So the other day we had a Galactic Alignment of sorts at the gym. My main man Dan and I finished our workouts at the same time, and we got to take a steam together (#NoHomo). This rarely occurs, since our schedules are very, VERY uncoordinated, but when it does, we get to have ourselves a nice long chat during an extended “shvitz”. Now normally when this happens, the routine is quite simple. We change, grab towels and hit the steam room, where we immediately spend a brief period of time checking out each other’s endowments. My look is often one of amazement, while his gaze says something along the lines of, “ya, I suppose you can call that a penis”. We than discuss three things; broads we have banged are banging or want to bang, philosophy, and finally basketball. In fact, we talk so extensively about what’s going on in the NBA, that it would be nice if we could somehow find a way to get paid to display our collective NBA knowledge and understanding, but apparently that’s just not going to happen anytime soon, oh well. Now on this particular day I was running really late, and Dan, as well as the rest of the universe realized this. You see, Dan is one of those guys that will show up at the gym daily, but on no particular routine. He will come in at night, in the morning, during the afternoon, whenever he gets around to it. Whereas you can literally set your watch by the time I walk in the gym, and by the time I leave. So when I came in three or four hours later than normal, Dan questioned why, and I told him simply, I was lost in Wikipedia. I figured I was going to have to explain what that meant, but with only slight hesitation (manly because he had to readjust his towel so I couldn’t continue to stare at his balls), he said “Shit, I do that all the time!” We got to talking more about it, and it appears that besides a history of promiscuity, a love for hoops, and a passion for philosophy, we also have the wonderful world of Wikipedia as a common interest. Now, getting lost in Wikipedia should be pretty easy to understand, but for those having a hard time following along, I’ll explain further. You launch Wikipedia, go look up what it is you want to look up, and when something interesting comes along that is hyper linked, click it, read on that, and repeat. You’d be surprised where you end up, and essentially how much time you killed doing this fundamental little thing we smrt people call learning. (Calm down typo Nazis that one was done for comedic effect). I’m now going to spend the next three hours going through this routine, abbreviate it all in one tidy little blog, and demonstrate the fruits that can be gathered when you have nothing to do. I’ll start with my favorite baseball player of all time, I’ll make a few notes, show what captivated me, and we will see where we go from there. Are you ready? Let’s go……….
Babe Ruth;George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball.
Blah blah blah……. Yeah yeah, I know all about the stats and records, find me something I don’t already know will you. Hmmmm, wait, what’s this? Babe was in the movies as well? I did not know that.His first film appearance occurred in 1920, in the silent movie Headin' Home.
I don’t know much about silent movies, let’s go there.A silent film is a film with no synchronized sound or dialogue. Dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards. The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as film itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, synchronized dialogue was only made practical in the late 1920s with the perfection of the audion amplifier tube and the introduction of the Vitaphone system.Vitaphone system was basically an old school version of the record player of sorts, I knew that, but what was the other component?
Audion Amplifier Tube;The Audion is an electronic amplifying vacuum tube invented by Lee De Forest in 1906. It was the forerunner of the triode, in which the current from the filament to the plate was controlled by a third element, the grid. A small amount of power applied to the grid could control a larger current from the filament to the plate, allowing the Audion both to detect radio signals (that is, make them audible) and to provide amplification. However, De Forest's Audion is quite distinct from the true vacuum triode in that it is not capable of linear amplification.
Cool, so this thing made sound possible in movies, but what the hell is linear amplification?In electronics, the linear operating region of a device, for example a transistor, is where a dependent variable (such as the transistor collector current) is directly proportional to an independent variable (such as the base current). This ensures that an analog output is an accurate representation of an input, typically with higher amplitude (amplified). A typical example of linear equipment is a high fidelity audio amplifier, which must amplify a signal without changing its waveform. Others are linear filters, linear regulators, and linear amplifiers in general.Okay, that’s cool shit right there. But what’s the difference between a dependent variable and an independent variable again? Let’s see……..
Dependent/IndependentVariable;The terms "dependent variable" and "independent variable" are used in similar but subtly different ways in mathematics and statistics as part of the standard terminology in those subjects. They are used to distinguish between two types of quantities being considered, separating them into those available at the start of a process and those being created by it, where the latter (dependent variables) are dependent on the former (independent variables).
Right, ok, I’m up to speed, I think. Can we get an example of this, though? Just in case.Using nutrition as a simplified example; the independent variable of daily vitamin C intake (how much vitamin C one consumes) can influence the dependent variable of life expectancy (the average age one attains).
Got it, so life span doesn’t influence vitamin C, it’s the other way around. Dependent/independent. Vitamin C, we get that shit from oranges, right?Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress. Hmmmmm…… Oxidative stress, I think I may have that. But I’m not sure, so let’s just check real quickly.
Oxidative stress;Oxidative stress represents an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage. Disturbances in the normal redox state of cells can cause toxic effects through the production of peroxides and free radicals that damage all components of the cell, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. Further, some reactive oxidative species act as cellular messengers in redox signaling. Thus, oxidative stress can cause disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signalingIn humans, oxidative stress is thought to be involved in the development of many diseases or may exacerbate their symptoms. These include cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, heart failure, myocardial infarction, Schizophrenia; Bipolar disorder, fragile X syndrome, Sickle Cell Disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, reactive oxygen species can be beneficial, as they are used by the immune system as a way to attack and kill pathogens. Short-term oxidative stress may also be important in prevention of aging by induction of a process named “mitohormesis”.
Ok, so maybe I don’t have that. I thought I did for a second. Hey, sickle cell, isn’t that what the guy from Mobb Deep had?Sickle-cell Disease;Sickle-cell Disease is an autosomal recessive genetic blood disorder with over dominance, characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Sickling decreases the cells' flexibility and results in a risk of various complications. The sickling occurs because of a mutation in the hemoglobin gene. Life expectancy is shortened. In 1994, in the US, the average life expectancy of persons with this condition was estimated to be 42 years in males and 48 years in females, but today, thanks to better management of the disease, patients can live into their 50s or beyond. So progress has been made in that field in the last almost 20 years, that’s good to hear. Safe to assume a fair bit of money has appropriately been filtered into sickle cell research. The guy from Mobb Deep probably really appreciates it. Wait, which one had it? What was his name?
Mobb Deep;Mobb Deep is an American Hip-Hop duo from Queensbridge, New York, that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast Hip-Hop groups ever". The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones Pt. II". Mobb Deep have become one of the most successful rap duos in Hip Hop having sold over three million records.
Prodigy, that’s it. Yeah, I bet he’s glad about the sickle cell research that’s going on. Oh shit, three hours is up, back to the blog………..
And that’s that. 3 plus hours of getting lost in Wikipedia on a rainy day. We started with Babe Ruth, and ended with Mobb Deep. Two topics that may not be all too interesting to that many people but look at all the things that got covered in between. Now, are we experts on any of these fields? Absolutely not. Not even close. But trust me, the next time you’re lying in bed with a bad bitch on a Friday night at 7:30 watching Jeopardy, she is going to be so impressed with the plethora of useless knowledge you possess, that she is going to have no other option but to swallow the kids. After which you can send me a quick email, or text message thanking me. Just don’t expect an immediate response, because I’ll (hopefully) be in the steam room at the gym with Dan, checking out his junk and talking about hoops and broads. Speaking of hoops, here’s hoping the Celtics have enough in the tank to beat the Heat, but it doesn’t really matter who wins that series, because whoever advances is either going to get ran out of the gym by OKC or bitch slapped by San Antonio. Oh, and speaking of broads, I got a date tonight with a pretty young (that’s pretty young as in two adjectives, not one) Korean chick. She’s actually pretty funny, sports double D’s (right?), is about the nicest girl I’ve ever met, and kisses like a porn star. Since I’m up against a word count though, I can’t tell you too much more about her, you’ll have to ask Dan the next time you see him. Anyway, I gotta run. Hang in there, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks…………
