Should I or shouldn't I?

So in the time that husband and I have been living in this apartment complex (a bit over six months), the building hallway has had a large window without a screen. It just so happens that directly on the outside of the window, is a huge wasp nest. I have on a few occasions seen wasps come inside and fly around the hallway. On the weekend I killed one, and now I'm pretty sure they hate me. I always close the window, and yet the next time I'm out in the hallway, it's open again. Now I'd kind of understand if this was the only window, but there's another one right near it (with a screen intact) that is always open, which doesn't allow wasps in. As there are many people in the building and I'm not sure who the window-opener is (I'm assuming that although clever, the wasps are unable to open the window themselves), I can only see one option: the passive aggressive note.

I have constructed the following sign to potentially put up...

Yes, I did make this myself. I'm quite proud of it.

So the question is - should I, or shouldn't I put the sign up?

Extra information:

• I don't really know any of the surrounding neighbours well - we are only on a saying 'hello' in passing basis (sometimes).
• Husband really doesn't seem to be concerned about a potential wasp invasion, so he's no help.
• I'm not entirely sure if these are the type of wasps that sting people, so I may look silly putting this up if they're not a danger to anybody.
• I'm not sure how long this no-screen business has been going on. Perhaps all the other building occupants have no problem with this, and it's been this way for years. If this is the case, a sign suddenly showing up now may signal us as the culprits (being the most recent to move in).
• I think I'm allergic to wasps (not deathly so - I don't think, but once I stood on one accidently and my foot puffed up so much I couldn't wear shoes); or at the very least, I'm a hypochondriac. To that end - don't google wasp sting pictures. It's not pretty.  

What do you think...?

Lie to Me

[I'm a bit sad this show was cancelled; source]

Unfortunately, lie detection isn't always as easy as it is made out to be on TV and in the movies. A lot of lie-detection methods aren't overly reliable, and as such many aren't admissible in court proceedings. However, at the conference I recently went to in New York (details here) I got to hear about some exciting lie-detection research that is very promising.

Someone needs to get this message out there.

It might as well be me...

[via]

That is all.

P.S. Extra credit: Ode to Joy

Early warning signs your child may turn into a nerd.

[via]

Rainier: (talking about the new movie he's in) My son returns from a fancy east coast college and I'm horrified to find he's a nerd.
Kent: Hahah, I'm laughing already.
Rainier: It's not a comedy. 

Case Study: L, started off as a seemingly normal child, but as time went on started to become a little too interested in spending all her time reading. Favourite books were those teaching about science, and often led to impromptu experiments such as making a barometer. Attempts to get her involved in sport were soon considered futile. Often claimed when she grew up she wanted to be a doctor. Her favourite poster was not of a celebrity, but of the solar system. Would often stay awake worrying about what was there before the universe started. Even though she received roller blades one Christmas, she turned out to be much more excited about the microscope set she had begged for. She could then be seen for hours outside collecting specimens (mostly leaves because bugs are gross), dissecting them, and staining them to look at under the microscope. There was a period of optimism once she became a teen that she would turn out normal (with a short duration of being interested in girly things like lip gloss and backstreet boys), but alas, these disappeared once she decided to read psychology textbooks for amusement. She is now a PhD candidate, and all hope is lost for her not being a nerd.

You too can buy a microscope set for your nerdy kid here. Though why encourage it, really.

As illustrated in this case study, you can see that the nerdiness only grew worse with time. It is important to recognise nerdy behaviours early on and act accordingly.  

Possible outcomes of having a nerd as a child may include: them having a PhD, winning a Nobel Prize, making millions of dollars from patenting an awesome idea ... scary stuff.

Cool and/or nerdy apps

Since I recently bought an iPad, and also own an iPhone (no apple did not sponsor this post) I thought I would mention a few apps that I think are pretty cool - but keep in mind that I am a giant nerd (and have never proclaimed otherwise). As such you may not find them as interesting as I do if you aren't as similarly nerdy. 

Star walk even works in daytime!

Star walk - hold the iPad up to the sky and it will tell you what constellations you're looking at! This app is extremely well made, and very fun to use. It is very pretty - everyone I show makes this noise: "ooooooooh" - but this app also is very clever and makes me feel like a back up career in astronomy is possible yet!

Pocketshrink - this one is specifically for iPhone. The point is that you can use these apps to diagnose yourself with 3 different disorders: ADHD, Panic disorder, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). I generally think using the internet or an app to diagnose yourself is a bit dodgy - however I actually know some of the people involved in developing it, so have reason to think it's fairly legit (Hint: if you're using your iPhone to check if you have NPD, and also at the same time using it as a mirror, you probably do have it hehe).

Ted - "riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world". Ted talks involve a huge variety of speakers on a wide range of topics, and are well worth watching if you want to be challenged, entertained, or amazed (or all of those). I was excited to find out Ted also comes in app form, so you can take it wherever you go and watch when you have a spare few minutes.

Wikipanion - Although I constantly warn the students I teach to never cite Wikipedia as a reference, I do actually use it a lot to start my search on a topic. Wikipanion makes this very easy when trying to search from my iPad. It is very easy to navigate, and quite intuitive. Much better than trying to search the website from the iPad or my phone. See also Howstuffworks - This app includes over 40 000 articles, and 12 000 videos, as well as quizzes. Informative and also amusing.

Brain Pro - The anatomy of the brain is simply amazing, and this is a great app to explore this. You can view the brain from different angles, at different depths, and using different brain slices. You can make little pins pop up on all the different brain areas (just like when I was in neuroanatomy in uni) and each pin will give you information about what that brain area does. There are also quizzes (that aren't easy I'll tell you that much!), not to mention that it's just really pretty. Awesome.

[pic via]

Some of these apps I've mentioned are free, and a couple are on the slightly pricey side, but I do think they are worth getting. As you can probably tell, I did go a bit app crazy, and my credit card definitely noticed! At least the ones I've mentioned are somewhat educational!

What are some cool and/or nerdy apps you think are worth checking out?