our society. It will soon become part of our daily lives. Denial of evolution is the equivalent to saying that the Earth is a flat, or that heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects.

 
There are examples of evolution’s survival of the fittest principle within our own species. There are traits in the human species that are fighting for dominance.

 
One trait in the Western Culture is lactose persistence. 75% or so of our population (Western Culture) can properly digest lactose (from milk) our entire lives.¹⁽¹⁾ This is a newer trait that has become dominant because of the long history of our use of milk in our daily diet. In other cultures, at least 75% of the population becomes lactose intolerant after the age of weaning. These are cultures that historically did not have access to milk on a daily basis, and so carry the older trait which naturally causes the weaning of a child. This older trait used to be necessary for survival, but now is unimportant.

 

Where lactose persistence is succeeding, there is another trait that is failing in the tropics. There is a genetic adaptation which allows an individual to be more resistant to malaria. But if a man and woman (who carry this trait) procreate, their children may have sickle cell anemia.²⁽²⁾  This is an example of a genetic trait that benefits the individual, but not the species. If left alone, the trait will likely die out eventually. Or maybe it will lead to further adaptation that does not cause sickle cell anemia.

 
More rapid examples come to us in the form of viruses and bacteria. These species evolve yearly. Understanding of their origins (made possible by PCR through biological studies of evolution) allows us to combat them more effectively. This will eventually develop into technologies that will be apart of our daily lives, like flying in an airplane or satellite TV.

Misspelling search keywords?

I’m getting many hits to this site for funny spelling of words, Ok…here’s a quick spelling lesson for the most recent searches. Governor, not govenor. Candidate, not canidate. I have entries and information about these items below. Here’s some links:

Link to the list of recall candidates for Governor of California.

Comments about the Recall

California Constitution rules about replacing the Governor

Brief general impression of “right” and “left”. I’m a centralist, by the way.

Three problems with California polictics right now, including the Recall.

Encinal We won!

The Spitfire won at the Encinal last night, and with Brant as skipper. It's the first out right victory of that boat since its restoration! Sports are more fun when you win. hehe. We had a great start, prolly do to all the practice last weekend. Once we got into the lead, we stayed in the lead the whole race. Our sister boat Double Trouble, skippered by Kevin, came in second, keeping are best competitor down at third. This is the first race Double Trouble didn't finish DFL, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Spitfire is now first place in the series, with one 3rd place, one 2nd place and now one 1st place finish! Let's just see if we can keep up the pace!