I don’t get this Internet thing. I was sure that yesterday’s dog dialogue about evolution would generate some traffic, if only from biologists whining that I didn’t explain evolution correctly. But– nothing. I guess I failed to include the magic attention-generating phrase– “Darwin Day” or “Michael Behe is Dumber Than My Dog,” or something.
Anyway, I’ve had a miserable cold that I’m just clawing my way out of, so I’ve got nothing brilliant to post. I did spend a bunch of time yesterday looking at some old pictures in response to a request related to an alumni wing-ding. I digitized a few through the simple expedient of taking pictures of the prints with my digital camera, and fiddling with them in GIMP. So, here’s some photographic proof that I started early at the geek thing:
That’s a young and skinny me in the lab where I did my undergrad thesis. That lab led to me being where I am today– if I hadn’t worked on that experiment, I never would’ve gotten to work at NIST in grad school, and on down the line.
My other favorite picture of myself from that time:
That’s before a rugby game in March 1992, in Chapel Hill, NC. I don’t know why I remember it that specifically, but there you go.
And here’s the highlight of my rugby-playing career (and a demonstration of why I don’t wear baseball hats):
The black shirts we’re wearing in that shot are amherst jerseys– Williams’s big sporting rival. We traditionally bet shirts on the game, with the winning team taking the losing team’s jerseys. That’s the only time I won, spring of 1991.
About a month later, somebody stole that shirt from my dorm room. I’m still bitter about that.
That jersey must have been quite a sight after the game.
That jersey must have been quite a sight after the game.
That was at least the second game we played on that trip, and the traditional practice (given the shirt wagers at the end of the year) was not to wash the jerseys, ever. They tended to get a little grotty after a while.
That wasn’t the worst ever, though. We played one game in a tournament in DC where it started raining so hard that you couldn’t even see halfway across the pitch from the sideline. That jersey was disgusting by the time it got stolen…
For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed yesterday’s post.
For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed yesterday’s post.
Thanks.
I’m not really trying to wallow in self-pity, here. It’s more bemusement than anything else– if there’s anything I’ve posted in the last couple of months that I thought had the potential to draw major traffic, that was it, and it just didn’t take off. Shows what I know…
Good photos and captions.
Geeky question set:
(1) what was the date and location and teams of the first documented game of any sport called “football” between two American colleges?
(2) what was the date and location and teams of the first documented game played under rugby-style Association rules between two American colleges?
(3) what was the date and location and teams of the first game of American Football?
[Hint: search on “November 6, 1869” if you just don’t know]
(4) What shape are your balls?
“The USA Men’s National Team, nicknamed the Eagles, won the Gold Medal in Olympic rugby in 1920 and 1924. After that time, the US lost ground to the rest of the world and only recently, has it started to become popular again.” [wikipedia]
Day late/Dollar short:
Chad, I found yesterday’s evolution post most amusing–so much so that I found myself chuckling about it hours later.
And kudos would’ve certainly been given had I known what a dismal wretch of a day you were having.
Keep up the great work–U.P. rocks!