Daniel Dvorkin @medigoth@qoto.org

Hello, all. I’ve been around for a few days but haven’t yet made an #introduction post. So here we go.

I’m a #bioinformatics consultant with The Bioinformatics CRO working on a variety of small and large projects ranging from fundamental genomics to clinical decision support. Before that, for several years I was a postdoc and ORISE fellow specializing in high-altitude medicine and physiology at the University of Colorado Altitude Research Center. My academic background is a nearly even mix of #biostatistics, machine learning, and biology.

The ARC* has been sadly moribund for a few years, but thanks to collaborations with other groups, we’re starting to get more active again. Hopefully I will have more to say about that in the future. Meanwhile, feel free to ask me anything about #altitude medicine—I think I still remember most of it.

Years before that, I was an Air Force #medic (after a brief stint as an Army infantryman) followed by a couple of years as a civilian EMT. My time in patient care informs my approach to science: the numbers I crunch represent human lives.

Otherwise, I’m an armchair #paleontologist hoping to be able to call myself an amateur paleontologist again one of these days—by which I mean actually spending some time in the field and/or the prep lab—a too-occasional science fiction writer, and chronically sleep deprived. Also, my life is the internet: it’s cats all the way down.

*Fellow #Primeval fans may recognize the jacket in the picture. My wonderful fiancée found it for me when I was hired at the ARC, for exactly the reason you think.

#IYKYK

I’m sure more than one #SEAL has posed for the last picture, but hopefully not on a mission.

Hopefully.

https://www.quora.com/What-knife-do-Navy-SEALs-use/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

Tens of millions of #Americans are absolutely convinced that the multiple prosecutions of #Trump et al. are politically motivated, with no basis in actual crimes, and should be thrown out immediately on that basis. Many of them affect to believe that any #prosecution of a former #President should be off the table, because it’s “bad for #democracy” or “like something out of a third-world country” or some other content-free criticism. Most would of course cheerfully see #Biden thrown in prison for no provable #crime—but we know expecting consistency from them is a mug’s game.

Anyway. These people are enemies of the #United #States of #America. We owe their opinions no more consideration than we do the viewpoint of a #malaria-infected #mosquito.

It’s kind of cute to watch people around my age carefully parsing the differences between early, middle, and late #GenerationX while talking about #Boomers and #Millennials as undifferentiated masses. And by cute, I mean in the same way as, say, a baby slug.

Human biological #generations are around twenty-five years. Cultural generations are more like five years, ten at most. #Strauss & #Howe have a lot to answer for.

These people have no idea how badass they’re making #Biden look. This may be the best #DarkBrandon meme yet. Keep up the good work!

If I hadn’t already decided #Xitter was the best name for the former #birdsite, I’d be tempted to nominate #Troller. Really all it’s good for at this point.

#Philosophy students who fail to answer this question correctly are in danger of having their #livers devoured by #eagles.

Some answers etc.

https://www.quora.com/For-self-defense-against-looney-liberals-if-they-are-up-close-is-it-better-to-go-for-the-head-shot/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

It’s well worth blowing up the picture to read the #poster text.

This is horrifying but not surprising. We’ve always known “#plagiarism #detection” #software was crap, but schools keep using it anyway. “#AI detection” software is almost guaranteed to be even worse. I have no idea what to do about this, but I hope the student can get some kind of redress.

#Internet pet peeve #8,467: exchanges of #knowledge that turn into dick-waving contests.

Like most people, I know a lot about a few things, a fair amount about a fair number of things, and a little about a lot of things. When I encounter someone who knows more about a particular thing than I do, I try to #learn from them. When I encounter someone who knows less about a particular thing than I do, and who wants to learn from me, I’m happy to babble at them. You may have noticed.

When I encounter someone who knows a lot about one aspect of a thing we’re both interested in, and l know a lot about another aspect … at its best, that’s when magic happens. We each share our specialized knowledge, using it to fill gaps in the other’s knowledge, and both walk away knowing much more than when we started.

All too often, though, it turns into an attempt to show which one knows more overall. Never mind that you may know more than I do about one particular part of this thing: I know more than you do about the thing as a whole, so your job is to sit at my feet and learn #wisdom! Or maybe I really don’t, but I’m going to make sure I tell you I do, and mock you if you question my superior knowledge in any way.

For all its sins, the internet is the best medium ever invented for people all over the world to share what they know, and to learn what others know. I’ve lost most of my idealism about it, as has anyone with sense, but there are times when it still sparks that old wonder. When I think I’m in the middle of one of those pure meetings of minds it was always supposed to promise—well, it’s no fun to find out I’m wrong.

And yes, it’s mostly men doing this. Not completely, but 90% or more in my experience. Dude, just sit at home with your tape measure if that’s what makes you happy. There’s really no need to tell everyone else about it.

Wonderful!

“So what do we have here, Sergeant?”

“Looks like a eucalyptus deal gone bad, Detective.”

“All right. Round up the usual suspects.”

Probably the last time I’ll bother writing a sincere answer to this kind of question. None of this is deep secret knowledge. Some people may genuinely not understand it, but I think many more pretend ignorance to strike a pose of moral superiority. Maybe my answer will benefit someone. For the lurkers, right?

https://www.quora.com/With-food-prices-so-high-how-do-the-poor-get-so-fat/answer/Daniel-Dvorkin-3

This kind of thing is why I’m still on Quora. I write a lot of satirical answers, but I can only aspire to write one half this good someday.

https://www.quora.com/I-heard-Davy-Jones-from-the-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-was-a-real-person-but-in-the-movie-they-showed-him-to-have-a-squid-or-an-octopus-face-Does-that-have-any-historical-accuracy/answer/Alex-Cooper-81

Says it all, really. #evolution #creationism #transitional #fossil

Rules for telling other people what to #eat and/or how to eat it:

1. Has this person asked you for a recommendation? If so, go ahead. If not, go to step 2.

2. Is this person a small #child under your care? If so, go ahead. If not, go to step 3.

3. Are you a trained and licensed #dietician talking to your patient? If so, go ahead. If not, you should probably stop talking now.

One of these days, if I can ever afford it, I swear there are a bunch of people I’m going to invite to dinner at a fancy #steakhouse and order well-done for the entire table, just to watch their reactions.