Funny of the Day: Subprime Primer

Someone once said that every bit of humor has some truth in it. Here is a humorous (well, as funny as this situation can be) and truthful take on the subprime mess. IMHO, the only thing that would make it more truthful would be if there were a slide 46 that shows the American consumer bending over with a jar of Vaseline while the Fed runs around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Caution: Contains some obscenities and may be NSFW. Also, it is a large file so it may take a while to load if you are on a slow connection. This link takes you to Google Documents.

http://tinyurl.com/2kvosz

An Open Letter to the Producers of AMC's "Breaking Bad"

Dear Producers of "Breaking Bad":

I have really enjoyed your new series that follows a high school chemistry teacher, who having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, decides to set up a meth lab to provide for his family after his death. It contains some dark and twisted humor that is right up Mad Chemist Chick's alley.

However, there are some glaring inconsistencies and errors in the chemistry that is presented. I realize that some of it is artistic license, and some of it is that you can not show step-by-step the process for making crystal meth on TV, otherwise every teenager between here and the Canadian border would attempt to cook some up in their bathtub.

But please, for the love of all that is holy, fix the structures of the molecules that appear behind the title of the show in the opening graphics.

Several of the structures contain carbons with 5 bonds. Carbon can only make 4 bonds. Also, some of the charges shown on the structures are suspect. Every time I see them, I get an eye twitch accompanied by an overwhelming urge to grab a red pen and draw corrections all over my TV screen.

If you would like to hire someone to catch such errors before you air the episodes, I gladly offer my services for a nominal fee.

The Mad Chemist

P.S. Last night, I was really disappointed with the main character caving to his wife's demand that he undergo chemo. Especially after he gave that big speech about how he had never made his own decisions and this time would be different.

Viral YouTube Video of the Day: American Pie

I don't know about you but when Don McLean's American Pie comes on the radio, I turn up the volume, start dancing around my lab, and sing along at the top of my lungs.

Most of us have probably heard that the song is about Buddy Holly's premature death in a plane crash.

But have you ever wondered about the other fascinating imagery contained in the song (ahhh, the things I think about when I should be concentrating on the reaction in front of me)?

The link below is to an interesting YouTube video uploaded by LoneStarSound that might enlighten you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycgegp0KdE4

Welcome!

Welcome to the laboratory of the Mad Chemist Chick. I have a few minutes while waiting for a reaction to go to completion. Why don’t you put on these safety glasses, pull up a lab stool and sit for a while?

So before y’all start with “Oh, I really hated chemistry in high school” or “Chemistry is sooooo boring”, let me just say that this is not intended to be a blog on everything-you-did-NOT-want-to-know-about-chemistry-and-were-
afraid-to-ask-for-fear-of-an-hour-long-lecture-on-it. I will post about everything from politics to what color polish I want to use during my next pedicure. But science and chemistry---in particular organic chemistry (Gasp! Not organic!) will appear in some posts---y’all have been warned.

You are probably wondering “Who is this Mad Chemist Chick?” Well, even as a kid, I always enjoyed science. One year my older sister (hereafter called DS) received this combo biology/chemistry set for Christmas. DS, having always been interested in Nature, took the microscope and slides and went off to hunt some poor bug to put under its lens (Side note: she is in grad school now working on her Ph.D. in biology). In the meantime, I had started poking around with the chemicals in the set and promptly burned a hole in the carpet. I have been hooked ever since. (BTW, they have long since removed all the good stuff from chemistry sets for fear of a lawsuit. Very sad.)

Fast forward a few years. After majoring in chemistry in college (with a biology minor), I went on to obtain a doctorate in organic chemistry and participate in a couple of postdoctoral fellowships. While in academia, I had the opportunity to both perform research and teach college level courses which I enjoyed but my dream had always been to work in drug development. To that end, I recently left academia to accept a job as a research chemist at a pharmaceutical company---and I love it. You will have to stick around to hear the rest. ;-)

As you enter the laboratory of the Mad Chemist Chick, there are a few things you should know. First, always wear protection. Things get a little messy around here—explosions can happen. Second, feel free to contribute to the discussion—I always enjoy meeting new people and learning new things. Third, you will have to be patient with me. This is my first blog and I am still trying to figure things out and find my style.

Hope you enjoy your stay!