Hey! I was hit by that same truck!
How come that driver still has his license?
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Hey! I was hit by that same truck!
How come that driver still has his license?
Well, today Mary and I scrubbed up the genetics lab all morning, I cleaned out a lot of fly bottles and emptied the incubator, and now those bottles are sitting in the autoclave getting a super-sauna. The lab is now mostly sparkling clean and ready for the next class in the Fall!
This is what I get paid to do, and what my degree qualified me for. Mary, unfortunately, doesn’t get paid, although she too has an advanced degree, and helped out so I wouldn’t have to spend all day in the nasty drudgery. So many dead flies and pupae!
This is exactly what it looked like, after we got done cleaning it.
Even the peaceful octopus knows that sometimes you have to do battle.
I got out of the house to celebrate the end of the semester yesterday, but it was slightly premature. Next week is finals week. I have to slap myself to attention and buckle down and write the genetics final and post it on Canvas.
It shouldn’t be too bad. I’m planning to take full advantage of the Canvas autograder, so I mainly have to invest time this morning in setting up the problems with discrete answers and plugging the answer key into the software, and then grading next week will mainly involve updating the grade sheet.
I slept in until 7am this morning! The stress is fading already!
Our lack has been filled. Iris has opened a Freethoughtblogs Abbatoir.
Here, we perform extractions of lifesaving organs–whether people consent to them or not!
Don’t worry! The Abattoir does not harvest organs from just anyone, willy-nilly. That would be morally reprehensible, barbaric, and inhumane. You see, all of our involuntary organ donors meet one, and only one, very specific criteria: they would eagerly and happily force other people to donate lifesaving organs without the donor’s consent. And these donors do so with absolutely no regard for the harm this may cause, whether physically, psychologically or financially. Since all of The Abattoir’s donors feel so very strongly about this particular principle, it is only just and fair that they live by it!
She has a few photos of the place, I think prior to the actual opening. Once the site gets going, it’s going to be significantly less tidy, and things will get blood-drenched quickly.
Uh-oh. Do we have a Freethoughtblogs Laundry? No, we do not. Do we have a Freethoughtblogs Autoclave? Nope. I’m not in any hurry to open one, I think we can satisfy our donors with reassurances that it’s somewhat cleaner than a back alley.
We explored the local horticulture garden for spiders and found a few — a lovely young Dolomedes and a rather grumpy looking Philodromus. I try to avoid posting spider photos here, so you’ll have to check out my Patreon or Instagram to see them. Sorry. In recompense, here’s a fly:
I have to ask…so many people are arachnophobic and reflexively avert their eyes at spiders, but do you have the same reaction to close-ups of flies? You know, flies are likely responsible for far more disease and death than spiders, and don’t get me started on their Dipteran cousins, the mosquitoes.
Also, I looked at my Instagram, and it’s just jam-packed with exciting spider photos. Then I looked at the Instagram pages of my more popular, attractive, and charming friends, like David Gorski and Rebecca Watson, and what do I see? Puppies. Lots of puppies.
Am I doing something wrong?
My last lecture of the semester was finished today, so I got to take a few minutes and resume my true calling: SPACE PIRATE.
It’s the end of my semester, just one optional final to give and then I’m off to live with the spiders for a few months. Look at the photo! The UMM BioClub gave me a little succulent as a present!
Last week, I gave away a few old textbooks, and this is going to be a weekly tradition for a while. Today what I’m giving away* are:
Last time, I also gave away evil, bad books, but this week I decided to be kind. If you want stupid books to laugh at, let me know and maybe I’ll include some in future giveaways.
So how do you get your hands on one of these? Easy, just ask, either here or on Patreon. You don’t need to be a patron to get one, I’ll just read the requests and pick those that seem worthy to me. If you don’t get what you want this time, I’ll be posting a selection every week. I’ve got to get these bookshelves cleaned up a bit!
*Evolving Darwin playset, Darwin bobblehead, box of Eppendorf pipette tips, or any of the miscellaneous other clutter on my desk not included.
It’s especially effective if you’ve got a bungee cord attached to your butt. Right now, pick-up artists are planning to wire up their bedrooms with springs and rubber bands to enable rapid escape, inspired by these terrified spider males.
You don’t want to hang around afterwards, you know, she might get hungry!
That’s what I keep hearing about Mitt Romney, anyway. He’s one of those rare Republicans who hasn’t gone full MAGA, Trump-worshipping ditto-head. If he’s one of the better ones, though, what does his recent remark say about the Republican party?
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) May 3, 2022
OK, Republicans are just bad, every one. There’s no excuse for voting for that party, ever.
