Busy day today; my Tuesdays in Vista are always busy!  In fact the last four weeks my Tuesdays have spilled into Wednesday, there just isn't enough time in one day anymore.  (For those who don't know what this is about; I live 140 miles from my office, so I only go down there once or twice a week, typically on Tuesdays, and then those tend to be my "meeting days".)

I did wrap up the day with a nice 36 mile ride with a couple of colleagues, Craig and Richard; we went through Elfin Forest and Harmony Grove, then down Del Dios Highway by Lake Hodges, then back through a really ritzy part of Rancho Santa Fe (did you know, there is a gas station in Rancho Sante Fe which sells 100-octane gas, specifically for Ferraris and Lamborghinis?).

So I'll ask: Did you feel it?  Man I did.  Whew.  And the three biggish aftershocks were good for a bit of adrenaline also.  I think ever since the Sylmar quake of 1971 (which I experienced at age 12), I am a not-calm-in-a-quake person. 

An interesting post about cancer: Vincible.  "You receive the devastating diagnosis of cancer, the elusive, silent invader. Then you 'battle it.' You 'fight' for your life. You 'wage war' against the malignant cells. You and your oncologist draw up a 'strategy' to 'beat' the disease. And if you’re unlucky and you 'lose the battle to cancer,' at least you will have 'battled' cancer 'bravely.'"  I accept the point, but would counter: first, battling is mentally more satisfying than tamely accepting one's fate, and second, as far as "lucky", many studies have shown that a positive mental attitude correlates strongly with survival, so you can make your own luck. 

Pretty amazing: Wired reports Mini-Microscope could lead to cell-sorting implants.  Boy, those guys at Caltech are always working on something cool, eh?  :) 

SpaceX status: Kimbal Musk (Elon's brother) reports Falcon 1 is vertical and posts a time-lapse picture.  The launch window opens in two days; digits perpendicular! 

Related: Popular Mechanics: What Virgin's WhiteKnight means to the future of space.  [ via Instapundit, who also posted several related links... ] 

Razib discusses David Brooks: Missing the Pink Elephant in the Room.  U.S. demographics have changed, and hence U.S. culture has changed, and yes this has had an impact on many things.  This isn't getting better, either; just look at the differential birth rates... 

Good news on Altzheimer's?  We'll see.  I'm so from Missouri on this stuff, it is too easy to get pre-excited before rigorous studies have been performed... 

So, does a Maserati Quattroporte really look like a Buick LaCrosse?  I don't see it myself, but I post, you decide :)