30 Days Meme [10-13/30]
The 30-Day Meme
Day 01 | Your favourite song
Day 02 | Your favourite movie
Day 03 | Your favourite television programme
Day 04 | Your favourite book
Day 05 | Your favourite quote
Day 06 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 | A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 | A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 | A photo you took
Day 10 | A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Apparently the bus driver randomly decided to take pictures of all of us as we were getting on the bus one morning, and then gave the pictures back to us at the end of the year. Or so I think my parents have told me, because I hardly remember when this was taken. O_o; It had to be kindergarten, though (which means either 1994 or 1995), because the driveway was still gravel then.
Day 11 | A photo of you taken recently
I took this photo of myself yesterday; I was trying to be a little bit off-beat, but I don't like how it came out at all because I am not photogenic. >_>; Seriously, whenever I try to smile, I end up looking like either a.) a weirdo, b.) a sociopath, or c.) a douchebag. -_-; Anyway, this is me without my glasses, since I don't like wearing them when I'm at home. I found some pictures of myself on Flickr the other day, though, so I thought I might as well share:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070653034/in/set-72157622597260789/ (I'm the awkward guy in blue and glasses on the far right)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070653538/in/set-72157622597260789/ (same)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070654462/in/set-72157622597260789/ (same)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070654850/in/set-72157622597260789/ (same -- UGH I look like such a creepster in this one :C)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4069895615/in/set-72157622597260789/ (I'm on the far left -- I kinda like how this one came out, actually)
And while I'm at it, some other photos of me: http://www.facebook.com/#!/james.hexter?v=photos&ref=profile
.....And I guess I just revealed I have a Facebook profile (well, for those of you who don't already know, anyway). So, uh, if you want to friend me, go right ahead -- just make sure you say who you are so I won't assume you're some random stalker. ;-) (Or if you prefer to have the guy make the first move, let me know where your profile is, or tell me what you're known as over there so I can search for you and add you that way.)
Day 12 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Henrietta Lacks' 'Immortal' Cells
Who was Henrietta Lacks?
She was a black tobacco farmer from southern Virginia who got cervical cancer when she was 30. A doctor at Johns Hopkins took a piece of her tumor without telling her and sent it down the hall to scientists there who had been trying to grow tissues in culture for decades without success. No one knows why, but her cells never died.
Why are her cells so important?
Henrietta’s cells were the first immortal human cells ever grown in culture. They were essential to developing the polio vaccine. They went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to cells in zero gravity. Many scientific landmarks since then have used her cells, including cloning, gene mapping and in vitro fertilization.
Found this on
recently, and I found it to be really interesting. Here's some more info, in case you're curious:
Wikipedia article on Henrietta Lacks
NY Times: "A Lasting Gift to Medicine That Wasn't Really a Gift"
Baltimore City Paper: "Wonder Woman: The Life, Death, and Life After Death of Henrietta Lacks, Unwitting Heroine of Modern Medical Science"
Excerpts from Rebecca Skloot's book: ONE // TWO
Day 13 | A fictional book
I have a hard time explaining Jennifer Government by Max Barry, so I'll let the blurb on the back cover say it all:
Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card -- as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale -- and everything must go.
It's a fun, fast-paced novel that manages to do some amazing, thought-out worldbuilding, and provides a much more realistic dystopian vision of the world than 1984 or Brave New World, while still managing to be absolutely hilarious. Some parts are a bit ridiculous and over-the-top, and it certainly isn't the best book ever written, but if you need something light and quick without insulting your intelligence, go with this. And if you're interested in Max Barry, I'd start with this book. (I actually heard about it through the game NationStates, which took up a ton of my time back in middle and high school; I got really addicted to it, and eventually I got so burned out I still don't think I could go back to it.)
Day 14 | A non-fictional book
Day 15 | A fanfic
Day 16 | A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 | An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 | A talent of yours
Day 20 | A hobby of yours
Day 21 | A recipe
Day 22 | A website
Day 23 | A YouTube video
Day 24 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 | Your day, in great detail
Day 26 | Your week, in great detail
Day 27 | This month, in great detail
Day 28 | This year, in great detail
Day 29 | Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 01 | Your favourite song
Day 02 | Your favourite movie
Day 03 | Your favourite television programme
Day 04 | Your favourite book
Day 05 | Your favourite quote
Day 06 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 | A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 | A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 | A photo you took
Day 10 | A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Apparently the bus driver randomly decided to take pictures of all of us as we were getting on the bus one morning, and then gave the pictures back to us at the end of the year. Or so I think my parents have told me, because I hardly remember when this was taken. O_o; It had to be kindergarten, though (which means either 1994 or 1995), because the driveway was still gravel then.
Day 11 | A photo of you taken recently
I took this photo of myself yesterday; I was trying to be a little bit off-beat, but I don't like how it came out at all because I am not photogenic. >_>; Seriously, whenever I try to smile, I end up looking like either a.) a weirdo, b.) a sociopath, or c.) a douchebag. -_-; Anyway, this is me without my glasses, since I don't like wearing them when I'm at home. I found some pictures of myself on Flickr the other day, though, so I thought I might as well share:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070653034/in/set-72157622597260789/ (I'm the awkward guy in blue and glasses on the far right)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070653538/in/set-72157622597260789/ (same)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070654462/in/set-72157622597260789/ (same)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4070654850/in/set-72157622597260789/ (same -- UGH I look like such a creepster in this one :C)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lakota_sapa/4069895615/in/set-72157622597260789/ (I'm on the far left -- I kinda like how this one came out, actually)
And while I'm at it, some other photos of me: http://www.facebook.com/#!/james.hexter?v=photos&ref=profile
.....And I guess I just revealed I have a Facebook profile (well, for those of you who don't already know, anyway). So, uh, if you want to friend me, go right ahead -- just make sure you say who you are so I won't assume you're some random stalker. ;-) (Or if you prefer to have the guy make the first move, let me know where your profile is, or tell me what you're known as over there so I can search for you and add you that way.)
Day 12 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Henrietta Lacks' 'Immortal' Cells
Who was Henrietta Lacks?
She was a black tobacco farmer from southern Virginia who got cervical cancer when she was 30. A doctor at Johns Hopkins took a piece of her tumor without telling her and sent it down the hall to scientists there who had been trying to grow tissues in culture for decades without success. No one knows why, but her cells never died.
Why are her cells so important?
Henrietta’s cells were the first immortal human cells ever grown in culture. They were essential to developing the polio vaccine. They went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to cells in zero gravity. Many scientific landmarks since then have used her cells, including cloning, gene mapping and in vitro fertilization.
Found this on
recently, and I found it to be really interesting. Here's some more info, in case you're curious:
Wikipedia article on Henrietta Lacks
NY Times: "A Lasting Gift to Medicine That Wasn't Really a Gift"
Baltimore City Paper: "Wonder Woman: The Life, Death, and Life After Death of Henrietta Lacks, Unwitting Heroine of Modern Medical Science"
Excerpts from Rebecca Skloot's book: ONE // TWO
Day 13 | A fictional book
I have a hard time explaining Jennifer Government by Max Barry, so I'll let the blurb on the back cover say it all:
Taxation has been abolished, the government has been privatized, and employees take the surname of the company they work for. It's a brave new corporate world, but you don't want to be caught without a platinum credit card -- as lowly Merchandising Officer Hack Nike is about to find out. Trapped into building street cred for a new line of $2500 sneakers by shooting customers, Hack attracts the barcode-tattooed eye of the legendary Jennifer Government. A stressed-out single mom, corporate watchdog, and government agent who has to rustle up funding before she's allowed to fight crime, Jennifer Government is holding a closing down sale -- and everything must go.
It's a fun, fast-paced novel that manages to do some amazing, thought-out worldbuilding, and provides a much more realistic dystopian vision of the world than 1984 or Brave New World, while still managing to be absolutely hilarious. Some parts are a bit ridiculous and over-the-top, and it certainly isn't the best book ever written, but if you need something light and quick without insulting your intelligence, go with this. And if you're interested in Max Barry, I'd start with this book. (I actually heard about it through the game NationStates, which took up a ton of my time back in middle and high school; I got really addicted to it, and eventually I got so burned out I still don't think I could go back to it.)
Day 14 | A non-fictional book
Day 15 | A fanfic
Day 16 | A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 | An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 | A talent of yours
Day 20 | A hobby of yours
Day 21 | A recipe
Day 22 | A website
Day 23 | A YouTube video
Day 24 | Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 | Your day, in great detail
Day 26 | Your week, in great detail
Day 27 | This month, in great detail
Day 28 | This year, in great detail
Day 29 | Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 | Whatever tickles your fancy