7.21.2010
7.20.2010
Petition to my senators
I get e-mail newsletters from some groups who petitition for government action and sometimes I'll add my name to the cause if I agree with it. The other day I sent in a petition to the 2 Arizona senators John McCain III (the one who ran for president)and Jon Kyl urging them to pass a comprehensive clean energy plan (I may be Canadian, but I pay Arizona taxes so they better listen to what I have to say).
I filled out my name and info and was about to submit, but then for some reason hesitated. My eyes were drawn down to the part of the petition that you can personalize and for some reason I decided to write a few of my thoughts down.note: I've recently read magazine articles in The Atlantic (Here Comes the Neighborhood) and Time (All Aboard) about the environmental and economic benefits in building light-rail networks connecting suburbs to urban centres and utilizing high-speed trains for potential daily commuters.
Here is a bit of that petition:
For the past three months oil has gushed into our Gulf, yet the Senate has not taken up a comprehensive energy bill that will hold polluters accountable and create a clean, sustainable energy plan that breaks our addiction to oil and other dirty fuels.
-- Develop and support a comprehensive clean energy policy at home -- wind, solar, geothermal and other sustainable energy that we can use this decade. Provide incentives and mandates for increased production of clean, safe energy.
-- Hold polluters fully accountable and require them to meet reasonable targets to reduce their greenhouse gas pollution -- or be penalized.
-- Ensure companies pay their fair share of cleaning up their acts and not just lay it off on customers. Revenues generated from making polluters pay should be invested in clean energy and efficiency, and returned to consumers through rebates and incentives to be energy efficient.
-- Prioritize energy efficiency. The cheapest form of energy is energy that's not used. Incentives for weatherization, strong building energy codes and appliance standards improve our standard of living while cutting costs for consumers and reducing the need for more power plants.
*-- Create jobs and Connect the country. The development of a high-speed rail network connecting the major economic centres of the country would:
A) Reduce the high carbon emissions of the current transportation sector (I'll get a little shut-eye on my bed for the overnight train from Seattle to New York City),
B) Create jobs statewide in constructing (will the next John Henry please stand-up) and designing (will the next Frank Lloyd Wright please stand-up) the rail infrastructure, and all the new private businesses running the rail-system afterwards (future commuter: "I'm gonna ride Southwest 'train'lines, bags ride free with them),
C) Create a new transportation industry with entirely domestic profits (Unless the Russian billionaire who now owns the New Jersey Nets wants to stretch his pockets a little further),
D) Hawaii can work on a superlongoceanspanning-bridge or a sweet under-ocean tunnel connecting it to California (I don't even know if those are possible).
E) Raise property values in areas near stops (Phoenix AZ, Las Vegas NV, anywhereUSA),
F) 0%, the chances of any emergency landings in the Hudson River due to Migrating Canadian Geese(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28678669/)
G) 100%, the chances Steven Seagal (the only person known to have ever knocked-down Chuck Norris) would thwart any terrorist plot against the train system.
-Resume: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
-plot: Casey Ryback (The throat-chopping master) is traveling with his niece on a train, which is hijacked by terrorists.
The terrorists need a moving headquarters, so they can take over a satellite capable of vaporizing anything in its path (you know Osama Bin Laden has one of these lying in the back closet of his cave).
The government can't stop them from destroying Washington and also rupturing a nuclear reactor, killing millions.
Casey Ryback uses his Navy-Seal training, primarily the throat-chop, to take out all of the terrorists in an action-packed ride.
H) It's win, win, win for The Economy, The Global Warming Crisis, and Joe The Average Railroad Worker.
*My personalized message
The Gulf oil-spill nightmare is a national tragedy, but it also can be a catalyst for changing how America develops and uses energy. For too long Washington has ignored our growing problem of dependence on foreign oil and dirty energy production. The time has come to take up and pass a comprehensive energy bill now and I urge you as my Senator to do all you can to make that happen.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
7.16.2010
Ever wonder how to dig a hole at the bottom of the ocean...
Dot Earth: BP, Shell and the Design of Deep Wells As the gulf gusher stops, an opportunity to compare how different companies do deep drilling.
The video is a presentation from a Shell engineer describing how exactly deep sea oil drilling works and why their system is safer than BP's. It's pretty long but you can skip ahead to around 13:00 where he describes how this concept is humanly possible and why BP sucks.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/bp-shell-and-the-design-of-deep-wells/
The video is a presentation from a Shell engineer describing how exactly deep sea oil drilling works and why their system is safer than BP's. It's pretty long but you can skip ahead to around 13:00 where he describes how this concept is humanly possible and why BP sucks.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/bp-shell-and-the-design-of-deep-wells/
7.13.2010
A chemical to make brain cells grow: Mental decline thwarted in aging rats
Scientists have discovered a compound that restores the capacity to form new memories in aging rats, likely by improving the survival of newborn neurons in the brain's memory hub. The research, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, has turned up clues to a neuroprotective mechanism that could lead to a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
LOL
These gave me a good chuckle.
Quotes of things people actually said in U.S. courts from a book titled, Disorder in the American Courts, published by court reporters.
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about 20, medium height, and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town, I'm going with male.
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
A Friendly Rivalry
A Kiwi ventriloquist visiting Australia walks into a small village and sees a local sitting on his veranda patting his dog.
He figures he'll have a little fun, so he says to the local, “G'day, mind if I talk to your dog?”
Villager: “The dog doesn't talk, you stupid Kiwi.”
Ventriloquist: “Hello dog, how's it going, mate?”
Dog: “Yeah, doin' all right.”
Aussie (look of extreme shock)
Ventriloquist: “Is this villager your owner?” (pointing at the villager)
Dog: “Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Dog: “Yeah, real good. He walks me twice a day, feeds me great food, and takes me to the lake now and again to play.”
Aussie: (look of utter disbelief)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your horse?”
Aussie: “Uh, the horse doesn't talk either... I think.”
Ventriloquist: “Hey horse, how's it going?”
Horse: “Cool.”
Aussie: (absolutely dumbfounded)
Ventriloquist: “Is this your owner?” (Pointing at the villager)
Horse: ”Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Horse: ”Pretty good, thanks for asking. He rides me regularly, brushes me down often, and keeps me in the shed to protect me from the elements.”
Aussie: (total look of amazement)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your sheep?”
Aussie (in a panic): “The sheep's a compulsive liar.”
http://www.caseyresearch.com/displayCdd.php?id=479
Quotes of things people actually said in U.S. courts from a book titled, Disorder in the American Courts, published by court reporters.
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about 20, medium height, and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town, I'm going with male.
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK?
What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
A Friendly Rivalry
A Kiwi ventriloquist visiting Australia walks into a small village and sees a local sitting on his veranda patting his dog.
He figures he'll have a little fun, so he says to the local, “G'day, mind if I talk to your dog?”
Villager: “The dog doesn't talk, you stupid Kiwi.”
Ventriloquist: “Hello dog, how's it going, mate?”
Dog: “Yeah, doin' all right.”
Aussie (look of extreme shock)
Ventriloquist: “Is this villager your owner?” (pointing at the villager)
Dog: “Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Dog: “Yeah, real good. He walks me twice a day, feeds me great food, and takes me to the lake now and again to play.”
Aussie: (look of utter disbelief)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your horse?”
Aussie: “Uh, the horse doesn't talk either... I think.”
Ventriloquist: “Hey horse, how's it going?”
Horse: “Cool.”
Aussie: (absolutely dumbfounded)
Ventriloquist: “Is this your owner?” (Pointing at the villager)
Horse: ”Yep.”
Ventriloquist: “How does he treat you?”
Horse: ”Pretty good, thanks for asking. He rides me regularly, brushes me down often, and keeps me in the shed to protect me from the elements.”
Aussie: (total look of amazement)
Ventriloquist: “Mind if I talk to your sheep?”
Aussie (in a panic): “The sheep's a compulsive liar.”
http://www.caseyresearch.com/displayCdd.php?id=479
7.09.2010
7.08.2010
Outliers by Malcolm GladwellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gladwell uses several stories to support his hypothesis that a person's innate abilities do not solely determine their success in life. He argues that it is also, if not more, important to understand the situations and circumstances throughout a person's life to pick out a true "Outlier."
View all my reviews >>
Battling global warming...with whale poop
6.07.2010
Come on med schools, pick up the slack
Until recently, most medical schools provided little information on financial factors, like how the insurance system works and how treatment costs affect patients’ behavior.
6.03.2010
Technology's smallest microscope, medicine's biggest ally
Engineer invents world's smallest, lightest telemedicine microscope
-Aydogan Ozcan, whose invention of a novel lensless imaging technology for use in telemedicine could radically transform global health care, has now taken his work a step further -- or tinier: The UCLA engineer has created a miniature microscope, the world's smallest and lightest for telemedicine applications.
-Telemedicine involves performing medical tests in the field and requires portable tools in a resource-limited environment and integration into a medical network e.g. hospital or central lab.
-This lensless microscope solves both these problems: (a) it is small & lightweight, and (b) simple to operate - anyone (not necessarily a doctor) can use it, and then upload the digital image via smart phone/computer to be analyzed by a medical professional.
-Potential to monitor diseases and water quality in 3rd world countries with limited health care facilities, and at a realistic cost.
http://www.physorg.com/news191170981.html
http://www.physorg.com/news191170981.html
Quantum mechanics drives photosynthesis - you lost me at quantum
-Everyone has heard of photosynthesis - a process used by green plants to convert sunlight into electrochemical energy at an efficiency of nearly 100%.
-Although the overall pathway and major players are known for this process, the nitty-gritty details have eluded scientists, until now.
-Physical chemists at UC Berkeley observed 'entanglement' (a distinctive property of quantum mechanical systems) in the light harvesting complex in plants.
-Importance: huge step towards developing (a) artificial photosynthesis systems as renewable, non-polluting electrical energy sources and (b) quantum-based technologies e.g. quantum computers which are potentially thousands of times faster than conventional computers.
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2010/05/10/untangling-quantum-entanglement/
It's about time windmills grew sea-legs
After nine years of review, the approval of the 130-turbine farm off the coast of Cape Cod gives a significant boost to the nascent offshore wind industry n the U.S.
6.02.2010
Nanofoods - coming soon to a grocery store near you
Dangerous tampering of the fruits of nature or the solution to ending world hunger? My-oh-my, what a future debate this is going to be.
http://food.change.org/blog/view/are_nanofoods_sustainable
http://food.change.org/blog/view/are_nanofoods_sustainable
6.01.2010
Low battery? Just plug it in...to yourself
MEMS device generates power from body heat -- In an attempt to develop a power source that is compact, environmentally friendly, and has an unlimited lifetime, a team of researchers from Singapore has fabricated an energy harvesting device that generates electricity from body heat or any environment where there is a temperature gradient. Their device, called a thermoelectric power generator, attaches to the body and generates a power output of a few microwatts, which could be useful for powering implanted medical devices and wireless sensors.
How to make a cell for dummies
Peering Over the Fortress That Is the Mighty Cell
The scientists who created a synthetic variant are in debt to nature, time and billions of years of evolution.
The scientists who created a synthetic variant are in debt to nature, time and billions of years of evolution.
Just another day in the life of a carbon nanotube
Carbon Nanotubes Boost Cancer-Fighting Cells
-One defensive strategy in the human immune system utilizes T cells, which are able to detect bad stuff in the body, replicate in lymph nodes, and then induce a strong immune response.
-Tumor cells are able to survive because they prevent tumor-specific T cells from replicating and therefore suppress any immune response.
-A technique called 'Adoptive Immunotherapy' is a treatment option, where patient's blood is drawn and T cells are stimulated and replicated in the lab before being transferred back into the patient.
-A major drawback right now is that it can take several weeks until sufficient T cells are produced.
-Yale scientists have found that carbon nanotubes mimic lymph nodes in the lab and reduce the time to produce enough tumor-fighting T cells by 1/3.
-All that is needed now is find an efficient way of removing the carbon nanotubes before re-injecting the T cells into the patient.
-One defensive strategy in the human immune system utilizes T cells, which are able to detect bad stuff in the body, replicate in lymph nodes, and then induce a strong immune response.
-Tumor cells are able to survive because they prevent tumor-specific T cells from replicating and therefore suppress any immune response.
-A technique called 'Adoptive Immunotherapy' is a treatment option, where patient's blood is drawn and T cells are stimulated and replicated in the lab before being transferred back into the patient.
-A major drawback right now is that it can take several weeks until sufficient T cells are produced.
-All that is needed now is find an efficient way of removing the carbon nanotubes before re-injecting the T cells into the patient.
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