Go. See. Hoppers.
Seriously.. best Pixar film since Coco. You could make an argument since Soul, but this was the first to make me ugly cry since Coco.
My only complaint: where was my trademark Pixar short before the film!?!? Lame.
Oh and their new review system sucks. Can’t track status or contact editor. Can’t even see who is editing.
I’ve had a paper in review there for almost a year… for one round of major revisions and one round of minor. Minor revisions were submitted before Christmas and we’re still waiting.
2.5 weeks ago I was told they were waiting on the editor. I think I’m justifiably frustrated at this point
The cover of a paperback version of project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Happy birthday to me!
Ooops…. Already binged all three new episodes of Paradise season 2.
But honestly can we talk about how darn refreshing it is in this day and age to have just 1 year between seasons of an excellent tv show.
(Also if you haven’t watched it yet… go now. S1E7 is one of the greatest tv eps ever!)
Happy 77 pt.2 day to all my fellow Colony House fans.
Burn in the Rain and Taking a Fall are masterpieces and will be on repeat in my office today for sure.
Me watching this season of Next Level Chef: “Wow.. that girl is the spitting image of Nora from Upload… even sounds like her”.
Dear reader- it is indeed Andy Allo who plays Nora in Upload. 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Ok, rant aside I really do have SO MUCH data that needs to be analyzed and would really benefit from machine learning type approaches.
So if you want to work to develop innovative approaches to study cnidarian holobionts/immunity, let’s write something up!
All in all, this is just another concerning piece of evidence that this administration intends to do everything in its power to shift NSF funding away from basic research and towards things that benefit tech bros and the likes.
Booooo
I have tons of data sitting around that I would love for someone to come in and apply machine learning or similar emergent data analysis too. I firmly believe such applications of AI will advance our field.
But they will advance our understanding of BASIC BIOLOGY first and foremost.
Hot take: folks are too focused on the AI emphasis of the PRFB & missing the most concerning part of the solicitation.
The heavy emphasis on bio-AI integration for “technological advances” is a concerning degradation of NSFs mission to fund basic biological research.
Last postdoc pub finally out!! This one was a doozy, but really enjoyable to work on. Involved some creative problem solving in regards to analysis of transcriptomic data from complex experimental designs.
In the end I learned A LOT from this team and think the final product is pretty cool.
Tell me five classes you took in college:
Intermediate Horseback Riding
Advanced Literature- Harry Potter
Political Ecology
The Science in Science Fiction
Biology of Fishes
I don’t really watch football so maybe I’m just easily impressed but holy hell that was insane!!!
I was full on curled up under my blanket cause I couldn’t watch.. peeked out cause I thought it was over just in time to see the throw and catch.
The way my jaw dropped.
You mean my hours spent as a chronically online teenager are finally going to benefit me 20 years later!?!?
My CAREER award was cut my 41% due to the insanity last summer. Can Congress fix that? (Doubtful)
Also I have to make a shameless lab promotion talk for today @ #SICB2026!
9:45am in B115 PhD student Issy Changsut will be discussing her work on immunity in Astrangia poculata!
Then at today’s poster session, postbac Sydney Dutton will be discussing environmental predictors of SCTLD (P88)!
Good morning #SICB2026!! If you’re interested in ecoimmunology/disease ecology please come join us this morning in B115 for the Division of Ecoimmunology and Disease Ecology Best Student Presentation Competition! 8-8:45am!
Great talk this morning from @ambonacolta.bsky.social on apicomplexans in marine holobionts including Anthozoans.
Really enjoying this lovely microbiome symposium by @ryanehulett.bsky.social and @wrong-whale.bsky.social! Great way to start SICB 2026!
It is January 2nd and I am headed to the barn in the northern hemisphere to give my horse a long cold bath.
Why?? Oh because the high is /only/ 87 today.. only 25 or so degrees hotter than usual. And he has a full winter coat.
A brick building with the Cookout logo. Tables with red umbrellas stand out front.
IYKYK
Flight update… more mimosas and editing response to reviewers for our upcoming manuscript. Not a bad way to spend a morning!
First class domestic. No way you’re getting first class international for $25.
A woman and a man in first class airplane seats toast with cups filled with mimosas
When the first class upgrade is only $25 more than it would cost to fly economy with a checked bag.
Mimosas to celebrate a little Christmas break were definitely in order!
Spent my afternoon rage eating pie through that mess of an NSF webinar. 10/10 recommend this coping mechanism.
Now back to trying to be productive in this hellscape
Also please note that 1) that is not our camp chair and 2) no one put him in it. He just invited himself to that seat when the owner got up for a moment.
(He spent the night stealing spots on any comfy camp chair he could find before settling in this one)
A man holds a box in front of a Christmas tree, inspecting it. Behind him is an Orange car perched in a folding chair next to other on lookers
Lab Christmas party last night had a surprising star… Motsenbocker was the life of the party. Made sure to supervise the white elephant exchange as well.
Adding “fought for a Tokyo Disney vacation package” to my list of great wars along with the great Eras Tour fight of 2022..
Not a joke.. at my TX public university we were given instructions on how to use AI to revise our course descriptions and learning outcomes to ensure that they were “value neutral”…
The essay in question would have received a failing grade at any seminary in this country… student doesn’t even cite the Bible to back up her statements.
Wild times we live in.
