Here's to a "Lucky '13!"

A festive (colorized) bacteriophage
Source: University of Basel | NatGeo

I don't think I say this enough, so here goes: I'm truly touched that you stopped by to check out my little corner of the internet. My deep thanks and appreciation to each person reading today.

They say having too many choices causes "analysis paralysis." Well, to combat this phenomenon, I've decided to only offer up two (2) blog-related New Year's resolutions for 2013:

1. More frequent posts.
2. More media integration - podcasts, pictures, audio, etc.

For those already ringing in the New Year across the globe, let me know about life in the future!

Best wishes to everyone for a healthy and prosperous 2013.

-SAO

Trending Up

I've been pleased to see blog traffic picking up in the past few months (Thanks!).

For those unfamiliar, most blog toolkits show graphical representations of hits against time, so you can tell when certain posts gain readership by distinct "blips" on the trendline. The chemblogosphere has coined several punny, tongue-in-cheek epithets for increases that result from specific sites. Here's a few I've heard bandied about:

Reader Submission: Found Chemistry,
Hendersonville, NC

The "Lowe Lift"
The "ChemBark Crush"
The "Chemjobber Jump"
The "Slate Slam"
The "Reddit Rise"
The "Bora Bump"
The "Zimmer Zing"

With my pithy phrasing cap on, may I suggest a few more?

The "Wavefunction Wobble"
The "B.R.S.M. Blast"
The "CENtral Science Cuddle"
The "TotSyn Trifle"

Readers, have I missed any?

From the Vault: Scientific Humor, Shameless Plugs

I've been dying to use this photo.
Source: Nichelle Nichols

Holidays give you a chance to relax and reflect. Here in the States, we set aside time at the end of May to remember those who've served in our armed forces, past and present. Thanks to them, I'm able to bring you this glance back on my official 13-month blogging anniversary. (Well, 2 days late, but who's counting? Wait, you are? Nuts.)


Yes, back on April 26, 2011, Chemjobber was kind enough to lend me a little space to get this whole 'writting 4 de internetz' thing moving along. Over at The Haystack, Car1`men and Lisa didn't balk when I suggested that my first guest post involve Michael Jordan and Back to the Future. Paul didn't mind me poking a little fun at Wender's expense, and somewhere in July 2011, I had the crazy notion to hang out my own shingle.

Fast forward to late May 2012 - what a ride! I've met a bunch of new friends through Twitter and commenting on other blogs. I've been fortunate enough to appear at, and post on, sites I could have only dreamed of a year ago.

But, best of all? It's been a lot of fun!


To parrot the Ig Nobels slogan, I hope to make you laugh, then make you think. CJ and I goofed around with inflated yields in methods papers. When Breslow published his latest origin-of-life tract, it grew new life in the chemblogosphere as #spacedinos. How about art? Off-the-cuff projects included messing around with #arseniclife, pushing drawing memes, stitching together Easter eggs, "rosetta stone" chemical scribbles, and the 'Leaning Tower of Septa.'

'Olympicene,' viewed by STM.
Just in time for London 2012!
Source: IBM Zurich | U. Warwick

Wordplay? We got you covered. How about cute pharma diminutives? Mobile phone games, the Big Pharma Apocalypse, new chemistry portmanteaux, or silly chemical names? I also love finding molecular inspiration out in the wide world, whether it be on gas stations, at concerts, or imposing iron gates. I've even mused about taking this show on the road, once or twice.

I know I promised not to say anything yet, I'm grateful every day that interesting, excited, friendly readers - like you folks - stop by for awhile. I'll keep writing 'em, if you keep coming back.

The Dreaded Placeholder Post

Hello there, internet! I see you've been visiting me a little more lately. 

Monument to the Immigrant
Mississippi River, New Orleans

Thanks so much. I really love to see so many new faces. (Well, unique IP addresses, but same diff!)


I must apologize, but I'm going to spend time on "back burner" projects this week, so I won't be able to update here every day. But this is a perfect chance for you, o loyal readers:


What would you like to see me cover?


(I know I ask this every lunar cycle or so, but I'm really very interested. Of course, I have ideas of what I'd like to cover, but I could bow a bit to reader demand. 
My vote? For next week, some catalysis, maybe some chit-chat about functional groups, book reviews, a np isolation paper, and some more sociology / science pride stories.)

Woo-Hoo! 10K and Counting!

Source: NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory / Discovery News

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who spent part of their day with me over the last six months.


(My hit counter just went over 10,000, and while I realize J.L.C. is a very tiny, niche corner of the internet, it's still humbling...I don't think I personally know even 1,000 people!)


Thank you all for coming! Next update at 100,000 hits*, so keep clicking!



*(That's e^11.513, or 8.42! for you math types)

Christmas Break, Links, Survey

As we reach the end of Just Like Cooking "Year 1," I wanted to first and foremost thank everyone who dropped in to say hello. I hope you enjoyed it, maybe even learned something, and that my posts prompted some discussion among you and yours.


Brief Survey: What would you like to see as the Blog moves forward? More "everyday chemistry?" More reactions? More structures? More media diatribes? More "deep questions?" Or something I haven't mentioned? 


Please let me know in the comments...thanks!


In case you're up late during the holidays, and want something chemmy to sink your teeth into, here's some link love:


Synthesis of Halichondrin C (seriously, isn't Kishi like 125 years old? Still kickin' though!)
Scalable Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Taxanes (well, we're a few C-H oxidations away from curing cancer here, but it's a stab in an interesting direction)
Paul's "Chemmy" Nominations, 2011


Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa to all readers. Happy New Year, too!

Traffic Spike - Hello, New Readers!

Hello!  I see you surfing by, hopefully stopping to read a bit.  Have you come from my good buddy Chemjobber?  Perhaps one of my other writing homes, like CENtral Science or Totally Synthetic? 

Wanted to say thanks for checking out my still-forming blog.  If there's anything you'd like to share, or something you want me to cover or consider, leave a comment.

Thanks.