http://artins.org/ben Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:41:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I didn't know that Boy Scouts are institutionally so religious and homophobic that religious organizations have shunned them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Scouts_of_America_membership_controversies Whooping cough, dangerous to infants, surging; thank your vaccine-denialist friends. http://www.superbugtheblog.com/2010/07/whooping-cough-back-with-vengeance.html Fabulous graduation speech brings up many things that are wrong with today's high school education in the US. http://www.sott.net/articles/show/212383-Valedictorian-Speaks-Out-Against-Schooling-in-Graduation-Speech A very good article on happiness of parenting (and lack thereof). http://nymag.com/print/?/news/features/67024/ Study about relative benefits of compressions-only CPR and CPR with rescue breathing. Summary: learn CPR! http://www.theheart.org/article/1106815.do Sigh; the original idea is explicitly about free-thinking schools, but politicians are now talking about atheist schools. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-10791997 I, for one, welcome our new pancake-flipping overlords. http://programming-by-demonstration.org/showVideo.php?video=23 Given that this kind of behavior was present in the early days of biotech, today's non-compete clauses aren't a surprise. http://boscoh.com/protein/the-2-billion-dollar-protein-sequencing-error Nice poem by Rudyard Kipling (though overly wordy and male-normative for my taste) http://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/poetry/rudyard-kipling.html Awesome photos of a pilot ejecting and his fighter jet exploding on impact http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/23/4739027-pilot-ejects-an-instant-before-fighterjet-crashes Interesting; part of an overall trend to push more advanced medical care out to mobile units to improve response times http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/98980854.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU Does a movie contain two women who talk to each other about something other than a man? Sadly, rarely. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s&feature=player_embedded Dependency is disempowering. Not exactly breaking news, but a nice reminder, and a story many I know will relate to. http://www.pattyk.com/getting-lost-examining-dependency-and-finding-my-way-home/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PattyK+%28Patty+K%29 A clock that knits a scarf! http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/10606/siren-elise-wilhelmsen-365.html In real life, drownings are not dramatic. http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/ Why are British professional drivers five times as likely to get Legionnaire's disease other British drivers? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10293519 Fascinating and nascent research into microbes that inhabit us. Also, fecal transplants. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/science/13micro.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all Hooray, same-sex marriage in Argentina. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10630683 Classy: attempted ordination of women officially declared a most serious of crimes by the Vatican. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Europe/Ordination-of-women-priests-a-crime-against-faith-Vatican/articleshow/6172615.cms "You don’t get brave first, then take action. You take action first, and doing so makes you brave." http://www.pattyk.com/taking-action-on-the-stuff-that-scares-me/ Further movement towards allowing Anglican women bishops; parishes will not be given the right to demand a male bishop. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10603968 Scientific analysis of scientific expertise among scientists who question anthropogenic climate change, which I imagine will be dismissed with pseudo-scientific counterpoints. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100625185428.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29 http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/06/21/4540034-aurora-australis-seen-from-space Awesome picture of carrots http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carrots_of_many_colors.jpg http://vimeo.com/12816548 Balloons! http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/lighter_than_air.html Home births improve mother's recovery, decrease baby's chance of survival. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10465473.stm This is two-year program that I went to before I came to the US. Apparently some people think it's "anti-American and too closely tied to both the United Nations and radical environmentalism". Heh. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/education/03baccalaureate.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Yay more poly acceptance. Also good as a list of thorny issues you are not alone in struggling with. https://www.ncsfreedom.org/images/pdfs/KAP/2010_poly_web.pdf http://noustuff.wordpress.com/2010/06/19/romantic-songs-make-women-more-open-to-dates/ Nifty! http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65K3YV20100621?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29 OTC pain killers also reduce social pain. http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2010/06/headache_pill_reduce.html Just sayin' http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring-for-your-introvert/2696/ "We cannot protect [children] forever, any more than we can protect ourselves. Let Abby Sunderland sail, and cheer her whether she completes the voyage or not." http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/15/DDJN1DUVCT.DTL This is also useful for directing conversations in the direction of topics that other people might not initiate, but that I want to have (such as sexuality) http://lesswrong.com/lw/2co/how_to_always_have_interesting_conversations/ Overview of statistics about impact of early care (including bystander CPR) on survival after non-traumatic adult cardiac arrest. http://www.chainofsurvival.com/cos/Timing_detail.asp Washington state introduces a law that shields 911 callers reporting drug overdoses from drug possession charges. http://behavioralhealthcentral.com/index.php/20100610226327/Latest-News/911-callers-may-avoid-drug-charges-law-aims-to-accelerate-treatment-of-overdoses-the-spokesman-review-spokane-wash.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20511389 House, MD (S01E16, "Heavy") showed the first incision of transseptal transsphenoid approach to the pituitary. This video shows most of the rest. Not shown in either: the part where the surgeon has to move the nasal septum out of the way (effectively breaking your nose for the duration of the ... http://www.entusa.com/surgery_videos_flash/pituitary_adenoma/transsptal-pituitary-adenoma_flv0.htm Meanwhile, the state of the art today is endoscopic approach (shown in this video from UCLA), in which displacement of the nasal septum is unnecessary, as all the instruments fit in a single nostril, while giving a much better view to the surgeon than the sublabial approach does. Also shown: ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_UQS345C8w Interesting: people who correctly learn they lack control over something and are subsequently given control over it can fail to exercise it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness How we avoid dealing with, and, indeed, even looking at our own problems, and whatever one might do about it. http://lesswrong.com/lw/21b/ugh_fields "[...] you acquire magical powers is not by being born with them, but by seeing, with a sudden shock, that they really are perfectly normal" http://lesswrong.com/lw/qs/einsteins_superpowers/ Overview of recent research on malleability and impermanence of memory http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/03-how-much-of-your-memory-is-true Why rational agents hold irrational beliefs http://lesswrong.com/lw/296/the_tragedy_of_the_social_epistemology_commons/ On grief and current social and psychologists' attitude towards it. http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/02/01/100201crat_atlarge_orourke?currentPage=all He has much good to say about how scary and rewarding personal growth is. http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/04/leadership/ Sigh. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/05/18/article-asking-for-more-comprehensive-sex-education-cut-from-catholic-school-newspaper A good overview of the placebo effect by Olivia Judson, who is all manner of awesome (also see "Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice To All Creation") http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/enhancing-the-placebo/?partner=rss&emc=rss Told you so! "Forgive yourself for you have procrastinated, move on, get over it and you'll be more likely to get going without delay next time around" http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2010/05/cure-for-procrastination-forgive.html "According to Gottman et al, the field of marriage research is in desperate need of (a mathematical) theory. This paper aims to alleviate the need." http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0009881 Remarkable research (with remarkable results) about whether babies possess a moral intuition. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all Teehee http://ebiquity.umbc.edu/blogger/2008/01/19/how-dr-suess-would-prove-the-halting-problem-undecidable/ Interesting ideas about the rise and the impact of differences in education, employment, procreation, and marrying in different parts of the US. http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/st_20100501_5904.php This pretty much sums up my opinion, too: "The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics." http://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/06/sex-and-gender/ An overview of statistics regarding impact of wearing bicycle helmets in the US; reveals some ways in which bicycle helmet wearing matters more in densely populated urban environments. http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/YourHealth/InjuryPrevention/Default.aspx?id=25986 Jon Stewart to "anyone who’s threatening death in the name of religion or politics": Go fuck yourselves. http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-april-22-2010-zoe-saldana Hmm. Interesting idea. Doesn't sound like it's a joy to read, though; I don't find even good Pullman a joy to read. http://www.slate.com/id/2252546/pagenum/all/#p2 Brilliant study: Do congenitally blind men prefer women with the same hip-to-waist ratio as sighted men? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18fob-Bergner-t.html This is why I am not on Facebook anymore https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/facebook-timeline A summary of mechanisms involved in maintaining blood pH, with a diagram of their respective effects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-base_homeostasis Snark! http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2010/04/20/new-age-terrorists-develop-homeopathic-bomb/ What a concept: children can think about complicated things http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/education/edlife/18philosophy-t.html?pagewanted=all 15% of people test positive for HSV-2; 80% of them don't know it (asymptomatic or unrecognized). Prevalence of HSV-2 increases with number of sex partners. Blacks are 3 times as likely to test positive it as whites and women 2 times as likely as men. Risk of HIV transmission is ... http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5915a3.htm?s_cid=mm5915a3_x Very clever. The author argues that, statistically speaking, most published research claims are false, especially in fields where studies are typically small, effects observed are small, scientists have more flexibility to choose study designs, conflicts of interests are present, or there is a lot of contention for publication prestige. Furthermore, ... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182327/ An overview of various research into health benefits of relationships. "The couples who exhibited the most negative and hostile behavior during the conflict discussion showed the largest declines in immune-system function during the 24-hour study period" http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18marriage-t.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all Also in the relationships are good for you department: "Among unmarried patients, those separated at time of diagnosis had the lowest survival, followed by widowed, divorced, and never married patients." http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122573092/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 Nifty. "Couples who demonstrated consistently higher levels of hostile behaviors across both their interactions healed at 60% of the rate of low-hostile couples." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16330726 Formerly a celebrity chef, Ann Cooper now works as head lunch lady for the Berkeley school system, with her sights set on improving the quality of school lunches nation-wide. http://www.chow.com/stories/11358?tag=main_body;item-Story-11358 Adorable! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et5bLpmiGfk&feature=player_embedded An overview of some current theories on the evolutionary basis of religion http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/magazine/04evolution.t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all Some lovely pictures of the erupting volcano. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html Interview with an Iraq vet who left the military as a conscientious observer. http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/12/this_is_how_these_soldiers_were While the nuances of the status of the Vatican and the Holy See in the international law are far from simple, and therefore I don't know if this call is a feasible legal maneuver, I love that there are people who are seriously challenging the ability of the catholic church ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7094310.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=2015164 Boston-based company that takes your used electronics and pays you a fair market price for them, or helps you recycle them if they are worthless. http://www.gazelle.com/ Predictable and infuriating stance: priest pedophilia caused by homosexuality, religious sexual shaming not a factor. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8618878.stm Heart-rending. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549_pf.html http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_specter_the_danger_of_science_denial.html Primary pathophysiology of cyanide poisoning consists of generalized hypoxia and lactic acidosis secondary to inhibited intra-cellular reduction of oxygen, due to disruption of catalytic activity of cytochrome c oxidase by cyanide. http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/48/7/427.pdf Partners of pregnant women can experience shifts in hormone levels and various side-effects of pregnancy, such as morning sickness and nipple hardening. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couvade_syndrome Science-illustration themed pillows and other geeky goodness. http://supermarkethq.com/designer/13425/products Sinead O'Connor spoke out about child sexual abuse in the Catholic church almost twenty years ago (including a performance on Saturday Night Live in which she tore a picture of the Pope), only to be derided, mocked, and booed at. Among her other life ambitions: rescuing God from religion. http://www.eoinbutler.com/home/isnt-sinead-oconnor-overdue-a-massive-grovelling-apology-from-absolutely-everybody/ I like this much better than any other tool I've tried using for the same purpose (evite, mypunchbowl, google calendar, doodle) http://anyvite.com/ This sounds like it provide good understanding of christianity and the bible as human artifacts http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/04/books/review/Meacham-t.html?pagewanted=all&partner=rss&emc=rss Whoa! What's next, a robot that will bathe my cat? http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~pabbeel/personal_robotics.html It is now possible to call out quacks and snake-oil-salesmen in the UK without fear of expensive lawsuits. Yay! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8598472.stm http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1260946/The-stunning-pictures-sleeping-insects-covered-early-morning-dew.html A felted bag incorporating lights that display a knitting pattern. (The video makes much more sense than the description.) I don't much like the user interface, but it's a very neat demo of a very simple, yet potentially useful, hybrid of traditional crafts and modern technology. http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTknowitall.php Much as I am not a fan of traditions with religious overtones, this is a nice counterpoint to "America is a Christian nation" nonsense http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/us/politics/28seder.html?partner=rss&emc=rss A memo from the executive producer of The Unit, David Mamet, to his writers, on what makes for good television drama. http://www.movieline.com/2010/03/david-mamets-memo-to-the-writers-of-the-unit.php A pretty good guide to communication, centered around the notion that everyone makes the error of assuming that others are just like we are, and on the myriad ways the error manifests. http://usualerror.com/e-book/ "Normal people won't change the world. We will." I see a lot of myself in this. http://freakrevolution.com/manifesto/ "How much longer are you going to settle for non-results? How much longer will you keep applying the cowardly approach of feeding your power to something other than what you truly, deeply desire?" http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/02/how-you-give-your-power-away/ It's rather unsettling that after centuries of catholic authority figures repeatedly engaging in acts both illegal and immoral (ranging from armed conflict to physical and sexual abuse of minors) they are still allowed to act above the law (if not to outright write the law). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7069826.ece The saddest part of this is just how clear it is that systemic disempowerment of women in the catholic church is taken for granted by men and women alike. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/health/policy/20abortion.html Hee: Settings goals like "I want a romantic partner" is the equivalent of walking into a restaurant and proclaiming, "I’m hungry. I want some food.” http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/02/how-to-order/ A personal growth guru who is very positive on polyamory. Clearly, I must read all his books! (He and his wife decided to explore polyamory and, with the insights and knowledge thus gained, decided to amicably separate.) http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2009/01/polyamory/ Skiing as a team sport wherein a sighted individual and an impaired individual ski collaboratively http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/779425--visually-impaired-skiers-put-fate-in-guide-s-hands Homeopathic ER skit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0& After this, I will never need therapy again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1g3ENYxg9k&feature=player_embedded