Exam season comes to an end

Well, I certainly haven't posted in long enough, but I'll stick to exams as my excuse. As the jacrandas start flowering in spring, students on the east coast of Australia develop permanent nervous expressions. I didn't do as well in Organic Chemistry as I'd hoped, but that should be ok as I don't have any more pure chemistry units from now on. Physics and Physiology were both HD's! I was surprised Physiology was my highest result, but then I thought the final exam was perfectly pitched.

And now, holidays! I'm hoping to get a lot done, but I'm sure I'll end up spending many an hour lying around with a book instead, which is fine. Plans include a little photography, a little drawing, a new PC and maybe even a little blogging (gasp!).

15 Biotech Breakthroughs Which Will Affect You

I know, I know, enough with the linking to lists of links, but this was an interesting one. Here's a list compiled by TechnutNews which includes recent breakthroughs and cutting-edge research, from affordable gene sequencing to curing major diseases. I, of course, am fascinated by Scientific American's article about open source principles being applied to science. Enjoy!

Learn Stuff For Free: IT Edition

Here is a great list of free resources for learning about computer technology online - not really relevant to this blog, but I thought it was useful enough to mention. The web is naturally brimming with technology-related guides, FAQs and HOWTOs, but if you'd like something a little more structured, this list includes full courses including those from open university projects like MIT's OpenCourseWare.

Sam Harris on Stem Cell Research and Morality

I think Sam Harris here does a very good job of presenting a logical, reasonable treatment of the confusion inherent in the argument that to use an embryo for stem cell research is to destroy a human soul. His examination of the problems with this argument remain viable even if you are a religious person; that is, he goes further than just discounting the argument by rejecting belief in human souls altogether.

Titrations!

...seem to be all we are doing in Chemistry at the moment, but I'm actually ok with it. I love the magical moment when you add one more drop of acid and suddenly your solution reaches a tipping point, changes colour, and you know its concentration. I'm not too keen on associating "magical moments" with chemistry, but it seems the only way to describe it; it's fascinating how we measure chemicals into our glassware, somewhat messily, trying to achieve the equivalent of the pure logic of the equations in our textbooks - and most of the time to our astonishment it works.

It's also nice working in the lab on the top floor; the class starts at 9am and though the sun hasn't yet reached between the other buildings it reaches us up there; by chance you can look out a window and catch a glimpse of the river and a ferry going by.

Now I think of it though, all this general appreciation of our Chem pracs is probably something to do with my doing three titrations in a row which agreed to near-perfection - precisely, 19.8, 19.7 and 19.7 mL. I never expect the numbers to come out quite right in experiments, but it's infinitely satisfying when they do.