The Biology Coloring Book

My ideas on a few things

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:36:51 GMT

Toxins
I keep hearing people talk about toxins. "Oh I'm going to clear my body of toxins, blah blah blah". What toxins? I assume these people are talking about heavy metals, PCBs, and other chemicals. But in years of hearing people talk about toxins, I've never heard them mention those terms. Is there any scientific evidence that the body even retains such chemicals? I know that the liver has mechanisms for getting rid of mercury, and that the kidneys are very non-selective in which chemicals are excreted. So if it is dissolveable in water, it doesn't get stored. A woman once gave herself mercury poisoning by eating tuna fish three times a day for several weeks. But once she stopped eating it, the symptoms went away. So that means only fat-soluble "toxins" could potentially cause a problem. I've heard it claimed that the body supposedly uses adipose (fat) cells as dumping grounds for unknown chemicals. But coincidentally enough, no mechanism of action was mentioned.

Genetically modified foods
Why are people so against genetically modified foods? For some unknown reason, they think genetically modified crops are dangerous. What crop scientists are doing now is not much different (in principle) from what ancient people did 5000 years ago. Corn comes from a grassy plant that looks nothing like a corn plant. Indians changed the genetic makeup of that plant to the extreme by selecting and replanting the individuals that produced the most seeds and grew the tallest. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and a few others all came from the same plant. Certain traits were picked out as desirable and over thousands of years of replanting, different versions emerged. And thankfully so, red cabbage is the most potent cancer-fighting vegetable out there, with its polyphenols and anthocyanins. There is a scientist, I don't know his name off hand (though I need to find it), that began genetic manipulation of plants in the 60s. He is credited with saving over a billion lives by creating food crops that could grow in conditions that otherwise would kill normal plants. In effect, he has prevented famines. Parts of Asia are extremely defficient in Vitamin A. A genetically modified version of rice has been created which contains beta carotene (which the body thusly turns into Vitamin A as needed). This rice has been distributed over the poorest parts of the Pacific to combat Vitamin A defficiency. The two biggest GM foods I am excited about are Purple Tomatoes, which contain massive amounts of phytochemicals to combat cancer, and soybeans that can produce long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. Modern Western diets are lacking in both of these.

Strange dream

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:37:18 GMT

I had a dream that I went to an island off the coast of Africa with a female tour guide. When we arrived, it was a third world country where whites were the minority and a type of people called Moguls were dominant. They appeared to be half Chimpanzee and half human. I asked someone if they were, but he told me they were descendants of the Mongals.

At night, the whites slept in a barracks type bunk-house. In the middle of the night, a Mogul (looking very much like a large Chimpanzee) came in and began attacking and eating people. When I had my chance, I ran up and attempted to strangle the Mogul. But he was too strong. I told my female tour guide to put a plastic pull-tie around its neck, along with some rope and velcro. That subdued the Mogul. I was quickly learning that the Moguls killed whites on a regular basis.

There was a Walmart on the island. I went to the sporting goods section. It was mostly fishing rods. But I found a small shotgun and ammunition. I quickly bought it. Going back to the bunkhouse, I found the Mogul to still be alive. Another woman shot it twice, but that didn't kill it. I shot it in the top of its head, and it finally died.

I learned of the plans of the Moguls to send all the whites to a part of the island where the soil was so poor that no food would grow. It was like they were trying to exterminate us. With a small group, I went rogue and headed to that part of the island on foot, happy to get away from the Moguls. Along the way I came to a large warehouse with female scientists. They were partly responsible for what was going on. The Moguls and scientists attacked me, and I was shooting them with my shotgun as fast as I could. It only held 4 shells, and I had to keep reloading. I finally killed almost all of them and made my escape from the warehouse laboratory. From there I could see the trolley-like trains taking the whites to the other part of the island. I hid in the tree-lines whenever a train would pass. I made my way back to the original town to kill more Moguls, but unfortunately I awoke before I could rescue the others.

What does this dream mean? Nothing, it has to do with:
Watching a violent chimpanzee attack on tv that killed one man and mauled two others
Me researching shotguns and why they arent effective as rifles at long ranges (federal laws it turns out)
Me constantly getting invited to go to foreign countries by my brother

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:46:17 GMT

I met an awesome girl last week. Her name is Freda. We met at a bar through some friends. Hit it off right away, wasn't 30 minutes before we were smooching out back. She is about 15 years older than me, but she is very attractive. We went out again last night. Went to a bar for a few drinks, back to her house to watch a movie, made out for about an hour.

She's a really great woman, I met some of her kids. One of them ( a girl) is in high school. The other (a boy) is in middle school. I can only imagine what they thought about their mom going out with a dude like me lol.

Anyways, I hope to see her again soon.

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:36:04 GMT

I had an allergic reaction to my flu shot today. It was horrible. For the second time this year, I truly thought I was going to die. Fortunately, epinepherine, along with prescription strength anti-histamines and some other stuff helped me pull through. Now I'm running a +1 degree temperature, and I have to drive to Knoxville, TN. This sucks.

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:21:59 GMT

Getting my flu shot tomorrow. For some reason, I am pretty concerned about the H1N1 virus. The CDC released a report estimating 90,000 Americans will die from this virus. For complex reasons*, most of the deaths from H1N1 have been from people 25 years old and younger. One doctor explained the way it worked. The virus invades cells in your lungs, reproducing itself with the cellular machinery. As the cell explodes and spreads many more viruses out, it in essence bores holes in your lungs. Then your own body tries to attack the virus. Unfortunately, the immune response is more damaging than the virus. In what is known as a Cytokine Storm, your own immune cells destroy the cells of your lungs, leading to death.

*It's hypothesized that the deaths relate to the levels of Vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D is a very important factor in your immune system, especially in the generalized first response. But if you have moderate levels of Vitamin D, its not enough to stop the virus from invading your body, but its enough to cause the cytokine storm that kills you.

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:25:34 GMT

So my brother has acquired himself a full-time position in Canada now. He's working at the refinery in Fort McMurray. Three weeks on, three weeks off. Tons of money. He wants me to come up and work there too. I'd have to pass my Canadian certifications tests in order to go to work there. They are desperately lacking in ultrasonics technicians. The only allure for me would be the money.

It will take a lot of studying and hands on practice for me to pass the certification tests. I passed the GE Inspection School's tests, but the harder part is the hands on practical test. I do have some extremely good literature on the subject, and my brother told me he'd pay for me to take another ultrasonics class. Might have to take him up on that offer.

Some factoids about radiation

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:18:40 GMT

Just got back from Springfield, Illinois. Went there to take a radiation safety test. It was pretty straight-forward, though my boss and I did find some questions that were completely wrong. I am sure I passed though.

Heres some things to know about radiation:

-X-rays and Gamma rays do not build up in your body, but they do cause damage.

-Naturally radioactive substances emit alpha, beta particles, and gamma rays. The alpha and beta particles (which are highly energized protons/neutrons and electrons, respectively) do cause contamination. They can be stopped by something as thin as a paper suit though.

-You cannot see, hear, feel, or smell radiation. If there is a major radiation exposure though, you will be able to smell the ionized air.

-Radiation workers, such as myself, wear a rate alarm, film badge, pocket dosimeter, and carry a survey meter. These instruments are used to detect radiation and measure how much I have been exposed to.

-Standing 1 foot away from a new industrial radiographic source, it would take less than 15 minutes to get a lethal dose of radiation.

All this being said, there are extremely few deaths in the industrial radiography community. Even though we do have some buffoons working in this field. Federal law dictates that we work in two man teams, for both our safety and the safety of the public.

To put things in perspective. Cars kill more Americans each year than the entire Vietnam War did (around 60,000 per year). I didn't hear of one radiation death last year from an accident.

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:47:17 GMT

Been going down to a friend's lake house for the last few weekends. This is the big weekend though, Labor Day. My dad is being nice enough to let me take the boat with me. He taught me how to drive it. Believe it or not, it is very difficult to drive! The throttle is not linear, low speed handling is horrible, the engine requires a special procedure to start, the outer-unit must be in the water at all times while the engine is on. Almost as complicated as flying a plane. But I managed to get the basics down. Its a Rinker 181, just like this one media.nautibarcos.com/fotos/2009/04/rinker-rinker-181_9015_1_700.jpg So hopefully all will go well. Been having a blast with my friends down at the lake the last few weekends. Cornhole, tons of fishing, drinking, great food, etc.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:18:37 GMT

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE57Q5L420090828

Stuff like this makes me sick. I am sure the girl is super traumatized. I was traumatized just from reading the article.

Went to the lake

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:08:12 GMT

Went to the lake with some friends. Stayed in the nicest lake cabin I have ever seen. Looked better than most houses. Caught tons of fish. Best time I've had all summer.

In other news, I'm still having acute dyspnea. What that means is shortness of breath. The smooth muscles in my lungs and sinus begin to constrict. I can't breathe out of my nose, and it harder to breathe through my mouth. Its a really bad problem. One of the triggers for it is stress. But shit, I do stressful things several times a day. Really interfering with my job. Anti-histamines really seem to help. But why is my respiratory system producing histamine? Strangely enough, if I really concentrate on something, it goes away.

Oh come on, who the fuck designed these things

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:24:24 GMT

Yesterday I went to a facility in Indiana that produces pelleted turkey feed for 40 million turkeys a year. Production rate is 8000 tons of feed per week. My job was to inspect part of the boiler system. Specifically, I was to go inside of a 4 foot diameter by 10 feet length tank. The opening to this tank was oval. It was 12 inches tall by 14 inches wide. My partner, who is the same height as me 6'2. but 40 pounds lighter, made it in. He did his stuff inside the tank, then came out. Then it was my turn to go inside to do a corrosion survey. I made it halfway in. I couldn't get my butt inside, literally. But fortunately I was able to take the readings I needed, stretching as far as I could. I was also able to look around, so if need be, I could send my partner in to take any additional readings. But it worked out.

People are evolving. When Europeans first came to the New World, average height was 5'4. Average height (globally) was 5'10 in the 1990s. In the United States, it's even taller, mainly due to good nutrition.

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:07:10 GMT

Oh man. Back into the belly of the beast. My brother handed me a book today and said "I think you should take this course". It is an adult continuing education course in the basics of welding. Held at my old high school. One night a week for 3 hours, for six weeks. I have to do it. I'm going back to high school, and at night. Its my dream come true.

As for my courses online through Oregon State University, all I have to do is write a paper on Micropterus salmoides (the Largemouth Bass). And there is 6 more credit hours towards my degree.

My experience with coal

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:13:48 GMT

Here is a little diddy I wrote for an online class. It was part of a required weekly discussion. The topic this week was Energy & Water. Thought you all might find it interesting:

As a nondestructive testing technician, my job takes me into many coal burning power plants in the Southeast and Midwest. In fact, I have worked in the largest coal burning power plant in the United States (Gibson generating station). One day, in the midst of a break, I stood on one of the upper decks of the plant and looked out at the line of fully loaded semi-trucks bringing coal into the plant. The amount of coal burned each day was staggering. Due to the massive water requirements for cooling that power plants require, Gibson Station had created a 300 acre lake 100 yards east of the plant. This puzzled me, as the Wabash River is located 500 yards west of the plant. It was explained to me that the river sometimes goes dry (over utilization maybe?).

The massive amounts of fly ash the plant produces from burning the coal is staggering. This toxic dust, which contains (arsenic, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chromium, chromium VI, cobalt, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, thallium, and vanadium, along with dioxins and PAH compounds ), quickly turns to sludge once it becomes wet. The 300 acre lake I mentioned earlier (used for plant cooling water) had once been open to the public for fishing and boating. But it has become so contaminated with selenium (from fly ash) that the Indiana Dept of Natural Resources closed the lake.

As if that weren't bad enough, the four massive smoke stacks of the plant are constantly emitting combustion gases. The gases do go through scrubbers, but that doesn't remove the CO2, nor does it eliminate all of the other harmful constituents of coal. The main source of mercury pollution of our lakes and oceans are exhaust gases from coal burning power plants. In my state of Kentucky, it is recommended only eating certain fish once a month due to such high mercury contamination.

I'm sure this question has been asked many times, but what is the real price of coal powered electricity? Monetarily, it is the cheapest form of electricity from an operating cost perspective. But when the cost of the damage from pollution, habitat destruction, global warming, and species extinction is figured in, even at a conservative level it would be enormous. In the mountains of the Appalachians live fish so rare that their home range is a single stream. These streams are either drowned in sedimentation or totally destroyed when coal mining takes place.

Knowing about how destructive the nature of coal burning power are has motivated me to keep up with the emerging bio-fuel technologies. Right now, third generation bio-fuels are just starting to make their way onto the scene. There are three that have tremendous potential. Cellulosic ethanol uses enzymes to convert any type of cellulose (which is nearly identical to glucose) into glucose or a related sugar. These sugars are then fermented by bacteria into ethanol. Fuel sources for this type of production can be wood chips, grass, corn stalks, orange peels, etc. The second type of bio-fuel is an algae that has been modified to produce ethanol. All that is required is a closed loop system, seawater, and CO2. The algae produce large amounts of ethanol gas, on the order of 6000 gallons per acre of bio-reactor. The third type is oil-producing algae. These algae are also grown in closed loop bio-reactors. Each strain can be modified to produce a certain length hydrocarbon (so one algae strain would produce gasoline, another jet fuel, etc). Projected estimates for this type is 20,000-100,000 gallons of oil per acre.

So the technology is there. Efficiency rates definitely need to go up for some of the bio-fuels to be viable. But I am confident that they will. After all, all energy comes from the sun (coal was once a living organism), so it is not so far fetched that algae or wood will become our main fuel in the future.

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:10:42 GMT

I'm getting better, I'm back at work. Actually, I really enjoyed work this week. I checked some welds for bridge structures going to Florida.

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:42:15 GMT

I'm still battling the effects of this mystery illness I have. I had a chest x-ray and an ekg done. They came back normal. I start getting shortness of breath in random situations, even from drinking a cup of coffee. A week ago my breathing was getting really labored, so I went to the hospital. They said I was having something called a bronchospasm.

I was on antibiotics for three or four months because of my tooth. I read somewhere that being on antibiotics for a long time can cause you to become hyper-sensitive to allergies. One case in Australia even made a girl allergic to water. Hopefully my situation wont be that bad, but drinking anything with caffiene in it can mess me up. Ugh.

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:19:19 GMT

I've been having some kind of crazy medical problem, I keep getting shortness of breath. It usually lasts for 1 to 5 hours. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow about it. It could be a thousand things, no way to diagnose it myself. I did however buy an over-the-counter inhaler at Walmart. It had no effect.

So for the moment I'm out of commission. I hope this doesn't sideline me too long. I have $4500 in the bank. That should cover any bills I have for a quite a while.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:20:17 GMT

My super new cellphone has been performing dismally. I bought a Sonim XP3.20 Quest cellphone. Waterproof, shockproof, all sorts of features. But it hasn't been getting good reception. I found out why. They sent me the version with European frequencies. So today I get to send it back and hopefully I will get the Americanized version.

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:16:06 GMT

There is a certification that I really want, its called the API QUTE. Its an eight hour practical test in ultrasonics that you take to find certain types of flaws in welds. It's pretty difficult from what I hear. I've been printing off various literature for it this evening. I think if I really tried, I could be ready to take it in 3 months. Might as well give it a shot.

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:58:53 GMT

I just bought a Sonim XP3.20 Quest cellphone for $625. Yay.

The first electronic gadget I've been excited over

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:47:53 GMT

The Sonim XP3.20. It's one badass cellphone. Built to super-rugged military specs, this phone is waterproof, sandproof, capable of being dropped 7 feet onto concrete with no damage, functional from -20C to 60C, has a GPS and G-meter, and has a 9-day battery life. On top of that, its buttons are oversized so you dont have to remove your gloves to dial.

This is exactly what I need. All my cellphones suffer water damage. The one I have right now malfunctions all the time from moisture damage.

The phone comes out in a few days. Its going to be around 400 bucks. I'm definitely buying one.

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:50:26 GMT

After about a two week slow period, my work has picked up again. Love it. Went to Richmond Kentucky a few times this week.

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:50:52 GMT

Hopefully a stint in Canada is in my future. In Fort Mcmurray, Canada there is a very large oil refinery. Due to the harsh nature of the refining process (oil sands), the plant is under a constant state of degradation. The sand erodes (and subsequently corrodes) all the piping and machinery.

Anyway, my brother is going up there to work in the fall. He said that he could more than likely secure me a spot too. It'd probably be 6 months in duration. Due to the brutal weather and nature of the work, the pay is very good. Also, any time worked over 8 hours is double time. Average work day is 12 to 14 hours.

So right now I have to update my resume. I really want to go.

Ouch my chompers

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:04:00 GMT

I am finally getting my tooth pulled tomorrow. It is the one that has been bothering me since January. Its a strange situation. The tooth itself is ok. Somehow a pocket has formed around the root of the tooth, providing a space for bacteria to dwell. That's bad news. Bacteria could then enter my bloodstream and go to my heart or my brain.

I tried using my biology skills to eradicate the problem on my own. For a while they worked. I was taking cranberry concentrate, which prevents the adhesion of bacteria to (human) cells. I also used a water-jet filled with listerine. That worked too. But as soon as I would stop doing those two things, the problem would come back. Time to get the tooth pulled I figured. So thats what I am doing.

Sun, 31 May 2009 02:13:15 GMT

This is my first saturday off in 5 weeks. I tried to sleep in, but I couldn't.

I worked from 6am to midnight yesterday. It was a real bitch.

Tue, 26 May 2009 22:19:47 GMT

I signed up to take a few courses from Oregon State Univeristy, in the Natural Resources program. They have about the best distance learning program in the country.

Folks were impressed by my report at work. I was able to use my newly acquired corrosion knowledge (95% on my NACE Basic Corrosion test) to enhance the pressure vessel inspection I did with Jeremy over the weekend. Threw in a couple pictures, several CAD drawings, and some big words.

I absolutely love this weather. There is nothing more in the world that I like better than warm,humid nights.

I have to go up on a big crane tomorrow at a power plant. Sounds pretty dangerous, and I bet it will be.