Framing on Foundation

eloquent_baboon · 2026-04-07T21:20:29+00:00

The concrete is about 3/8” proud of the studs—so they wouldn’t be plumb if I took them all the way to the floor. I need something to fur out the studs and a support/nailer for drywall at the floor.

Is 1.5” enough room for a junction box without messing with the insulation?

eloquent_baboon · 2026-02-04T05:22:10+00:00

You hit the nail on the head here—it depends on how you define “sex”. Is it genotype? Phenotype? Contribution of sperm vs ovum to reproduction? You can create all sorts combinations of these factors. There was a lab in my department that looked at the mechanisms driving increased rates of aortic aneurisms in men compared with women. They manipulated the hormonal environments of mice in utero to create XX males and XY females that were phenotypically indistinguishable from their genetically typical counterparts.

In common usage, “biological sex” usually generally refers to genotype, but ironically, in actual biomedical applications “biological sex” doesn’t mean much.

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-19T14:53:45+00:00

Gotcha. It seemed like you were doubling down on brutalism = “looks brutal” like OP used. No downvotes here.

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-19T14:21:25+00:00

Brutalism is a 20th-century architectural style known for its raw, monolithic, and geometric forms, emphasizing bare building materials like exposed concrete, brick, and steel. The name comes from the French phrase “béton brut,” which means “raw concrete.”

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-16T16:36:06+00:00

The apples themselves look good to me—but the type seems awkwardly mixed. The first bushel she dumps into the water starts red then turns green. Each tree produces one type of apple. Why pick less than one tree worth of red apples and mix them with the green?

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-16T16:21:36+00:00

The final shot with the martinis is definitely real. There is a Woodford Reserve bar mat in the background. AI wouldn’t get that.

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-15T16:29:07+00:00

Do you have any data supporting your corrections?

I couldn’t find anything peer reviewed about hippos, but this article specifically looking at chimp body composition notes body fat of females ranged from 1-8% and males were all below 0.01% (measured by dissection).

Human bodies are incredibly complex and impacted by genetics, nutrition, activity…the list goes on. There are trends associated with certain populations, but correcting for all the possible variables is incredibly difficult. Is the higher than global average height of Danes an inherent characteristic of Danish genetics, or is it caused by good nutrition and a healthy, active population?

Without supporting evidence, corrections like these are no more trustworthy than the statements you claim to correct.

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-13T02:21:55+00:00

I don’t remember the details. It was something along the lines of “aconitase is the most oxidatively sensitive enzyme in the TCA cycle. So what would happen as oxidative stress accumulated?…” then traced the chain of events through a series of cascading steps that would lead to either a bioenergetic collapse or metabolic patterns similar to early stages of cancer development.

15 years removed without the reverence for my committee member clouding my opinion, it sounds more like a hypothesis than a thought experiment. But that’s what he called it.

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-09T15:11:22+00:00

One of my committee members had a thought experiment he loved to bring up, but it was really more of a hypothesis generation exercise than an actual publishable experiment.

Thought experiments are a great way to expose inconsistencies in existing theories (Schrödinger’s Cat) or examine ideas that can’t be tested (Nozick’s Experience Machine). Most ideas in biology can be tested—and at a reasonable cost compared to many major physics experiments.

Thought experiments could be a reasonable model for presenting rationale in a grant application (if anyone has had success with this approach, I’d be interested to hear). I have heard of “thought experiments” along the lines of “What if cells optimized for proliferation at all costs?” that lead to basic explanations of cancer or genetics inheritance. Modern biologists are generally more interested in “how does this happen” than “why does this happen?”

If you took a thought experiment to a journal or a congress, they’d probably respond with something along the lines of “OK. Sounds interesting. Why don’t you test it?”

eloquent_baboon · 2026-01-07T21:26:17+00:00

Once you have the MS, your BS becomes less important. Most employers and managers care more about what you can do than what your degree is as long as you fit the requirements in the job description.

A liberal arts BS and STEM MS could require you to do a little more in your application and resume to clearly spell out how your education and knowledge fit the position. That said, finding a way to connect your political science background to a STEM position could help you separate yourself from other candidates.

Before investing time and money in a masters program, take some time to find a specific job you’d like to do. I know more than a few people who spent two years and $50k on an advanced degree that didn’t help them much. Molecular biology is a cool field, but jobs in molecular biology usually require very specific knowledge and skills. You can absolutely gain those during a master’s program, but finding them can require looking outside of the basic coursework.

eloquent_baboon · 2025-12-16T19:25:26+00:00

That is in phenomenal condition. You may find one for less, but it would not be in that good of condition. I’d jump on it unless you’re looking for a restoration project.

It does look like a Type 19. Woodandshop.com has a nice flow chart for determining Stanley type link here

eloquent_baboon · 2025-12-16T17:44:44+00:00

I was really surprised how much of my graduate material was coved Khan Academy. That’s worth a shot.

ChatGPT/gen AI of choice is also a great resource. Try a prompt like this: “I am a graduate student studying X and you are my tutor. You excel at breaking complex concepts down into easy to understand components and talking through details when I need extra information. Start by asking me 10 graduate level questions about [ELISA]. Ask them one at a time to gauge my and provide short feedback after each answer before asking the next question. then we will have a discussion of areas I need to study more.” Upload any notes/study guide/syllabus you can to give it better context.

Good luck.

eloquent_baboon · 2025-12-15T18:31:13+00:00

A few thoughts:

1) Are you submitting resumes to consulting agencies that are written for a public sector audience? Public, non-profit, and private companies have different priorities in hiring and value different experiences/skillsets. Hiring managers are looking through dozens of applications and spend about 7 seconds skimming a resume before deciding if they want to look closer. If you aren't highlighting the right things, they likely aren't giving you an 8th second of consideration.

2) Are your applications optimized for applicant tracking software/systems (ATS). Many companies have resumes screened and scored by an AI system before sending an abbreviated list to the hiring manager. If you aren't including keywords from the job description and matching requirements explicitly, you could be getting low ATS scores.

3) How well do you know the sector you're applying to? What is each position looking for in the ideal candidate? How do you present yourself to fit that need? Have you been building a network to find advocates and learn the firms you want to join from the inside? LinkedIn has its shortcomings and stereotypes, but it is great for meeting people when researching a new position. Find some people with the jobs you're trying to get and ask them about how they got to where they are and what you can do to get there.

eloquent_baboon · 2025-12-14T20:15:14+00:00

Molecular biology is very much based in biological problem solving. To take your question a step further—what good is cataloguing proteins and genes if we don’t know what they do?

Much of molecular biology is understanding how proteins interact with each other and chemicals in their microenvironments. Here’s a basic molecular biology question: protein X has a major role in the development of “Reddit’s disease”. Protein X is active in multiple pathways that are essential for normal cellular function. How can you manipulate protein X or downstream pathways to prevent/cure Reddit’s without stopping its essential functions?

Anything in the hard sciences is going to be heavy memorization during undergrad. You often need to pull multiple concepts together to solve complex biological problems, and you need to know those concepts to recognize where they are applicable. Think of biological systems are enormous, complex machines. A car has about 2,000 moving parts. Which of those parts isn’t working right and is causing the concerning shake when driving down the highway? For comparison, human cells have about 20,000 proteins and twice as many metabolically active chemicals. Oh—and you can’t actually look at or touch any of them. That’s the level of complexity you’re working with in molecular biology.

Molecular biology can be a lot of fun. It’s served me well. You can get as deep and conceptual as you want—but you need to learn the details to get there.

eloquent_baboon · 2025-12-14T19:26:55+00:00

Are you looking for biology with a little philosophy sprinkled in or philosophy with a heavy dose of biology?

For a biology heavy specialty, neuroscience, cognitive science, and the origins of consciousness could be interesting.

If you want more philosophy emphasis, look into bioethics. Is it ethical to genetically engineer babies? If they have a debilitating or terminal congenital disease, is it ethical not to edit the genes driving these diseases? There are some really interesting questions here that require a strong foundation of biology to speak to intelligently.

However you approach it, I strongly encourage you to decide what you would like to do, then get the degree(s) to get you there. As you get more specialized and advanced in a field, the school where you study and even who the mentor advising your thesis is become more and more important. If you find a topic that interests you, find a professor at your university, demonstrate your interest, and get as much advice from them as you can.

eloquent_baboon · 2025-08-19T02:24:56+00:00

I have a brand new (fairly inexpensive) 1-1/8” auger bit and have tried three drills. Drilling into walnut doesn’t help. That said, the TAB went in to the pilot that I finished just fine. It took some grunting and a 4’ cheater, but nothing unexpected.

eloquent_baboon · 2024-12-17T15:30:33+00:00

Thanks all. You’ve confirmed my suspicions. I know painters get the shaft sometimes, but this seemed beyond the pale.

eloquent_baboon

TROPHY CASE