Tuesday, February 27, 2007

What I learned today

There is a difference in the ability to write on overhead transparencies created especially for writing on vs. those created to run through a photocopier. Writing on photocopy transparencies does not work too good. I often wondered why the write-on transparencies cost more money. Now I know. Conversely - running a write-on transparency through a photocopier has disastrous results, but that was a lesson I learned 5 years ago.

And a picture of my kitty. Her name is Lily and she has lived with us for about 7 years now. She is the best cat in the world (though I am biased).

5 comments:

Sparkling Squirrel said...

And a bit of a princess

Sparkling Squirrel said...

I've never had any problem writing with those designed for copy machine (those for printers are different still). Hmmm.
One of my students is reporting on plant of the week (barley, which is appropriate as we are talking about agriculture), so no invasive for national invasive awareness week.

Sparkling Squirrel said...

Oh, you'll appreciate this. I was preparing my lecture on plants and people and world food supply and such over the weekend. I found myself getting rather indignant that people think it somewhat "quaint" that I study plants (I don't think I'd have the same reaction if I studied some vertebrate or medicine). Suddenly I am just angry. If people are going to solve many of the problems they have gotten themselves into-- foodwise, ecosystem wise and medicine wise, it is the plant scientists and ecologists that are going to do it. "Yes, it's very cute I'm trying to figure out how the systems work so that you and your grandkids will have food, medicine, oxygen and avoid disasterous floods." Strangely this vehemence was not due to any particular comment, but perhaps by a general attitude of my (think they are) pre-med students in botany who act as if they are indulging me personally by being there.

fillyjonk said...

Well, I have something to add on the transparency issue:

years and years ago, when I worked (as a high school student) summers helping my dad with research, I was in his office one day (he was department chair) and one of the other faculty walked in. He tried to run off a transparency - no go. He tried again - nothing came out of the machine.

He proceeded to do that 7 times, until the machine stopped. Then he did that shifty-eye thing that you see on The Simpsons and walked out of the office.

A day later, when the copier repair guy had to come, the repair guy commented, "Wow...there are seven write-on transparencies melted to the drum. That took talent!"

I looked at my dad and said, "I know who did it but I don't know if it would be squealing for me to tell you." (I wound up telling - after all, the guy didn't open up the machine to see what was wrong after the FIRST transparency didn't come back out [he was using manual feed] and he looked really guilty when he booked out of the office...)

Jennifer said...

Yes sparkling squirrel, Lily is a bit of a princess. And way to go defending plants and those of us who study them. Stupid pre-meds.

Fillyjonk - your story made me laugh. At least when I made that same mistake, I realized it right awaw.