DNA paternal testing kit is now available in stores. You send in the samples of mother, “alleged” father and the child, and Identigene Inc.® will send back the result within 3 business days. The price varies depending on the situation (twins, father/motherless cases, etc) but the kit is 30 dollars, and additional few hundred dollars will be charged in order to obtain the result. So far State of New York has banned such “at-home” DNA testing (New York Post Article).

This news got stuck in my throat and took all day to process. I felt like it’s so practical that it’s almost indecent. Too..open. But then I realized that my native sense of shame and subtlety isn’t the problem of my digestive system. It’s the fact that this “at-home” DNA test kit is another piece of evidence to mark the progression of our “gesellschaft” - the society in which everything is based on profit-making. The very fact that people rather invest their money, time and effort into making more accessible DNA test kit than in getting to the bottom of the social issues that are producing these father/motherless children - all because it makes more money. I’m not at all against making profit and it may indeed provide some people with peace of mind. But for now my digestive system doesn’t seem to agree with such trend and the society that thoughtlessly approves of it.

“We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.” - Oscar Wilde

I don’t smoke.

And I say it as no more than a trivial fact like “I enjoy a nice cup of coffee” or like “I dislike umbrella”. It’s not a statement or judgement. As a non-smoker, however, I write on another blog called “Smokersbench” . Smoking and cigarettes aren’t merely the focus of conversations that take place there. As funny as it sounds, the title is rather a figurative… inspiration (for the lack of my vocabulary). So make a pitstop if you’d like, we’re just starting up and in search of talented writers. If you’re interested feel free to leave a comment here or there.

::edit::

So, I wrote yesterday that it’s only a trivial fact if at all that I do not smoke; no “statement” or judgement.  What I didn’t write yesterday was that sometimes I feel as if it could possibly be even a disadvantage.

No, I’m not talking about the Roadrunner..

but this>>

British Broadcasting Corporation! ((…aka Beep))

I have expressed before (probably on more than one occasion) my love for their programs and especially for their website, but I just cannot emphasize it enough. So I thought it’d be appropriate to mention it in the first few posts here as well, in my hope of it enlightening another person’s life today.

“Quality.”

That’s all I have to say because that’s all they have to offer.

Disney/PIXAR©

So Laboratory for symbolic cognitive development and biolinguistics at Brain Science Institute in Japan have found that even rodents - in this case Degu (Octodon Degus) - can be trained to use tools.

They have recently published an article “Tool-use Training in a Species of Rodent: The Emergence of an Optimal Motor Strategy and Functional Understanding” on PLoS ONE, an online science magazine.

According to the article, degus - rodent native to Peru - when given a T-shaped stick, used it to move closer the food that was out of reach.

Significance of this finding is that the study of such cognitive function and development in rodents will provide us with insights into the mechanisms of cognitive function in general. In other words, by studying how these degus learn to use tools, we can deepen our understanding of how our brain functions.

In addition, with rodents the scientists will be able to directly study the development of cranial nerves and DNA without the troubles of keeping and hurting primate for research purposes.

…which brings up the question of the value of life, whether or not it should be considered relative to the level of intelligence.

…but maybe not tonight.

Please let me know if anyone knows what the Greeks do in celebration

…..other than a parade.

Ideas without a shape.

Shapes without a thought.

Further more,

‘things’ as they are,

the ways we modify them,

and the why’s.

How do I make sense of them?

Can I?

So I’ve relocated from another blog site that I’ve used for a few years.. on and off.

All my previous attempts to relocate have failed through and I’m still stuck with the good ol’ college blog so I’m hoping this will stick as my new location for further rambling for a while.

Not to be confused, this blog is a selfish outlet for my most personal and biased thoughts. I write about many things but it will not be a reliable source of information; nor is it intended to benefit anyone in any way. With that said, if you still somehow enjoy reading it, please help yourself.