Sagacious Onlooker

The PCR Song

Philip Thomas — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:59:56 +0000

In my lab, we use polymerase chain reactions quite often in our research. The technique is a staple of any microbiology lab and is an important tool in many areas of science because it allows the exponential amplification of a section of DNA. More advanced techniques, like homologous recombination and real-time PCR are also of great importance. It's no wonder that the man who discovered the technique won a Nobel Prize! The company Bio-Rad, a laboratory technology company, wanted to entertain its clients with an advertisement about one of their most important products- PCR machines. Hence, they produced an interesting and entertaining advertisement. Hence, I present. . .

The PCR Song, by Bio-Rad

WSJ: ‘Ten Wall Street Blogs You Need To Bookmark Now’

Philip Thomas — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:39:10 +0000

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/ / CC BY 2.0

At its core, investing is really informed gambling. In order to gain the upper hand and to beat the market, quality news and informed analysis are needed. I obtain most of my investing news via a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. My other favorite raw news outlets are the New York Times, Reuters and the BBC. However, I had lacked consistent analysis of the market from varying viewpoints. Hence, a recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled Ten Wall Street Blogs You Need To Bookmark Now piqued my interest. Note: As of publishing, the article is not restricted to paid subscribers. I have a rather active Google Reader account where I receive around one hundred stories via RSS per day on various topics. I read them in the mornings and evenings like a newspaper, and Google Reader makes managing and reading the various stories simple. Since reading this Wall Street Journal article last week, I have added the mentioned blogs to my RSS reader and feel that my analysis and portfolio have benefited due to their articles. These blogs offer insight into the minds of experienced stock traders and economists, and more casual investors can benefit from this news because it allows them access into the minds of professional, full-time traders. One of my favorite blogs has become Business Insider because it tends to analyze the various governments' roles in the stock market and how their actions can affect industry. All investors need access to good analysis in order to make sound investments and the blogs mentioned by the Wall Street Journal provide eclectic and pertinent insight into the economy to make more stable decisions.

Pelikan M800 Fountain Pen Photos

Philip Thomas — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:29:19 +0000

Below I share some images I took of one of my favorite fountain pens, the venerable Pelikan M800. I received this pen as a graduation gift from my grandparents and it has served me wonderfully as a writing instrument during my studies at college.

Images of Pelikan M800 by Philip I. Thomas are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

The Coolest Way To Tie A Scarf

Philip Thomas — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:04:56 +0000

The Sartorialist blog spotted this method of scarf tying on the streets of Florence

I came across the above method for tying scarves via The Sartorialist blog. It piqued my interest because so many people wear scarves on our college campus, but the Parisian knot has become a bit ubiquitous. This knot seems fun and different.

Here's how to tie it:

Infectiously Geeky Carpets

Philip Thomas — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:03:05 +0000

The full line of 'Dirty Dishes' carpets by Bev Hisey

In a previous post I detailed a tie I bought made by Infectious Awarables, whose specialty is clothing adorned with pathogenic microorganisms. While checking my RSS feeds, I came across a set of carpets with a similar theme via the 'If It's Hip, It's Here' blog. These carpets are made by Bev Hisey, and they are also decorated with pathogens like anthrax, SARS and streptococcus in her 'Dirty Dishes' line. It's amazing that these complex and dangerous organisms can be so aesthetically pleasing! While I am still keeping an eye out for anything bearing my pathogen of choice, Cryptococcus neoformans, I still wonder how one of these carpets would look in my dorm room. . . To learn more, go to Bev Hisey's website, and be sure to check out her other medical-themed carpets.

An anthrax-themed carpet. Image from http://www.bevhisey.com/

Audience ‘Win’ at WUSTL Basketball Game

Philip Thomas — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:34:50 +0000

Washington University in Saint Louis has some enthusiastic sports fans. Check out this picture from the mens' basketball game against Case Western Reserve University on 19 February 2010:

A referee at the WashU basketball game, being shadowed by an enthusiastic fan. Unfortunately, only the latter was making good calls.

Stephen Colbert Olympics Poster

Philip Thomas — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:43:14 +0000

Stephen Colbert is at it again. This time he is not trying to run for President. Instead, he is sponsoring the US Speedskating Team while also leading a propaganda effort in support of the US teams in Vancouver. First he pledged financial support of the bankrupt speedskating team, with the approval of his viewing audience. Then, he was on the Sports Illustrated cover for December in recognition of his efforts. Finally, he worked with the artist Shepard Fairey to design his own poster in support of the US Olympic Teams. Below is the masterpiece- I plan to hang it proudly in my dorm room. If Colbert's poster looks familiar, it is because its artist Shepard Fairey also designed the Obama poster (right) that reached ubiquity in the 2008 US Presidential Campaign. The Colbert Olympics poster truly encompasses the spirit of the Olympics- it shows that our country is better than all others.

Click on the poster to view the full-size PDF

Bill Nye the Science Guy Still Rocks

Philip Thomas — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:02:37 +0000

As a kid, I was mildly obsessed with Bill Nye the Science Guy's PBS show. It instilled an early love of science in me to the point where my teachers called me "Phil Nye." Yesterday I was enthralled to see my childhood hero continue to inspire as he bashed the insolent ignorance of Fox News with Rachel Maddow. Watch and be amazed.

Pictures from Seville, Spain

Philip Thomas — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:06 +0000

In this post I share some of the photos I took while in Seville, Spain last year. The trip was during La Semana Santa, the holy week preceding Easter. This was a short segment of a trip through Spain and part of Morocco. The architectural beauty and overall history of Seville made it one of the most memorable cities on the trip.

Torre del Oro

Spanish Tortilla, a quiche-like dish of egg and potato served as a sandwich.

Plaza de España, an iconic building in Seville built for the 1929 Spanish-American Exposition

A hallway from the Plaza de España. This was used as the set of the Royal Palace of Naboo in Start Wars Episode II

The Plaza de Toros, the famous bullring in Seville

An entrance to the Plaza de Toros. Click here to see how to make this picture your iPhone background

One of the many brotherhoods marching to the Seville Cathedral during La Semana Santa . Their uniforms served as the inspiration of those of the KKK in the United States.

The Seville Cathedral

A garden inside The Royal Alcazar Palace

A fountain inside The Royal Alcazar Palace

Images from Seville, Spain by Philip I. Thomas are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

A Military Hummer Meets Its Match: A DC Snow Storm

Philip Thomas — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:43:53 +0000

Here in St. Louis our winter has been pretty mild. However, Washington, DC has been hit by a large snow storm in the last couple days. While my friend at American University said that the only real inconvenience there has been a small satellite TV outage, other parts of the city have been more drastically affected. I came across the below video of a military Hummer vehicle having trouble in the DC snow storm and found it kind of funny. I have been off-roading in a Hummer and they are amazing vehicles, but it seems that snow is the great equalizer.

Footage of the Hummer begins 25 seconds in.