Stock tip: ILMN
Tags:stockshttp://finance.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=ILMN
With no clear competitors (454 is the “old” standard in sequencing and is quickly being replaced, and ABI just sucks), and a $500,000 Genome Analyzer platform that’s selling dozens to huge labs across the country, Illumina is posed to explode. Having bought Solexa last yaer, their stock has doubled in the past year, and it’s going to keep going up for the next few years. Unlike most technology, the GA isn’t going to be replaced by the next great thing — from Illumina or someone else — since the GA is incredibly upgradeable and scalable. This probably won’t take us all the way to the $10K genome, but it’s going to be used so much in research worldwide that it’s worth buying and holding!!
Buy now
PS I have no competing interest here, and I’m sharing just because I don’t have a stock portfolio :(
blogging from nyc
Tags:graduate schoolsi’m in nyc stealing internet in my hotel room. about to go to be wined and dined at some snazzy restaurant as part of the recruitment weekend. i had my interviews at columbia university yesterday for the phd program in biomedical informatics. they went really well, and i met a lot of interesting people in the center for computational biology and bioinformatics whom i would love to work with. i met two cool guys (or arrogant slackers, depends on your take) who made the program seem really cool and chill. their philosophy is “if you have to work hard, you aren’t smart enough to be in the program.” the graduate student housing here is really nice and affordable, too. went to the moma today … huge but great :)
i have a ton more interviews this month, so i’m going to be all around the us. free trips to cool cities though :) boston, seattle, berkeley, durham (blech) here i come.
How to volunteer in Amsterdam
Tags:amsterdam study abroad volunteeringIk ben een vrijwilliger.
I recently started volunteering at the Guus Kieft School in Amstelveen. I’ll talk about my so far wonderful experience there another time, but I want to mention how incredibly easy it was to find what may be the best community service project of my life. While walking and shopping in the 9 streets of Amsterdam late one chilly afternoon at the beginning of January, I stopped into the vacancy bank, a central repository of all the volunteer opportunities in Amsterdam. While some may say the Dutch are over-bureaucratized, in this case it’s a good thing.
When I returned for my scheduled appointment a few days later, the employee I had briefly mentioned my background and interests to had compiled a list of seven opportunities of potential interest to me. He then patiently explained each one to me, translating the description on the Dutch website and leveraging the vacancy bank’s resources to give me more information about the organizations. After forty-five minutes, I was on the phone with the head teacher at the school, discussing what I would be doing there. The next day, I started volunteering. This is a far cry from volunteering back home at Virginia Commonwealth University, where one of the only resources is a trifold pamphlet with the names and possibly outdated telephone numbers of Richmond area volunteer organizations.
Haven’t considered volunteering? It’s a great way to get off the VU campus and spend some time in the community. And, yes, it looks great on your resumé. Too many people around the world are living in such interesting places, but never see or do any of the interesting things.
Contact information for the Vrijwilligerscentrale Amsterdam (VCA) taken from their Dutch-only website, http://vca.nu. Call or walk-in to schedule an appointment:
Main Vacancy Bank
Hartenstraat 16 1016 CB Amsterdam
020-530 12 22
amsterdam@vca.nu
Open:
Tuesday: 13.00 – 17.00
Wednesday through Friday: 9.00 - 17.00
Derek’s Guide to the Concertgebouw
Tags:amsterdam city life concerts culture musicI’m hesitant to share this information, because I know you’re all going to go there and make it harder for me to buy tickets for about an eighth of their real price. I’m about to tell you about one of the best secrets in all of Amsterdam, one that so few students take advantage of, but one that everyone under 27 should.
I love the Concertgebouw. An acoustically perfect concert hall with one of the world’s best symphony orchestras? Sign me up! Not only have I witnessed a litany of amazing concerts by the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest with a variety of guest conductors, but I’ve seen the London Symphony Orchestra, jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, and several other once-in-a-lifetime performers. I even went to a concert with some friends where an annual Johann Strauss music festival featured ballet in front of the orchestra, and we were served a free glass of sparkling wine during the intermission. All for €7,50. There is an incredible variety of music, and the Concertgebouw website (concertgebouw.nl) is fantastic.
Not only is the building beautiful and the music breathtaking, but sprint tickets (sprintplaats) can be had for €7,50 for those under 27 years of age. To get one, I just show up at the concert 45 minutes before it starts… and never has a concert I’ve wanted to attend been sold out. In fact, it’s supremely easy to check whether they’ll have tickets available: I just call the Concertgebouw 24-hour information line (listed on this page) at +31 (0)20-5730511 on the day of the concert, press the button for English, and listen.
There are also free lunchtime concerts every Wednesday at 12:30pm — although I always try to show up early to ensure myself a seat. There are also free lunchtime concerts sometimes at Het Muziektheater, but you’ll have to pick up a flier for the exact times. See also this iamsterdam page about lunchtime concerts.
Why does no one go to the Concertgebouw? I really have no idea, but I assume it’s a combination of not knowing it is only €7,50 for a night on the town and thinking that experiencing classical music isn’t worth the time. Au contraire, mes amis, au contraire.
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! De beste wensen voor 2008.
Tags:amsterdam study abroadAmsterdam is just one of those cities — a city where you are guaranteed fun when a million people flood the streets at 11:59PM on the 31st of December to welcome in the new year. Some places, there may not be enough people, or it might just seem like another night of people drinking outside, but Amsterdam has a special something to it on this special evening.
And Dutch people love fireworks. So much so that they had a terrible explosion in a fireworks factory in 2000 (see http://youtube.com/watch?v=S52p2AMISFk … it’s an exciting video in the middle). I’m not just talking about firecrackers, either. People everywhere in the city had some serious fireworks, the likes of I haven’t seen in the US except at sanctioned fireworks shows.
As I gazed upon the unforgettable view of fireworks exploding over a canal, at that moment, I was completely happy and serene. If I hadn’t, in a typical New Year’s moment, left my camera at the first party I went to, I’d have some great photos to show for it, too! I went to a club with some friends around two in the morning, and it wasn’t really worth the 30EUR cover. Although by a happy (intentional) fluke, I didn’t pay to get in. I’m against entry fees in general — why pay money just to hang out with your friends?
Biking home for the first time 2008, I felt astounded at the sheer volume of fireworks paper covering the streets. I had had just enough glasses of abundant cheap but delicious bubbly wine, and I felt amazing.
I felt blissful, joyful, and festive all at once. I highly recommend spending New Year’s in Amsterdam with friends — you’ll never forget it.
Tourist in my own town
Tags:amsterdam photosMy parents visited me from the US over this past week to celebrate Christmas and spend some quality time together. I was apprehensive before they arrived, as questions raced through my mind: What can we do to fill up a week? Will I be a competent tour guide? How do they even feel about soft drugs? Armed with my Lonely Planet Amsterdam tour book, I greeted them at Schiphol airport & whisked them away to cheerful Amsterdam.
Thankfully, my studies have worked out such that I don’t have a course during December, so we had six unadulterated days of sightseeing. I tried to avoid typically touristy activities, eschewing canal boats for walking tours of the city. We rented bicycles and cycled to Amstel Park so my dad could birdwatch. (By the way, Amstel Park, which I hadn’t yet visited, is a beautiful small park. They have a miniature golf course there, called Midget Golf, which I think would make for a gezellig summer afternoon.) We even made it down to my dormitory in Uilenstede — in Amstelveen — so I could prepare a home-cooked dinner.
We enjoyed the festive Christmas spirit that overtakes Amsterdam this time of year: the blissful charm of a bruin café on a cold winter’s night, the jubilant lighting from Dam Square to the Nine Streets, the lively bustle of merry souls throughout the city… The weather was cold and dry, sometimes even sunny, and we were high-spirited and lighthearted.
We picked up Museumkaarten (Museumcards) to get free admission to most of the museums in Amsterdam. While the I Amsterdam card is great for short trips to the city, I expected we’d be seeing enough museums to make the €40 Museumkaart (adult price) worthwhile. I’ll quickly recap the museums we visited, with how long we spent at each:
- Van Gogh Museum - what a wonderful museum! I had no problem spending several hours there, earnestly involved in van Gogh’s life and work, even though I had already been there before. Seeing the whole thing at one time is overwhelming, particularly as we did the temporary exhibit (Barcelona) and the permanent collection in the same visit. 4 hours
- Museum Het Rembrandthuis (Rembrandt House Museum) - I like this museum. I could sit for hours, absorbed, affected, and challenged by his masterful prints. There’s a fascinating hourly demonstration of a replica of a 17th-century printing press. Disappointingly, the museum only has one real Rembrandt painting; nearly all the others are by his pupils. 2 hours
- Joods Historisch Museum (Jewish Historical Museum) - While there were some nice works of art, particularly by Brodsky, the museum wasn’t worth the surcharge of €3 with the museumkaart. I am fond of the modern vibe of the museum café, though. I say skip it unless you’re connected to the Jewish religion. 1 hour
- Hermitage Amsterdam - a terrific small museum tucked over by Waterlooplein that many people miss or skip over. The Art Nouveau exhibit was positively lovely. 1,5 hours
- Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Amsterdam Historical Museum) - I had toured the museum during the ESN Introduction Days, and I enjoyed the hour-long tour that was well worth it, but my parents and I opted to see it on our own. I was impressed with the sheer volume of stuff they have, particularly from excavations at Waterlooplein & other areas, but the information was occasionally a little dry. 2 hours, but you could easily spend longer
- FOAM (Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam) - The exhibits were hit-or-miss, but there were plenty of enchanting photographs and a few real gems. Open late on Thursday and Friday nights, which I heartily welcome. 2 hours
- Anne Frank Huis - Walking through the Anne Frank House, I felt hurried by the enormous crowd, cramped by the tiny space, and depressed at the tragedy of the Holocaust. Worth the €7,50 admission? I wouldn’t say so; at least, I plan never to go back. I was left with the feeling that I would have enjoyed the museum much more if I had read her diary first. <1 hour
- Rijksmuseum, Philips Wing - I don’t know the difference between this wing of the museum and the rest of the Rijksmuseum, which is closed until 2009, but the real museum must be huge. This wing is open until 6pm, which was a nice touch while we were engrossed in works by the Dutch masters. 3 hours
- Stedelijk Museum CS - while it’s a little out of the way on foot, the Andy Warhol exhibit right now is great. It’s too bad that the real Stedelijk is closed until 2009, but the Post-CS location is a decent substitute, and close to some other museums possibly of interest. 1 hour
Sure, Amsterdam is a small city, but it has a ton to offer… more than enough to fill up a busy week. We had no problem finding stuff to do, I was an enthusiastic tour guide, and it turns out that my parents are unconcerned by drugs. I wish I could spend my entire life having the same fantastic time I spent with my parents this past week, viewing art, enjoying beautiful sights, and eating dinner at Hap-HMM and places at the Spui. I love this place.
Racism in Dutch culture: The case of Zwarte Piet (Sinter Klaas’s little helper)
Tags:amsterdam christmas culture shock dutch culture
Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) is Sinter Klaas’s (Santa Claus) helper, and he plays a large role in the feast of Sinter Klaas, which is held every year on December 5. Native Dutch people don blackface & throw out pepernoten to eager children. When I first learned of this costumed practice, it seemed to my American sensibilities to be the most racist thing ever — at least find some black people, rather than dress up in blackface! — but, in reality, I was suffering one of my first real cases of culture shock here in Amsterdam. I was mistaken, as some of my Dutch friends vehemently pointed out to me. This old Dutch tradition has completely lost any vestige of discrimination and is celebrated for what it is: an old tradition. See this great article on Zwarte Piet at Expatica.com for details of the annual controversy.
The best explanation for why Zwarte Piet is not racist, in my opinion, is that he’s the one who actually goes down the chimneys & so he gets really dirty.
How to teach your dog not to bark, the Dutch way
Tags:amsterdam petsThe following was a conversation on the tram between my mom and a forty-year-old woman with a small terrier:
MOM: “Aww, what a cute dog! The dogs here are so well-behaved! They walk around without leashes, and they never bark.”
WOMAN: “Well, with so many floors in the apartments, they can’t bark.”
MOM: “Of course, but our dog would be barking its head off. How do you teach them such good manners?”
WOMAN: “We say ‘Don’t bark.’”
MOM: “Really? That’s it?”
WOMAN: “Well, we say it in Dutch…”
So there you have it: Dutch dogs are intellectual enough to realize that barking is not part of a civilized, modern society. Therefore, they stop barking when asked politely. hahaha
The world’s my oyster
Tags:amsterdam london photos weekend excursionAmsterdam is definitely a gateway city: after only three months, I’m already addicted to traveling. One of the things I like most about studying here is its central location in Western Europe, and I made the best of it with a recent trip to London.
Ordinarily, I’m not a paranoid person, but I felt watched wherever I stepped foot in London. Visions of 1984 danced through my head during my first trip to the world’s foremost "surveillance society". I was slightly unnerved to see so many cameras, sometimes passing more than one per minute.
Despite the feeling of being inside the Big Brother house, London is a beautiful, big city brimming with life. Although well worth the visit, I barely scratched the surface during my 4-day stay. I particularly enjoyed and recommend the Tate Modern art museum and a trip to Greenwich. I snapped the following panorama from the Royal Observatory:
While I realize it’s terribly cliché to mention how expensive London is, I had no idea how much I would actually spend in four days. So much for a budget excursion! With the exchange rate at 2.10USD per GBP, a cheap London lunch (£5) would easily buy a nice dinner in the US. At least many of the museums are free and quite enjoyable.
Go forth to London with an open mind and a big wallet, but whatever you do don’t take a leak outside or pretend you’re Banksy — you might not make it back to mainland Europe!
October 31 is Halloween
Tags:amsterdam photosWe had a big party for Halloween at Café Uilenstede, which I wasn’t really expecting since it’s not a holiday here. As the rest of Amsterdam had a normal Wednesday, while we crazy international students celebrated Halloween in style! 60+ students all dressed up in costume and went to the crappy pub that’s about 500m from my dorm, in the middle of housing campus. I dressed up as "static cling" aka "static electricity" — all black with socks taped on me and my hair sprayed straight up. Bzzzzzz. It was sooo much fun! One comment: in the US, college girls dress up not just in costumes, but in sexy costumes on Halloween. Everyone here just wore non-scandalous costumes. Not quite doing it right, but it was amazing ;)
