This is your chance to meet and talk with like minded students about issues that matter to you. Think of it as a mini-Terry Talks. Each student comes with a 5 minute story in min about whatever topic they like. Everyone’s name is put into a hat and the names that come out get to tell their story to the group.

Its a great chance to meet new people, share ideas, and be inspired!

Terry Tales is happening every 2 weeks in the new Global Lounge from 5-7 on Mondays. Check out the facebook event for more details!

DNA 11 sends you a mouth swab that you use to collect epithelial cells from the inside of your cheek. You then mail these back to the company and they conduct a gel electrophoresis run of your genes. The results of this (the black and white bands often seen on CSI and the like) are then photographed professionally and digitally coloured. The result is an abstract painting of whichever colours you want featuring you.

Its a pretty cool idea and I’d imagine I’d have a lot of fun explaining to people what the painting was all about. However, I had some reservations.

I’ve written about genetic privacy before and am aware of the risks of mailing some company my most personal information. If it is stored digitally on a server in the US it become open to the Patriot Act. If they keep the info and the company goes bankrupt then what happens to the genetic information.

I did a little digging around and it looks like DNA 11 is totally legit. First of all they don’t actually decode your genes, they just get a fancy picture of them. Its the same kind of picture that criminologists use to identify two people. Each picture is unique but you can’t tell what any of the lines actually translate to (hair colour, skin colour, etc.). They also guarantee that they will delete and destroy all of the information and samples that they get after they have finished your piece. I sent them an e-mail and they confirmed all of this for me.

They also do personalized finger prints and kisses!

Nerdy? Check. Conversation piece? Check. Beautiful? Check.

If you are a student bent on making a positive difference in the world then this is the place to get your start. This year, the 3rd CGIU is happening in Miami from April 16-18. It will undoubtedly be as awesome this year as it was last year. Participants will get to hear speeches from and interact with world leaders in many disciplines. Be sure to check out the webcast from last year’s meeting to get a scope of what happens. More importantly you will meet dozens of other university students from all around the world engaged in globe changing projects.

There is a catch though. Potential applicants need to make a ‘Commitment’ to the Clinton Global Initiative in one of 5 areas: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, or Public Health. My commitment was the UBC MIX project and fell under the Education category.

If you are interested in submitting a project you are currently working on to the CGIU and attend be sure to check out the CGIU homepage. The early application deadline has already passed but the final deadline is February 22, 2010. It is crucial that you start working on your application early as it is quite a lengthy process.

UBC is also looking at finding some support for student’s who are interested in applying. I’d be happy to help you out with your application and show you mine from 2007. UBC Student Development also wants to help out so please contact Kim Kiloh if you intend to apply. You can look her up in the UBC Directory. The best way to contact me is to e-mail me – geoffcosteloe at gmail dot com (phonetically spelled but you know how to fix it).

Best of luck applying!

Charles Tupper: A Measure of Patience

Stephen Harper: A James Dean for the 21st Century (based of of this editorial by Andrew Steele)

Comments and debate on them is encouraged!

More to come!

Well, that search is over for me. I’m going to do a PhD. What changed my mind? This paper.

Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by lapdancers: economic evidence for human estrus?

Abstract

To see whether estrus was really “lost” during human evolution (as researchers often claim), we examined ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by professional lap dancers working in gentlemen’s clubs. Eighteen dancers recorded their menstrual periods, work shifts, and tip earnings for 60 days on a study web site. A mixed-model analysis of 296 work shifts (representing about 5300 lap dances) showed an interaction between cycle phase and hormonal contraception use. Normally cycling participants earned about US$335 per 5-h shift during estrus, US$260 per shift during the luteal phase, and US$185 per shift during menstruation. By contrast, participants using contraceptive pills showed no estrous earnings peak. These results constitute the first direct economic evidence for the existence and importance of estrus in contemporary human females, in a real-world work setting. These results have clear implications for human evolution, sexuality, and economics.

Wow. How could we not have seen it before? This truly is a scientific breakthough.

Come on! These guys g(and undoubtedly they were guys) got paid $100K+ to sit in a strip club and count bills. This isn’t the job of a researcher, its the job of a rapper. I’m sure it took them at least 2 years of work too.

Where do I sign up to pursue my PhD; the research ideas are brewing already.

You can find the full version of the text here (requires Science Direct subscription).

In order to help facilitate this partnership, we will be hiring a Graduate Academic Assistant for first semester. The involved work would be about 25 hours over first semester and would include marking of integrated assignments, curriculum development, and preparing a final report on the (inevitable) successes of the pilot.

Interested applicants should send an e-mail to ubc.mix@gmail.com for more information and pay rates.

This is a great chance to get involved in one of the most innovative education initiatives going on at the university. Not only that but you would become part of the Terry extended family! Who wouldn’t want that?!

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 300 Employees and has the following statistics?

• 30 have been accused of spousal abuse.

• 9 have been arrested for fraud.

• 14 have been accused of writing bad cheques.

• 95 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.

• 4 have done time for assault.

• 55 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.

• 12 have been arrested on drug related charges.

• 4 have been arrested for shoplifting.

• 16 are currently defendants in lawsuits.

• 62 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year!

Can you guess which organization this is?

It is the 301 MP’s in the Canadian Parliament.

The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws designed to keep the rest of us in line!

Which one did you vote for?

TAKEN FROM THE OTTAWA CITIZEN

That’s tacky, in your face patriotism.

I loved it.

That’s what researchers University of Bath are looking at. Lead by Adrian Bowyer, the team has created RepRap: an open source machine that is capable of creating (at least in part) a copy of itself.
You may have heard of three dimensional printers before. They print an object layer upon layer so that the final product has shape and form. These printers usually cost tens of thousands of dollars to buy. RepRap is trying to change all that.
Lets say your friend had a RepRap. They could download open source designs to create anything: coat hangers, doors, desks, whatever you could dream up. These might be made in small pieces that you have to assemble, but almost anything is doable. Great, your friend has his own little factory, but how does that help you?
What if your friend could program RepRap to make a copy of itself? Then you can have your own little factory on your desktop, to create whatever you need or more RepRaps for your friends.

Check out this awesome video below and RepRap’s homepage!

RepRap from Adrian Bowyer on Vimeo.