from the desk of stinkpot

some scientists have recently presented further proof that people really do get more depressed as the days get shorter. abc news has reported on this; if you’re too lazy/busy/uninterested, here’s the gist of it:

Up to 20 percent of Americans report they feel more depressed during the winter months as a result of a condition known as seasonal affective disorder. Now scientists have shown that hamsters experience the same sluggishness when their exposure to light is reduced. By studying these sad hamsters, the researchers hope to find new ways of helping people combat seasonal depression.

this just seems wrong to me. i mean, i work in a lab where they stick electrodes into monkey brains. but at least they’re just monitoring what’s going on in there. messing with a hamster’s feelings on the other hand? that’s going too far. hell, look at this test:

Another test involves placing the animals in water and seeing if they swim or simply give up and float. Hamsters don’t sink apparently, but float in water.

sick, sick, sick.

today was very exciting – boston had its first real snowstorm. it was pretty serious too. in fact, i can’t recall the last time i saw snow fall that intensely. as proof, i submit this picture of the stata center, which was taken at 3 in the afternoon. (i’ve got more pictures of the wintry goodnees here.)

nevertheless, since i don’t have to shovel or plow anything, i still consider the snow to be very fun. well, except for the fact that it nearly killed me this morning; i’ve never commuted on my bike before in the snow and was completely unpreparead for navigating through snowy roads. i nearly wiped out twice into oncoming traffic. that would have been bad news.

and speaking of bad news, it turns out that dad fell and broke his elbow in two places today. he slipped while shoveling snow. that makes me sad.

this jellyfish is one bad motha. apparently, a particular coast in japan is besieged by these things – they’re ruining a bunch of fishermen’s nets and killing lots of fish. yet, i can’t help but think about how much sushi this thing would make.

sweet, maybe this will make our rent start going down.

q-unit: what 50-cent woulda turned out like had he been born 2 decades earlier.

nonetheless, these songs definitely need to be checked out. i took a quick listen and while they’re not as polished as the grey album‘s, the q-unit songs are still pretty cool.

i would totally have gotten into the habit of flossing as a kid, if my parents had given me one of these:

they’re acylic piranha’s that dispense dental floss.

note that i already am in the habit of flossin’.

yesterday, christina took me to her consulting firm’s christmas party. it was so interesting being around so many well-dressed people – it seems that you lose credibility by wearing a tie in science. i was definitely out of my element.

in any case, the food, music, and booze were all quite good. in fact, it was too good. from christina’s stories, i gather that many of the people at this firm – and many other similar ones – are good, but really not super-good. the firm’s purpose – to help their clients make more money and in the process, grow rich too – also doesn’t strike me as especially noble. nevertheless, the firm’s employees enjoy lavish treatment, such as the aforementioned christmas party.

it really bothers me that people who do (what i consider) to be much more meaningful work (i.e. aid-workers, scientists , teachers) rarely, if ever, get to be treated as well. i admit it: i’m jealous. but also, i’m incredulous that this type of reward-allotment strategy is so firmly entrenched in society. are the business people and politicians really more indispensible than the teachers and engineers?

i love it when serious news organizations choose not to take themselves too seriously.

forbes appears to annually publish a list of the top 15 richest fictional characters.

Thomas Hawk’s Digital Connection: PriceRitePhoto: Abusive Bait and Switch Camera Store

It’s remarkable how unscrupulous some internet retailers can be. Let this be a lesson: nothing good ever comes from Brooklyn.

this is hilarious. isn’t there someone in marketing who’s supposed to catch these kinds of double entendres?