Everyday Junglist
Bio
Practicing mage of the natural sciences (Ph.D. micro/mol bio), Thought middle manager, Everyday Junglist, Boulderer, Cat lover, No tie shoelace user, Humorist, Argan oil aficionado. Occasional LinkedIn & Facebook user
Stories (565/0)
Lift Up Your Writing With the Power of Redundancy
The Most Redundant Words to Delete From Your Writing The consensus of opinion these days seems to be that redundancy in writing is bad. While it may be the general consensus it is not an absolute certainty that this is the case. In fact it might possibly be the case that redundancies are more superior to other methods of emphasis when it comes to getting and keeping your readers attention, despite what Random House copy chief Benjamin Dreyer says in the above linked piece.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Humans
Bacteriophage and Probiotics for Pathogen Control in Food Production Facilities
Introduction and background In recent years the use of bacteriophage (viruses that specifically bind to, infect, and ultimately kill bacteria) and probiotics (mixtures of what are often called ‘good’ bacteria) to control the food pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. and shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in food production facilities has become increasingly commonplace. The fear of foodborne disease outbreaks and the devastating economic consequences for the companies associated with them has sparked a “we are willing to try anything” mentality among food producers in every major industry sector. This has led to the implementation of some questionable practices without a full understanding of the potential for unintended consequences. The intent of this article is not to impugn the good intentions of the companies and people involved in promoting and using these newer approaches for pathogen control. They are (almost) all motivated by the same desire to do the right thing and protect the public health. That said, in their zeal to do something, it may be that some have moved too quickly, and it is possible that at least two of these newer (newer in this particular application at least) technologies (bacteriophage and probiotics) have the potential to do more harm than good. Going further, the potential for unintended harm is so great that a moratorium on their further use may be warranted until we have a much better understanding of the potential consequences of the adoption of these technologies on such a wide scale. That will require the generation of much more data than currently exists which proves their safety and efficacy to the satisfaction of the food microbiology and greater scientific community.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Longevity
Why "Words" is 2021 Word of the Year
It seemed like you could not go anywhere this year without seeing words everywhere. In fact you could not read or hear anything about anything all year without them. There were some things that you could see or feel without them, but really when you think about it you still needed word(s) to describe that you saw or felt them, so they probably were still needed in those instances too. In any event, words were freakin everywhere, and that is why I have designated “words” my word of the year.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Journal
Can We Please Stop Calling Our Jobs (Or Side Jobs) Hustles?
I appreciate the ever evolving nature of our language as much as anyone. In fact I have written frequently about language including not one but two articles specifically on the topic of precision in language, and why it is so important. In those articles I go out of my way to note that language is not some static affair and that meanings of words do shift and change with time. So, I get it that the word hustle has somewhat recently come to be applied to just about anything someone does to make money. On the one hand I can appreciate the association of the word with work. It suggest an aggressive attitude, a let’s get it done quickly approach, etc. On the other hand it brings a lot of negative baggage along for the ride. First, it suggests a lack of seriousness about whatever endeavor it is being applied to describe. A hustle is more like a hobby that makes money then a job. Thus, like a hobby, one’s dedication to it might change in intensity over time. It is transient or temporary. As an example, just like collecting baseball cards used to be your passionate hobby, writing is your hobby now, but who knows what it might be next week? Why would I want to pay someone money if that is the attitude they take toward the job I am paying them to do? Even if writing really is a hobby for you, and you don’t really take it all that seriously, yet you have the temerity to expect people to pay you for it, why rub it in their face? A great question I surely would have no idea about.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Journal
To the Women Whom I Give Free Fitness and Health Advice
Author's preface. This piece is a satirical work of fiction based entirely upon an original story entitled "To the Men Giving Me Fitness and Health Advice" by Taru Annina Liikanen and published here on Vocal.media. It can be found here. As I read that story I began to wonder in my head what the men whom Miss Liikanen was writing about are actually thinking as they annoy, pester, bother, and otherwise make uncomfortable various women at gyms across the country and around the world. This post attempts to get inside the mind of that man and the result is something both disturbing and hilarious in equal measure.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Longevity
SARS-CoV-II: A New Hope
Author's preface: Full disclosure. The lead author of the vaccine efficacy paper described below is my current wife and she is a co-author on the manufacturing paper. I did not contribute in any way to either work except perhaps for occasionally acting as a sounding board for my wife's many brilliant ideas. I have said this before and I will say it again here. Not many people get a chance to even meet their heroes. I am so very lucky to have been able to marry mine. Way to go baby. Finally, I am quite proud of the Star Wars reference I managed to work into the title of this article. Very clever. lol!
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in The Swamp
The Voice in My Head When I Write
Recently I have started paying much closer attention to the voice in my head when I write. If you are a writer you probably know what I am talking about, or maybe it’s different for you. For me, the voice is the one that reads the words (‘out loud’) in my head as they move from my fingers, through the keys, to my screen. Depending on the topic of whatever particular writing project I am tackling at the time that voice varies considerably. It moves in tone from haranguing lecturer to sarcastic asshole to gentle comforter, and everything in between. Of course finding the words to match the voice is the real trick, or is it the other way around really? The hard part is finding the voice, the right voice for the right application, and then channeling that voice to the page in a way that conveys what the spoken word can, but in (at least) one less dimension. Without the spoken voice and body language that goes with it communicating what you really want to convey, what you really think, can be what feels like an impossible task. The joy of writing for me comes on those few occasions when that task is managed effortlessly and the words on the page and the voice in my head align just so. When that happens the missing dimension(s) disappears, and it is like I am there in the screen with the words talking directly to the reader. Like I have left a part of myself on the page, an imprint of my actual presence, but without all the messiness that comes with physical interactions between strangers. I get to say my peace, the stranger (reader) can take it or leave it, love it or hate it. In either case I did what I set out to do, and they got stuck with a little taste of my voice in their head if only for a brief moment in time. Imagine living with that voice for your entire life. That would suck now wouldn’t it? lol!
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Confessions
Your Mind May Not Even Be a Biological Neural Net
My Mind Is Just A Neural Net The important thing to remember about a biological neural network, and one that is often overlooked, is that it is a theoretical functional and possibly structural component of a brain, specifically a human and some non human animals brains. In my view it is something of a stretch to call it a theoretical component given the relative paucity of hard data in support of it, however, I will grant it is stronger than a hypothetical function/structure at least. What has been described in the above linked article is an artificial neural network from which the author has gone on to philosophize about various aspects of the mind and mind/body problem. The cart has been put way before the horse as it were as no where has it been established that an artificial neural network is anything at all like a mind. We do not even know what a mind is like (at least in so far as the existence and structure/function of hypothesized/theorized neural networks). To suggest that by mimicking/aping/copying/taking as a model a biological neural network (which remember is a theoretical/hypothetical thing and may not be an accurate representation at all, and could in fact be completely wrong) with an artificial version, we can replicate or have replicated intelligence or learning or any aspect of a human or non human animal mind is absurd. It is another aspect of the compulogical fallacy and it is patently ridiculous on its face.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Futurism
ET Wake Up
Of course I had to write something about this paper. It has three of my favorite things in the title (hypothesis, an obscure word used in a new way, and an H.P. Lovecraft reference that was also used in a Metallica song), and it is about one of my favorite topics, aliens. As an fyi, I copy-pasted liberally from Wikipedia for some of the background stuff. I did make some half-hearted attempt to substitute out a few words and rearrange some things. I’m lazy alright, so sue me*.
By Everyday Junglist2 years ago in Futurism
I am Crapping My Pants in Fear About Amazon's Alexa
Author's preface. This parody article was published back in 2019. Obviously that makes a tech focused piece like this one very much dated. I still think it holds up OK and is pretty damn funny. You really have to read the original upon which it is based (linked below) to get the full effect.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in 01
Virtual/Augmented Reality (VAR) and the Simulation Hypothesis
A day does not go by that another article is not published purporting to explain why virtual/augmented reality (VAR) systems/software/applications have failed to spark much interest in the general population. Adoption rates have been way slower than many had predicted and widespread adoption seems decades away if it is ever going to happen. Many theories have been suggested and while they each have some element of truth to them they all fail to provide a completely satisfactory account of the issue. I have been puzzling over this problem in my head myself for months now. Given the bulk of the populations seemingly endless fascination with all things tech and the media’s incessant hyping of VAR as the next big thing you would think VAR systems would have exploded in popularity by now. We should already be in the price war phase with knock off brands flooding the market and VR gaming addicts passing out in neighborhood VR arcades from two week binges of non stop VR MMRPG gaming sessions. Meanwhile AR should be an option in all new cars sold and a standard feature on new smart phones. To date, none of that has come to pass.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Futurism
Control Everything
In humans, the autonomic nervous system is a control system that acts largely unconsciously (Just how largely is a subject of some debate, but almost entirely is fair to say. Traditionally, for something to be included as part of the autonomic nervous system it had to be out of the control of the conscious mind. That was "baked into" the definition. So, one could argue that as soon as we find that any particular function can actually be controlled consciously, it should no longer be classified as being a part of that system. Perhaps a new nervous system classification is needed to account for functions which are mostly unconscious but may be able to be controlled to some degree consciously in some people with extraordinary effort, and perhaps some natural genetic tendencies in that direction.) and regulates various bodily functions such as the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. Our immune system, though not officially a part of the autonomic nervous system, is also intimately associated with it, and mistaken or inappropriate interactions between the two systems are thought to play a role in the development of many chronic diseases involving both. Although this has also been challenged by some, the immune system is also generally agreed to be entirely out of our conscious control. If we do have some conscious control over the immune system it is most likely only at the edges, and at a holistic rather than fine detailed level. Both systems are scarily complex and textbooks and research papers abound in both fields. There are undergraduate college courses and graduate programs dedicated to each, and many a Ph.D. and MD have made entire careers out of studying them. For purposes of this discussion all you need to know is that it is widely believed/understood that human life would be impossible without either or both of them.
By Everyday Junglist3 years ago in Futurism