FAQ and TMI

Returned to work after a week of just-with-the-wife vacation.  Subjected to a series of questions from my coworkers.  Common themes:

How was your trip?

Why on earth did you go to Texas?  (Mad's answer is spot-on)

When do we expect baby number 5? 

 

Out on a School Night

Mad and I have tickets to see Lyle Lovett tomorrow night.  (mad's favorite - Quid pro quo for the Nightwish concert).  Mr. Lovett will be joined on stage by several other legendary Texas songwriters, including Guy Clark, Joe Ely, and John Hiatt.  In the spirit of trying to broaden my musical horizons I picked up an alt-country compilation with all four of these guys on it - honest music, none of this Billy Ray Cyrus country crap.  I've only had it for three days and I already know the lyrics to Desperadoes Waitin' For A Train.  Not bad, eh?

Oh, and did I mention the concert is in Austin, Texas?  Second honeymoon here we come! See y'all next week.

Currently Listening Live from Austin, TX see related

Re-educating PZ

PZ:  Dad, do we buy organic produce?

SD:  Sometimes.  Why?

PZ:  It says here on PBSKids that organic farmers don't use pesticide and that organic food is better for the environment.

SD:  Hmmm...  That's not true at all.  Organic farmers can use pesticides but they can only use certain pesticides.  Some of those pesticides are just as dangerous as the ones used by other farmers.  Like there's one organic pesticide that's very dangerous for fish. 

PZ:  Really?

SD:  Yep.  I mean, some organic farmers don't use pesticides, but that's not what organic means.  And it doesn't mean better for the environment, either.  Sometimes conventional crops use less land and are actually better for the environment.  It's more complicated than how they explain it there.

PZ:  Oh.

Recession, what recession?

2007:  workforce reduction

2008:  Free coffee, tea, and soda for all employees!

But should I drink the Kool-Aid?

SMRT

From the Associated Press:  Scientists:  Big quake likely in Calif.

So a bunch of geologists from the USGS, Southern California Earthquake Center, and California Geological Survey put their heads together to come up with a comprehensive forecast of upcoming California earthquakes.  After poring over the available data, they reach the followings conclusion:

New calculations reveal there is a 99.7 percent chance a magnitude 6.7 quake or larger will strike in the next 30 years.

Thanks for clearing that one up, science!  Earthquakes in California!  Who would've thunk it?  Does Al Gore know about this?  Note that wikipedia lists at least nine California earthquakes >6.7 in the past thirty years.    Did we really need an inter-agency team of scientists to tell us to expect at least one more in the next thirty?

Moreover, what sort of practical value does this information have for anyone outside of the insurance industry?  The prospect of an earthquake hasn't exactly kept people out of California and last I heard people were still living in Japan. 

I can't get my hands on the actual report but the best I can figure is that the real value of this report is a minor innovation in standardized reporting - the ability to compare one fault to another directly in terms of likelihood-of-a-quake.  Congratulations, geologists!  Next time keep your press releases to yourself.