at work and at play

just a couple of short videos from a typical morning's activities. after a very typical breakfast of cereal (still obsessed with Yogurt Burst Cheerios) and some bananas, playtime resumed. the first clip is one i'm happy i was able to get after hearing her scribbling away on her easel. i think she realized drawing with one hand at a time is a little easier than using both simultaneously.




this second video is just a short clip of Arwyn having with with (mostly popping) bubbles. she has been asking about them during breakfast since the bottle is easily within her sight while she's at the table.



it's worth pointing out that Arwyn is completely obsessed with The Wonder Pets. it's a pretty cute show, i've got to agree.

one reason that it's good...

one reason that it's good...
Originally uploaded by topoisomerase

to be back in CT? lots of good concerts - like moe. tonight. awesome.

daddy finally got his Science paper

yep, now i can die, right? ok, just kidding. in the field of scientific research, whether academic or industrial (though certainly more so in the former), our work - and by extension, we - are recognized/judged by publications in peer-reviewed journals. one such (prominent) journal is the weekly Science. one of the projects on which i have worked the longest during my year at 454 Life Sciences was published last week in this journal - electronically for now, but it will be in the print edition next month. needless to say it is always rewarding to see one's work in "print", especially when it is the culmination of many months of hard work. i (along with Lorri) have been on some nice papers in the past (but not tons due to my mostly industry-based career), but it's great to be one of the primary authors on a publication of this quality and potential impact.

this project, which was done in collaboration with a number of researchers at Yale University, concerned a new approach for looking at the differences in our genomes - the collection of DNA that comprises our chromosomes, found in (nearly) all of our cells. you have likely heard that you and i are >99% similar at the DNA level, so that makes that 1% difference pretty interesting, right? for some more background on this topic and the study, i'd recommend Scientific American's take on this, a 454 press release, or perhaps this ScienceDaily article.

as far as the paper itself, i'll summarize: at 454 we developed a new technology which we applied to look in detail at the human genome, specifically with respect to uncovering structural variation. we used this approach to study the genomes of two women - one European, one African, and looked at the differences between them and also as compared to the latest human genome reference sequence (remember the Human Genome Project?). this involved an enormous amount of computation and data analysis, which was carried out by our collaborators at Yale. in total we identified more than 1000 structural variants, many of which could potentially affect genes based upon their location - and therefore disease susceptibility, drug reponse, etc. what does this all mean? it's impossible to say right now. however, what we have done is created a powerful new tool/approach, and a very large set of data on which we and other scientists can follow up. like any good study this is only the beginning...

PS - see, Jarod? i'm trying hard to write about topics other than Arwyn :) stay tuned for a post on Lorri's latest project: the chicken/duck coop!

she's definitely a thrill seeker

i've been saying it for a long time, but there's no question after whom Arwyn takes with respect to her thrill seeking & lack of fear (yes, that would be Mom). we went on a really nice trip to Hershey Park with Lorri's parents (GiGi and Poppy) as well as Auntie Lisa, Mark, and cousin Nora (with whom Arwyn is obsessed, often asking for her when she's not around). we spent two days visiting the park and all the attractions, and needless to see, the children (both young, and, um mature?) all enjoyed themselves. unfortunately my group picture didn't come out very good so to avoid violence against me by family members, i won't post it here :)

and yes, we confirmed that Arwyn loves rides, but that both waiting in line for rides, and later having to get off the rides, is a problem for the wee one...





















see, this is what i mean. look at this ride! i really didn't think she'd be interested in this but she really enjoyed it. in case you're wondering, the pacifier was deployed a few minutes earlier due to a meltdown about another ride, if memory serves me well.



what was really nice about the second day in Hershey is that we got to meet up with Eric, Sandy, Hailey and Kennedy, who live in Pennsylvania. i was really happy that they made the drive over to meet us at the Hershey ZooAmerica. while i wish we had more time together it was great to see them. you can keep trying your little tricks, Kennedy, but i'm used to Arwyn's attempts to win me over with sad eyes or a big smile, so you won't win either :)

since approximately 2 or 3 of you care

yes, i finally beat Guitar Hero 2 on Expert. phew. yes, guildies, that leaves more time for World of Warcraft. then again, Halo 3 did just come out. yikes.

obsessed with boots - briefly, at least

for a few weeks Arwyn was completely obsessed with her boots. she would walk up to you, holding her yellow galoshes repeating "boots, boots". yeah, it was super cute. i tried my best to get video of her doing this but never pulled it off. in the picture to the left you can plainly see she wanted one boot and one sandal on. yes, walking was challenging, but i didn't have the heart to film her in that state. instead, you'll see below a clip from earlier when she was still clomping around with both boots on.




like all good obsessions, i think she's moved on. i haven't seen the boots make an appearance lately...

tales of racing pigs and plastic geese...

we had a nice visit from Dad and Patty at the end of august. one of the things we did was to visit The Chester Fair. as we'd never been before, we weren't sure what to expect. as it turns out, it's a nice, fairly typical small to medium sized fair. all the usual fair staples were represented: the food, the rides, and everyone's favorite, Robinson's Racing Pigs. :) to no one's surprise, Arwyn loved the rides. she did not, however, like to get off the rides. yes, much crying ensued, but she recovered quickly. like any good fair there were plenty of animals to visit.

in one of the more amusing events of the weekend, Arwyn acquired a plastic goose from an estate sale in town. thanks to Grandpa for finding this gem and for buying it - a dollar well spent! a month later the goose is generally seen hanging out in our living room, often adorned with a hat. don't worry, animal activists, he gets outdoors time as well. we're cage free here, ok?


no day would be complete without a day at the park, of course. Arwyn's just as big as fan as ever of swings and slides. it can be a little challenging to get her to leave the park, especially if other kids are around - or if the town fife and drum corps is practicing. that said, a walk to the park and the ensuing flurry of playtime can be just the thing to wind down an energetic child, right? :)