One of the things that makes Charles Darwin admirable as a scientist was his ability to do detailed grunt work as well construct groundbreaking big picture theories. He also belonged to the last generation of gentleman naturalists, i.e. non-academic private individuals of some means doing scientific work in their Victorian homes.
As a prime example of detailed grunt work, Darwin spent fully eight years engaged with a study of barnacles, eventually producing four large volumes on the subject. I get bored just thinking about it.
The barnacle business was such an accepted part of the growing Darwin household that his children came to believe that every adult male did the same in his spare time. There is a great anecdote that his son Francis once asked his friend, "Where does your father do his barnacles?
A WAY OUT? Here's an op-ed by a friend of mine on the economic mess and how to get out of it.
COUNTRY LIVING. This item about country living in the New Yorker seemed familiar to me.
SOFT STYLE. Score another therapeutic point for tai chi.
ZOMBIE ANTS, ANYONE? This is just plain weird.
GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED
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