Life: Wristwatches in Kickstarter 2021

 Somehow 2021 was a year of wristwatches for me. I found watches interesting to me in Kickstarter, and backed 8 projects.

Kickstarter is not a retailer that sells things already made and ready to sell. It is a crowdfunding site for creators who have a project idea and means to create it, but need backers' money to realize the creation. By backing the project, backers pledge stated money, Kickstarter collects the money and transfers it to the creator, and the creator creates the project's promised outcome in stated timeline. 

In case of wristwatch, a watchmaker present prototype wristwatch in the campaign, and ask for money to produce them in a larger scale. If you like the watch and accept some risk (scam, long waiting, delay, unproven quality control and customer service, etc), you pledge your money. Backers can get the product at a discounted price compared with future suggested retail price. You won't see a well-established brand, but may see something you like from a microbrand.

Here is the results so far.

Project       delivered?     on time?                   progress

#1               yes               yes on time

#2               yes              3 months delay

#3               yes              1 month early (!!)

#4               no                2 months delay     ongoing, shipment began

#5               yes              yes on time

#6               no                Dec delivery delay announced     ongoing

#7               no                no  Oct delivery delayed, project encountering money transfer issue

#8               no                yes/ongoing           Promised delivery April 2022

So far I got 4 among 8. One (#8) seems to be ongoing on time. For 3 delayed projects (#4,6,7), I am not worrying about any of these. One (#4) is delayed, but I anticipate delivery in a few weeks. Delays are due to covid closures and resulting logistics and supply chain issues. It is 2021 and understandable.

For the project #7 that encountered bank money transfer issue (they seem to have triggered bank's fraud investigation), I am just reading their occasional updates. The creators had previous successful and completed projects. They kept sending honest updates and do not seem to be scammers. (if they were, the best way for scammers would be to just disappear.)

The project campaign was a successful one, gathering 922 backers and over 360k USD fund. But the success seems to be acting as double-edged sword now. With the sign of trouble and delay, about 10-20 backers among 922 got worked up and are vocal about calling the project a scam, although rocking the boat does not help anyone. It is just adding stress to creators. I feel sorry for the creators.

When a company go bankrupt, stakeholder's loss can be big. In such a case, people do get worked up. But this watch is like $400 for a backer. As this is unlikely to be a scam, I have no need to go crazy or lose sleep over it. I'd just trust and give more time for the creators and Kickstarter to sort things out. I still want the geeky-cool watch and am hoping they complete the project.

This watch fever was like once in a decade event. I doubt I'd spend more on watches for a while. I already have many enough watches for all occasions (art, sport/tool, casual/pop, business, solemn/formal, and party jewelry). I'll find something else for 2022.

[Kickstarter watches 2021]

Dance: Feeling-good dance vs Looking-good dance. It takes techniques to "show" your dance across the distance

 There are partner-dance styles that emphasize connection, sensuality, intimacy, subtlety, etc. They are "hug-and-move" styles, including Argentine Tango (close-embrace social styles), Kizomba, and "sensual" bachata.

Yes, they feel good. Dancing with physically close partner can be very sensual experience. They can make most out of crowded dance floor. They command whole set of unique techniques to dance small and nice.

But, as a "show" dance, they fall behind of many other dances. Why?

Because, spectators cannot "see" it from a distance, from 20 feet, 50 feet, or in a large stage, the distance can be 150 feet away. The dancers are tiny figures of size of inches.

It takes different techniques to "show" your dance across the distance.

Let's take salsa dancers, showing solo drill. They try to show "cool" moves, as well as the quality of the motions and nice shapes of their bodies.

In the case, their motion range is limited within what a single body can do. Solo salsa is a "wiggly" dance, and the visually appealing distance is limited within a range that we can see the motion and shape. Many solo salsa dancers use agility and speed to add appeal, but within a limit of what the dancer can do.

Ballet people have hundreds of years of history of "showing" the motion and body across the distance. One solution they reached is the notion of "line". As a habit of human brains, lines are highly recognizable to us. There are "lines" human body can make. Ballet dancers extend body lines to clearly show them. Excess fat and meat obscure the lines, and that is why ballet dancers are skinny. They also use their bodies to "draw" illusionary lines in the air. 

Signaling/gesturing moves (wave, salute, shoulder shrug, etc) are actually highly visible and understood, too.

In a partner dance, two people are dancing together. Two people greatly expand options to appeal visually.

For example,

  Two bodies physically occupy more space. The bigger, the easier to see.

  They can draw lines in the air, using partner's body as an extension of your body, and the lines can be much longer than ones solo dancer can draw. 

  Partner dance allows gravity-defying illusions with weight supporting moves like lifts and drops. 

  Partner dance adds viewing angles and complexity.

  Appealing postures can be shown with partner's support. Think Arabesque. It is pain to do it by oneself, but balance-supporting partner can make it a lot easier to do it. 

  With compression-propelling motions (as in swing dance), partner can move faster than he/she can by oneself.

  Likewise, many moves that are impossible or very difficult by oneself can be done with partner.

[Arabesque posture in ballet (pic from wikipedia)]

Appeal of partner dancers increases when they both are conscious about how they look as a couple. Also, uneven couples can be spotted in not a good way. Ballroom people use "frame and picture" analogy. It is applicable to pretty much all partner dances. My old instructor used to say that he would take any partner and win competitions. I thought it was bull, and think it is bull even today. There is no immediate cure for uneven dancers. ...I digress.

Working with many dancers/multiple couples is dealing with group and formation. Making group dance looking good is choreographer's job. It is beyond a single or couple dancers' work, and definitely third person is needed to design the group dance effectively.

These points are not relevant if you are a social dancer with no regard to how you and your dance look. But for many other dancers who care about how their dance look and how they convey positive impression to spectators ( in other words, if you are taking a step toward an entertainer-dancer), yes these points are something to think about and to take seriously.  

Just leaving a note on something that came up in a party this past weekend. 

Science/life: Formulation of art makes art available to people

 Last week, I was taking a two-day grant writing seminar provided by our cancer center. Grant writing is one of few ways scientists make money for their work. It is a critical skill to write fundable grants.

They provided 7 hour talk sessions, slides handouts, and 239-page guidebook. The contents are essentially detailed instructions for the NIH grant writing. They are far more detailed than original instructions for the grants and explain purposes of each part. The contents are distilled from collective wisdom for writing successful grants. It is an art form, I thought.

Afterwards, I have been taking my time to apply the contents and instructions to my own grant writing. With good instructions, in many cases, "just do it" yields the best results. It has been a lot of fun. It may take more than a few attempts to implement the contents successfully. But the seminar was that good and worth adopting.

When we learn something practical, the subject usually is an art; a collection of "doing something in a manner (or manners) for a particular purpose". And good instructions clearly illustrate "how and what to do" in the art. The instructions themselves are an art form. We may need to supply "why" by ourselves, though.

When I read "Mastering Jujitsu" by Renzo Gracie and John Danaher (2003), I was very impressed by how well they break down the "game" of one-on-one, unarmed combat/contest in a closed area. They see the game by the ranges/distance, by the advantageous/disadvantageous relative positions, and by the phases/process (initial engagement to endgame). They provided new ways to appreciate UFC-style mixed martial arts contests.

Compared with that systematic approach, "practice these moves, get tough, get faster, get more power or moves, be good and may the better one win" approach of some poor old-school martial arts looked almost idiotic. 

Such is the power of methodical thinking.

PS 

The car fluid leak I mentioned in previous entry (11/13) turned out to be differential fluid leak. I anticipate another $600 for the repair. Maybe some cut in shopping, but money can make a lot of troubles go away. Got to use it well for the purpose.

Life: Fixing car makes me think life is a process

 My car started making rattling noise from front passenger side when turning. I took the car to a shop. The very first appointment made through online was cancelled, due to their mechanic taking off the day. On the second visit, They replaced front axle CV joints. An $800 repair.

Next day, the car was making the same noise. I made an appointment and took the car to the shop. They said somehow the CV joint was not in place, and after an hour told me it was fixed. Yes, no noise. As the parts and labor was under warranty, no out of pocket expense this time, but a few hours of our time.

I kept an eye on the car, and noticed fluid leak under the hood the next day. That leak was not there previously. I put a white poly trash bag beneath the car to check the type of fluid. Brown fluid with funky smell from front center-right, likely transmission fluid.

I suspect the transmission fluid seal at the end of CV joint was damaged during the installation. If so, seal replacement may be needed.

This guess may be right or not. Anyhow I do not want to leave it when transmission fluid leak is suspected. I made another appointment today. 

 Multiverse or metaverse are buzzwords for a while. In an ideal universe, everything goes without a hitch, and even if something happens, it can be fixed immediately.

Obviously, unlike in a made-up ideal world, it does not work that way here. Many things in this universe can just drag on. We gotta be patient and be thankful when an issue, or a car, is fixed.

A thought on pre-thanksgiving November.

Life: Covid booster mix and match Pfizer, day 2

 My worksite is a hospital complex. Sick people gather in hospital, which makes my workplace a high risk place for covid. 

That is why they set up covid vaccine and booster clinic as early as on October, right after booster is approved, along with annual flu shot clinic. On 10/21, CDC expanded booster eligibility, and the expansion covered me. Now I can get booster.

Today, my worksite's president was announcing covid vaccine mandate for all employees. (To clarify, booster is not included in the mandate). I have no objections for the mandate.

On early Feb, I got Moderna vaccines, completing the series. It has been almost 9 months. It may be prudent to get the booster now. So I scheduled covid booster on this past Wednesday (2 days ago).

I am curious if mix and match (using vaccines from different makers) work better than sticking to single source. On paper, they said mix and match gave a good deal of boost in neutralizing antibody amounts. In theory, I anticipate some differences in mRNA sequences between Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines. Mixing them may add some variety to the practice targets (mock covid/spike protein) for my immune system to work up, and it may be better in terms of preparedness for real covid infection.

I can't go beyond speculation unless there are 100 of me and I can set up cohorts of me with proper controls and collect datasets and compare. I'll skip idle reasonings here.

I got Pfizer booster on Wed. I was somewhat concerned that I might have rough side reactions like the 2nd dose, which knocked me out for 48 hours. Just in case, I bought milk and chicken soup cans beforehand.

But overall, my reaction to the booster shot was much milder. By the night, the injection site was aching, but I felt ok. I slept through the night, no problem. 

The next day (Thursday) I woke up with sore muscles (like I had a good exercise), sore throat, and some dullness. But it was not like real sick feeling. Lack of headache, fever, or exhaustion really helped. I went to work. 

Today (Friday) the sore was subsiding. Generally I felt better than yesterday. Probably my reactions to the Pfizer booster shot would be gone by tomorrow.

Now is end of October 2021 (10/29/2021). Personally, I don't feel like preaching importance of booster shot any more, and feel like I'd rather leave the preaching job to some others who are still willing or are in the position to do it as a public official. There are people who already know the importance and will get or have gotten booster. And there are people who listen to entirely different news and information source that I call Tabloid "journalism". These people may or may not be keen with booster, or even the first dose(s) of vaccination. 

Outbreak of delta variant in Aug-Sept 2021 clearly indicated the difference between these two people. One lived their lives and managed. The other also lived their lives, quite a few of them got severe covid and occupied ER and ICU almost selectively. They were the ones who clogged up medical system. They tried horse med (Ivermectin) instead of vaccine, like they did not learn a thing from the malaria med (hydroxychloroquine) saga. Isn't ignorance a sin.

I completed covid vaccines with Moderna, and got a Pfizer booster. I am using latest modern medicine that 2021 can offer, and I am very happy about it. 

2020 and 2021 are different, in terms of our arsenal against covid. Halloween is another opportunity to remember death. Today may be a good time to remember all the death from covid, and do something about it (...hmm am I preaching?).

For the laughs, I have not been able to receive or sense 5G broadband yet.

Life: October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

An easy thing to do is to wear something pink to help the awareness movement. It serves the purpose if someone gets mammogram, quits smoking, revises diet, changes lifestyle, or however creates environment that goes toward stopping cancer (that does not have to be limited to breast cancer, but whatever) or makes patients' and their family's lives easier.

[even something subtle like watch strap or wrist band should be fine]

For people who like something more tangible, there are some fundraising events like "Real Men Wear Pink" by American Cancer Society (which is legit, in case you are cautious), and you can contribute to it.

Besides, (unfortunately), it may not be difficult to find your link with breast cancer. 

Based on NCI's estimates, about 44,130 people (43600 female, 530 male) in the US are predicted to die of breast cancer in 2021. They are not a small number. Although lung cancer is the biggest killer with 131,880 deaths, which is followed by colorectal cancer with 52,980 deaths and pancreatic cancer with 48,220 death, breast cancer makes the 4th in cancer deaths.

In terms of new cases, breast cancer is the biggest among all cancers (281,550 female 2,650 male).

For me personally, I had two friends who died of breast cancer in her 30's and 40's. Their lives were cut short.

My sister got one several years back. I don't really see any cancer in my family, so it was one of freak sporadic case. She went through surgery and chemo and is alive fine now. I am thankful for her survival. 

My postdoctoral research was funded by DOD breast cancer research program. It helped my career and I am also thankful for that.

You may or may not be a person who pays attention only when it hits close to home. Yet, it would be important to be reminded of this cause. 

"October is Breast Cancer Awareness month."

Life: Two "cancer report" mangas from Japan (Why there is no such useful/educational essay mangas in the US?)

 I picked up two "cancer report" mangas in Japanese Amazon.

[By Hirunama (left) and by Ruri Fujikawa (right)]

Many mangas are "graphic novels" that tell long fictions, like Naruto, Dragon Ball, Demon slayer (Japanese), or Marvel comics (US). But there is a category in manga called "essay manga". The two mangas I picked up are by two mangakas each of whom got cancer in her 30's (one stage 4 colon, one stage 1b ovarian), went through surgery and chemo, and is alive to tell her own cancer story in essay manga format. 

I found them quite informative in terms of what happens in cancer treatment from the standpoint of a patient. Also, they can be quite real and emotional.

In an episode, the mangaka befriended with a roommate (Mrs. A) in her hospital. Later, Mrs. A let her know that she would stop treatment, implying that her cancer is beyond treatment. Two months later, Mrs. A's husband let the mangaka know about Mrs. A's passing. 

The mangaka brought some sweets to Mrs. A's altar. Mrs. A's diet was restricted due to GI tract obstruction. They talked about the sweets to have, once their cancer treatments are done.

Sometimes, it is something "real" like this that hits you. We don't always need an outrageous Hollywood epic story to feel it.

In the US, this kind of manga seems non-existent, while I found at least several of this kind of manga in Japanese Amazon.  

Maybe because manga is not as common in the US as in Japan. Maybe the number of mangaka is much less in the US than in Japan. Maybe just "essay manga" format is less known.

Cancer patients are there both in the US and in Japan. But not everyone can report their experience in the manga format. Of course, there are publications on survivors' recounts and advices for cancer patients in the US. As a person, US patients may be using blog or other ways (or not to talk about "the c-word" at all).

As a format, manga has to be visual. The format is naturally presented objectively, if not theatrically. Professional mangakas are trained to tell stories in the format.

While, writing on survivors' recounts tend to be narratives or train of thoughts, with less consideration for how they look. Not everyone is trained to talk about their experience in an objective manner, anyway.

Real stories told by professional narrators with communication in mind (mangakas). No wonder these essay mangas are so effective. 

Someone in publication business in the US should consider publishing this kind of essay mangas for medical education or liaison to public.

I picked them up thinking that they may help my professional learning on how cancer treatments are done in clinic and how they are perceived by patients in real world. 

I got to admit, my reading motivation is not always from pure curiosity. But I've learned a lot. 

They were actually entertaining in an unorthodox way, too. I enjoyed reading them both.

Dance: reloading dance

 We all had the covid break. Dance events were gone since March 2020 until mid 2021. 

Good thing about dancing is that once you reach a certain level, the dance stays as your muscle memory. Somewhat like riding a bicycle or swimming.

If it was a body builders' gym work of sorts, you may lose it quickly as fast as you lose muscles. But dancing can be maintained easily by watching videos and imaging the dance. Much of dancing is how you use your body, a neuro-muscular control at a subconscious level. It does not simply rely on muscle strength, but on the art you've got.

Yet, we can "forget" how to dance. I use dance videos to reload dancing. For example, before going to West Coast Swing (WCS) party, I watch WCS videos like this.

[Madjam 2013 Open Strictly Swing finals] (not my video or music)

This is a little old (from 2013), but it records entire finals in a 29 minutes video, so it is quite handy to keep playing. You can find your favorite dancers or moves. I like a few moments that are drawing good long energy flow line in the space (something like 4:37-4:45). We can see moves popular at the time (like the arm catch-drop, 2:50-2:57). 

The way I see it, starting in mid 2010's, "full body" kind of dance became more popular in WCS (among some leading professionals, anyway). I should be able to update such dance style evolution with newer videos. Don't know where WCS is heading to after covid break, though (yet).

In "open" category, the dancers are mostly professionals. The category is strictly swing, for which dancers enter as couples (so that they can prepare for some flashy moves beforehand), but they do not know what songs will be played (hence, on spot musical interpretation is needed). 

The dances cannot be as polished as in fully choreographed dances. The judges would factor entertainment to the viewers. After all, they need to dance as champions; meaning that they need to entertain the viewers/WCS dance community members attending the event.

One thing I have to remember is that the dances presented here are too good for regular social dances. Imaging the same energy flow and speed may be too much too fast for the most casual dancers you will see on the local dance floor. Assessment and adjustment are needed in social dance.

In terms of range of dancing, WCS covers a wide area, is a dynamic dance, and is more visual. 

Visual dances (ballet, ballroom, other entertainment dances) do better in videos. Sensual dances (wiggly bachata or kizomba, subtle Argentine Tango in close embrace, etc) are harder to capture their niceness in film from a distance.

Body usages and energy flow patterns for visual dance and sensual dance are different.

Unless you know the difference and adjust your move, you can be good in one but be stumbling in another. An awesome sensual bachata dancer with great hip motions can suck at salsa, showing her feet are not really catching up with the distance she has to move. And vice versa. A salsa dancer with quick feet can be like a stiff doll in a sensual dance.

All these are a part of fun of dancing. Although covid is still filling up ICU with patients (mostly unvaccinated), I am glad that people started dancing again.

Science: Translational Advances in Cancer Prevention Agent Development (TACPAD) workshop 9/13-14/2021

 Yesterday and today (9/13-14/2021), Cancer Prevention and early detection group of the NCI (National Cancer Institute) was hosting online workshops, titled "Translational Advances in Cancer Prevention Agent Development (TACPAD)".

When "cancer" research is brought up, people think it is about therapy and cure. Sure, it is 90% true, budget-wise. Most of the cancer research money goes to therapy. But a segment of cancer research is dedicated to prevention of cancer. Cancer prevention is a part of the NCI's research portfolio.

Cancer is easier to deal with, when they are at an early stage, or even earlier at pre-cancerous lesion. Indeed, pre-cancerous lesions seem to be something that pops up and disappears, and only small number of pre-cancerous lesions can develop to "real" cancer.

Cancer prevention studies deal with these early lesions and agents and events that influence them.

For example, NSAIDs like aspirin or naproxen (Aleve) are well known to reduce cancer risk in colon. Dietary components like EGCG in green tea and organosulfur compounds in broccoli work well to prevent cancers at least in animal experiments and are favorites for many health articles. 

The focus of this 2021 workshop was cancer immuno-prevention, including cancer preventive vaccine, immunomodulatory reagents, and their combinations. The focus reflects current trend. As this is 2021, much interest was shown toward mRNA vaccine. Translating cancer therapeutic reagents such as "immune checkpoint inhibitor" and testing whether they can serve as cancer preventive agents is another approach presented and discussed.

During development, cancer can acquire ways to disarm attacking immune system. "Immune checkpoint inhibitor" is a way to disable the immune-disarming ability of cancer. The "Immune checkpoint inhibitor" agents can make cancer visible to immune system again.

Well, theory and paradigm are being set. The question is, "does it work?". Testing agents and answering the question is somewhat of a trench warfare for scientists and researchers. This two-day workshop was showing how this front is doing.

Science: 2021 Oklahoma GeroOncology symposium (8/18-19/2021)

 Yesterday and today we had the 2021 Oklahoma GeroOncology symposium. This year it was a two-day online event via zoom. For both of the days, each of 5-6 speakers gave a 30 (20) min talk, followed by 40 min roundtable discussion by the speakers. Attendees may post questions with Q&A box or chat box. No recording for the talks.

Indeed, it is a fact that a great majority of cancers occurs with age. Although genetic predisposition-driven cancers can occur in early age (e.g., children's cancers; fortunately they are rare), sporadic cancers caused by somatic mutations usually occur later in life. The age factor in cancer is getting attention, both from cancer researchers and aging researchers.

Another reason for cancer-aging joint conference occurring more often is because the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institute of Aging (NIA) are launching more joint programs and grant announcements lately. Leadership and direction. Or, if I say it bluntly, science can go to where the money is. Carrot and horse.

I am on cancer researchers' side. Most of the symposium speakers are aging researchers. Perhaps I wrote this before, but the differences in cultures and standard methodologies between aging researchers and cancer researchers are noticeable.

I'll cite three examples of the cultural differences.

(1) Research timespan is longer for aging research.  Lab mice live up to 2.5-years. 2 year-old mice are considered equivalent of human 65 years old. Aging researchers regularly use 2 year old mice. If they are funded by NIA, they have better access to aged mice. In contrast, mouse-based cancer research tend to use shorter time (3, 6, or up to 12 months), because (i) we don't want to wait for 2 years, and (ii) keeping mice for 2 years is costly. 

I was running a project that kept mice for 2 years (for an "aging and cancer" study using transgenic mice). But it is highly unusual for a cancer research project. 

(2)  Cancer research field is finely segmented by organs. Lung cancer specialists and colon cancer specialists have very different sets of knowledge. Specific organs have different modes of maintaining the organ, and the stem cells have different sets of markers. Previously I was looking at datasets from lung. Now I am working on data from another organ site. The difference is striking.

Apparently, aging researchers do not have much of this "segmentation by organs". Perhaps because aging is a systemic event, they seem to seek general principles common among many organs.

(3)  Approaches (and, perhaps, types of researchers)

A main rationale for cancer research is "to cure cancer". Cancer is a disease, an unusual state that needs to be eradicated. In the past several decades, we have obtained huge knowledge on the nature of cancer with the slogan of "to cure cancer". Therapy development has always been the mainstream of cancer research. 

Aging,..is aging a disease to be eradicated or intervened? Or is aging a natural state that may  be modifiable? ...Aging studies seem to have to start from more basic questions; semantics, interpretations, and definitions. 

That reminds me of differences between reductionist approaches and holistic approaches.

Both research fields use model systems and intervention agents. In both research fields, concepts of "pathways" and their manipulation with experiments are similar. Both research fields have been benefiting from recent technological advancements in single cell-level analysis of organs and cancers. Yet, I am under impression that aging research people excel at descriptive studies, while cancer research value experiments (I may be wrong). 

The cultural differences may prove beneficial, as cultural interface sites are where innovation occurs. Or at least, to know the difference would be good for avoiding pitfalls while cancer researchers investigating aging-associated events. Good to know that what we value and what they value may be different.

Some time ago, I reviewed a manuscript on colon cancer. The authors, obviously from a different research field, did not do what colon cancer researchers do regularly, so I pointed that out and suggested to do the "routines". There were a few misinterpretations (or unusual/unorthodox ways of interpreting the data), too. I don't remember how editors handled the manuscript, but the manuscript was not accepted outright.

 

Later I learned that two other reviewers said nearly the same thing independently. I guess people with the same training background would read the manuscript in a similar manner and make similar comments. 

In other words, we need to do our homework to work well in another research field.

Just logging a few of my thoughts. 

Dance: Pivot-based moves and Walking-based moves in Argentine Tango; Ordering "All in One step" book

 You can categorize Argentine Tango basics to Pivot-based moves and Walking-based moves.

 Pivot-based moves include pivot (literally), ochos (step+pivot), giro, and embellishments like boleo (pivot+ decoration use of your leg) and foot play (tap, ankle flick, etc. "gesture" moves. Subtle but nice). As Pivot-based moves use rotation around your axis, the motions tend to be circular or curvy. Also, Pivot-based moves can quickly change the angle of you and your partner's bodies. The quick changes in appearance can defy viewers' predictions and overwhelm spectators' brain processing speed, leading the dance looks more impressive (maybe).

Pivot occurs on one spot. In a given moment, you are staying there, instead of traveling far. In a milonga with crowded floor, people tend to use more of pivot-based moves.

Walking-based moves are more directional. By walking, you reach from point A to B. Walking means that you'll shift your axis from one to another. You can travel further and faster than pivot-based moves by taking big strides. You need to stretch your stride for proper looks.

As they are different types of moves, people tend to do better at one than another. In a milonga, you can observe your potential partner, and figure out his/her preference or strength/weakness in the techniques.

She may be good at pivot-based embellishments like foot plays, which occur within a foot distance from her axis. But she may not be used to take a big stride, and collapse if led to do it.

If it is the case, just use more of pivot-based moves. Do what she can do better. 

Trying to correct technical issues during a social dance is not a good idea. They don't want to be corrected. They are there to have fun. And it is the same here, of course.

Only when it is for a stage dance in which appearances and presentation of techniques matter, and only when you are an instructor (i.e., they are paying to listen to you), or otherwise in a position to be heard, it makes sense to attempt correction.

Milongas and other dance parties are restarting around here. Got to remember particulars in social dance.

[Walking man emoji in Facebook]

Come to think of it, there is a new book on Tango in Amazon, titled "All in one step". It came up in my Facebook feed of a Tango group, and piqued my curiosity. I am going to order it with next Amazon order. The book seems to have many illustrations (better than emoji here) and mechanistic analysis, which would separate the book from many Tango essays that in general are not very useful in terms of actual dancing. Reading musicians' interviews alone does not make you a musician. Only when you practice with your instrument, the interviews may help. And dancing is as technical as playing music. A good technical reference will be a good addition to my Tango book library.

Only thing is that the book is a bit on expensive side ($45). But I'll check it out anyway. For an academic or a technical book, $45 is an okay cost.  I'd post my review after I read it.

Dance: 7/24/21 all-vax WCS dance (Tulsa), 8/7-8/21 mini milonga marathon (Dallas)

 Social dance is back. Facebook events page is getting repopulated. I started traveling to dance to neighboring cities (Tulsa, Dallas), just like pre-covid times.

Before the vaccine, covid was a new, potentially fatal disease. Our bodies did not seem to know how to handle the new virus well. How your particular body would respond to the infection was somewhat unpredictable, although there were some risk factors identified (age, pre-existing conditions). You could get by with no or little symptoms, or you could die of the infection. Even if you did not die of it, you could suffer from long-lasting after effects. The risk was great enough to warrant caution.

Then there came the vaccine, becoming available starting early 2021 in the US. The mRNA vaccines turned out to be highly effective ones. The vaccine would be counted as a triumph in medical science in the future.

My current take is that, once the vaccines teach the face of the new virus and train your immune system, covid becomes a "cold". You can still catch it, transmit it, or get sick with it (called a breakthrough infection). But you are unlikely to die, just like what we anticipate from a cold. This makes a huge difference.

For the unvaccinated, odds are actually getting worse, due to highly transmissible and potentially more damaging delta variant. In fact, a majority (>80%) of newly hospitalized covid patients are unvaccinated, consistent with this view.

Now, we are seeing a surge of patients of delta variant. In my university hospital, there has been an increase in covid patients. Department chair was talking about dusting off the surge plan. Sure, I may catch it and get sick. But probably, I'll be okay, as one of the "vaccinated". 

So this is my take on covid as of August 2021; "I hear a bad cold (for the vaccinated) spreading in the community. For the unvaccinated, the disease can kill them. I better be careful, with hand wash and mask when applicable. Sleep well and stay healthy. Try not to catch it nor give it. But I may not have to be overly cautious and I can 'live' a little." 

Note this is not an opinion as a public health official like Dr. Fauci, who needs to provide best possible guidance and options to protect the public from diseases, or as a politician who needs economy going, even at an expense of disease spreading and some peoples' lives. Just my current, personal and honest opinion.

With that view, I went to all-vax WCS party in Tulsa on 7/24, and Argentine Tango milonga on Sat and Sun, 8/7-8/8. 

The last visit for Dallas and attending a "proper" milonga was about 17 months ago, March 2020. Afterwards they closed down public parties. They restarted open milonga last month. 

I saw and danced with old and new people.

It seems, the break did not dull my ability to dance, fortunately. Actually, I felt that I was even better at social dancing than before the break.  ... well, that might be overestimating myself. I'd certainly need to check the way I am moving. Also, remembering moves and diagnostics of partners' skills for social dance would be helpful. But I am having as much fun for sure. Lucky me.

PS 

I delayed to write this entry by a few days, to make sure I am healthy after those parties.  Getting sick after this kind of entry would be uncool.

Book: "Directing in musical theater" by Joe Deer

 My home internet is down for a few days. According to Cox cable, "internet is down in your area". No idea what exactly happened and they do not explain, but they are certainly taking their time to fix it.

Thanks to the internet outage, I came back to DVD (!) and pile of books that I had not been attending to.

One of the books was "Directing in musical theater" by Joe Deer. Bought it on Dec 2017, read it halfway, and left it in the pile. Certainly I am taking my time.

But the book turned out to be quite good. I did a few dances on stage, and took interested in the bigger picture of how these stage shows are created and organized in theater by professionals. This book did a great job to fill me in on the works of stage preparation from stage director's side.

Like anything, if we know something more, we'd appreciate it better, in a more faceted way.

One way to know something more is by going through numbers and references. Another is to view the subject from different side. "Director's side" view is a nice viewpoint to know.

The contents are through and easy to follow. Just by reading, the book gave me good picture of what are done in the process of stage creation and how they allocate functions and tasks on people (director, producer, choreographer, stage manager, prop/stage engineer, clothes/costume designer, light technician, sound technician, and other support staff) in order to enable works by performers on stage (dancers, actors, singers, musicians).

It is not like reading Harry Potter or other fictions. As a technical, non-fiction book, it has a purpose of teaching information, and told me exactly what I wanted to know with added details, and many that I did not know. Knowing that the information would give me better appreciation on stage shows, I am quite satisfied. 

If I was doing a "research", I'd read at least 3-5 books on the same subject. But for now, this book alone did a great job. 

I want the internet to be fixed soon. But if not, it may help me to go through a few more books in the pile. It may not be all bad.

PS   After lengthy texting and attempts to reboot modem remotely, and attempts to sell "panoramic internet only $12 more/month" and "upgraded service only $5 more for the first 3 months" (I know they are following sales manuals, but don't you hate it?), they are going to send cable technician. 

The modem/router is offline, they said. Must be a case of downed line or other disconnection.

Incident like this reminds me of fragility of infrastructure. It does not have to be large scale ice storm or tornado-bearing hailstorm. Anyhow, it will be fixed soon.

Science: So, did Hydroxychloroquine work against covid after all?

 I had a brief chat with someone who had not been vaccinated. He cited concerns for the side reactions and that covid kill only negligible percent. 

Well. ... Personally I think vaccine refusal is unwise, under the light of available vaccine and covid data by July 2021. But I'll let him live his way. No arguments. He does not work in medicine, so he has no professional obligation or requirement.

For me, vaccine refusal is categorized in the same place as blood transfusion refusal on religious ground. There may be some angels other than me or vaccine to rescue him (or not). 

He also mentioned that hydroxychloroquine is still a drug for covid, only shot down by political reasons.

I thought hydroxychloroquine for covid is a long dead approach. But to be sure, I checked recent publications.

To refresh the memory, hydroxychloroquine is mainly an anti-malaria drug and inhibit growth of malaria parasite. Additionally, hydroxychloroquine can modulate immune response, and occasionally used for autoimmune diseases (lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis), which may have been a reason to be purported as effective for covid management. 

Downside of hydroxychloroquine use is its narrow range of optimal dosing. Because of that, clinicians are careful with dosing. Cardiac arrhythmia (erratic heartbeat) is commonly reported in clinical use. It is a prescription-only and is not a drug for self-medication.

In early phase of pandemic (early 2020), use of hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin, an antibiotic presumably for secondary bacterial pneumonia, was purported to be effective against covid19.

1.5 years later, scientific evidence has piled up.

In the field of medical science, not all evidence and reports are equal. Some evidence are more respected or taken more seriously than others. There is a hierarchy in evidence.

Lower tier evidence is preclinical studies with model systems, like cultured cells, lab animals, and computer modeling. They can provide proof of principle toward clinical trials, but the reports are taken with a grain of salt when questioned for human use.

Case reports and observations in small number of patients are also considered low-tier evidence. Numbers count in science.

Middle tier evidence is individual clinical trials. Clinical trials come in three phases. Phase I is basically toxicity test on small number of volunteers. Phase II is an expanded version of phase I. In phase III, the drug or treatment of interest may be applied on actual patients. Yet, various designs can be employed, and only a "randomized and controlled phase III clinical trial with large number of patients" provides scientifically sound data that can be interpreted and concluded.

But single "randomized and controlled phase III clinical trial" may still not be enough to conclude everything.

The highest tier evidence is meta analysis. In a meta analysis, researchers apply inclusion/exclusion criteria on many published clinical trials, and results from multiple clinical trials are evaluated. Meta analysis follows statistics and specific data handling. Basically, meta analysis can answer whether these clinical trials are indicating the same results, or not.

Someone once sent me a bunch of "covid19 and hydroxychloroquine" reports to comment. They were collated by some radio personality. It was a poor attempt to evaluate bunch of reports by a layman and was a mockery of meta-analysis. I did not want to touch it or deal with it. So I refused to see it.  ....I digress.

To make matters a little more complicated, journals for each tier publications come with high or low impact factor (IF), which is an averaged score indicating how many times papers appeared in the journal is cited by colleagues/peers. IF of a journal is a metric suggesting whether the paper is well-recognized among experts in the field. 

 IF 30-40 is the highest, attained by a few commercial and prestigious scientific journals. IF 8+ is quite decent, basically top ranked journals for the specific research field (like cancer research or immunology or aging). IF3-5 would make regular respectable research papers. I would read the papers with an assumption that they are not doing horrible job in the peer review process and the results can be taken seriously. 

If the paper concerns my own research, I will add extra caution. Even if it is not scientific misconduct, unintentional mistakes and misinterpretations can happen. And just trusting others' single report can mislead us, if their report contains errors. 

In addition to peer-reviewed publications, there are "preprints without peer review". They are more like press release of sorts, or preliminary results that may or may not be solid. As an evidence, they are not as strong or trustworthy as peer-reviewed papers.

Above is somewhat oversimplified way to view medical research evidence and papers.

That said, when I accessed Pubmed databese (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) and typed in "covid hydroxychloroquine meta analysis", there were 103 hits (7/17/2021). 

I checked out several recent papers. ("Recent" is important, with relentless updating in science). They pointed toward the same conclusions. (No wonder. They are mostly based on the same clinical trials.)

In short, "Meta-analysis of included studies revealed no significant reduction in mortality with HCQ use, .....There was a higher risk of ECG abnormalities/arrhythmia ....The quality of evidence was graded as very low for these outcomes."

Hydroxychloroquine did not work against covid. It even increased risk for heart malfunctions.

I wouldn't take Hydroxychloroquine for covid. For malaria, I would, though.

[Hydroxychloroquine]

There may be a question, "what about combination of hydroxychloroquine with zinc, folate, etc?" 

In terms of publications, with limited evidence, efficacy of hydroxychloroquine and zinc combination remains hypothetical. Combination is difficult to properly compare. It remains to be seen if zinc by itself has better effects than hydroxychloroquine, for example.

Whataboutism do not mix well with clinical trials requiring solid rationales. May I remind you, clinical trials are experimentation on humans. If combination with X,Y and Z have theoretical support and show efficacy in preclinical models, combination may be considered. But when the main component X indicates little promise, it is dead end, at least in western clinical trial methodology. As of July 2021, FDA is recommending against use of hydroxychloroquine for covid.

Vaccine was the game changer. But we still await for anti-covid med, something like Tamiflu or Relenza to influenza. Hydroxychloroquine was not it. OTC anti-covid med remains as a gap in medicine.

Dance: Bonnie Cannon Subey WCS workshop 07/06/2021

There was West Coast Swing (WCS) dance workshop/dance at the Oklahoma City swing dance club on 7/6/2021 (Tue).

The instructor, Bonnie, is a dance professional with 17 years of WCS experience. Her competition record includes Champions J&J winning at Madjam 2019 with Benji Schwimmer (or should I say the Benji Schwimmer? It takes really strong a dancer to match up with a dancer like him.) She was attending Wild Wild Westie 2021 event in Dallas on the July 4th weekend, working as a judge etc, and stopping by her hometown OKC.


Indeed, Bonnie was and still is one of us. She started WCS in the OKC swing dance club and was dancing there with us until she graduated high school and moved out.

Like any other dance places, the club was closed for some time during 2020/2021 for covid. I was only coming back recently. Yet, I wanted to attend her homecoming workshop for a welcome. It was nice to see familiar faces at the workshop.



The workshop was about styling of push spin. Two versions (short/fast and long/slow) were introduced. I find them quite useful for all levels and for both lead and follow.

You can appeal on the dance floor in three ways; (i) body itself/physical ability/functionality, (ii) body usage/artistic use of the body, and (iii) knowledge on the dance. Styling can cover (ii) and (iii).


It was a nice class. Demonstration was clear. I enjoy the difference before and after the class, which is important.



Afterwards, there was social dance, and I danced with Bonnie after these years. As I remember, from the beginning Bonnie was a smooth mover, and had the “hunch” for dancing already. She could move with light feet and position herself in a way that is correct for WCS. “Naturals” do exist in any game, and in sports it can be evident.

Her possible weakness, I thought back then, was dancing. Even with the same song, fast/smooth movers can have extra time to “dance”. If you are fast and can position yourself fast, then, how do you use the extra moment? How do you add “dance” to it? Great dancers know how to hold the moment and show their “dance” (or, more like presence) even when they are not moving. They can command attention. For dancers who don’t know it, the dance can look drafty (add no dance) or forced (too busy).

For a partner dance, especially Latin, the question will be expanded; how do you achieve the best dance with your current partner?

This time, Bonnie came back as a professional, and showed her version of answer. Her smoothness and good hunch were nicely integrated with styling (which can tell you ways to dance) and added dance. I guess that the integration was achieved by professional demand to constantly conceptualize, explain and demonstrate the dance. Pros need to have many variations and tricks that they can explain and use as a part of the profession, after all.


The dance felt quite right. I was very happy to be able to have such an awesome dance. Thank you.

7/6/2021

Good dance is addictive. To have good dances, my body needs to stay in good shape. I am more motivated to be able to move as I want. Firstly, I’ll start from losing several pounds to be kind to my knees. Thank you for this motivation, too.

Dance: Big dance events are coming back. Are you ready?

 As vaccination campaign making progress and covid-related restrictions getting eased in many states, big dance events are coming back, at least in some parts of the US.

I'd define a big dance event as "national (or international)-level and large (hundreds) attendance, fairly full contents (social dance, contests, shows, workshops), with solid management (event organizers and staff running scheduled agenda), and long time (2-3 days minimum)."

For upcoming July 4th holiday weekend, some people I know headed to Chicago for Tango event. Some others are going to Dallas for Wild Wild Westie, a West Coast Swing event with 600 attendance cap for this year.

Now is a transition time from closed to opening up. Depending on event organizers and their policies, precautions for covid vary among events. Some events are "vaccinated only". Mask requirements policies are different. You need to read their policies and announcements, and accept them to attend. You may or may not be happy about these policies, but in this case it is event organizers who have to make tough call. Respect their call, or just stay out until later.

That said, are you ready to go back to a big dance event?

Here is a short checklist.

(i) Do you want it? Do you have the desire to get back on the dance floor, now?

You can weigh in covid situation and your status here.

(ii) Is your body ready? 

Are you physically in good shape enough to dance many social dance or perform on stage? You might want to test your body out first.

(iii) Do you remember the dance? 

All these moves and patterns, and dance-specific valued issues like connection and feels (tango), or correct use of compression to position properly and look right (WCS)?

(iv) Do you have the time? 

You may need to free up a good chunk of time (2-4 days). Big dance event is by itself a vacation.

(v) Do you have the money? 

Bluntly, big event attendance costs transportation, accommodation, event ticket, and food/drink, at least. You can easily add sightseeing and shopping on top of it. It isn't cheap. 

You may get discount for being junior/student or working for the event. You may work as an invited professional or a vendor/service provider and get income through teaching and/or selling at the event. Award money might be applicable to dance professionals in some events.

Yet, most people are there as amateurs. Don't worry about making money. (You know the difference between pros and amateurs? You are a pro if you dance and get paid. You are an amateur if you pay to dance.) ...all these considered, do you have the money for the event?

(vi) Are you ready to have fun?

There are different dances and they have different cultures. But people come to an event to have their own version of fun. The "fun" can be to meet new and old friends, to see familiar faces, to enjoy watching performances, to dance socially, to dance for connection or for show-off, or to compete. 

By giving some thoughts on your "fun" and the reason, it may give you some insight on yourself; what gives you most fun, and why you dance.

We all got those 15 months off. How was your time?

 

Life: Colors of Juneteenth, the new federal holiday

 You cannot go wrong if you dress in red/white/blue for July 4th in America. Likewise, you dress in red/green and you are fine for Christmas party. Knowing specific colors for a holiday makes it easier to choose party clothes.

Personally, "wearing flag" is overdoing it (or possibly illegal). But using the color scheme should be fine.

Then, here it is. Juneteenth 6/19, the new American holiday, cerebrating freeing of slaves. On the day 6/19 of 1865, enslaved black people in Galveston, TX, became Americans under the law.

I checked out the colors for the Juneteenth.

They say it would be "blue/red/white" (as American holiday. The Juneteenth flag uses the color scheme) and "Red/green/black" (colors of pan-African flag adopted by black communities).

Apparently I can use my July 4th ties and shirts just fine for Juneteenth in coming years. Lucky enough.

[The Juneteenth flag]

The new holiday could be a triumph of civil rights movement, or could be a political bargaining piece that Republicans thought can be used in another deal making or publicity spin. Well, I have no need to be political or sarcastic here, and can just cerebrate. Either way, the holiday is now implemented. 

Our institute will observe the holiday on 6/21 Monday (tomorrow). We are told that "non essential employees will receive holiday pay and are not expected to work".  I'd be working to take care of something that were already planned, though (may show up later than usual).

Science/Life: Looking back to update biosketch is a good thing, because it can guide the future

 NIH has introduced a new format for Biosketch that we will need to attach to grant applications after May 25th, 2021.

 Instead of just copy and paste old one, I am taking my time to look back my projects from the past, ongoing, and planned. 

  Looking back is fun. There were projects that led us to interesting new direction. There were projects with modest success. Also there were ones that did not pan out. For each project, there were decisions. For each decision, there were reasons. It is easy to forget all these reasonings, but they were there.

  In general, I want to do only a few, select, the most interesting projects at a time. And that is how I am doing research. I am fortunate to be able to work in this way. Here I acknowledge collaborators who have enabled us to work in this way. Many thanks.

Apparently new format wants us to emphasize resource aspect (for example, what we generated, what we have and available, and so on). It is easy for us to take something for granted and overlook. Time to make a list.

Life: covid test, lift of mask mandate at worksite (5/19/2021)

 I was down with a cold with no fever (allergy?) for a few days. Apparently it ran its course in 5 days like regular cold. But this time, due to university policies, I needed to take a covid test before permitted to return to work.

So they arranged a covid19 PCR test with nasopharyngeal swab, which happened to be my first time. I showed up in the test site at the university hospital yesterday, and got a nose swab taken. I sneezed once.

This morning they sent an email stating "negative" and "I am cleared to work". 

I wouldn't know what exactly the sickness was. But even if it was a covid, my vaccine-trained immune system kicked it in 5 days like a regular cold. As I took off at the first sign and started working from home, no one was exposed. Bad for the virus, good for humankind.

I showed up in my office after 7 days and took care of some unfinished work, including submission of a revised manuscript. Hope the manuscript is going to be accepted.

Then this evening my worksite let us know that they are going to lift mask mandate on campus for all vaccinated employee (with some exceptions. in clinic, etc). 

Situations are changing rapidly toward "back to pre-covid days".  

In the US, PCR test itself does not have much power other than taking a snapshot of possible patient and let doctors judge if a possible ex-patient may return to worksite. Only when PCR is combined with contact tracing and some enforcement of isolation, PCR will be an effective tool to stop infectious diseases. The Chinese did it to stop community spread, but it was with the governmental power unimaginable in the US.

The vaccine really was the game changer. But only for the vaccinated. Theoretically, the game has not changed much or at all for the yet-to-be-vaccinated, including the vaccine refusers. You be careful, until the herd immunity is established by the vaccinated. Over-the-counter antiviral med for covid has been slow to come and is still an unmet need in this pandemic.

There are some scenarios that can change the game again, like emergence of vaccine-overriding lethal variants. Yet, worrying about them is the big pharma' and public health officials' business. I am feeling somewhat relaxed about covid now. Sky isn't falling, it seems.

PS 

The revised manuscript was accepted in a day (5/20/21). Lucky us.

Dance: Reach dance studio salsa social (5/8/21); Most men and many women cheat (on steps in social dance)

Reach dance studio is a new dance studio in OKC, whose party notices started to pop up in my feed. 

Around here beginning April, dance parties are coming back. After one year Corona break. 

I checked out their salsa social this past Saturday (5/8/21). There were many salsa people I knew (Good to see you guys again); also new people I met for the first time (Nice meeting you).

Earlier the day, they were inviting Salsa instructor Gerisha Figueroa from Houston for workshops (that I missed).

Salsa party can be held in many different settings (club, pub, restaurant, for example). This place is a dance studio with hardwood floor, full wall mirror, and barre on the other side. 

It is a setting dedicated to dance training and practice, also a setting easy to watch dance under good illumination.

Actually, watching others dancing is my habit and hobby at any party. After this one year break, the habit still stays. It is something I appreciate, and I appreciate it more if good dancing is presented. 

Usually it is easy to find who the instructor/professional is, just by watching.

Most men and many women cheat on steps in social dance. You can tell which one is a professional by precision of their steps and moves. They look more purposeful in dancing.

After all, they have to demonstrate the steps and moves countless times.

This precision thing is true for all dances. In addition, good salsa instructors really can dance with hips. It was a nice demonstration.

Ballroom Latin instructors try to teach the "dance with hips" as cuban motion, and have their student practice with figure-8 motion exercise to loosen and liberate hips. But it is rare to see it well-danced in social dance floor around here. 

Another trait of good salsa dancers, I was reminded, is their high energy and agility. 

Probably this is a culture thing in salsa dancing. For example, tango instructors distinguish themselves with posture, poise, balance and precision of their technique. Then they can add energy.

Salsa energy is there at first. It is raw and strong. Then they add technique and precision.

I guess this is enough of dance culture comparison, for today. 

In summary, it's "precision, hip, energy".

Reach dance studio seems to be a good place to learn and enjoy dancing. I recommend the place.