I have a weird fondess for a good fever. The sweaty, shivering, achey, loopy state is at least interesting and definitely preferable to nausea or a plain old cold.  This one hit me out of the blue, just as my writing finals were all turned in and a couple of days before my big two-hour neuro exam.

A fever is an interesting beast in itself. The widely accepted explanation for them is simply that the body is increasing the internal temperature in order to kill of viruses or bacteria who have a more limited viable temperature range. Many animals have a wider range than those shitty, microscopic creatures that make us sneeze. Humans, for instance, can have a “normal” oral temperature anywhere from 92 to 100 degrees fahrenheit. Then again around 95 degrees is said to be the average starting point of hypothermia. Above a 100 degrees is right about when fevers set in and there’s no fear of brain-frying until about 107 degrees. Until it reaches about 104, you should just ride out the loopy fever wave. Which, I’ll readily admit, is kinda fun.

There’s also some emerging evidence that fevers increase the movement of white blood cells—the ninja warriors of the immune system—to the front lines, and because there are more troops to fight this increases the viral/bacterial ass-kicking.

Other animals have fevers too. Iguanas try to maintain a body temperature of about 98.6 (like us), but unlike us they are “cold blooded” (scientists prefer the term “ectotherm”) meaning they have to get warm from external sources. Us mammals are “warm blooded” (scientists prefer the term “endotherm”) meaning we actually generate body heat. And while iguanas have to heat up under the sun, if they’re sick they’ll allow themselves to get quite a bit warmer, up to about 104 degrees. They induce fevers. Interesting, no?

It just so happens that one of the things I’ve been studying in preparation for this big exam is homeostasis, so I was thinking about all of this and pondering why, on top of all the other symptoms, do fevers effect cognition? I’m absolutely useless in this state. Trying to study with a fever is kinda like trying to play darts with bouncy balls. Hilarious, but fruitless.

In the middle of the night as I woke up, sweaty and disgusting, and reached over for my thermometer I realized I was singing the Adele song, Rolling in the Deep. I frequently have musical dreams and hear songs playing in my head, so it wasn’t completely strange, but I was really amused when it occurred to me that I was probably singing to the fever. And it was a really astute choice on the part of my subconscious. Well done, brain.

This is exactly the kind of idea that would appeal to me: it’s odd, ambitious, and wildly optimistic. The only TED Talks I believe are the ones that tell us the human race is an odd miracle in the clumsy infancy of greatness—not spiraling toward destruction. But I realize not everyone is so goddamn gooey-eyed.

The first time I ever pulled it up on a friend’s laptop I wasn’t sure how he’d react. He’s a gamer, so I knew it was either going to be a hit or he’d think I was a little nutty. But the next time we talked he told me that he’d shown it to three people the very next day.

I’m late to the party on this one. My friend, Gadi, showed this to me back in January. At first I thought I was in on something new. Like Gadi the masher-upper here, Kutiman, is from Israel. Immediately I called another friend to let him in on my impressive, cool masher-upper from Israel, but it was old news. So old, in fact, that Wired did a thing on it back in 2009. Being two years late to a Youtube party is like proclaiming something “super fly” and then stumbling over your own shoes.

If you are the only other person on the planet who hasen’t seen the Kutiman mash-up you really should. It’s pretty fly.

Fermilab (the Department of Energy’s particle physics lab with a name that sounds like a company Lex Luther might own) announced last week that there has been a strange change in their data that might suggest they’ve discovered a new particle.

I love how cautious big announcements are in science. We’ve been wrong as a species so many times that now whenever there’s even the slightest possibility that we could be debunked in the future we offer up the new evidence like we’re geeky adolescent boys trying to get a date for prom. “Um, I mean, do you think that you might consider the idea that we maybe could have a new particle? I totally understand if not, in fact, it’s probably a crazy idea. I’ll just go now.”

There’s good reason for the caution, but it sure doesn’t make it any less anticlimactic. If this were depicted on a TV show, there would be a strong claim of discovery backed by triumphant music and the intensity of Sweeps Week.

Maybe I’ve just watched too many episodes of The West Wing lately. Speaking of, everyone saw Aaron Sorkin on 30 Rock, right?

I have a pretty intense addiction to TED Talks. It started around 2006, when the videos were first streamable online. Since the organization has uploaded nearly 900 videos so far. TED conferences are growing, expanding their scope, inviting more speakers, and building fancier stages. It’s kind of like saying, “We’re making more and more nerd crack. Endless supply! Come and get it!”

And I do.

This talk, by Dan Gilbert, is one of those that I wish I could show to each and every person I meet. The tired saying that happiness “comes from within” gets a whole lot less tired and abstract in just twenty minutes. If this doesn’t have you cocking your head to the side and uttering a silent, “whoa,” every few minutes, check your pulse.

Do you see? New banner! That means this isn’t just another ghost-blog.

I’m hoping to kick-start this thing again and a new look was the first step. My designer whipped this up. I’ll post a link with proper credit soon.

My first year of grad school ends in a month. I cannot express to you just how ambivalent I am about that fact.

This semester is in full swing and my speed-reading abilities are catching up quick. I will be reading about 34 books for classes this term. That does not account for the reading I do of other students’ writing for workshop or the reading I do to research my own writing projects. And I can’t believe I’m saying this but, I am having more fun than I have ever had in my life. Ever. My classes are full of intelligent, funny people who have become my friends. And these people are just as overwhelmed and energized as I am. It’s intense to even be in a room full us.

Speaking of us, there are 200 people in the program, so they recently gave us a little face book (like a real one!) of all our names and email addresses below a photo they took of us the first day. They took these photos with an entire room of people watching, like some sort of test of moral strength. Dare to fuss with your hair and you’re bound to look vain, but don’t fix your hair and that cowlick will be in the photo for the whole two-year program. Most of the photos show my classmates with shy, slightly awkward smiles. Most look a nice mix of terrified and trying to hide it.

My picture doesn’t look scared. Mine looks scary. As in, I’m not feeling terrified, I’m trying to terrify others. Probably adorable children.

I’ve inserted a jump so it has more impact. Nice, right? Continue reading →