Meaning February 20, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Life's mysteries , add a commentwhy does it bother me so much that the work i do for a living isn’t saving the world? i mean, i should be happy with the money i’m making and find other ways to save the world. right?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: You can give all of the money you make to a worthy cause and live in a tent in the woods. Maybe that will make you happier (and maybe not).
Chairs in Perkins / Bostock February 20, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Duke Libraries , add a commentWhat happened to the comfy chairs on the 2nd floor of the Bostock/Perkins walkway? I can no longer take a nap/study. The black block tables are still present but no chairs. Why is this? My study spot was the walkway and without those chairs the space is even more limited. It is messing up the entire rotation that is known as my life. Please fix this.
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: There was a manufacturing problem with the springs or stuffing in the backs which was causing irregular wear. They were removed only temporarily for renewal and by the time you read this they should be back and your life will be back in harmony. Chairs will be refurbished in small groups, and after one group returns then it’ll be another group’s turn.
You do need to try to be a little flexible in your routine, however, and search out other study spots when something like this comes up. You’ll find change thrust upon you for your entire life, so flexibility will make you happier.
What’s the deal with… February 20, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Life's mysteries, Quotations , add a commentjokes that start with “What’s the deal with”?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: They’re the real deal.
Was it something I said? February 20, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : About AP , add a commentWhere did you go AP? Your loyal readers miss you!
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: AP is still around. Just got a little behind on the wit and wisdom front. I’ll catch up eventually.
Arrested Development February 20, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : Entertainment , add a commentHas there been a funnier TV Show in the last 10 years? Even Family Guy can’t compare. Do you agree?
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: Certainly very funny, as is Family Guy (although as you may have noticed AP likes variety and avoids superlative ratings such as the best, worst, favorite, least favorite, etc.). Just sad that it ended.
Rumors about Mormons February 13, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : 2007, Lobby Book, Religion , add a commentI have heard that at Mormon weddings the bride will rub oil on the groom’s genitals as part of the ceremony. This sounded odd to me and I tried to find info on it. Is this something that really happens? Thanks. [3344C]
AP isn’t Mormon, and LDS members not allowed to talk about what goes on in their Temples to non-Mormons. There is, apparently, some grain of truth to it. There is an anointing of consecrated oil on people’s bodies, but perhaps nowadays not on any private parts. The ritual washing and anointing seems to be done by Temple workers of the same sex. The ritual was apparently at one time more intimate than today, but I’m uneasy about trusting the potentially biased ex-Mormon websites too much.
Surly fast food workers February 13, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : 2007, Food, Lobby Book , comments closedWhy are the people that work at Subway so mean?! [3344B]
The instructions you have to give them each time are so long that I’d go crazy having to concentrate on that all day. You’re probably too picky with your order and need to simplify things. Next time, just get a 12” on white, meatball, just sauce, and see if that doesn’t make a difference.
Polish name February 13, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : 2007, Language, Lobby Book , comments closedWhat is the etymology of the Polish name, Chwialkowski? [3344A]
As you probably know, the ending -owski in Polish is a suffix to tack onto a noun like an occupation, town, or father’s name. Chwial or Chwialk may be a strange form of another word, or a variant spelling (maybe it got messed up when they dropped the diacriticals), but it’s certainly not a form of Polish sausage. I’ll leave it to you to consult a Polish language expert here at Duke.
Needs to study harder February 13, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : 2007, Lobby Book, Study , add a commentDoes getting a “C” mean that I can’t get into a good PhD program? Keeping in mind that I am a master’s student now. [3343C]
AP always thought that a “C” in graduate school indicated a non-passing grade. I’m sure that there are no hard and fast litmus tests for admission into most Ph.D. programs, but you’ll have to be pretty sharp in the other areas of your academic career. You might want to re-take the class in question and get an A+ next time.
Defensive ants February 13, 2007
Posted by Library Answer Person in : 2007, Lobby Book, Science , add a commentDear Answer Person, I apologize for my long absence, but I have been most busy and I have been trying to devise a worthy challenge for you. One day, I happened to disturb an ant colony; swarms of ants naturally stormed out of the colony; what was most curious was that their defensive/search movements seem to follow an organized but complex pattern. Does there exist any research on modeling ant defense movement? And if so, what’s the current/most researched model? I thank you so much for what you’ve done. Sincerely, AJL, Class of 2009. [3343A]
A simple literature search in a database such as Biological Abstracts indicates some research in this area. Just one example would be this article regarding one species of ant defending against another species, “Combat between large derived societies: A subterranean army ant established as a predator of mature leaf-cutting ant colonies” by Powell & Clark (Insectes Sociaux. 2004; 51(4): 342-351). The authors discuss strategies used by the defending ants, such as “Lancaster’s Linear Law of Combat.” Also: “Do Lanchester’s laws of combat describe competition in ants?” by McGlynn (Behavioral Ecology Vol. 11 No. 6: 686-690); and “Ant defence system: A mechanism organizing individual responses into efficient collective behavior” by Sakata & Katayama (Ecological Research. 2001; 16(3): 395-403). It’s unclear to AP whether ants will use these same strategies against humans.
