Photo 51 - Our First Glimpse of DNA ...

Google celebrates the 50th anniversary of the discovery in 2003.

... was taken by Rosalind Franklin in 1953 using X-ray crystallography. Here's the photo:

Crystallographic photo of Sodium Thymonucleate, Type B. "Photo 51." May 1952.

She did not share in the Nobel Prize which was awarded to Drs. James D. Watson and and Francis Crick in 1962 for providing the first accurate characterization of the molecule as a double helix. At least she wasn't bitter--she had died in 1958 at the age of 37, of ovarian cancer.

I've learned about Dr. Franklin through reading Ray Kurzweil's latest book, How to Create A Mind, and I've learned that there is a book written about her called Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.

Welcome to the San Fran Soap Box!

Since this is my first post, I feel it is important to tell readers what I hope to accomplish with this newest blog of mine. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that I am a reasonable and compassionate human being. That being said, I am often confounded by the utter stupidity which seems to permeate our society on a daily basis. I am also frequently struck by the profound beauty of life, amazed at new technologies or human achievements, and totally happy to geek out over new gadgets or funny cat videos. I have a Facebook page, a Google+ page, a Twitter account, Instagram feed, hell, even a Match.com profile (it's like online shopping for sex!). Despite--or perhaps because of--all these avenues for online expression, I still hesitate to share many of the things I find interesting because I don't want to offend my friends or family, coworkers, or potential employers just for the sake of "liking" or "+1-ing" something that's not politically correct or safe for work. I wanted a place to post these things that's accessible, without barging into everyone's news feed. And this is that place.

I have been half-ass blogging at a number of domains for over ten years, so I've learned a few things about how to keep things interesting--look at this picture!

I'll do my best to keep it lively and diverse, but hey, this is my little corner of the interweb, so if you don't like it, tough shit. Oh, and I might cuss every now and then.

I'm also going to set out a few rules for the debate which (I hope) will be useful for many future discussions. I won't pretend to have a solution to trolling or a panacea for elevating the level of online commentary, but I will at least give it the ol' college try.

1. Assume the author is biased. Because he is. So is any  intellectual authority you will cite. 
2. Question the numbers/facts. Always!
3. Engage, whether you agree or disagree with my conclusion(s). It's too easy to call a person you disagree with a liar, a racist, etc. (even if they are!) and leave it at that. If a person is full of it, say so, and then share the truth. We are dying to know. 

Finally, I will moderate any posts according to a good faith standard. I believe it is important to respect many opposing viewpoints and will only remove posts I find to be created with the purpose of shutting down a discussion. Even mean-spirited comments will probably not be removed, as long as I can see some intent to add to the discussion, whether the addition is constructive or not. 

Thanks for visiting!