Oh Avogadro

Avocado? No Avogadro (though avocados are quite delicious). The Great Wiki Karmel ran three times since my last post. On Friday, I ran 4.05 miles and Sunday 4.0 miles. But the previous Thursday, I was feeling really good. Why? Well probably because I slowed it down a bit. I had been running at 8 miles per hour. That's the speed that I would like to run the marathon at (a bit ambitious, but I think I can get there). That'll get me a 3:15 marathon. However, I'm not quite in shape enough to do that just yet. So I slowed my run down to 7 miles an hour. And what a difference it made! I was cruising along last Thursday when I looked down at the display on the treadmill. I had run 6.02 miles. So I stopped (my training program doesn't call for such a long run yet). It wasn't until I got home that I realized it was the same number as a great mathematical constant (divided by 10^23): the Mole!

This October, the Great Wiki Karmel will lead a Mole Day Celebration! Join me, my loyal readers.

Indeed the fountain of youth

As my loyal readers know, the official son of Wiki Karmel, Isaac (currently unborn and unconceived), will be the center fielder for the New York Yankees one day. And Sol the Sweetness will be, well, Sweet. Certainly at Isaac's birth (and I will pressure FGS (Fort Worth, TX) to do the same for little Sol), this procedure will take place.

Apparently scientists think they are onto something here. Storing umbilical cord stem cells for future use in rebuilding damaged tissue could be the wave of the future. The article is suggesting elite athletes may start doing this for themselves with their children's' stem cells. However, if you happen to know, as the Great Wiki Karmel does, that your child will be an elite athlete, it only makes sense that the child would want to use their own stem cells one day.

Quick Link

I've been meaning to post this for days (and by days, I mean one day). Nothing to say. I just wanted to inform my loyal readers.

My loyal readers need to see this

I don't have too much to say on this topic. As many of my loyal readers know, the Great Wiki Karmel is a huge hockey fan. In my opinion, fighting is a part of the game, just not my favorite part. I favor a more fluid style of play with more pretty passing and cycling of the puck. That being said, this is just awesome. Be sure to click on all the links to see all of the fights. The best one is the two goalies squaring off.

And just because.

(Editor's note: To all of my loyal readers who think that last link was tasteless, I counter thee.
1. It was a clean open ice hit (by a player, Brian Campbell, who is not known for being physical).
2. Umberger had his head down in the middle of the ice- a big no-no.
3. While I believe he was concussed, and the Great Wiki Karmel never endorses injury, Umberger came back by the end of the series and had no permanent damage.
4. It was playoff hockey.
5. the Sabres won the game and the series.
6. It's my blog- so there)

I knew it!

James Dolan, owner of the Knickerbockers, has been killing* millions of fans with his mishandling of the team. Now, he's literally killing them! This only proves what the Great Wiki Karmel has previously suspected.

(Editor's note: I don't actually think the James Dolan is a murderer. In my humble opinion, this is a coincidence. He just happens to be killing millions of fans' souls. In no way do I believe he is literally killing fans and chopping them up.)

*This link requires a subscription to ESPN Insider. I would thoroughly recommend it to all my loyal readers. If not, read this to get an idea.

Official Symbol

You will notice, my loyal readers, a new symbol added to the right hand side of the page. This is the official symbol of Wiki Karmel. As a young man, I was sitting in Mr. Fasenmayer's 7th grade social studies class and doodled on a piece of paper. I knew at once that what resulted would become the Great Wiki Karmel's name if I were ever to change my name to an unpronounceable symbol like Prince did.

Thoughts/comments/concerns.

Something terrible, yet delicious

As my loyal readers know, The Great Wiki Karmel is quite a fan of sweets. My favorite being just a plain Hershey's Bar (the half pound variety, which goes down in less than 10 minutes). Well this morning when I got to work, I was delivered a little surprise (surprise because I forgot I ordered them): Girl Scout Cookies.

I am partial to the Samoas- they are delectable. Thin Mints are the number one selling Girl Scout Cookie according to Wikipedia (which is infallible). It is the official position of the Great Wiki Karmel that mint is disgusting (among other things, such as anything that comes from the sea- another entry for another day). Long live the Somoas (which, by the way, is the only individual cookie to have its own page- take that Thin Mints!)!

I could use a haircut

I wonder if LeBron James, or Bron Bron as he is affectionately known as at Wiki Karmel, will invite the Great Wiki Karmel to his new house once it is finished. The bedroom is going to be 40 feet by 56 feet, or over 2,200 square feet. Just his bedroom! He's going to have a two story walk in closet! The whole house is going to be over 30,000 square feet and feature a bowling alley, movie theater, casino, and barber shop. Damn.

The Great Wiki Karmel's man crush on Bron Bron has been well documented. Partly because he is so good at basketball and partly because I secretly hope he leaves the Cavs for the Knickerbockers. "Experts" have debated both sides of the issue. Stay tuned, my loyal readers.

Comments

A number of my loyal readers have asked this question: "I've tried to post a comment on your amazing blog (it's really inspired me- you're such a great writer and person*). But every time I try to post something, it tells me I need to register."

Well, my loyal readers, do not fret. Just click anonymous and you can comment to your hearts content.

*OK, so that part I made up. But multiple readers have actually asked this question.

Technology is great!

Have you ever been sitting around your cube at work and thought to yourself, "I wonder if the Great Wiki Karmel has posted any new entries on his blog."?* Of course you have, my loyal readers. Well now you don't have to! Get a feed reader (I'd recommend (and use) Google Reader) and enter the Wiki Karmel Feed. It's fun and easy to use (do I sound like an infomercial?- that's what I was going for....)!

The Feed for Wiki Karmel in Google Reader tends to be about a day late or so. I realize that rabid nature of my fan base will find this unacceptable. So I'll just let you know when you will most likely find a posting.

1. I rarely post on the weekends.
2. I flex** every other Friday and rarely post on those days
3. Occasionally, I will write an entry as soon as I wake up, ruminate over the commute, make any necessary adjustments when I get to work (only the finest quality product for my loyal readers), and then post. So look sometime around 8.
4. My main posting time is during my lunch break. I typically eat lunch around 11:30. So from 11:30 to 12:30 is my sweet spot.

I hope this helps.

*Is this the correct punctuation? ."?

**Employees here work 7 hours and 45 minutes (with an hour lunch break) 9 out of every 10 days and get the tenth day off. Mine happens to be every other Friday.

The World's Greatest...Matzo Oven?

Apparently Rabbi Aaron Winternitz, leader of Congregation Mivtzar Hatorah in Spring Valley, N.Y, has been using an old school bus as a matzo oven for Passover. For the past three years, he cranked out over 100 pounds of matzo for the holiday.

Interestingly enough, loyal reader Royal Tanenbaum (formerly of Eugene, Oregon) (who sent me the link to the story*) and the brother of the USOWK both went to Spring Valley High School. I'd talk about Spring Valley High School, but there is no Wikipedia article (but there is for Orchard Park High School). So here is the latest challenge, my loyal readers: create the Wiki page for SVHS. It would be best if you actually went to SVHS, but feel free to do your own independent research (which may or may not include a trip out to Spring Valley, NY (where you could eat some matzo with Rabbi Winternitz)).

(I was going to end with "GO QUAKERS!", but then I realized that I had absolutely no school spirit....)

*Note to loyal readers: It is the official policy of the Great Wiki Karmel to cite all articles referred to me by third party sources. Feel free to send me a link. If it lives up to the stringent standards of the Great Wiki Karmel, I may talk about it.

Five is good, right?

I had decided on Saturday that I would take the day off and run 7 miles on Sunday. My schedule had called for 3 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. Should the Great Wiki Karmel have openly defied the wisdom of marathon training experts? Well, as it turns out, the running gods said I shouldn't have. Sunday morning, on my way back from the grocery store, I tripped and fell up my stairs (damn you, running gods, damn you indeed!). (and yes, I fell up my stairs). Do not fret, my loyal readers: I am OK. But I did bruise my knee ever so slightly and thus did not run.

So I had decided to run 7 miles yesterday. However, I am sad to inform you, my loyal readers, that I did not run the full 7 miles. I only ran 5 (PTI went to commercial and an interview with Billy Donovan was up next- I didn't want to stick around...). But it was a good 5 miles. So I am OK with that. And you should be too.

(By the way, I was just reading about PTI on Wiki. The intro/outro music played on the show is based on the song "Cut Your Hair", by our good friends Pavement. Wilbon and Kornheiser, the two hosts of the show, are bald.)

This is just not Wikipedia's day

Another sad Wikipedia piece of news. Two senior members of Wikimedia are resigning. Brad Patrick, General Council and Executive Director of the foundation, stated that he was leaving due to "concerns about the informal structure of the board and the inexperience of its seven members.

A board that is tasked with the responsibility of running a 501(c)3 should have the competences to run a 501(c)3 and get all the help they can from as many people as they can, including outside people, to do that," Patrick said. "I've said before that the board could just as soon have a pie-eating contest or flip a coin or Tiddly Winks to determine who the next board member would be and it would have the same legitimacy as an election.

I should run for the board...

This upsets the Great Wiki Karmel

I need to get back to work, but first I need to express my shock to some news I just received. A little under one third of Americans don't have internet access and don't plan on getting it. It's unfortunate that certain economic (and geographical) issues exist that everyone can't have access to the internet. But 44% of the people who do not have access said they won't get it because there is nothing interesting on the internet. NOTHING INTERESTING?!?!?!?! Obviously these people have not heard of the Great Wiki Karmel. So I have a mission for you, my loyal readers: Spread the word. It's a crime that so many unfortunate souls are being denied the pleasure of reading the Great Wiki Karmel's work. This needs to be fixed.

Also, I got this. Sad times that the creators of such an important website are fighting.

Sol the Sweetness

This post goes out to Solomon S, unborn (and unconceived) child of loyal reader FGS (Fort Worth, TX). Though FGS (Fort Worth, TX) is Christian (specifically a Disciple of Christ (as is Andrew Elliott, (soon to be) Esq.)), his unborn (and unconceived) child will be Jewish (as is the Great Wiki Karmel). And part of being a member of the "tribe" means that you are predisposed to being unathletic. There are exceptions, notably:

Hall of Fame baseball players Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax. Current MLB players Ian Kinsler, Brad Ausmus, Shawn Green, Gabe Kapler, Kevin Youklis, and Jason Marquis among others. Also, Mose Solomon, aka The Rabbi of Swat, played two games in 1923.

In the NBA, Jordan Farmar (now my favorite baller) and Jon Scheyer at Duke. Great coaches Red Auerbach, Larry Brown, and Larry Frank (well, maybe he's not great...).

In the NFL, current Buffalo Bills General Manager Marv Levy, as well as Robby Gould, Jay Fiedler, and Sage Rosenfels.

And in the NHL, soon to be Rookie of the Year, Evgeni Malkin (quite frankly, I'm shocked. If I end up winning my fantasy hockey league (I'm in the finals this week- I'll keep you, my loyal readers, posted), it'll be in large part due to drafting Malkin). As is Commissioner Bettman

Anyway.... the purpose of this posting was originally to have an excuse to link this article. I've lost my train of thought and I have to get back to work (my lunch break is ending soon). But hopefully little unborn Sol can get inspiration from these great athletes and become the next Great Jewish Hope (though little Sol will have to compete with the Great Wiki Karmel's unborn (and unconceived) son, Isaac, who will one day be patrolling center field for the Yankees).

Jeans I can return

Genes, unfortunately, I am stuck with. The Great Wiki Karmel has come to terms with heart disease. My two grandfathers both died of heart attacks and my dad had his when he was 48 (don't worry, my loyal readers- he's still going strong). So I'll probably have one. That's why I run- so I can stay in shape and hopefully put off the heart attack as long as possible (I'd like to have it when I'm 102 (17*6)). Whatever.

But now I have a new genetic enemy. Eczema. Or so I think. Perhaps I just have an extreme bout of dry skin (actually, most likely). But the official mother of Wiki Karmel has eczema, so this is naturally a concern (though I'm not much of a hypochondriac...).

This is an evolving story. I'll keep you updated. And I'd like to thank all of my loyal readers in advance for their concern.

Well it's my blog, so I'll do what I want

As many of my loyal readers know, the Great Wiki Karmel has signed up to do the 2007 New York City Marathon in November. I am loosely sticking to a workout schedule to train for the marathon. From now on, every time I train, I will post what I did on this site.

3/22/07: I ran 3.5 miles in 24 minutes. Why didn't I finish the final half mile (I was supposed to do 4)? I got sweat in my eyes. It burned. So sad for me.

Just Because

I really don't have much to say on this one. But USOWK and brother of USOWK are Romanian. And I like castles.

Actually, I like everything to do with medieval culture/warfare. Loyal reader FGS (Fort Worth, TX) and I were watching a show on the Discovery Channel not long ago about medieval war technology. France was known as Gaul in Roman times. A group of barbarians from West Germany, known as the Franks, invaded that area. They were name Franks because of their weapon of choice: the francisca. The francisca was an axe with an S-shaped blade. When thrown at an enemy, the axe would spin at an unpredictable angle and thus be impossible to block. Opposing armies were devastated by this advanced weapon.

The Anglo-Saxons of England: named for the seax.

I got nothing

This is just hilarious. Apparently, people pay up to $20 to bathe* in a pool of mineral water in Saratoga Springs. That by itself is ridiculous (though this is coming from the Great Wiki Karmel who refuses to buy a bottle of water. Ever. Seriously people, its water. There are water fountains everywhere (and the tap water in NYC is actually pretty good)). But the good folks at the Saratoga Spa State Park have been diluting the water with tap water for over 20 years. Seriously, I got nothing...

*See comments

They Should Listen to Wiki Karmel

The Great Wiki Karmel has been arguing for quite some time with his acquaintances about mandatory appendectomies for all professional athletes. The appendix is a vestigial structure. It is completely useless. So there is no reason to have it. For most people, though, there is no reason not to have it. And since there is invasive surgery involved in an appendectomy, it really doesn't make sense. Unless you are a professional athlete. There is so much (money, fan emotion, stirring of local economy if a team makes the playoffs) riding on the performance of athletes that an appendectomy to the wrong person at the wrong time can be devastating.

What is bringing this up now? Andrea Bargnani, while not the best player on the Toronto Raptors, is a key component to the team's playoff chances. And now that he will miss time (perhaps the playoffs completely), the Raptors will suffer. Toronto will suffer. Canada will suffer. All of this could have been avoided.

The same thing happened a few months ago to Ben Roethlisberger.

Get it together sports franchises! Mandate this. Put it into contracts.

Editor's note: Wiki what?

It has come to my attention that since the format change, I have changed my name. In old posts, I referred to myself as the Great Wiki Karmel. Post change, I have been the Great Wikikarmel. I think I'll go back to Wiki Karmel. Thought/comments/questions/concerns?

Note: google searching my name yields this blog.

Earplugs

Great article on Slate today about earplugs. The great Wikikarmel recently purchased a pair of noise reduction headphones, which are basically earplugs with headphones in them. I must say, I love them. They are great. I can still hear the world around me (don't worry Mom (or Official Mother of Wikikarmel ("OMOW")), I can hear cars as I am crossing the street), but everything is muted. It's like I'm in my own world. I'm in Wikikarmelland!* Seriously, though. When I'm on the train platform, the screeching of the trains doesn't bother me. When I'm walking down the street, sirens and people yelling are muted. I sometimes walk down the street with the headphones in my ears and my Ipod off and listen to myself breathe like Beller suggests. And they are very comfortable. The best part, though, is that I can turn the volume down. I used to listen to my Ipod at almost full volume; now I rarely go above a quarter. Too much of this bad boy** when I was little has ruined my hearing.

Two problems I have encountered:
1. When sweating, the headphones become loose. The noise reduction is achieved by creating a seal in your ear. When I sweat (such as when I am marathon training), the seal breaks and the headphones slip out of my ear. This is probably my own fault though. There are 6 or 7 different ear pieces that I can try- I'm probably not using the right one.
2. When it's really cold out, the cord 'freezes' and you can 'hear' the cord banging against your body. Not really a big deal though..


*Editor's note: yes, it's true. I am a dork.
**My particular bad boy (and I'm not sure why I am sticking with that name- I don't think I named my set) was not nearly as nice. It was a four piece and was orange.
***I currently 'rock out' to this bad boy. I should give him a nickname...*

Damn, I'm good!

In, "Nope, Now I'm In Shock", my post about the Star Wars R2D2 Mailboxes, I mentioned that I remembered when stamps were 29 cents. The very same day (though I didn't read about it until today), the Post Office announced that it is raising the price of stamps to 41 cents. The Great Wikikarmel is not only extremely intelligent and thought provoking (a burden I am willing to take on), but apparently should be added to the list of famous psychics.

Flip Throw to the Dome

For those of my loyal readers who are not familiar with a flip throw in soccer, here is a video showing one. You can launch the ball half way across the field if you do it right.

A few months ago, I was trying to explain flip throws to FGS (Fort Worth, TX) (he had never heard of it). What I found was greater than anything I could possibly have imagined: Flip throw to the dome. Enjoy!

Infant Mortality

So apparently the US is tied for the second worst infant mortality rate among developed countries. Very interesting article. Sanghavi says:

Comparing infant mortality rates between countries is fraught with uncertainty—after all, it's hard to argue that every country's figures are reliable. But it's still worth asking what more we can do to stop babies from dying. Defined as death before one year of age, infant mortality frequently gets framed in the United States as a problem of insufficient health-care funding. In December, for example, a New York Times column* blamed it on the lack of a single-payer health insurer. However, a closer look reveals the counterintuitive possibility that high infant mortality in the United States might be the unintended side effect of increased spending on medical care.

His argument is that a third to half of infant deaths are related to premature births. Thus reducing premature births would reduce infant mortality. "But modern medicine isn't good at preventing prematurity—just the opposite. Better and more affordable medical care actually has worsened the rate of prematurity, and likely the rate of infant mortality, by making fertility treatment widespread."

Keeping with one of the themes of Wikikarmel (not saying anything controversial, just reporting facts), I will refrain from commenting. But very interesting article indeed. Thoughts, my loyal readers?

*Requires a subscription to Time's Select.

I want to go to Europe....

Cato, devout fan of Wikikarmel, sent along this tidbit:

...A growing legion of independent young travelers [are] turning to the CouchSurfing Project to stretch their budgets and to ensure that their travel experiences go beyond just ticking off the sights. The free Internet service, founded in 2004, connects travelers with hosts around the world offering floor space, a couch or sometimes an entire bedroom, all for the grand sum of nothing.

The average age of a CouchSurfing member is 25, with more than 44 percent of the site's 173,000-plus members falling between the ages of 18 and 24. Most CouchSurfers hail from Europe, home to more than 75,000 members, with North America's nearly 60,000 members making it the second-most-active CouchSurfing continent.

Sounds kind of sketchy. Yet fun. The Great Wikikarmel isn't much of a risk taker, so I doubt I would ever do something like this (I'm conjuring up images from the movie Hostel (which I've never seen, but I can imagine (I feel like it's probably along the lines of this, which kept me sleeping with the lights on for several days, and was incidentally the last horror movie I've seen))).

Nonetheless, of course this is right up Cato's alley, as he is quite the couch sleeper. And if you live in the New York area, he'll be sleeping on a couch at 24 Joralemon in April. Hopefully this time he doesn't throw up in anyone's slippers.

What?!?

The headlines: Woman Upgraded After Dying In Coach. Man flies first class seated near corpse.

Apparently, a woman died in her coach seat on a flight from Dehli to London and they moved her to first class, without telling the guy she was sitting next too (it kind of reminds me of the plot from Commando). This is so weird....I'm not sure what to file it under (I guess wiki for the Arnold reference).

Nope, now I'm in shock!

Well this is just the greatest thing ever! (thanks brother of USOWK).

I hope some of these end up in Brooklyn Heights. Though I do agree with many of the responses in the reader comments section. Mainly:

• They will be stolen
• What a good deal for George Lucas
• Aren't there more effective ways to spend money (on the postal workers, hiring more workers, lower stamp prices (not to sound old, but I remember when they were 29 cents. what are they up to now?), etc.)

But still, as noted in a previous post, The Great Wikikarmel loves Star Wars. This is awesome!

I'm so jealous

This guy is awesome (thanks for the article, Yak). Fourteen hours a day! I'm in shock...

Water World

The Great Wikikarmel is a big fan of space (and Star Wars). This news excites me. I would love to believe that we could get all "Total Recall" on Mars, but sadly I realize this will never happen (in my lifetime at least).

I'm sure all of my loyal readers have read many global warming articles over the years. And many of these articles focus specifically on the melting ice caps. I've seen maps of Antarctica like this. It shows what Antarctica would look like if all the ice melted. They note, however, that this is before the water levels rise and that the land itself might rise over a period of time as the ice won't be pushing down on it anymore.

I am issuing a challenge to you, my loyal readers. I have seen that map many times. But I have never seen the projection of what it would look like after the water and land levels adjusted. Actually, I haven't seen a projected map of the world (that I remember) after the ice caps melt. Find me one.

Architechture

So the Great Wikikarmel does not confess to know anything about architecture. I know what looks good to me, but I probably couldn't tell you why? However, I'm not quite sure what to make of this list. Loyal reader FGS (Fort Worth, TX) and I were noting that there were several "surprises" (though were glad the Arch was that high). I would have thought certain buildings would have been much higher or much lower (#22, really? that high? and maybe I' m just biased, but #53? and a Disney hotel?). Loyal reader Yak and I were discussing the Denver Airport a few weeks ago. I'm a fan- glad to see it on the list.

Editor's Note re: Change

I completely forgot to include the reasons for my hatred of coins that I had in mind when I started the entry. Change is heavy. You can't fold it like bills and put it in your wallet (or in Wikikarmel's case, a binder clip). It sits in your pocket and makes "clanking" sounds when you walk. I had more (I think), but that's it for now.

Change

According to Slate,

... the United States is introducing dollar coins, again. Earlier this month, the Treasury put George Washington's face on a golden coin, the first in a limited run that will eventually include every American president through Ronald Reagan and possibly beyond...This is the government's fourth attempt to move American spenders from dollar bills to dollar coins, after three flops that satisfied nobody but coin collectors. But these quite sensible efforts are destined to fail unless the Treasury finally does what it should have done long ago: Stop printing dollar bills.

Personally, I wish they would do away with all metal currency. I hate change. I almost always pay with a credit card when I would have to accept coins in return. They collect in a container (actually, a human skull- ask me about it if you are interested) on my dresser, never to be seen again. I only use the quarters for laundry.

What costs 5 cents these days? I could see the need for pennies, nickels, and dimes when things actually cost that much money. But today, why can't we just round $1.07 to $1. Obviously there are tax implications to this, but I think someone could figure out a way around this. I obviously don't have the most articulate argument here; I'm relying more on truthiness than fact. Anyone have a link to a good argument on the topic?

Marathon Training

As many of my loyal readers know, The Great Wikikarmel signed up for the 2006 marathon. Sadly, I was not picked in the lottery (damn you, Lance!). I am signed up for the 2007 lottery (I would encourage all of my readers to NOT sign up- this increases my chances ever so slightly). My boss just sent me these two sites: Hal Higdon and Jeff Galloway. Both are great sources of information for training (for anyone who would dare challenge The Great Wikikarmel).

I wish I was an engineer

For those of you who don't know, The Great Wikikarmel is planning on going to grad school in the next year or two to study engineering. The current idea is Industrial Engineering, which among other things, uses math to solve efficiency problems (at least the part that I am interested in). Anyway... engineering in general is fascinating. Just look at this. Yes, I know. How 'frat boy' of me to link this. But how many times have you, my loyal readers, had an idea for something like this but said to yourself, "I can't do things like that. I wouldn't even know where to start."

Well done, John Cornwell. Well done indeed.

(Though the beer snob in me would never drink any beer at home from a can. Blasphemy!)

I'm back?

Hello Wikikarmelians! It's certainly been a while. A couple posts ago (which was last year, I believe), I promised you that I was back for good and would be posting entries a few times a week. Well....I have failed you. I think what I needed was a format change. So from here on out, this is no longer a blog solely about Wikipedia. Don't fret: I will still discuss selected wikiwanderings. But I will also discuss other things that I read on the Internet. And include links (where appropriate). That is all.