Saturday, April 19, 2025

2025-04-19 Trump quickly caves on fight with Harvard

 Always remember:  Trump and is cronies are cowardly bullies.  They will always fold.  They will not stand and fight.

"Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard"

Columbia University could have chosen to fight.  Major law firms* could have chosen to fight.  Others would have quickly joined them.  They too would have won quickly - Trump would have folded.  But they showed their true colors - they would much rather support fascism and destroy democracy than risk the tiniest ounce of their personal comfort and wealth.

I know we personally as individuals are not as wealthy or privileged as them - but as much as you can - don't be like Columbia.  Don't comply in advance with people who are attacking your core values.

* Paul Weiss; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Willkie, Farr & Gallagher; Milbank, Kirkland & Ellis; Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; and Latham & Watkins

Saturday, April 12, 2025

2025-04-12 thoughts about constitutional violations

This is based off an email conversation with a friend, I've adapted to make a bit more readable.

Did Biden create a Constitutional crisis by relieving student debt after the Supreme Court ruled against it?

The Supreme Court struck down the Biden student loan forgiveness program in a 6-3 decision.


It was not a unanimous decision, there was a related decision that was unanimous - Department of Education v. Brown, which was essentially two people suing to stop student loan forgiveness and the Supreme Court ruled they didn't have standing because they weren't harmed.

Next, I don't think Biden was in violation of the Supreme Court order with the subsequent loan forgiveness.  Here's an article that discusses, I believe the key points are:
"The cancellations have come through existing federal student loan forgiveness programs, which are limited to specific categories of borrowers, such as public-sector workers, people defrauded by for-profit colleges, and borrowers who have paid for at least 20 years."
It appears that Biden accelerated / made sure people were taking advantage of these existing programs.  There's a retired Navy captain I follow (https://conservativewahoo.substack.com/) who made the point that a President can't just declare I want "X" done and then ignore it and expect it to happen - the President has to follow up, keep pushing etc.  That's what happened with student loans - not a violation of a Supreme Court order but a President checking in and having his team find every legal way to cancel existing student loans.  Reasonable people can disagree about the policy, but it does not seem to be a violation of a Supreme Court ruling.

Forum shopping for lawsuits

I agree forum shopping is bad - for example, when that Texas judge overruled the FDA decision and attempted to ban the drug mifepristone, that was objectively terrible.  It almost goes without saying that it was unscientific.  I have followed Supreme Court decisions over the years, especially relating to science, and the way they write and talk (oral arguments) about science is horrifying to me and other scientists.  They horribly mangle the science and over simplify to justify what are essentially political choices they want to make.  Another example of this is when a court case on redistricting reached the Supreme Court, I remember listening to the oral arguments, some of the justices were twisting themselves in knots to be deliberately obtuse about the simple math that was being presented.

We appear to both agree forum shopping is bad, but can you tell me how else do cases get to the Supreme Court?  I think the vast majority are via appeal.  Hence we have the protocol of a lower court making a ruling, and then temporary injunctions while it makes its way up to the Supreme Court.

Constitutional crisis

Here's a list of the ways in which the Trump administration is currently actively and deliberately violating the Constitution:
  • violating habeas corpus and due process 
    • 14th amendment clearly states that everyone in the US has the right to due process / laws of the US
  • Executive orders / DOGE canceling funding that Congress authorized
  • Executive order cancelling birthright citizenship
  • "The law firm Perkins Coie sued the Department of Justice and other government agencies over President Trump’s Mar. 6, 2025 executive order (EO) terminating government contracts, denying members of the firm access to federal employees, and suspending employees’ security clearances. A federal judge granted Perkins Coie’s request to temporarily block several sections of the EO"
    • other law firms as well
  • the SAVE act which specifies how states identify people who are legal to vote - it is explicit in the Constitution that States run elections
  • kicking the Associated Press out of White House briefings - violates right to free press
  • targeting DEI programs - violates right to free speech
  • Deporting people because of what they have said and wrote - violates right to free speech

One thing that strikes me - if they have removed due process for anyone, they've removed it for *everyone*.  If they want to send me a prison in El Salvador, they just grab me off the street and send me off, and then claim I wasn't actually a citizen and I was in fact a gang leader (or whatever).  Because of those claims I now have no way to prove otherwise.

Destruction of US Science

Are you away of the damage Trump has done to US science in the less than 3 months?  It is absolutely shattered.  UMass Chan medical school cancelled the incoming class of Ph.D. scientists because of the cancelled funding.  Repeat this over and over and over again at every major medical research institution across the country.  Same applies for every branch of science (NSF funding cuts).  These are ridiculously small sums of money in the scope of the Federal budget, and they have been the engine of technological advancement of the US for many decades.  And it's all unconstitutional, because these funds were enacted by Congress.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

another all-grain guiness stout clone sort of

based on this recipe

based on this previous blog post - but I don't remember that!  I remember doing all grain for a Belgian beer.

I have the amounts of grain corresponding to the stout recipe minus amounts left over from the Belgian 

263 g Belgian Biscuit malt (0.58 lb)

250 g Belgian Munich malt (0.55 lb)

260 g Weyermann Melanoidin (0.57 lb)

3.3 lb of English 2-row

2.5 lb flaked barley

1 lb roasted barley

total:  8.5 lb


Temperature at 163 F, added the grains, temperature after stirring reads 158 F.  Temperature didn't really drop even after 20 minutes, so I added 1 L of cold tap water, this brought the temperature down to 150 F.  At 26 minutes into mash realized I forgot to add the flaked barley, added that.  Extended mash time by 22:37 - total mash time was 82:37.  Added 6 L of boiling water to attempt to raise temperature to 168 - temperature maxed out at 165.


Appendix A: temperature during mash

time    temp(F)    notes
0        158            heat off
5        159            keep heat off
10      156            keep heat off (had trouble reading thermometer so it was out longer and cooled off probably)
15      157            keep heat off
20      157            keep heat off. take lid off
24      150            added 1 L of cold tap water while checking temperature
26      149            added the flaked oats (forgot to add at beginning).  Turned heat on 2.5/7
30      149            turned heat down to 1.5
39      152            turned heat off
50      156            kept heat off
60      151            kept heat off

Appendix 2:  calculation of amount of boiling water needed to add to mash to raise temperature to 168 F



The specific heat of grain - estimates vary - will use ~0.4.  (Some references:  


homebrew mashout: calculation of how much water to add to mash to raise temperature to 168 F (75 C) to stop enzymatic activity

 I worked out the approximate math to figure out how much boiling water to add to a completed mash to for the mashout - to raise the temperature of the mash to 170 F to stop the enzymatic activity.

Using conservation of energy:  (heat content of individual components before) = (heat content of combined mixture)

$$ H_{mws} + H_{gs} + H_{aws} = H_{wf} + H_{gf} $$

starting individual terms of heat content are:

mash water at start:  $H_{mws} = C_w M_{mw} T_s$

* $C_w$ heat capacity of water

* $M_{mw}$ mass of "mash water"

* $T_s$ starting temperature


grain in mash at start:  $H_{gs} = C_g M_g T_s$

* $C_g$ heat capacity of grain

* $M_g$ mass of grain


add water at start:  $H_{aws} = C_w M_{aw} T_{aw}$

* $M_{aw}$ mass of add water

* $T_{aw}$ temperature of add water


final individual terms of heat content are:

water, final:  $H_{wf} = C_w (M_{mw} + M_{aw}) T_f$

* $T_f$ final temperature


grain, final:  $H_{gf} = C_g M_g T_f$


heat before = heat after

$$ H_{mws} + H_{gs} + H_{aws} = H_{wf} + H_{gf} $$

$$ C_w M_{mw} T_s + C_g M_g T_s + C_w M_{aw} T_{aw} = C_w (M_{mw} + M_{aw}) T_f + C_g M_g T_f $$


Solve for $M_{aw}$:

$$ C_w M_{aw} T_{aw} - C_w M_{aw} T_f = C_w M_{mw} T_f + C_g M_g T_f -C_w M_{mw} T_s - C_g M_g T_s $$

$$ M_{aw} C_w (T_{aw} - T_f) = C_w M_{mw} T_f + C_g M_g T_f -C_w M_{mw} T_s - C_g M_g T_s $$

$$ M_{aw} = \frac{C_w M_{mw} T_f + C_g M_g T_f - C_w M_{mw} T_s - C_g M_g T_s}{C_w (T_{aw} - T_f)} $$

$$ M_{aw} = \frac{C_w M_{mw} (T_f - T_s) + C_g M_g (T_f - T_s)}{C_w (T_{aw} - T_f)} $$

$$ M_{aw} = \frac{(T_f - T_s) (C_w M_{mw}  + C_g M_g)}{C_w (T_{aw} - T_f)} $$


The numerator is for the materials in the starting mash mixture (water + grain) - their change in temperature times their heat capacity - this is their energy change that will happen as a result of mixing in the add water.


The denominator is for the add water - it is the heat capacity times the change in temperature for the add water, and thus the energy change of the add water.


A lot of terms in here but all on the right side are known!


$T_f = 75.5 \degree C$

* desired final temperature

* this is just an example from one recipe may vary


$T_s = 65.5 \degree C$

* measure this value to use in the calculation

* this is just an example


$C_w = 1 \frac{cal}{g \degree C}$

* specific heat of water


$M_mw = 10 kg$

* mass of the water used to mash

* this is just an example from one recipe may vary


$C_g = 0.4 \frac{cal}{g \degree C}$

* specific heat of grain 

* there is wide variation here see below for references


$M_g = 3.4 kg$

* mass of grain

* this is just an example from one recipe may vary


$T_{aw} = 100 \degree C$

* temperature of add water

* typically it is boiling water but can adjust as needed



specific heat of grain references:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/specific-heat-of-grain.246356/

https://ojs.openagrar.de/index.php/JKA/article/view/375/1207

Thursday, June 29, 2023

perseverate

Perseverate - "repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased"

It helped me - a lot - to realize I was doing this - here's my journey.

I have to actively work against perseverating.  A mentor told me, "Why do you let things live rent free in your head?" I realized that what I considered "idle time" for my mind was actually valuable and I shouldn't waste it.

I spent entire bike rides to/from work - or woke up in the middle of the night - replaying conversations - redoing arguments.  It made me irritable and sad and defensive. I realized life is too short - of all the possible things I could be doing this was not a priority!

It wasn't an immediate change and the work is ongoing but I've tried to build habits to manage it. Initially I would distract myself when I realized I was starting, I would pinch myself.  Gradually I was able to very deliberately try to start a different train of thought.

I try to think about a puzzle or riddle or mathematical challenge.  I also preempt by listening to audio books, or at night reading about an interesting topic (thanks Wikipedia/astronomy!)

instagram  post

twitter thread

Monday, March 27, 2023

homebrew cider second attempt: backsweetening


NB this didn't work that well b/c I should have also added potassium metabisulfite.

Tue Feb 22, 2022

 5 gallons cider, Carlson Orchard - pasteurized but no additives (especially no potassium sorbate)

1 yeast packet (1 oz.) Red Star Premiere Blanc (formerly champagne yeast)

Sterilized equipment (carboy, funnel, airlock).  Poured cider into carboy, added yeast, put on airlock.

Friday Mar 18, 2022 9:40 PM

Added 2.5 tsp of potassium sorbate.  Mixed carboy thoroughly

*** should have added postassium metabisulfite ***. Sorbate stops yeast from dividing, does not stop them from fermenting.

backsweetening reference

backsweetening calculation

1st batch of hard cider came out very dry - assume it is between 0 and 9 g/L sugar based on reference above.  Assume it is 0 g/L, then if I get it to 9 g/L, it is at the boundary between dry and medium and will be sweeter than previously, but definitely not too sweet.  If it starts at 9 g/L

target 9 g/L = 2.1 g / cup
initial volume:  5 gallons * 16 cups/per gallon = 80 cups

x = # cups of apple cider to add
sugar amount:  (24 g/cup) * (x cups)

total volume:  x + 80 cups initial volume

sugar concentration (g/cup) s = 24*x / (x + 80)
target concentration:  2.1 g/ cup

2.1 = 24x/(x+80)
2.1*(x+80) = 24x
2.1*x + 168 = 24x
21.9*x = 168
x = 7.67 cups

What happens if initial amount of sugar is not zero?
residual sugar amount:  80 cups * (y g/cup residual sugar)
sugar concentration is:  (24*x + 80*y) / (x + 80)
assume x=8 from above, then sugar concentration is:
s = (192 + 80*y) / 88 = 2.2 + 0.91*y
if y is 2.1 g/cup then sugar concentration is:
s = 2.2 + 0.91*2.1 = 2.2 + 1.8 = 4 g/cup

This is still in the "medium" cider range, closer to the dry end of the scale.