Monthly Archives: November 2011

Yams and sweet potatoes are not potatoes

by Colin Purrington Posted on November 24, 2011

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving today, you’ll soon be having the annual argument about whether yams and sweet potatoes are different. They are. They really are. Sweet potatoes are dicots and closely related to morning glories (the vine with pretty flowers … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Education, Food, Science | Tagged difference, dinner, Dioscorea, Ipomoea batatas, phylogeny, Solanum tuberosum, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving, yams | 1 Comment

Overquoted signage

by Colin Purrington Posted on November 19, 2011

I’ve never understood why people use quotation marks instead of just bolding or italicizing important text. Do they learn this from their “parents”? Is it taught in some “school” districts? Or is it just plain “genetic”? In this instance, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Graphic design | Tagged grammar, quotation marks, signage | Leave a comment

Cell phones make you drunk

by Colin Purrington Posted on November 14, 2011

Not really, of course, but jabbering away on a mobile phone decreases your driving skill just as dramatically. And if you already suck at driving, then you’re probably a real menace, even if you use a fancy hands-free device that … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphic design | Tagged accidents, alcohol, cell phone, driving, intoxication, safety, signage, talking, texting | Leave a comment

Dim Sum photographs

by Colin Purrington Posted on November 14, 2011

Gratuitous dumpling photographs from a Sunday afternoon trip to Yang Yang Express (yelp page) in Upper Darby, PA. I highly recommend the place if you’re in the area. If you’re a party of 4, just tell them you want a … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Photography | Tagged chinese, dim sum, dumpling, food, gyoza, restaurant | Leave a comment

Nudging students into research

by Colin Purrington Posted on November 13, 2011

I just added another page to my collection of gratuitous and geeky tips: “Weaseling into a research lab“ If you have an undergrad in your life, send it to them if you think they need the nudge. If you’re an … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Science | Tagged college, credit, education, experiment, faculty, freshman, intern, internship, lab, laboratory, mentor, project, research, science, semester, student, summer, undergraduate, university | Leave a comment