Why is the Hulk green?

You can thank Biochemistry for this lovely tidbit. Why is the Hulk green? How does he double in size in just a few seconds? How does he get stronger as he gets bigger?

My hypothesis is that, besides, you know, having extremely sped up cell replication from all the gamma rays (it'd have to be sped up at least 20,000x!) the Hulk must have evolved photosynthetic capabilities de novo from all the mutations he accumulated. Otherwise, there's no way the Hulk could ever increase so dramatically in mass! Absorbing carbon from the air would solve that problem. Plus, this would explain why the Hulk turns green when he gets angry. Chloroplasts are transcribed and assembled extremely speedily (first second), cells double (2nd second) then double in size (3rd second), the cells (just skin cells? acquire a super hard cell wall (again, like in plants - 4th second) and maybe the cells increase in size a little more (5th second?). Voila, a terrifying half-man half-plant hybrid arises. I knew this would happen when we started working on GMOs.

Worse, it seems Dr. Banner has lost all control of his cell replication mechanisms, at least when he gets angry - this is essentially a cancer (definition: loss of control of cell replication) of the worst sort, triggered by all sorts of different environmental factors.

The real problem is, of course, how the Hulk sheds all of this excess mass and these extra cells when he goes back to his alter ego. No wonder it takes so long to subdue the Hulk - how else can the Hulk have time to lose all the extra size he's gained?

And yes, I was asked a similar question on my Biochem exam today, so I do have an alibi for thinking about all this. Although perhaps not in such fine detail or for as long as I have done.

Don't even get me started on the physics of Iron Man and his suit. It won't be pretty. Although the Iron Man movie was absolutely fantastic.

Self-flagellation

Because I hate myself, I've just been reading "Conservapedia"'s articles on the Theory of Evolution and on the Origin of Life. It was interesting how the commandments page said "1. Everything you post must be true and verifiable." Verifiable unfortunately does not necessarily equal true. And this sort of webpage tends to err by selection and omission, more than by falsifiability (if that's a word) (for a great counterexample, go to "Liberal Tricks" on conservapedia. What a journey into wingnuttery that page was.)

Anyways, I spend too much time reading the trash on that site to even be able to post an intelligent dismissal of it, let along an exhaustive one. Let's just leave it at the fact that I really hope this is some computer science major's arcane practical joke, or that God really hates everyone, or something.

WAHAHA

HUBERT: “No. The reality is that teens are resonating with the message of abstinence education in increasing numbers. There’s trends data to show that more and more teens are abstaining.”

ABRAMS: “That’s not what the studies show! You’re losing on the studies.”

HUBER: “No, that’s not true. In fact, a recent study just released –“

ABRAMS: “From who?”

HUBER: “Virginia’s abstinence education program.”

and later...

MADDOW: “Whenever I evaluate myself, I turn out to be doing awesome.”

Wiki wiki

I just fixed an article on Wikipedia. I feel good about myself.

Transparency, Please

I'm convinced. We need transparency today, in every endeavor possible. Only when there is transparency in the government will people discover, and change, the corruption inherent in that institution. Only when people can, say, see into the CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) and kill floors will the meat industry change itself into something less inherently cruel, and based less mindlessly on the bottom line.

I don't see a future in which no one eats meat. However, I do see a future where everyone is forced to think about where their food comes from. We're increasingly entering into an age in which ignorance is not an excuse, nor a viable defense. Many people now have the ability (financially and otherwise) to take accountability for their decisions. You can afford the farmer's market tomatoes; you can splurge on the free-range eggs. You can find out all the information you need to make a moral (?) decision. So, Homework Assignment: Think about where your food comes from.

More From "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

To Do, Someday:

Work out true economic price of a grass fed cow versus a corn fed cow, to soil, oil, public health, the public purse.

Charged to the taxpayer (in the form of subsidies)
the health care system (in the form of food-bone illnesses and obesity)
and the environment (in the form of pollution)
not to mention the welfare of the workers in the feedlot and the slaughterhouse, and the welfare of the animals themselves.

vs: consistency, mechanization, predictablility, interchangeability, and economies of scale.

Meta Title

Changed the name of my blog to something a little more creative! (I hope)

Rata's a beautiful tree from New Zealand with red flowers.

I also sort of like it because it's a play on words with "Rät", which is German for advice or counsel. And it's close to the word "rant" too, which is much lot closer to what this blog actually is.

Booklist

Wonder why I've been so discontent lately. I couldn't tell you.

I hear that women like to talk about how they're feeling. Men like to talk about issues. I'll try and do both here, although I'm already noticing a penchant for talking about, you know, the feelings, more than the issues and the solutions to them (if there are any).

Books I've read lately:

The Princess Bride
To Say Nothing of the Dog
Howl's Moving Castle
Student's Vegetarian Cookbook (mmmmmm food!)
Scientific American (magazine, but close enough)
The God of Small Things
The Human Stain (sadly, didn't finish)
Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business

Yup, not nearly as much as I'd like though.