Done this week (20140727 Su - 0802 Sa)

[mdlbear]

Not really a good week. Our prospective buyer backed out, so we've wasted a month and we're going to have to put a fair amount of work into the Starport to make it more attractive. Growf!

Meanwhile, my Mom was still in the hospital; they had to put in a pacemaker.

And recent studies suggest that people who know that they're getting a placebo actually improve, because they were told placebos "have been shown in clinical studies to produce significant improvement in [...] symptoms through mind-body self-healing processes." This is great, except that it means that skeptical realists like me may be at a further disadvantage health-wise.

On the plus side, I got some good cuddles and a terrific chair massage, took some fun wikipedia dives, made some progress at work, and had a couple of good dinners.

On the whole, though, I don't feel as though I'm doing all that well.

There are, as usual, some great links in the notes. Especially noteworthy are Vantablack (which looks like it will call a bunch of goths on their "I'm only wearing black until they make something darker"), the Green Dragon pub in New Zealand, and ysabetwordsmith's poem: "Dr. Laser and the Nocturnal Emissions"

0727 Su
  * up 6:30ish; W=211.8; shower
  @ DPT board, Linux and WiFi becomes easy | Indiegogo (Hackaday: A Router-Based Dev Board That Isn’t A Router )
  @ Vantablack world's most light-absorbant material so far: 99.965%
  & Wikipedia dive including calf muscles, mole rats, eusociality, and mantis shrimp.
  @ Left Coast Rising - NYTimes.com 
  @ Rethinking the Placebo Effect: How Our Minds Actually Affect Our Bodies 
    Studies in which people who *knew* they were getting a placebo actually improved,
    because they were told placebos "have been shown in clinical studies to produce
    significant improvement in IBS symptoms through mind-body self-healing processes." 
    Gleep.  It also indicates that realism, as opposed to optimism, is bad for your
    health.  Bad news for me.
  @ The Science of Our Optimism Bias and the Life-Cycle of Happiness | Brain Pickings 
  @ We Didn't Just Join Geek Culture We Invented It. 
  @ Cover and Profile Photo Dimensions for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram,
    LinkedIn and more! 
  * Made salmon and asparagus for dinner.  Colleen isn't all that fond of salmon, but
    everyone else prefers it.  *sigh*

0728 Mo
  * up 6:30; W=211.8
  : The buyer backed out.  GROWF!
  @ 8 Places for Thrifty Bookworms to Download Free E-Books 
  & Wikipedia dive starting atVelella
    and extending through assorted cnidarians and tuncates.

0729 Tu
  * up 6:15; W=210.8
  * Finally posted my email about N's class project; it got her 7 sign-ups in the first 15
    minutes.  Now I don't feel so bad about not posting it earlier. 

0730 We
  * up 5:40; W=210.2
  @ The Great Giant Flea Hunt - NYTimes.com 
  @ Supporting a Grieving Person: Helping Others Through Grief and Loss (ysabetwordsmith")
  : Update on Mom - her heart rate didn't go back down to normal, so they've installed a
    pacemaker (resulting in another week in the hospital)
  @ Calling
    All Hackers: Help Us Build an Open Wireless Router | EFF 

0731 Th
  * up 6:15; W=211.2
  * leave ~7:15
  * 9:15 Cortiva - chair massage
  : N's team won on professionalism.
  * Music night after dinner.

0801 Fr
  * up 6:10; W=211.2; 
  * 8am take kids to bus stop
  @ Turns out that lawsuits have rules f(Nora Rivkis) Especially federal lawsuits.

0802 Sa
  * cuddles with cat and Cat
  * up 6:30ish; W=210.2; Shower
  @ Tolkien and the Timeless Way of Building
    A real-life Hobbit pub has opened for business in New Zealand The Green Dragon!
    Hobbit House | Archer & Buchanan Architecture, LTD.
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Poem: "Dr. Laser and the Nocturnal Emissions"
  @ The Strange Story Of The Man Behind 'Strange Fruit' : NPR 
  : Curio has been spending a lot of time on my chair this morning, and is now batting at
    my headphone cord.  Silly cat.
  @ The Insidiousness of Facebook Messenger's Mobile App Terms of Service
  * Dinner with Colleen, Emmy and Tim at Anthony's Bell Street Diner 
  @ The 8-Hour Sleep Myth: How I Learned That Everything I Knew About Sleep Was Wrong
  @ Hidden Allergens: Pink Peppercorns, Tree Nut Allergies and how an Amazon Reviewer
    Helped Solve a Mystery Pink peppercorns are related to cashews!
  @ How Restaurant Pros Are Handling the Surge of Food Allergies 

Comments

[firecat]

Pretty sure I've heard that placebos work on skeptical realists too. Most people have a credulous core.

[mdlbear]

One can hope.

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

Vantablack (which looks like it will call a bunch of goths on their "I'm only wearing black until they make something darker")

Sounds like fuligin.

[mdlbear]

Yup. Pretty much.

[tagryn]

Seeing that reference is too funny, as I rediscovered Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" series last week after not having read any of it for about a decade.

[tagryn]

Steve - sorry to hear about the Starport. I'm sure your agent knows about these already, but there are some relatively inexpensive things that can be done to make a house "show" better, like improving the scents the prospective buyer encounter inside. A google search should pop up some ideas.

My dad had to have a pacemaker installed after his quad-bypass. Its not fun, but something that has to be done in some cases. I hope your mom gets better soon.

You also may find this story on helping people who are grieving of interest: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865606716/What-not-to-say-How-to-reach-out-to-a-young-widow.html