Heh

Andrew Wright, friend, fellow blogger, and student in Chi Alpha, refers to a positive impact I had on his life:

[Tobias] Wolff destroyed any residual interest I still had in Ayn Rand and Objectivism, completing the process begun by a series [of] summer conversations with Glen in 2002.

I hoped I was making sense back then. That was really one of my first ministry challenges at Stanford. Andrew was our very first student in Chi Alpha (and he turned into our housemate within weeks of our arrival).

It’s bittersweet seeing him graduate in a few months. On the one hand, my job as a minister will be MUCH easier without Andrew ;), but on the other hand he’s our last link to the beginning. We will have officially cycled a student generation.

I was pretty heartened by his last paragaph:

Commencing the last quarter at Stanford – the last 3 months of indiscretion of my life, but to cram all of the fun and folly of the past 4 years into one quarter would probably kill me. Rather than resolving to live it up, I’m hoping to end on a note that is simultaneously reflective and forward looking, a sort of transcendent Buddha-like coasting into the next higher phase.

We’ll be watching, Andrew. 🙂

Dr. Frankenmouse

Creepy squared:

In one of the most controversial scientific projects ever conceived, a group of university researchers in California’s Silicon Valley is preparing to create a mouse whose brain will be composed entirely of human cells.

Researchers at Stanford University have already succeeded in breeding mice with brains that are one per cent human cells.

In the next stage they plan to use stem cells from aborted foetuses to create an animal whose brain cells are 100 per cent human.

No, you did not misread. Stanford scientists are planning to make a mouse whose brain is composed of dead babies’ brain cells.

Rats of Nimh, anyone?

full story (or read another, broader story on the same issue)