August rundown

31 August 2018 on monthly and rundown. 8 minutes

Hello everyone! Welcome to my newly established monthly blog post where I reflect on my favorite things from the month. The categories are subject to change in the future, and suggestions are always welcome!

Quick links:

Article or otherwise useful academic resource

This section is intended to be an interesting or thought provoking journal article or news article that I read during the month. It's also possible it will be a thread from twitter. (because I follow great people with interesting perspectives!)

Bias detectives: the researchers striving to make algorithms fair

My research advisor shared this article with us last month, and I think it's really important for not only researchers and people creating predictive algorithms and data-driven solutions, but also anyone who looks at the results of those and interprets any sort of data. We tend to think of data summaries as such objective truths without stopping to understand the story behind the data and what biases it may be hiding. From the article: “What concerns me most is the idea that we’re coming up with systems that are supposed to ameliorate problems [but] that might end up exacerbating them.” For example, predicting crime rates based on arrest history only tells you who is being arrested, not who is committing crimes. When a subpopulation is unfairly targeted for arrest (as we know is the case for black people in America), then an algorithm using arrest data will unfairly suggest that black people are a higher risk for committing crimes.

Poem(s)

I honestly haven't read much poetry this month (we'll see how much worse this gets once my classes start). But I did read these two that are by the same author, Hieu Minh Nguyen, and on the same page.

Still, Somehow: Two Poems by Hieu Minh Nguyen

The art above is called In the Woods, by Kyung Koo Kang. Pictured on the linked page and from the collection of Korean Art Museum Association.

Music

Bubblin by Anderson .Paak and Busta Rhymes

Hello this song is so fun! I didn't find it this month, but it's one of the only songs I've made time for instead of the two albums I've mostly just been listening to on repeat since they dropped this month.

Sweetener (the whole album by Ariana Grande)

I think I'm an Ariana Grande fan now?? I've never listened to her albums before this one, but God is a Woman is such a jam, so I listened to it the day it dropped and have liked it more every time I've listened since. My other favorites on the album besides R.E.M are pete davidson, sweetener, get well soon, breathin', the light is coming (where she defintely sounds like Gwen Stefani to me?), blazed, and also borderline. So most of them..

Swimming (also the whole album) by Mac Miller

Look this album is great and I also didn't expect it to like it so much. (I mean more than I expected to like Ariana's because I actually listened to him before this.) Jet Fuel was my favorite on my first listen-through. My other favs in no order are What's the Use?, Hurt Feelings, Self Care, Ladders, and Dunno.

Podcast

Binge Mode: Harry Potter

If you read my July post, you'll note that my podcast last month was the same (but a different episode!) I picked this episode because it's one of the bonus episodes (not directly about book chapters or a specific movie), and it talks about the significance of the Harry Potter fan community and how fun it's been to love Harry Potter and have people to share that with! Which is true! Special shoutout to my dad for reading the books with me and taking me to the midnight releases.

Adventure

I got to hang out in Ann Arbor!

I think the theme of this month has been routines? I've listened to the same music on repeat; I've listened to the same podcast as often as they release episodes. But it's been great! I've been writing (for my research); I started fabric painting! (but not on any real clothes yet because I'm still intimidated). I got to do a pub cycle with my pals (hbd LB!) I've been hanging out with Charles. And now I'm planning a camping trip with Zack for Labor Day Weekend (stay tuned for good or bad tales from that next month)

So I guess here are some pictures of some normal stuff that I've had time for since it's summer:

We have nice running sunrises whenever I can get myself out of bed to see them (special thanks to Adam Vandusen for agreeing to meet me at 7 am and mututally prepare for these half marathons we're definitely ready for)

Happy pub-cylcists! Except maybe Pranjal whose seat was missing a seat belt and a pedal.

This is what I get on those days I decide to go into work really early to write.

Fabric painting/fun with stencils! One day I'll have cool decorated jeans.

Food is better with pals. 10/10 would now recommend a potluck brunch. (good idea, Pranjal, even though I was secretly very skeptical)

This happy dinner I made for myself when my roommate was gone

Sweet potato fries with blue cheese, honey, and sriracha.

It doesn't get better. It's so good.

So this is vegetarian (not vegan), and also not really that noteworthy other than the fact that I really loved it. It's a black bean burger with some homemade sweet potato fries (including the undisputably best possible combination of toppings for sweet potato fries) and a mango lager I brought back with me from Asheville.

Charles update

Charles is my 16 month old cat, and everyone deserves at least one picture of him per month, so I'll pick my favorites.

This beautiful sweet boy went to the vet this month and was so very scared but didn't flinch at all at his shots! Proud of this sometimes (usually not?) brave little guy.

Person

Person of the month, photo of the month - it's just a cool thing I want to talk about that doesn't have another category.

This was bound to happen soon enough, but my person of the month this month is Mr. Zack Hewitt. He is an awesome human and constantly makes me feel like an awesome human who can take on the world! Thank you, Zack, for your love and support (and for flowers and chocolates and so many other things). You make my life more fun and manageable, and I'm so happy you're in it! Even if I wish you lived a little closer and could be in it more.

Jeremiah Hauth