Saturday, February 7, 2015
Origins of Pen
'Pen' comes through the Old French 'penne' from the Latin 'penna,' which means 'feather.' I suppose that 'pinion' comes from the same root.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Gawain and Mordred
Most of the Alliterative Morte Arthure tells of King Arthur's war against Rome, but Arthur and his knights rush back to Britain when they hear that Sir Mordred has usurped the throne. Arthur's fleet crosses the English Channel but waits until high tide to land.
Sir Gawain, not wanting to wait, lands on the shore immediately with a handful of men. Mordred's army is 60,000 strong, and as Gawain is surrounded on the beach, his only regret is that he has led his men to their doom. Gawain and his men fight with surpassing skill, but their strength begins to give out as the battle drags on.
Gawain seeks out Mordred on the battlefield and engages him in combat. Mordred wounds Gawain twice, and finally kills him, leaving his body lying on the ground. The King of Frisia, one of Mordred's allies, asks him who the knight is that he killed. Here I quote (Mordred speaks):
"'Had thou knowen him, Sir King, in kithe there he lenged,
His cunning, his knighthood, his kindly workes,
His doing, his doughtiness, his deedes of armes,
Thou wolde have dole for his dede the dayes of they life.'
Yet that traitour als tite teres let he fall,
Turnes him forth tite and talkes no more,
Went weepand away and weryes the stounde
That ever his werdes were wrought such wandreth to work!"
That is to say,
"Had you known him, Sir King, in his native land,
His wisdom, his knighthood, his kind works,
His actions, his strength, his deeds of arms,
You would grieve for his death all your life."
Yet the traitor (Mordred) at once tears lets fall,
Turns away quickly and talks no more,
Goes weeping away and curses the time
That ever his fate was set such misery to work!
In showing Mordred mourning, the Alliterative Morte Arthure paints a very different picture of the traitor than many other works. It should be noted that in some versions of Arthurian legend, Mordred is Gawain's half-brother. In Alliterative Morte Arthure, Mordred is Gawain's cousin.
Sir Gawain, not wanting to wait, lands on the shore immediately with a handful of men. Mordred's army is 60,000 strong, and as Gawain is surrounded on the beach, his only regret is that he has led his men to their doom. Gawain and his men fight with surpassing skill, but their strength begins to give out as the battle drags on.
Gawain seeks out Mordred on the battlefield and engages him in combat. Mordred wounds Gawain twice, and finally kills him, leaving his body lying on the ground. The King of Frisia, one of Mordred's allies, asks him who the knight is that he killed. Here I quote (Mordred speaks):
"'Had thou knowen him, Sir King, in kithe there he lenged,
His cunning, his knighthood, his kindly workes,
His doing, his doughtiness, his deedes of armes,
Thou wolde have dole for his dede the dayes of they life.'
Yet that traitour als tite teres let he fall,
Turnes him forth tite and talkes no more,
Went weepand away and weryes the stounde
That ever his werdes were wrought such wandreth to work!"
That is to say,
"Had you known him, Sir King, in his native land,
His wisdom, his knighthood, his kind works,
His actions, his strength, his deeds of arms,
You would grieve for his death all your life."
Yet the traitor (Mordred) at once tears lets fall,
Turns away quickly and talks no more,
Goes weeping away and curses the time
That ever his fate was set such misery to work!
In showing Mordred mourning, the Alliterative Morte Arthure paints a very different picture of the traitor than many other works. It should be noted that in some versions of Arthurian legend, Mordred is Gawain's half-brother. In Alliterative Morte Arthure, Mordred is Gawain's cousin.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
A Gnu Way of Doing Cereal
I bought the most environmentally friendly cereal today. It's made by Nature's Path Organic and is called 'Envirokidz Peanut Butter Panda Puffs'. Instead of the usual simple puzzle or maze on the back of the cereal box, there's an assortment of facts about Pandas and their habitat, along with the encouragement to 'be an envirokid'.
That's not all. Not only is this cereal gluten free, it's entirely wheat free. The whole grain corn, peanuts, and soy that did go into the making of these puffs were not genetically modified and are free of synthetic herbicides and pesticides.
There's a hearty endorsement on one side of the box that I thought was from a satisfied customer, but it was merely the founder of Nature's Path Organic recommending his own cereal.
The nutrition facts, required by the FDA for packaged foods, are calculated using skim milk as the supplement to the cereal.
The box, made of 100% recycled paperboard, is small as cereal boxes go, containing approximately 10 servings. With all the organic goodness contained within its cardboard walls, though, the price sits at a cool $6.19. That's no need for concern, though-- 1% of the cereal's sales go to 'help the planet'.
Frankly, I'm impressed that one product can hit so many health food cliches. I may not make Peanut Butter Panda Puffs a regular part of my diet, but the fact that such a cereal exists brings a smile to my face. It's the best purchase I've made this week.
That's not all. Not only is this cereal gluten free, it's entirely wheat free. The whole grain corn, peanuts, and soy that did go into the making of these puffs were not genetically modified and are free of synthetic herbicides and pesticides.
There's a hearty endorsement on one side of the box that I thought was from a satisfied customer, but it was merely the founder of Nature's Path Organic recommending his own cereal.
The nutrition facts, required by the FDA for packaged foods, are calculated using skim milk as the supplement to the cereal.
The box, made of 100% recycled paperboard, is small as cereal boxes go, containing approximately 10 servings. With all the organic goodness contained within its cardboard walls, though, the price sits at a cool $6.19. That's no need for concern, though-- 1% of the cereal's sales go to 'help the planet'.
Frankly, I'm impressed that one product can hit so many health food cliches. I may not make Peanut Butter Panda Puffs a regular part of my diet, but the fact that such a cereal exists brings a smile to my face. It's the best purchase I've made this week.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Science Facts: Quinine Fluorescence
Quinine apparently glows blue in UV light. I'll have to try it next time I get my hands on a bottle of Schweppes.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Pipette Tip Prices
I wrote a research proposal for the first time this weekend and it was a generally positive experience. One has to plan for every detail. How much will pipette tips cost? We went through pipette tips like nobody's business in Biology 141 Lab, but it turns out they can cost as much as $0.25 a piece. Research seems to get expensive very fast.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Survey Compensation
As an undergraduate in research-intensive institution, I get lots of emails about different studies and surveys that could be participated in. There are surveys put together by undergraduates and graduate students that offer no compensation at all, depending only on the goodwill of fellow students for completion.
At a slightly more rewarding level are raffle surveys, where all participants are entered in a raffle for an iPad mini. It's always for an iPad mini. This is all well and good if you're the one person who wins, but I've never actually heard of anyone getting an iPad mini from these things.
The surveys to really watch out for are of the Amazon-gift-cards-for-your-time model. Surveys with good compensation will often yield better results than surveys with bad compensation because a survey where only willing volunteers with lots of time on their hands bother to answer will most likely biased. If students are being offered money, a more accurate demographic distribution would probably occur.
At a slightly more rewarding level are raffle surveys, where all participants are entered in a raffle for an iPad mini. It's always for an iPad mini. This is all well and good if you're the one person who wins, but I've never actually heard of anyone getting an iPad mini from these things.
The surveys to really watch out for are of the Amazon-gift-cards-for-your-time model. Surveys with good compensation will often yield better results than surveys with bad compensation because a survey where only willing volunteers with lots of time on their hands bother to answer will most likely biased. If students are being offered money, a more accurate demographic distribution would probably occur.
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