Steve's Ramblings

In 1968 I received my PhD in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.  Dr. Allen J. Bard was my supervising professor.  He was recently presented the prestigious National Medal of Science by President Barack Obama.

An excerpt from the UT media release notes that, “Bard and his group were among the first to explore and develop a way to use electrochemistry to generate light, providing a very sensitive and selective method of analysis.  Today, this electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) technique is used widely for biological and medical analyses, such as detecting HIV and analyzing DNA.”

I am proud to have made a minor contribution in Dr. Bard’s early research efforts that provided some of the groundwork for this award.  My PhD dissertation was entitled, “Analytical Aspects of Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence”.

The entire article can be found here.

# posted by Steve @ 3:20 PM 2 comments

We want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.  We have a lot to be thankful for – at the top of the list are our families and our country.  (And, Sarah is thankful even though she doesn’t appear to be very happy – the sun was very bright).

# posted by Steve @ 7:21 PM 2 comments

The University of Texas at Austin and the Longhorn Nation mourn the loss of Coach Darrell K Royal, who died in Austin, November 7, at the age of 88. He had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Coach Royal was one of the most successful collegiate football coaches in the history of the game, and he led his teams to three national championships in 1963, 1969 and 1970. He was an All-American player at the University of Oklahoma, but is most identified as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns from 1957 to 1976, compiling a record of 167-45-5. He continued to serve as athletics director at the University until 1980, a position he held for 18 years. The football stadium was renamed Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in his honor in 1996.
 
Royal will be remembered as a football innovator, a strong influence upon generations of players and colleagues, a passionate devotee of country music and a witty commentator whose homespun expressions have become legendary:
 
“Football games are decided from the twenty-yard line on in. All that other running and panting out in the middle of the field is just entertaining spectators and wearing out grass.”
 
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said of Royal, “I am not a football fan, but I am a fan of people and I am a Darrell Royal fan because he is the rarest of people.”

Read obituaries in the New York Times, the Austin American-Statesman, the Dallas Morning News and ESPN.com.

# posted by Steve @ 1:48 PM 2 comments

When will the oil companies or gasoline retailers move into the 21st century?  Why is this $0.009 price still shown on the signs and pumps of these retailers?  How much money could be saved by eliminating that digit from the pumps and signs around the country?  It has annoyed me for several years; but, now, borders on the ridiculous!

The majority of the people I know don't care whether the price is $3.24/3.23/3.22...you pick it.  It seems to be more a matter of convenience (hasn't it always been?), i.e., how easily can I get to the pump from the street?  The frequent price fluctuations make that tenth of a cent totally irrelevant and downright silly.  If I fill up my 20-gallon gas tank and I pay $3.24 per gallon vs $3.23 9/10, I save two cents!  Wow...  Hey, retailers, if you eliminated that nine-tenths of a cent you could make more profit...one-tenth of a cent on EVERY gallon.  Am I the only person that sees this as a way for oil companies to make more money?  

Perhaps when gasoline was $0.19 per gallon that $0.009 meant something (when was that 1960 - that's fifty years ago!)  What if I wanted to buy EXACTLY one gallon of gasoline and then pay for it...could any retailer give me one-tenth of a cent in change????  Is there anything marketed and priced in this fashion?  (By the way, can a person even buy ANYTHING for a penny anymore?  That may be a topic for a later "Rambling")

# posted by Steve @ 2:17 PM 0 comments

In recent years I have enjoyed the hobby of geocaching and have posted an occasional blog entry (see December 2011 archive) regarding it.  I am still behind Jeff by a considerable amount; he is closing in on 1,300.

I am spying #400 in the middle of a group of trees not too far from home.

# posted by Steve @ 8:52 PM 1 comments

2011 marked one of the driest years on record in Texas and particularly the Gulf Coast area.  Recent thunderstorms may have relieved some of the drought conditions that have existed here for many months.

At least, Sarah thinks the drought is over as she frolics in the aftermath of a couple of inches of rain this morning.  Yes, her boots took in water; but, she didn’t seem to care.

Sarah playing in the water

# posted by Steve @ 10:29 PM 0 comments

Once again, REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) has been named one of Fortune magazine 100 Best Companies to Work For.  REI moved from 9th in 2011 to 8th in 2012.  They are one of just a handful of companies to have appeared on the list every year since the magazine began compiling it in 1998.

"Every day, our employees come to work and share their unwavering love of the outdoors and help others experience the wonders of nature," said Sally Jewell, REI president and CEO. "And that is what makes REI a great place to work and what has earned us this prestigious honor, year after year."

I have spent the past sixteen years working at REI in Houston and can only echo Sally’s comment.  There are so many things that come to mind to remind me of what a great place it is to work: great co-workers and fantastic customers (most of the time), all of whom share a common interest; a corporate philosophy that balances life and work; respect by, and for, management; wonderful benefits (vacation, health insurance, profit sharing, etc.) even for “part-time” employees; plus gear deals that can’t be beat.

One of the recent highlights of my REI career occurred last Spring.  Included in the “benefits” is a four-week paid sabbatical (in addition to vacation) after fifteen years of employment.  A couple of photos from the celebration are shown below…and I spent most of the time in the mountains of Colorado.

And, there is another sabbatical coming if I can “hang around” for another four years.  Why not, it is a fantastic place to “hang out”!

# posted by Steve @ 7:49 PM 0 comments