At one time I was going to do auditory behavioral research with spiders, and chose tarantulas because they were fairly easy to work with (at least you could observe their reflex behavior readily — crouch to an air blast, and they are not web weavers). I would use classical conditioning to check for frequency discrimination associated with an air blast for similar frequencies pairs. Anyhow, this creepy crawly box arrived while I was on vacation. A graduate assistant was assigned (more…)
July 26, 2012
April 12, 2012
Do old people get “X” rated?
The average duration for sex is said to be about twenty minutes. You might think that was reasonable. But wait. Most recently, Fran and I leaped (more…)
March 15, 2012
Is the problem not enough medicine or too much medicine?
The NYTimes identified overdiagnosis as a flaw in our health care. We don’t usually think about this issue, but the easiest medical response to any general complaint (I’m tired, achy, run down or the like) is to run a test (profit-making) and follow a standard procedure (profit-making) in response to test results. (more…)
March 10, 2012
Informing my family that I have met someone — Fran. (Our meeting is described elsewhere on this blog.)
I called my older sister in Connecticut in late June 2002 because I always visit family in New England in August and needed to prepare her well in advance that a friend would likely be joining us. My sister is very cautious/traditional in this area, and also protective of me; it would require a delicate touch. (more…)
January 20, 2012
I’m looking forward to late winter and sugaring off. Can there ever be too much of a good thing?
I LOVE real maple syrup. Readers who know what I’m talking about, know what I’m talking about. But this love changed, in a way, (more…)
June 1, 2011
Why do people think I was ever a Hippie?
Is Paul a Hippie? A colleague suggested this because I often wear a peace badge or peace T-shirts. OK, HUAC, I may be guilty of being a Quaker pacifist revolutionary socialist, and I have been a friend and fellow traveler of a number of other peaceful revolutionary socialists over the decades, but I do affirm (I don’t swear— Quaker, remember) that I was never a hippie. (more…)
January 31, 2007
Heisenberg would be amused.
It’s only when you look at an ant through a magnifying glass on a sunny day, that you realize how often they burst into flames.