Monthly Archives: November 2011

We spent this Thanksgiving in a quiet northernly locale with a few friends. It was low key and relaxing. Since clear skies were forecast, I thought it would be fun to bring over a small telescope I have and do … Continue reading →

Recently I was having a conversation about how many things one finds around the lab could be quite useful in the home. For example, parafilm seems like a much better substitute than your typical plastic wrap, and is probably even … Continue reading →

I was just visiting the International Spy Museum while taking a break from the large Society for Neuroscience meeting.  I was a bit disappointed with the hokeyness of it, but it was fun seeing real spy gadgets from the 40’s … Continue reading →

One thing people don’t tell you about tackling big meetings, such as the Society for Neuroscience where I’m currently at, is that one has to perfect the art of looking without looking. That is, when you have a list of … Continue reading →

Well, I’m on my way to the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in DC. Because I procrastinated until the last minute and couldn’t find cheap tickets with reasonable travel times, I decided to take the train, which all in all … Continue reading →

Dear Students, I’ve noticed a trend among grad students when preparing slides for their presentations that there is a tendency to spend lots of time making the slides pretty, but giving little thought to how well a slide conveys the … Continue reading →

I always find it kind of annoying that daylight savings time ends on a Saturday evening, basically your extra hour of sleep is wasted on Sunday which you can wake up late anyway, and your circadian-entrained kids will wake you … Continue reading →

In México, November 2 is Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead. One venerable tradition is to write little obituaries for living people you know with a little skeleton of themselves, or a sugar skull with their name to … Continue reading →

I’ve mentioned before that running a lab is like running a ship. For the most part it’s like running a sinking ship which you are frantically trying to keep afloat, but the analogy extends further. And maybe here’s where the … Continue reading →