You Can't Get There From Here

Science! The Poop Cycle

2013-08-06T04:21:34Z

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Yogurt Pancakes

2011-03-05T23:19:10Z

Easy and delicious. I ran out of pancake mix, and balked at price of buying more. I noodled around a bit, and put this together from a couple of other recipes.

Yogurt Pancakes

2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup plain yogurt (or buttermilk, or sour cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 3/4 cups milk (scant measure)
3 cups flour
1/4-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
3 Tbsp sugar (white or brown)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Beat the eggs and oil together well. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat until creamy and thoroughly mixed. In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add about half of the the dry ingredients to the yogurt-egg mixture and stir together until smooth, then alternate adding the remaining milk and dry ingredients until everything is combined. Add more flour if the batter looks too thin. Cook by 1/4 to 1/3 cupfuls on a hot skillet or griddle (I set mine at about medium-high). Top with butter, syrup, sugar, and/or fruit.

Makes about 15-20 pancakes.

3/3 kids approved! I couldn't make them fast enough, and the kids are already asking for them again tomorrow.

This was originally posted at http://taselby.dreamwidth.org/225187.html | Please comment either here or there. | people have commented at Dreamwidth.

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Banana Oatmeal Muffins

2010-06-15T19:22:40Z

I almost called these Invisible Muffins or Evaporating Muffins because they don't stay on the serving plate for any measurable time that I was able to discern. Easy prep, a reasonably long cooking time for a muffin so that there is time to make tea, slice fruit, or simply put your feet up and enjoy the aroma.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1/2 Cup butter or margarine -- softened
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Cup mashed banana
1 Cup (scant measure) brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract plus enough water to make 1/4 Cup liquid
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 Cup oatmeal
1 1/2 Cups flour

Cream together butter and granulated sugar. Add the eggs, bananas, brown sugar and the water/vanilla mixture. Stir until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full of mixture and bake in a preheated oven @375 F for approximately 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. This recipe yielded 12 muffins for me. Your mileage may vary depending on pan size.

Serve: warm with butter, fruit and tea or coffee.
Serves: ...I'm not sure how many reasonable adults this will serve. The 12 muffins this made barely survived the combined assault of 4 kids (2 teens, 2 pre-teens).

This was originally posted at http://taselby.dreamwidth.org/216092.html | Please comment either here or there. | people have commented at Dreamwidth.

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Chicken Stroganoff

2010-04-28T15:52:08Z

In which I use the term "stroganoff" very loosely. This could just as easily be called "Chicken with Cream Sauce and Vegetables," and is highly adaptable to individual tastes. First, here's the "stroganoff" version:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 - 1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup dry white wine
black pepper to taste
3 cups sliced mushrooms (about 8 oz)
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
hot, cooked rice (enough for all servings)

Watch out, this makes a lot of sauce! Don't be tempted to add more liquid.

Brown the chicken breasts on both sides (use a tablespoon of oil or use a non-stick spray). Remove from heat, drain any liquid that remains, and leave the chicken in the pot, and add the mushrooms and onions. Stir together the soup, sour cream, wine, and pepper and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Return to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until chicken is done and no longer pink in the middle. Serve over rice.

~*~*~*~*~

That's the "correct" version. In a pinch, I have thrown everything in a pot (including frozen chicken breasts) at once without stirring much and left it to simmer for a couple of hours while I did other things. It turned out just fine (but watch out for scorching on the bottom)! I usually serve this with salad and broccoli.

If mushrooms aren't to your liking, you can turn this into a general "cream sauce and vegetables" meal by switching out the soup. Cheese soup with broccoli florets added in the last bit of cooking would be delicious, as would cream of chicken soup, a splash of buttermilk, and peas (I'd serve that one over noodles). It's versatile, easy, and looks more impressive than it is.

3 out of 3 kids approved!
This was originally posted at http://taselby.dreamwidth.org/212975.html | Please comment either here or there. | people have commented at Dreamwidth.

Flist Trim

2010-03-23T17:29:03Z

I'm scaling back on my reading list here @LJ, and unsubbing from journals that I read elsewhere. If I have unsubbed from you in error (you are not mirrored elsewhere) or you elsewise are concerned and/or distressed by my having unsubbed from you, please let me know.

And as always, it is unfriending/unsubbing amnesty day here at Casa de Taselby.

Let's Talk About Blood

2010-01-26T18:26:57Z

This is ~~possibly~~ ~~probably~~ definitely inspired by a certain television show I've been watching recently. Summary: Dear Show, Please do not be making up your own blood groups. You are doing it wrong. Frustratedly, Me.

[For those of you who have more background in this than I do, I'm going to be skipping over a lot of the details and picky bits (such as MN grouping and other typing systems) and just covering the ABO and Rh +/- basics.]

ABO Blood Groups
Human blood type is a function of proteins on the surface of the red blood cells (RBC). Which proteins you have on your RBCs is determined by which genes for blood type you inherited from your parents (one from Mom and one from Dad). Humans have three possible versions of the gene for blood type -- A, B, and O. O is the easy one -- it indicates an absence of marker proteins, and is recessive to (masked by) both A and B. Both the A and B genes will each cause a different, distinct marker protein to be present on the surface of the RBCs. Since a person inherits two genes for blood type, it is the combination of these genes that determines what blood type you actually have (we call this your phenotype).

So how does this work? Good question. If you inherit A from both parents, you will be AA genetically, but we just call this type A. Likewise with BB producing blood type B. Now, if you inherit A from one parent and O from the other, your genetic blood type (genotype) is AO, but since O has no marker proteins, it's essentially invisible, and your blood type down at the lab (phenotype) is just A. In a similar manner BO is just type B, and OO (no marker proteins at all) is just type O. What about AB? A and B are co-dominant, which means that they will both be detectable (express) when present. If a person has both the A and B genes, then their RBCs will have both the A and B surface proteins. This is blood type AB.

Look, a chart!

	A	B	O
A	AA= A	AB= AB	AO= A
B	AB= AB	BB= B	BO= B
O	AO= A	BO= B	OO= O

.

Okay, But What About That +/- That Goes After the Letter?
The Rh factor is another marker on the surface of RBCs that people either have (Rh+, dominant) or don't (Rh-, recessive). Like blood type, it's inherited from your parents. An inherited combination of either Rh+/Rh+ or Rh+/Rh- genes will result in an individual having Rh+ blood, and only Rh-/Rh- will result in an Rh- blood type.

Please note that there are many many different Rh antigens, and the common +/- is used only to designate the presence or absence of the most common antigen (D).

But What Does This Mean?
Those little surface proteins (antigens) on cells are (along with other stuff) one of the ways your body's immune system recognizes what's you (self) and what's an invader that needs to be destroyed (not-self). The practical upshot of this is that if you (or your character in a fic) have blood type A, your immune system is going to recognize those protein markers for A as being okay. If you were to transfuse blood with different markers (B), then the immune system will attack the foreign blood and you (or your character) will probably get very very sick or die in a transfusion reaction.

So, can people only accept their own blood type? Well, no. If you've ever watched a medical drama you've heard surgeons calling out for units of O-neg, stat, because O- lacks those antigens that cause reactions, and is considered to be the universal donor. Likewise a person with AB+ will recognize all the markers we've talked about, and is called the universal recipient. But generally, it's best to have your own blood, or your own type that is carefully matched in a lab by people who really know what they're doing.

"Rare" Blood Types
The frequency of blood types and Rh will vary geographically and by ethnicity. In very broad terms, O+ and A+ are the most common globally (although B+ is more common than A+ in Asia), with AB- being the least common. There are many more factors than ABO groups that contribute to the designation of a rare blood type, but those are beyond the scope of this post.

For more information:

Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology
Red Cross Blood Types
University of Arizona Blood Types Tutorial (has a couple of neat calculators)
Wikipedia Blood Type (good information about population frequencies here)
Wikipedia Rh Blood Groups
Palomar Community College has some history and good info

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Thai Coconut Chicken

2010-01-01T07:34:19Z

Tonight (New Year's Eve) I was bold and attempted "cuisine" -- this turned out surprisingly well! Bold (for us) flavors, a hint of "presentation" in the serving... it was definitely a step outside of my comfort zone, but what a payoff! ALL the kids ate it, and one went back for seconds. There is very little left over.

Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
You can prep this in advance, and have it ready in just the time it takes to cook the rice.

Jasmine rice for 6 (package directions) -- add a pat of butter and some salt when cooking

6 chicken breast halves, cubed
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tb olive oil
2 Tb curry powder
1 can (13-14oz) coconut milk

3 cups Asparagus, cut to 2-in
2 cups snow peas
2 cups green onions, cut to 1-in
1 cup shredded carrot
1 Tb olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Start the rice first -- it will take the longest to cook. When the rice is almost done, start the chicken. Place the cubed chicken in a bowl with the curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir until coated. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet, and stir-fry the cubed chicken until there is no pink left. Add the coconut milk and simmer while you stir fry the vegetables.

In another large saucepan or wok, heat the olive oil for the vegetables. Add the vegetables, salt & pepper, and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

To serve, layer vegetables over rice, and top with chicken.

This recipe makes (to my thinking) a LOT of sauce. That, and the color of the sauce (a dijon mustard yellow) was a bit of a surprise. However, the jasmine rice was fluffy and fragrant, the vegetables crisp and colorful, and the chicken tender and slightly sweet-spicy. The kids all ate it and expressed a desire to have it again in the future.

Serves: 6 regular people (or 4 with a little leftover if you have teenagers)
Serve with: Riesling or a fruity lemonade

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Italian Sausage & Rice Thing

2009-11-25T20:07:11Z

Three bites in and the kids were already asking when I was going to make this again. Not bad for a "what's in the fridge?" dinner. This is easy-easy-easy to make.

Italian Sausage & Rice Thing

1.25 lbs Turkey Italian Sausage (I used mild links)
1 medium-to-large sweet onion, chopped
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice
3 cups of chicken broth (I used bouillon)
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup shredded carrot
1 large red bell pepper, cut into slivers

In a large pot, cook the sausages in a bit of water until all the pink is gone. Drain. Remove sausages from the pan, let them cool enough to handle, then skin and chop. Return to the dry pan with the onion, garlic, and spices. Cook until the onion is tender. Add the rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 18-20 minutes until the rice is done. Add the peas, carrot, and bell pepper and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until the peas are warmed through.

Serves about 6 regular people, I'm guessing. With teenagers in the house, we had no leftovers.
I served it with salad and peach iced tea.

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Turkey Meat Loaf

2009-10-11T17:58:58Z

I made this last night for falzalot . It's a regular feature on the Casa de Taselby menu, and I'm almost to the point where I have to make two -- one for my son, and one for everyone else. As it stands now, the girls and I each have a slice, and C eats the rest.

Turkey Meat Loaf

1 tsp (or one cube) chicken bouillon (make sure this gets crumbled up or dissolved in the salsa!)
1/2 cup salsa (I use Pace picante, medium)
1.5 lbs ground turkey (the standard 1.25 lb package is fine)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg

Have extra salsa for serving!

Heat your oven to 350* F. In a large bowl, mush everything together well. Spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (my pan is 13x9) and shape the meat mixture into a loaf shape (or any other shape you like) that's about 2" high. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until browned and firm. Remove from oven and let it stand 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional salsa.

Recipe claims to serve 6. Clearly they are not talking about teenagers.

We usually serve this with mashed potatoes (or brown rice), salad, and a green vegetable, with peach tea.

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Chicken with Onions and Pineapple

2009-06-26T07:18:48Z

This is a fast-n-tasty dinner that's become a regular feature (we had it tonight!). All the kids love it, and ask for it regularly.

Chicken with Onions and Pineapple

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (as many as you need, but make adjustments for more than 6)
Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade, Sesame & Ginger flavor
Juice-packed pineapple tidbits, drained (I use a 20oz can for 4-6 servings)
1-2 Onions (I use red onions or Vidalia sweet onions, but any kind will do)

Marinate the chicken breasts in the marinade for at least 30 minutes -- longer marinading = more flavor. You should have some marinade left over in the bottle.

Peel the onions and slice into wedges. Drain the pineapple. Place the chicken breasts in a baking pan and place onion wedges between the breasts. Distribute pineapple tidbits over the top. Drizzle lightly with some of the remaining marinade, if desired.

Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is done and no longer pink.

I serve it with rice, steamed veggies, and green salad. Lemonade spritzers go well with this also.

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Garlic Chicken

2009-06-23T04:11:12Z

It's combination dinner and vampire repellent!

I started the rice soaking, and then prepped all the other ingredients while I was waiting. Once the ricer flipped over to the "steam" cycle, I started cooking, and everything was done together. Fast, easy, and delicious. 2 out of 3 kids agree that it's delicious, and it makes the house smell fantastic (for certain values of "fantastic" that include chicken and garlic. Lots of garlic).

Garlic Chicken

For marinade:
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp dry white wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks

10 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1 cup peeled, sliced carrot
2 med zucchini, sliced
3 tbsp bottled, minced garlic (yes, 3 tablespoons)
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts

2 cups hot cooked rice

Since everyone does rice differently, I'm going to leave the timing of that up to you. Just be warned that once you start actually cooking this, it cooks very fast, in about 10 minutes. So I'd get the rice going first.

Combine the marinade ingredients. Cut up the chicken into bite-size pieces and soak them in the marinade for about 30 minutes. While that's soaking, you can prep the vegetables.

Heat about 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or large pan (I use a high-sided 5 qt saucepan) on the stovetop high. Add the vegetables and garlic and stir-fry for about 2 min or till tender. Be careful not to overcook. Remove them from the pan.

Drain the chicken and save the marinade. Stir fry the chicken for about 3 min or till it's firm and no longer pink. Stir the saved marinade and add it to the pan. Cook it till it's thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add the vegetables and water chestnuts to the pan, and cook about 1 more minute, or till heated.

Serve with rice. I like it with crushed chili pepper on top and a big glass of iced tea.

Serves about 4-5.

Amazon Rank

2009-04-12T23:58:58Z

And also:

Amazon Rank.

Octave vs Decibel

2009-01-08T19:29:37Z

This is a repost for unlocking purposes.

This is another one that I run across quite a bit: the interchangeability of "octave" and "decibel" in reference to sound, as though the two are equivalent or synonymous. Let's take a moment and do a couple of quick searches.

An "octave" is a specific measurement of relative pitch or frequency of two signals with a vibrational ratio of 2:1, though usually applied to musical pitch on a diatonic scale. It is not a measurement of loudness. Relative intensity of sound, or loudness (or difference in any acoustic or electric signal), is measured in decibels.

The two are not equivalent.

I can show you the math for this if you really want to see it, but I don't think it's necessary, as the only characters who would be inclined to deal with the mathematics of decibels are Sam Carter and Rodney McKay.

[short and dirty description, because I am a complete geek: a decibel (dB) is 10x the common logarithm of the ratio of the two levels. An octave is any two tones that are eight diatonic degrees apart, or the interval between any two frequencies with a ratio of 2:1]

[even shorter: decibels describe INTENSITY of sound, octave is a very specific description of the TONAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN two sounds]

Sidebar: pain is inflicted at about 125-130 decibels. Please look up what you're doing before you start tossing numbers around.

Decibel Loudness Comparison Chart
Mathematics of Decibels

Light-Years: Units of Linear Distance

2009-01-08T19:06:52Z

This is a re-post for unlocking purposes.

I run across this more often than I should when reading fanfiction.

A light-year is a measure of distance, not of time. It is the distance that light will travel during one earth year (365.25 days, if you want to be picky). One of Earth's nearest neighbors, Alpha Centauri, is 4.3 light-years away. Light being emitted by that star right now will take 4.3 years to arrive here. In contrast, light from our own sun takes about 8 minutes to arrive on earth.

So. Let's be scientific about this, and use the international notation. The speed of light is a constant at 3.00x10^8 m/s in a vacuum. A light-year is then:

3.00x10^8 meters/second x 365.25 days/year x 24 hours/day x 60 min/hour x 60 seconds/minute

=9.47x10^12 kilometers/year. That's 9,470,000,000,000 kilometers or about 5,880,000,000,000 miles.

Notice with all the cross-cancelling of units how this has now become a unit of linear measurement. Of DISTANCE. We'll skip all the tedious stuff about defining a meter and calculating to X number of significant figures and all the other crap that sciencey types get all bent about. I'm a sciencey type and only get bent when I really have to.

Alpha Centauri is therefore 4.3 x 9.47x10^12 = 4.07x10^13 (40,700,000,000,000) km away. (That's about 25,300,000,000,000 miles).

Bottom line. Light-years are measurements of extreme interstellar and intergalactic distance, not of time. Try substituting another distance unit in the sentence (say, miles) and see if it works. Research is your friend. And there are really quite a few of us fannish sciencey-types out here. I can't speak for other sciencey-types, but while I won't do your research for you (you can do your own grunt-work, as I have enough of my own, thank you) if you catch me right and ask nice, I generally like to talk about science.

You can also toss your questions over to the lovely and under-used science_beta community.

Nothing to see

2008-10-30T17:43:56Z

I said there was nothing to see. Honestly.

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: BBQ Sandwiches, Saffron Rice

2008-10-07T20:38:16Z

BBQ Sandwiches

The nice thing about this one is the flexibility -- make a little, or a lot! And the leftovers keep well. Here is the version I usually make:

~2 lbs lean, boneless meat (I use pork roasts that I get on sale, but I've used beef or chicken, too)
1 16-oz bottle of good BBQ sauce
Dark beer (auburn lagers work well for this)
1 med onion, chopped

Slice meat into large pieces (~1-1.5" thick and as big as your palm) and place in a large saucepan (make sure you have a lid that fits!) Pour 1-2 beers over meat and bring to a simmer. Cover.
Simmer for ~2-3 hours, or until meat starts to come apart when pressed with a spoon. Replenish liquid as needed, but only just enough to keep the meat moist.
Add most of the bottle of BBQ sauce and the onion. Stir and return to simmer.
This is done when the liquid is mostly gone and the meat has a nice "falls apart if you look at it harshly" texture.

Serve on rolls with shaved onion and pickles, or on a bed of rice.

~*~*~*~*~

speaking of rice... Wow, it's a side dish. I never post those.

Saffron Rice

Rice for however many you need to feed, but white rices work better than brown for this.
Chicken bouillon -- 1 cube for each 1 1/2 cups of water used for cooking the rice
Butter or margarine -- about 1 teaspoon for every serving of rice
Big pinch of dried saffron (I get packets of "Safflower" on the Mexican food aisle at the grocery)
Chopped onion -- about 1/3 cup for every 2 servings of rice, or to taste.

Toss it all in the pot and cook according to the directions for plain rice.

(you can also add peas and shrimp and chopped crab/lobster to this -- add them near the end of the cooking time. Delicious!)

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Shrimp Vegetable Pasta Thing

2008-08-13T04:12:02Z

This is another in the series of "what the heck is in the fridge that I can make for dinner?" So with that in mind...

Shrimp Vegetable Pasta Thing (somebody please rename this?)

~2 Cups thawed large prawns (cooked, de-veined, de-tailed... I had a bag in the freezer)
16 oz jar of Roasted Garlic Alfredo sauce
2 Cups raw broccoli florets
2 Cups sliced raw carrots
1 Cup frozen peas
1/2 Cup chopped onion (I used Sweet Vidalia onion, but red would be nice, too)
16 oz package of dry pasta

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When ~5 minutes remain, add broccoli, carrots, peas and prawns. When pasta is done, drain in a large colander and return to pan. Add onion and sauce. Heat through.

I served this with salad and bread, with sorbet for dessert. 2 out of 3 kids thought it was the Best Thing *Ever*, and were still excited about it leftover for lunch the next day. It was also delicious cold, and had a pasta salad quality to it, very summery.

Servings: an army marches on its stomach (6+)

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Rice & Egg Breakfast

2008-07-06T20:05:41Z

Okay, I guess you can eat it for lunch or dinner or a midnight snack if you're so inclined, but I made it for breakfast. 2 out of 3 kids actively pester me to make this. It's tummy-rubbing delicious.

Rice & Egg Breakfast

Uncooked rice (any kind you like. I use medium grain rice.)
Raw eggs
Seasonings (what do you like with eggs? Salt, pepper, etc.)
Toppings (shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, chopped onion, etc.)

This works best in a non-stick rice cooker prepared for 1-2 people, but feel free to play around with it. For more than 2 people, I'd use a wider-bottomed saucepan so that the egg doesn't sit too thickly on the rice. I don't think deep egg would cook as well.

Rinse & cook rice as normal. While the rice is cooking, beat 1-2 eggs with your seasonings. When the ricer is done with the cook cycle, pour the eggs over the rice (and sprinkle with toppings if you like). DO NOT STIR. Re-cover and allow to stand for ~10 minutes on "keep warm" setting. The hot rice cooks the egg to a wonderfully creamy, cheesy texture.

Serve with sliced fruit and juice spritzers to be extra-fancy.

(I need more food icons.)

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

2008-07-05T20:36:25Z

This is a repost for unlocking purposes.

This was a step out of my comfort zone, but it was simpler than it looked, and came out mouth-wateringly delicious.

Chicken with Pineapple Salsa

START THIS THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU WANT TO SERVE IT

4 chicken breast halves (recipe called for 6, but you can do as many or few as you like)
1/2" pineapple chunks (1 whole pineapple or a large can of tibits, drained)
1 mango seeded and cut into 1/2" chunks (I chopped up a jar of slices)
1 large sweet red pepper, cut in 1/4" chunks
1 large jalapeno, seeded and cut in 1/4-1/8" chunks
3 green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Cup lime juice
1/3 Cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 Cup honey
cooked rice (I used brown rice)

Marinate the chicken overnight in 1/3 cup lime juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
For salsa, saute pineapple, mango, peppers, onions, and garlic until peppers are just starting to soften. Add remaining lime juice and honey and refrigerate (2-24 hours). Bring to room temperature before serving. Grill or bake chicken breasts and serve with salsa and rice.

The very colorful salsa is sweet and lightly spicy (M couldn't stay away from it), and the chicken is fork-tender. I served it with salad and lemonade. Big thumbs up!

Earth's Atmosphere, General Oxygen Requirements and Tolerances of Humans

2008-05-07T17:32:36Z

(this is a repost)

For the record, Earth's general atmospheric composition (up to about 25km above sea level) is:
78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
1% Argon
0-7% Water Vapor (this varies greatly)
and assorted trace gases including (but not limited to):
ozone, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, methane, and hydrogen.

For the purposes of comparison, here are the basic oxygen requirements of humans (Jaffa, Asgard, and other alien species, please get your own data):
* 20.9-23.5 percent: Maximum permissible oxygen level. No effect.
* 20.9 percent: Percentage of oxygen found in normal air. No effect.
* 19.5 percent: Minimum permissible oxygen level. No effect.
* 15-19 percent: Decreased ability to work strenuously. May impair coordination and may induce early symptoms with individuals that have coronary, pulmonary, or circulatory problems.
* 12-15 percent: Respiration and pulse increase; impaired coordination, perception, and judgment occurs.
* 10-12 percent: Respiration further increases in rate and depth; poor judgment and bluish lips occur.
* 8-10 percent: Symptoms include mental failure, fainting, unconsciousness, an ash-colored-face, blue lips, nausea, and vomiting.
* 6-8 percent: 8 minutes - 100 percent fatal; 6 minutes - 50 percent fatal; 4-5 minutes - recovery with treatment.
* 4-6 percent: Coma in 40 seconds, convulsions, respiration ceases - death.

The toxic-to-humans levels of many commonly found gasses can be found here, in language that Carter would love you for. The data is intended for those working in manure pits, but it's still easily translatable into offworld hazards for SG-1.

The dangers of high concentrations of carbon dioxide can be read about here at the Canadian version of OSHA.

Remember, when in doubt, find a friendly geek and ask. Chances are, we'd be happy to explain it to you.

Blood Loss and Hypovolemic Shock

2008-05-07T17:18:30Z

(this is a repost)

The general formula for blood volume in a human (aliens, get your own math) is 70ml/kg of weight. Americans, take your characters weight in pounds, divide by 2.2, and you have kilos. Multiply that by 70, and you have blood volume in ml. Divide by 1000 to get volume in Liters. I find it easiest to work in larger volumes.

Example. Say Methos weighs 180 lbs. 180/2.2= 81.8kg, but we'll round it off to 82 and say he's been eating cookies over at Duncan's again. 82kg(70ml)/1000=5.74L total blood volume. That's a lot. Really. Think about those 2L bottles of soda you get at the grocery. But how much of this blood can he lose, realistically, before he starts to suffer some ill effects?

Serious blood loss will generally cause a fast, weak pulse and fast, shallow breathing. In an average person, loss of 1L is enough for shock to occur.

Hypovolemic shock comes in four flavors:

	Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	Class 4
Blood loss volume (mls) in adult	750mls	800-1500mls	1500-2000mls	>2000mls
Blood loss % circulating volume	<15%	15-30%	30-40%	>40%
Systolic pressure (when heart is contracting)	No change	No change	Reduced	Very low
Diastolic pressure (when heart is relaxing)	No change	Raised	Reduced	Very low/unrecordable
Pulse (beats per minute)	Slight tachycardia (>100bpm)	100-120bpm	>120bpm, thready	>140bpm, very thready
Capillary refill	Normal	Slow (>2 sec)	Slow (>2 sec)	Undetectable
Respiratory rate	Normal (14-20/min)	20-30/min	30-40/min	>35/min
Urine flow (mls/hr)	>30	20-30	10-20	0-10
Extremities	Normal	Pale	Pale	Pale & cold
Complexion	Normal	Pale	Pale	Ashen
Mental state	Alert, thirsty	Anxious or agressive, thirsty	Anxious or agressive or drowsy	Drowsy, confused or unconscious

Now, before you get your non-immortal character to Class 4, you might want to really consider if you want to keep him. Loss of 1.5 to 2L or more will require a transfusion, and loss of more than 2.5L in an average person will result in unconsciousness and death if a transfusion isn't given.

Methos, having about 5.75L of blood in him, can afford to lose 1.5L, approximately 26% of his volume, before he becomes seriously impaired.

(information compiled from various sources)

US Political Research Help?

2008-03-31T20:08:42Z

Dear Politically Knowledgeable/Opinionated/Mouthy Fan-Person (US):

Situation: I'm writing a persuasive research paper/presentation for a business communication class and I need your help. Assigned the hot-button topic of "healthcare" for "voters below the poverty line," I must choose the "best" presidential candidate to represent the concerns of these voters and persuade the demographic that this is indeed the correct candidate for them.

Problem: I've been too busy getting an education to know much more than candidates' names. No, really. It's that bad. I am a *biology* major -- not business, political science, or anything like that.

Solution: I know that many of you are following the election and related issues closely, are smarter than me, and of stronger opinions regarding this than I am. So what do you think?

-Of candidates currently running as of April 1, 2008, who is better (in your not-so-humble opinion)? Why? Can you link me to documentation?
-What are voters below the poverty line concerned with (besides somehow becoming "not poor")? Again with studies or other documentation?
-Are *you* a voter in this demographic and would you consent to a phone or email interview? (If you are, and would, and do not want to say so in comments, please email me at taselby [at] gmail [dot] com. All information will be confidential and used only for the purposes of this paper.)

Please opine at length, use more than one comment if you need to, and link this freely.

FROGS!!

2008-03-19T05:06:15Z

(okay, and a few toads)

This is a happy place in my day. I have to learn these for my lab practical, but I've caught myself listening just for the soothing sound of it, or for a laugh when I needed one, and I wanted to share the bounty with you. Go, listen, bask in the Happy:

Frog calls on the California Herps web site
Bufo boreas The Western Toad. This one sounds like monkeys to me, or birds.
Hyla regilla The Pacific Tree Frog. Classic "ribbit, ribbit."
Scaphiopus couchii Couch's Spadefoot Toad. This one makes me smile. It sounds like sheep-cats.
Rana boylii The Foothill Yellow-legged Frog. Another smile. It sounds like a gassy, squeaky shoe.
Rana catesbeiana The American Bullfrog... which sounds like a cow. No, really.

Happy listening!

Recipes for the Cooking Impaired: Beef Stroganoff

2008-03-01T21:08:15Z

This ended up being a "what's in the refrigerator?" dinner, but I'm told that people occasionally plan stuff like this. Easy and reasonably fast to make, and the kids all gave it a big thumbs-up! It was crack in a pan, dude. Very yummy.

~1 lb hunk-o-beef (I bought a "reduced for quick sale" steak that afternoon)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons flour
2 tsp beef bouillion granules
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
2-3 cups sliced mushrooms (use fresh ones)
1/2 cup sliced onion (I used a red one)
hot noodles to serve it over

set the hunk-o-beef in the freezer just long enough to make it firm for slicing thinly. While you're waiting, mix the flour, bouillion granules, pepper and 1/2 cup of water into the sour cream. Set that aside and go get the beef. Slice it as thinly as you can. In a large skillet or pan, fry the beef in the butter until well done(I added a splash of red wine at this point), then toss in the onions and mushrooms. Cook just till the onions are tender. Add the sour cream mixture and cook until thickened and bubbly, then cook for one minute more. It will get thicker as it sets. Serve it over hot noodles.

Feeds about 4 people.
I served it with french bread and steamed green beans (with salt and lemon), and raspberry punch.

Harvard Cell Biology Animation

2007-11-10T05:46:42Z

This is a video from Harvard University about cells. Wait! Come back!!

It's *gorgeous*, I promise. We watched it twice today in my Cell & molecular Biology class, and the best I can describe it (once I get past the hand-waving "OMG must watch! *flail!* is that it's like a beautiful fan vid about cell biology.

It's 3 minutes. Go watch it. You don't need to know anything about the cell to appreciate it, but just know that these things are happening in your own cells, *right now*. This is what I love about biology.

Biovisions: the Inner Life of the Cell