Year: 2003

Possible Reversal of Old-Age Slowdown

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

According to researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine, some of old age’s mental slowdown may be reversible with doses of a neurotransmitter called GABA:

Macaque monkeys, with an age equivalent to 90-years in humans, were not as sharp as their younger counterparts in visual tests despite having perfect eyesight. But when they were given drugs to increase levels of GABA in the brain they improved vastly, say the team.

Delivering GABA calms the neurons down and they become more selective, says neuroscientist Audie Leventhal, at the University of Utah School of Medicine, who led the study. “They look the same as they did 20 years ago,” he says. […]

However, this somewhat glib portion was probably my favorite part of the article:

“It is counterintuitive to say that in order to make Grandpa faster, slow down his brain. Nobody was really thinking about giving tranquillisers to an 85-year-old to perk him up — which is the implication of the study,” he says. […]

The Matrix Reloaded – Next Friday

Ashley Bischoff4 Comments

I don’t often go to movies, but I’ve been looking forward to The Matrix Reloaded all year. It opens next Thursday (May 15th), but it may be a bit crowded on opening day. Perhaps the following day would be better.

An Open Invitation

I’d like to invite you to join me on Friday May 16th for eats at Fuddruckers followed by The Matrix Reloaded.

Fuddruckers - 7:30pm
Old Town Village Shopping Center
5500 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75206

The Matrix Reloaded - 9:00pm
Loews Cineplex Keystone
13933 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, TX 75243

I recommend Fandango for buying tickets ahead of time. And, this link should point directly to the buy-tickets page for that theater & showtime.

Please RSVP by leaving a comment.

Linux Meetup on Tuesday

Ashley BischoffLeave a comment

There’re Meetups for all kinds of things, but I’ve been mostly to Slashdot Meetups. I went to one Linux Meetup back in January (to California Pizza Kitchen) but there hasn’t been one since then (they’re automatically cancelled if less than five people sign up).

However, there’s another Linux Meetup tomorrow (Tuesday), at the Cafe Brazil on Elm Street. I'm not sure what I'll order, though I often order a make-your-own omelette with sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and chorizo sausage. Hmm, yeah, that could be good.

Selecting Roommates?

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

Jason moved out last Wednesday and I’m still looking for a roommate. I’ve posted an ad on CraigsList and also on several roommate-specific services (RoommateService, RoommateClick, RoomieMatch and RoommateAccess).

If roommate-finding were like fishing, you could say that I’ve had a few “nibbles” recently (some people have expressed interest) but not much beyond that (none have yet filled out a rental application).

However, if more than one person goes as far as filling out the rental application and would like to move in, what would be a fair means of choosing? Preference in order of when they first contacted me? Preference in order of when they sent in the rental application? Or something else entirely?

I don’t necessarily expect to have to make a decision, since some people will probably drop out of the running and I may end up with just one person in the end. But, I can’t rule out the possibility.

Recipe: Carrot Cake

Ashley Bischoff2 Comments

Someone brought in some carrot cake to work the other day. It was moist and savory with a rich cream cheese frosting — it was some of the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. I was a bit sad that I wouldn’t be able to ask for the recipe, as it just appeared anonymously in the break area.

Luckily, the cake came up in some water-cooler conversation and just I happened to be talking with the person who baked it. She happily agreed to e-mail the recipe to me:

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups grated carrots
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cups oil
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Cook at 350 for 30 min — if you do it in a cake pan — I end up cooking it for at least 45 minutes, but check it at 30 min, then every 10 min afterwards. [Yeah, that’s exactly how she wrote it. As you’ll notice, she doesn’t specify a pan-size, but I recall that it may have been 13 x 9 (?)]

Frosting:

  • 1 package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 16 oz box of powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese together, add vanilla, slowly add powdered sugar.