Finestkind! My favorite random web material...

I was right!

2006-10-18T15:50:00.000-04:00

So, I was watching Monday Night Football and was just disgusted with what a bad game it was - so I turned it off. Then I thought, "What if the Bears pull this off?" So I turned the TV back on ... and got to see the Cardinals all-time choke job!

Maybe the ANC is proving that power is a corrupting influence...

Interesting link to research on a possible genetic cause for autism ... as opposed to blaming things like vaccines.

This isn't what I think of as having "total recall," but it's an interesting idea for recording your life ... the next step past videotapes, I guess. The privacy implications are huge, though. Do I want to be in your recordings?!

Wow - the base at Cheyenne Mountain is being stood down. Boy, has the world changed. Love the "War Games" reference.

Good news ... I can keep eating sushi.

That's all, folks!

Catching up on a Saturday morning...

2006-10-14T10:23:00.000-04:00

Here's further proof that some people shouldn't be parents.

On the other hand, some people may just be super parents ... are at least have super-sized families. Personally, I still have that twinge from my childhood about zero-population growth ... and the idea of six kids just overwhelms me!

On the pop-culture front, here's an interesting look at the place of sports in our society: men delay ER visits during televised games.

Worse yet, being a sports fan could actually be a reason for health problems! But I'm still cheering for my teams ... they can't scare me!

It's interesting to see that Halloween has become such a big deal as an adult holiday. Maybe it's just that we've become a more hedonistic society - any excuse for a holiday. However, I think a lot has to do with people taking the excuse to be more either more child-like ... or just retreating from the conformity and blandness of everyday life. I'm really not sure which theory I like better.

Moving on to politics and ethics ...

I had a friend in high school who used to try advancing the theory that homosexuality was "wrong" because it wasn't "in nature." In college I learned that wasn't true - and it's good to see the information about animal sexuality making it into the news and being studies. Here's more. The point about infanticide is interesting ... I remember making it myself years ago. However, this should at least quell any reasonable people from calling homosexuality "unnatural."

I'm very interested to see the fall-out around Robert Woodward's third book on the Bush presidency. Those who have been attacking and defending his past books probably find themselves in an awkward position now. However, both the positive and negative seem to fit the impression I've already had - that this is a group who had a clear vision and moved forward smoothly to implement it - but didn't see its limitations and then couldn't deal as effectively with reality when it turned out that life wasn't as clear as that vision.

Just to prove that I'm not just an anti-Bush leftist ... this guy who claims that the government set up 9/11 IS a real nut. I just can't buy that kind of conspiracy theory. Though I've said that the Bush administration is all about "the ends justifying the means," I don't think even they would go this far!

But some people DO go too far ... we spend a lot of time these days talking about the confluence between Islam and violence. Looking at Northern Ireland is a reminder that one religion does not (and has not) had a monopoly on such practices.

Finishing up with med/tech news:

Looks like we might someday soon test people and figure out who is pre-disposed to having depressive reactions to stress.

More stuff is going into the Google library.

There are further advances in software language translation.

I must be feeling negative today...

2006-10-11T10:18:00.000-04:00

No matter what number you believe - 50,000 or 655,000 - it's still terribly sad that so many people have died in Iraq (and elsewhere, of course). Whether you're talking about gang violence, school shootings, ethnic strife, wars ... it's always hard for me to believe that so many people place so little value on the lives of others.

Sticking with the theme of unfathomable hate ... this racist act by a small group of Croation soccer fans is really disturbing. I only hope they aren't representative of a tolerance for these beliefs in the rest of that country.

These kind of fears and hatred feed another of my pet peeves: negative campaigning. Too bad the Republicans have proved that it works ... as they're so much better than the Dems at doing it.

Speaking of campaigns ... In most cases, I'm into alternative marketing. However, I'm not a big fan of the tactics used in the lonelygirl15 campaign. It reminds me of the underhanded direct mail pieces that use what looks like personally written post-it notes. I think it's unethical to purposefully hide the fact that you're advertising.

There's unethical, then there are things that are just unconscionable, like a woman who uses her baby as a weapon to strike someone. It would be a horrible infringement on personal liberty, but I'm tempted to say that people should have to meet some basic criteria before having children. We make people get a license to drive, right?!

OK, enough of me being negative ...

I heard about a book "Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets" and may just have to read it. I'm not sure if it's disturbing or comforting to think that my career may be more or less successful simply because of luck.

It's interesting to see a company actually discouraging the use of hemorroid cream for clearing up bags under your eyes. I've heard that treatment suggested before, and figured they would welcome additional use of their product.

Here's a semi-interesting look at male body-image worries and media exposure. But I love the finishing quote from Jack LaLanne: ""I can't afford to die. It would wreck my image."

Eat more chili! Lycopene is good for you. However, I'm not sure I'm going to manage getting quite that many tomatoes into my diet every day.

I have kids who are engaged in many activities and I've always thought that was a good thing. However, I also think you can overdo it, so I'm glad to see this advice to give kids free time.

Good advice for all of us, actually.

More human than human?

2006-10-05T14:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't gotten to read the full article, but this summary/introduction of Time's "What makes us human" was interesting. Fun with genetics!

More genetics: the Nobel prize for two guys who have found a way to turn off specific genes, which has interesting implications for research and medical treatments.

Maybe they'll find a gene therapy that enables us to live with less sleep. In the meantime, there's more evidence that even minor sleep deprivation is bad. Bad news for those of us who can't help thinking of sleep as a waste of precious time...

Here's an interesting problem ... when is infant mortality due to premature birth - as opposed to specific causes that may have resulted from that condition?

How's this for a hospital case: 'A bug's eating my eardrum."

Of course, going to the hospital could lead to unexpected problems if your health records aren't kept safe.

Speaking of technology, I've never heard of this concept ... a single pixel camera.

And how about a robot that can improvise music during a jam session?

I'm not sure about that - but I'd really value a car that could drive through my morning commute for me. Now THERE'S a good time for sleep!

Back to the world of pictures and art ... these clever shopping bags are really neat! Good advertising ideas.

In contrast - this promotion didn't quite go as planned.

Speaking of which ... nice 'stop smoking' campaign idea.

Here's a different kind of art ... a sea lion who paints.

More stupid criminal tricks: One guy made himself feel at home, while another uses theft as an excuse for drug possession.

Of course, these folks just kidnapped their daughter on her wedding day.

Speaking of human stupidity, let's hear it for Paul Weyrich. In an NPR interview, this self-important, uninformed, religious right, bigoted moron had this to say about the Foley case: "Here is the real problem. It has been known for many years that Congressman Foley was a homosexual. Homosexuals tend to be pre-occupied with sex. The idea that he should be continued... or should have been continued... as chairman of a committee on missing and exploited children is, you know, given their knowledge of that, is just outrageous."

We'll be back with more from the school of self-righteous stupidity in just a moment.

Getting slightly political...

2006-09-29T16:09:00.001-04:00

I try to be open-minded, but it really makes me wonder if the Islamic faith can co-exist with an open society when an opera is cancelled for fear of violence. Or did they over-estimate the negative reaction. I can understand anger - heck, lots of people got upset about the 'Piss Christ', Kevin Smith's Dogma, etc. It's the level of anger and threat of violent reprisal that's scary.

In a tangentially related story ... I am totally looking forward to "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," and love the political upheaval over it! Great timing to point out the questionable nature of the U.S. ties to that government.

Of course, why should Bush worry about human rights or ethics? The end justifies the means, right? That's why he got permission to do warrentless wiretaps and remove due process. The idea that someone living in this country could be arrested and not heard from again is just scary. I grew up thinking that only happened OUTSIDE this country.

But living (and dying) in Iraq is still worse.

Speaking of scary, once you think about it, you can see the huge downside to living without pain.

On a lighter note, NetFlix is doing some fun things with usage data.

Is it really that hard to understand the concept of a serving size?

And to end on a truly bizarre note: some guy lied to his wife, saying that he wrote "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" under an assumed name. When that fib appeared in his obituary, the truth came out!

2006-09-29T16:09:00.000-04:00

Start your engines ... cleanly?

2006-09-27T09:42:00.001-04:00

I can't call it exciting, because it's still an oil-based fuel, but it is good news to see that Honda has developed an "ultra-clean" diesel system.

This is much better news - Silicon Valley is getting serious about the solar power industry. Sounds promising.

On a different technology front, this is good news: Someone may have solved the looming DVD high-def format controversy.

Speaking of television ... As someone who loves movies and certain things on TV, I'm not exactly shocked to see that American homes have more TVs than people. What got me was the family with 8 sets, saying ""No one ever sits down for more than a few seconds in this house ... This way you can watch TV while you're moving from room to room, folding laundry or taking care of the kids." I'm scratching my head over the concept that you need to be watching TV during every activity in your home!

Ah, 10 years of South Park. I don't actually watch it very often, but I enjoy the satire ... and poop jokes. ;-)

I'm the first to champion the separation of church and state ... but since NBC is a private company, I'm not quite sure whey they're taking God references out of VeggieTales. I thought this country was becoming MORE religious, so this doesn't totally make sense from a marketing point of view. I'm also not sure which references you can call "historical," so that's a complicating issue!

I thought 'Garden State' was relatively interesting, but there are some good points in this piece questioning Zach Braff's status as "voice of a generation." He sounds more like a savvy marketer than a visionary!

Going back a bit further in entertainment/art history, they pulled some interesting findings from a 3-D look at the Mona Lisa.

This caught my eye ... low calories diets can cause bone injury risk for female athletes.

Also in sports - a new device should help immediately diagnose concussions during atheletic events.

I just heard friends talking about 'walkers' getting in the way during a race, so I was interested to read about the problems with 'casual' marathon runners. Maybe so, but anyone who can get through 26 miles can't be THAT casual in my book!

Simply weird: A teddy bear is responsible for the death of 2500 trout. Well, actually, someone is responsible for the bear being there. But, still ... it was funny.

If this guy really has located the lost treasures from the Temple of Jerusalem, and they are really in Hammas territory ... Wow. That could get ugly.

Finally, from the "it's all in how you look at it" file: The conclusions from an NIE report on terrorism can be taken to say either:
1) See, we are winning. If we pull out of Iraq, we'll be seen as weak, and terrorists will be emboldened.
or
2) See, we shouldn't have gone into Iraq. We simply fueled the fires of resentment and provided a focus for terrorist recruitment.

2006-09-27T09:42:00.000-04:00

Building from the ground up ...

2006-09-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting take on why football highlights aren't made like they used to be. I used to watch much more of that kind of thing (like SportsCenter) than I do now. I thought it was just me, but maybe not.

On the subject of how things are put together ... If you're busy doing the work, how do you have time to blog about fixing up your house?

I always thought it would be cool to put more of a house below ground (think hobbit holes!) - but this article makes some good points about the problems with underground constructions.

I've heard this argument made about European attitudes before, but it's interesting to see a study saying that letting teens have alcohol at home leads to less binge drinking. Maybe so, but I still balk at the idea instinctually.

Adult stem cells aren't looking too useful yet. Maybe it's a BIT too soon to stop looking at ALL kinds of stem cell research?

Can't help but shake my head...

2006-09-20T13:13:00.000-04:00

So, this is logical ... the pope reads something that criticizes Islam for promoting violence, and some Muslims react by threatening to be violent.

This is just as messed up - a couple ties up their 19 year-old daughter and try to force her to get an abortion. What clinic did they think would perform the procedure on a bound and hysterical woman?!

Is anyone still stupid enough to smoke while pregnant?

Cool tech news - researchers using idle PS3 consoles to study proteins.

Perspective is an interesting thing:
- Ahmadinejad on Bush
- Bush on Ahmadinejad

Here's news about a bizarre tabloid piece that says, "Most American golfers are married to women who cannot keep their clothes on in public" and prints a nude picture of Tiger Woods' wife. Only it isn't her. And neither are any of the nude photos on the web.

2006-09-16T08:44:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big Beatle's fan, but this documentary on John Lennon sounds interesting - if a bit biased. I like the Nixon-Bush comparison.

Sad, but true, your internet activity can often be traced back to you.

With it becoming more prevalent, it's probably important to look at drugs that could prevent diabetes.

This is written in reference to women, but I think it's pretty universal: 'Me' time is important.

I've said before that I'm in favor of doing something about illegal immigration. However, this article does put a more human face on those illegal immigrants - and points out basic economic effects of cracking down. It does (or should) make you think a bit.

This is pretty cool: a micro-minaturist artist. Reminds me of an old phrase about angels on the head of a pin...

I don't care what polls say ... "under God" was a McCarthy era addition to the Pledge of Allegiance and doesn't belong there. Interesting that the original author couldn't include "equality" in the pledge, since that would have been too "controversial." Sad.

Lots of stuff

2006-09-15T11:38:00.000-04:00

It kills me that Bush doesn't think his speech was political. Considering that he spent time justifying the Iraq invasion, he much think his fellow citizens are stupid. Also, considering all the comments that followed, it's pretty clear that it WAS polical.

While I'm on the subject ... here's a shot at Bush with respect to immigration, which (more importantly) makes some interesting points.

In any case, this is an interesting look at the last five years at the stock market.

What's REALLY non-political is this guy... a bit of a finding savant, who is still searching for 9/11 victim remains.

Another group of victimized relatives are the children born just before and after the attacks.

I know lots of people don't like celebrities talking politics, and he is particularly 'left' for some people ... but doesn't George Clooney LOOK presidential? Hey, if Reagan did it...

I like this general's take: to prove our ethics, let's use non-lethal devices here at home when needed - not just abroad.

From the software world ... an interesting attempt to use open-source software in South Africa.

This story is about a security breach of an online site, but I found the site itself interesting: the creation of a virual world - a sort of interactive Sim City.

Speaking of entertainment ... I'm not a huge Will Farrell fan (don't dislike him, just not excited) but I'm curious to see his next movie, 'Stranger than Fiction.' Sort of a 'Truman Show' concept mixed with 'The Neverending Story.'

Do you have one of the best jobs in America?

If your job is in marketing, this is an interesting take on one person's '3 Ps of Successful Marketing.'

I've always been fascinated by the savant syndrome. In this article, the story of the 'aquired' savant skill makes me think there could someday be a way for more/all of us to tap into these kinds of abilities. This article about 'genius' is similarly interesting.

On the subject of enhancing human abilities ... they're doing some amazing stuff with prosthetics.

And it's good to know that I actually like to drink something that's probably good for me: green tea.

September 11th

2006-09-11T15:14:00.000-04:00

I was trying not to make a big deal of today being the 5-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Though that morning and its aftermath remain vivid memories for me, there's part of me that doesn't want to give that much attention to the barbarians who committed this atrocity.

However, as I've thought about it, I have realized that there is good in remembering those who perished, and the bravery and fortitude of those who responded. It's also dangerous to ignore sad fact: that there are people in the world who really do want to destroy those who want to impose their way of life on the world - and are happy to do it by any means necessary.

I simply hope that we also never lose sight of the fact that we should be better than that. The end does not always justify the means.

In any case, I'll post this picture in rememberance of those who died, who endured, and who did their best to help others.

To lighten the mood, I'll link again to a movie I'm looking forward to. Flags of our Fathers is inspired by a photo that is often compared to the one I just posted:

OK - the other important response to 9/11 - the one I felt at the beginning of the day - is to continue to really live life - not live it in fear. So, back to the "normal" blog content...

Soda is bad. Even diet soda. So, I know that ... now I just have to get back to a mindset where I am content with water... *sigh*

This is a potentially biased source, but I do find it disturbing if the lead officer in the Duke lax case is biased against Duke students.

On the brighter side of sports: Two guys in their 20's are establishing a scholarship fund for Ultimate Frisbee players. Nice job!

That's all for now...

Friday ramblings...

2006-09-08T14:54:00.000-04:00

Somewhat randomly, I looked up the Wikipedia article for The Girl from Ipanema. I never thought much of the song, but the history is interesting.

Staying with entertainment: Seeing this article about Burundi reminds me of the reference to it in the movie Dave.

On to the subject of entertainment vs. news ... I know little about The Great Press War of 1897 - so this is quite interesting.

Speaking of history, how cool is Google's project to put historical articles in their news search?

On to politics: Here's a tough one for me: the Democrats' religious conundrum. I'm not religious, so I tend to side against the Republicans, since they tend to take the religious right's views on social issues. So I'd like the Dems to do better. But if they court the religious vote, could the same thing happen to them? *sigh*

At least we aren't as far down the path of religious extremism that you see in Iran. This guy bugs me to no end.

I'm sure it will be politicized at some point, but in the meantime I'll be curious to see how the school designed by Microsoft works out.

Medical news: Looks like this study establishes a fairly firm link between autism and older fathers.

I'm sure it will raise prices, etc ... but it's good to see that veggie marketers are getting smart and using cartoon character "endorsements."

Tangential connection: this is a great article about a boy who doesn't just work through his disability, but uses it to become an extreme wheelchair athlete. The video link is worth a look.

Mostly a Snopes kind of day...

2006-09-01T12:09:00.000-04:00

But first ... how cool is this? Someone got the idea - and backing - to build a full-scale castle using only medieval techniques. And it's paying for itself via tourism, so I must not be the only geek that finds this interesting!

On a more mundane note ... I hate it when people live up (or down, in this case) to stereotypes: can you believe that Jiffy Lube was ripping people off? Dishonest car repair?!

I'm not a big fan of this particular case, but I'm always interested to see viral marketing work. In the case of "Emily's" outing of her cheating "husband," they were quickly found out. But, still ... interesting.

Finally, I'm not a big Bob Dylan fan. I don't think he can actually sing. However, I found this story to be really interesting: false claims that he didn't write "Blowin' in the Wind."

Food for thought...

2006-08-31T15:44:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting debate - economist vs sociologist - on the subject of obesity. Personally, I think they both underappreciated the role that education plays with respect to this subject. Part of education is, I think, a better understanding of long-term implications ... which is important when it comes to health. Of course, my final word is that there's no one answer. Anytime someone tries to point to a single cause (of anything), I feel they're being naive.

Speaking of which ... Rush Limbaugh likes to blame everything on "the left." I'm used to that. But blaming obesity on liberals, UNICEF, and food stamps? Yikes. Talk about simplistic. But I guess I'm used to that from Rush too.

On the subject of eating ... this looks like an interesting book: The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Uh oh, I'm starting to get hungry ...

Ah, this will fix that: Tombstone's Town Hall in Tombstone is so infested with bees, mice, and bat guano that officials want to move.

In other news ... how well do you do erasing data on old cell phones when you get rid of them? Probably not well enough. Maybe you should just throw it.

Do people really need to be told that they shouldn't hug a Swiss cow?

Just a couple things...

2006-08-29T17:02:00.000-04:00

For some reason it interests me that Martin Sheen dropped out of high school, but is now going to get a college degree. In Ireland. With a degree in "English literature, philosophy and oceanography." Odd combination there.

Maybe I'm just a cat person, but I think this video is fun: a cat is enamored with water flushing down a toilet, so he/she keeps flushing it! And I thought that was just in "Meet the Parents."

Now that's a big scoreboard!

2006-08-28T17:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not normally one to get worked up about things like this ... but $8 million for a football scoreboard? That's just nuts.

Here's a quick take on blogs as public relations tools.

I'm getting ready for Fantasy Football drafts, so I like this list of players' average draft positions.

Is your online banking system up to par? I'm not sure about mine...

More catching up

2006-08-25T12:36:00.000-04:00

Here's some other stuff I've been sitting on for a while...

This is called "How your child learns," but it's true for all of us - and is a subject that's always interested me.

I'm with the people who aren't so thrilled with medical organizations beings all about the bottom line. When there are articles talking about your "profit," then maybe being a tax-exempt "non-profit" organization isn't very logical.

In a related note: how much is it worth to prolong your life for a few months?

Stupid criminal trick of the day: Get caught for D.U.I., then claim your four-year-old was really at the wheel! Two busts for the price of one!

Criminal #2: "Hit and run grannies." Ouch.

This is fun - instructions on how to actually speak to a person when you call major companies.

This is for my kids ... and dad: Eat your veggies!

Speaking of kids ... apparently some people just aren't welcoming rambunctious tykes anymore.

I just hope they fix this situation before my kids finish college ... I want them to get jobs!

Listen to radio online:
1) English WWI vets are being pardoned of "cowardice" charges ... after they were shot for not being able to deal with PTSD after years of service, in some cases.
2) L. Frank Baum was racist?! Can't beat 'em ... wipe 'em out!

This is a bit controversial ... do women create the gender pay gap?

Catching up

2006-08-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

I've been lazy about posting recently, so here are lots of things from the past few days...

I always feel like I SHOULD volunteer, but never seem to fit it in. So, I like the possibilities inherent in the concept of doing online charity work.

I love YouTube, so I had to link to this article about the site.

If flying robots will result in fewer dropped cell phone calls, then I'm all for it!

So, the FBI has nothing better to do than try to stop adults from watching porn at hotels? That's an interesting "conservative" worldview... so much for "less government."

I give this guy a ton of credit for going public about his HIV-positive status ... and more credit for trying to help others avoid the same fate - or at least be proactive about reducing the spread of the disease.

Hah! I KNEW that exercise was bad for you. Well, not really - but I'll take any excuses I can find!

Here's a fascinating (to me) article about the placebo effect. Looks like there is SOME credibility to the idea that faith healing, mind-over-matter, etc are tapping into something physiological.

Let's hear it for adult kickball leagues! Mine's not quite like some of these though ... especially the topless one. But we did experiment with team themes for a bit!

So, younger siblings are funnier ... I'm glad it's not just me. At least we first children can fall back on the whole world leader thing.

More later...

2006-08-15T15:10:00.000-04:00

Wow ... according to this, the pharmaceutical industry spends $30,000 per physician on promotion to doctors. I believe that most doctors try to do the right thing - but the definition of "right" is dependent upon the information they get.

So, the stuff about "thought leaders" is most scary to me. Their testimony to other doctors is likely to be seen as legitimate, but there's little to no visibility of their links to drug companies. As someone with a little marketing research background, I also abhor the idea of refusing to publish studies that don't support marketing conclusions.

Personally, I assume that home-buying trends move slowly - most of us won't flip homes casually - you just lose too much money. But this article has a point about the long-term effect of rising gas prices: it makes suburbs less attractive.

I went to a pretty big-name school and have often wondered how important that was (aside from being a great experience). So I find this interesting: looking at alternatives to the Ivy League and such.

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure I visited the Catskill Game Farm as a kid. Too bad it's closing.

I found it to be disjointed writing, but there's some interesting stuff in Jill Carol's story.

Good stuff: Bill Gates working for AIDS prevention.

On a much lighter note - here's a blurb about why the NBA uses a 24-second shot clock. Most of it is old news to b-ball fans, but I didn't know the reason for that particular number of seconds. So, the explanation at the end is intersting.

Speaking of basketball ... Duke's in the news for a speech given there about the "Arabic world."

I like satellite navigation. I love reading about "The Knowledge" test in London!

Finally ... As one who notices wine ratings when they're posted in my local store, I was interested to read questions about their validity.

There's no theme today ...

2006-08-07T15:04:00.000-04:00

Let's lead things off with more stupid criminal tricks.

Speaking of stupid - this woman called 911 in an attempt to find a "cute cop."

Here's a really interesting article about social isolation, lonliness, and depression in several different demographic groups.

Here's more evidence that the US government may have moved too fast on RFID passports. IMHO, the technology has promise for many applications - but this isn't one of them.

Look, I'm not exactly a fan of the current administration, but I think these 9/11 conspiracy theory folks are wacky. Maybe they'll be vindicated someday and Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld will look even scarier than they already do ... but I seriously doubt it.

I don't watch golf, but it's fun to be a sports fan and hear about how Tiger Woods makes history on a regular basis. By the way ... how in the world has it been 10 years since he started playing on tour? Where does the time go?

New evidence: jobs are bad for your health. Boy, do I need to win the lottery!

You've got to love a diet that tells you to eat six times a day. No, seriously, you do! I must think about this ... much as I hate to admit it, I just can't eat whatever I want anymore.

Here's a slightly confusing article that pretty much rips the DA in Durham, NC over his handling of the Duke Lacrosse case. I find some facts about the players to be disturbing and if the alleged victim really was raped, she has all my sympathy. But it seems to be clear that she's got some real issues and - even more so - that Nifong is an ethical black hole, at least in this case. He's also not looking very smart, given that he had to know these documents, strange procedures, and contradictions would come out. Maybe he knows something that the public doesn't. We'll see.

Over-simplification

2006-08-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

I personally have trouble believing in this stuff, but there's a new study linking violent video games to aggressive behavior in children. My point is this: maybe it CAN have an impact, but moderation and, more importantly, good parenting are FAR more important. Blaming video games (like blaming rock music or Dungeons & Dragons when I was younger) is just over-simplifying things.

Speaking of violence ...
On general principles, I'm behind the Israeli response to Hezbollah. But I still don't get the concept of telling civilians to leave - then blowing up the roads and bridges they'd use to get out. In the end, it seems like this situation should be simpler:
1) Israel agrees to go back to using the pre-1967 borders.
2) Every other Middle-Eastern country agrees to "recognize" Israel and refrain from any violence.
3) Every country in the area - and in the UN - agrees to clamp down on any non-governmental agression against Israel. This probably means putting international troops in these border areas outside Israel.

I know it's not really that easy, but it would certainly be sensible. The problem is the "or what?" question. What if anyone violates those terms - especially #3? I'd love to see the UN have a specific agreement that every member country would then commit X number of troops to a force that would invade and depose any government that does. I'm generally anti-war for just about any reason, but without teeth this kind of agreement won't be kept.

Of course, another issue is figuring out an inducement for countries like Syria and Iran to go along ... what's in it for them? I can also see that the real wild-cards are Hammas, Hezbollah, etc. How can you enforce a treaty with an entity that doesn't exist in a geographical sense? In the end - I guess that's why this is so complicated. That, and ethnic/relgious fanaticism and hate. Ugh.

Now I'm the one who's over-simplifying, right?! The real, long-term answer is more likely to actually lie in raising the standard of living in this part of the Middle East. People who are busy working jobs to maintain a comfortable standard of living are much less likely to be joining terrorist organizations.

Back to the subject of foul play ... I once again ask: Why can't/don't we make Congress stop aggregating bills, so they can just vote on one issue at a time?

I usually also love to bash Microsoft, but I give them credit, today anyway, for opening up their new operating system for hacker testing.

While giving credit - how about the French taking the Zidane World Cup head-butt embarrassment and turning it into a national joke and popular song? Can you imagine this happening if an American athlete - say, a basketball player - had a poor sportsman-like, brain-fart that cost us an Olympic gold medal?

From the silly files... I honestly didn't read this whole thing, but am impressed by the concept of creating a poem to highlight the vagaries of English pronunciation and spelling!

Here's a case that illustrates how tricky memory is: an example of people who swear to remembering a TV scene that was never actually on the air.

How cool is this? They're going to use X-rays to read a document by Archimedes that has been hidden under later writing.

I have to try this: baking cookies on your car's dashboard.

Science, sports, schools, careers

2006-08-03T16:04:00.000-04:00

Any time I see this kind of headline, it's a good start to my day: "Evolution opponents suffer setback." Nice to see the sane Kansas Republicans coming through.

I have to give some props to the University of Oklahoma for doing the "right" thing and permanently kicking their star quarterback off the team, rather than just suspending him for a bit. Or maybe since it was such an obvious violation, they just decided he was too dumb to run the team...

Here's a contrarian, who titles his article "The Myth of America's Failing Schools."

An "osbesity vaccine" or two could be on the way. Will it be in time to save my aging (and expanding) waistline?

Here's the text of a really nice commencement speech by Steve Jobs. I want to believe him, but can't help wondering whether many of us aren't going to be able to work at jobs we love. He really glosses over the dedication needed - and the risks inherent - in his formula.

You're fooling yourself...

2006-08-02T14:45:00.000-04:00

So, I'm a bit torn. Part of me is totally with Stephen King and John Irving - hoping JK Rowling doesn't kill off Harry Potter. On the flip side, I tend to admire people who don't "go Hollywood" and stick to a traditional ending. In the end though, I'm fooling myself if I think I won't be depressed if one of the big three characters gets killed off - and I'm sure that at least one will.

Now, here's a case where I think everyone involved is pretty much fooling themselves, as a group "ordains" eight women as Catholic priests. First of all, a necessary disclaimer:
1) I'm not Catholic, and not really even religious.
2) I think women should be ordained, and that the Catholic Church's policy on this matter is discriminatory.

That's my opinion. However, these women and this group are nuts if they think that these stunts actually help that cause. They're even crazier if they really think that they're actually Catholics. As I like to say, Catholicism isn't an "a la cart" religion - they're very clear that you should accept all church dogma. So, heck, just using the phrase "Today we give honor to our mother God" is enough to show that they're not on board with the Catholic faith. They also invoked non-sainted/non-Catholic martyrs, so I'm just not sure where they're going with this. And that's not even getting to the heart of the conflict!

On the flip side, the Church is fooling itself if its proponents and spokesmen really believe that "It has nothing to do with discrimination or prejudice." The reasoning? "The Catholic Church believes that the reservation of the priesthood for men is not only rooted in a rich theological understanding of Jesus as true God and true man, and how the priesthood sacramentally and theologically represents the person of Christ, but also in the very intention and practice of Jesus in creating the ministerial priesthood."

To which I must say, "So, your point is?" Discrimination means "Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit." No matter what the reasoning, that's exactly what the church does. Furthermore, if you're going to admit that "Jesus raised women to unparalleled status in the world of his day, yet he did not call any women to the specific ministry entrusted to his apostles," then maybe you should consider the concept that he didn't think the world was ready for him to go that far, but that he was setting the stage.

Yeesh.

On a lighter note, I always say that mowing the lawn and shoveling the driveway are sometimes just about my only form of exercise - but this guy is serious about it!

An Indian film crew apparently was having problems with auto-flush toilets. Is it just me, or do those seem to go off at the wrong times just about as often as they're correct?!

I love stupid criminals. And you think you'd actually LOOK at an ID if you stole it, right?

Then there's this case, where a woman had to do some nifty work to track down the video, but it's great that one of the guys was wearing a jacket with his name on it when buying stuff for the purpose of vandalism.

Finally, apparently women are getting as geeky as guys!

From Smart cars to Metallica

2006-07-31T10:11:00.000-04:00

I'm relatively geeked for the the US introduction of the Smart car. As long as it is relatively safe (in the "crashed into by a Hummer" sense), it sounds like a great commuter car. I'll have to give it a look-see in 2008 - though I really don't understand why they're waiting that long. Gas prices are high already.

Speaking of the environment, sort of, it's never a bad idea to look at insurance companies for a realist's view of what's happening in the world. They're all about money, so they probably can't afford to be political for too long. So it's interesting to see how the insurance industry is dealing with global warming. We can debate man's impact, but this perspective sure makes it look like there are real issues, no matter what some say. I'll be curious to see how this plays out.

BTW - An interesting fact from that article: 50% of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coastline.

Also from Time.com - a long article on stem cell research. I'm still reading it, but there's some interesting stuff here. For a quick version, see CNN.

More from the health files: some really interesting thoughts about how much humans and health have changed in the "developed" world during the last 100 years or so. In particular, I'm intrigued by the theory that much of middle-age health is heavily influenced by conditions through the first two years of life.

Also from the NYT ... an evangelical Christian minister questions the lockstep link between his church and the Republican party. I believe the Unitarians, in particular, have noted for quite some time that there are other sides to Christianity. For them, the "social justice" issues are particularly noteworthy.

On the subject of justice ... I like this editorial by Dan Savage about the status of homosexual marriage. Like him, I just don't understand the logic behind any argument that somehow connects gay marriage to undermining hetero marriage and child-raising. I also reject the idea that breeding is essential for marriage - any couple who gets married in their later years isn't somehow less married, even if they can't (or just don't) have children.

Here's a reminder that politicians rarely vote on actual issues, instead being all about party lines, compromises, and tricks: the House of Representatives tied a minimum wage increase to an estate tax reduction. I hate that. Vote on each thing separately, on its own merits. It's almost as bad as putting unrelated riders on bills. Ugh.

In the "world is going to hell" file: Businesses are worried about cyber-crime. We can also file this under, "Duh!"

On a completely different subject: Metallica has relented - they're now on iTunes.

Serious stuff, silly stuff

2006-07-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

Andrea Yates drowned her children because of some weird delusions about Satan, so a jury just decided that she should be acquitted "by reason of insanity." I always have trouble with this. To me, it's insane to kill someone in most cases ... so how is this a defense? Look, I don't want to minimize the terrible realities of mental illness - but I'm not sure how this makes you less guilty. And if they "cure" her, wouldn't the reality of having killed your own, innocent children pretty much drive you crazy again?

For a lighter look at death, I read about a bizarre - and false - suicide story. Fun logic, though.

Back to the serious - here's an ethical dilemma: A 16-year old boy wants to refuse traditional cancer treatment. Someone notifies Social Services, who prosecutes the parents for neglect and a then judge orders him to undergo treatment. Now that decision has been delayed until a full trial takes place.

To me, this is a tough one. First, should a parent have the right to refuse a very standard treatment for their child, or does that constitute neglect? Second when the child is 16, can you consider this to be a parental decision, or one of personal choice? Unusual though it may be, I'm not sure what I think about this. The line between parental rights and neglect isn't totally clear to me. I'm horrified by parents who refuse inoculations - but I'm not sure the government has a right to step in there. However, if a child has a easily treatable disease and the parents refuse to allow that treatment, I DO think that's neglect. This particular case is tough, in my mind, because the treatment is somewhat extreme and not guaranteed - obviously, since this would be the second round of chemo. And, again, if a 16 year-old doesn't want to go through that again, I can kind of understand. Yikes... that's a tough one.

Video of the day: Imagine that you've been working hard to pull in a tarpon (in case you haven't seen one, they are very large fish). You're getting close, when suddenly your fish is attacked by a hammerhead shark! I wonder how often this happens?!

Close to home (ha, ha) - I'm glad I sold my house recently, rather than waiting. I could see that it was becoming a "buyers' market" then ... now it's official!

Just for fun: Here's a list of infamous sports mascot moments. Reminds me of the time the Duke Blue Devil showed up at a Final Four game in the 90s ... without his suit! I think he left it at their hotel by mistake, or something like that.

I'm not even supposed to be here!

2006-07-25T10:16:00.000-04:00

I haven't mentioned yet that I'm totally psyched about the release of Clerks II. So, I'll take this time to plug Kevin Smith's View Askew web site. I haven't seen it yet, but look for a more personal review when I do.

Speaking of drinking, as I'm sure they do in Clerks II, there's another study on the benefits of alcohol. Of course, there are potential problems too, so I guess it's a balancing act, with moderation being the key.

However, that word always makes me recall a quote from Robert Heinlein: "Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks."

On the subject of wine ... since it's practically next door, maybe I should start looking for wines in Ohio.

Back to the subject of health - my local Pittsburgh Children's Hospital is publicizing its drive for research/NIH funds. All well and good - but I always wonder what an emphasis on research and money means for patient care. Just as the best researchers don't always make the best professors, I'm not sure this is good all the way around.

From the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" files: The Marines are using MySpace for recruitment. Like it or not, that's smart marketing.

On a more serious note: I'm going to be selfish and use this story about a second murder victim in one family to be thankful that my life isn't likely to expose me to that kind of violence.

On a lighter, but also important, note ... I like this idea for using a toy to promote hydrogen power. If they can ever work this idea out, it sounds perfect: use sun power to create hydrogen fuel to run vehicles, etc. No waste, no pollution. Nice! I mean, I can dream, right?

The article is only somewhat interesting, but I love the headline: "Seeing red over purple gloves."

In sporting news ... I still think Chris Paul was a punk in college, but hopefully he has matured and will do us proud on the national team.

A NYT state of mind

2006-07-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

So, this will piss off right-wingers who like to moan about "liberal bias," but I had fun with several articles in the NY Times: (registration required - try BugMeNot)

This is going to come off as anti-Bush, but what I really can't believe is that Presidential signing statements have EVER been considered legal. My personal feeling is that no one - President included - is above the law. This practice pretty much makes the President unaccountable to the law of the land. There are alternatives: challenge constitutionality in court, veto a bill, even get a line-item veto passed. But a president shouldn't be able to just decide he doesn't feel like dealing with certain pieces of laws.

Here's an interesting look at blame, aggression, conflict escalation and revenge. It doesn't give me much hope for the Middle East. But I was interested to read about Isreal's changing stance on third-pary intervention.

Did you know that you can now buy food on Amazon.com?

Random YouTube link of the day: Someone has WAY too much time on their hands when they can search through Bush speeches until they find (then put together) all the words to U2's "Sunday, Bloody Sunday."

File this under: "And I thought my job was bad!"

2006-07-22T18:05:00.000-04:00

It seems that surfing is good exercise. Unfortunately for me, there aren't too many beaches around Pittsburgh.

Here's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen. Some guys have written a book trying to say that "intelligent design" isn't actually "creationism." The main point seems to be this: "... empirical evidence cannot tell one whether the intelligent causes detected through modern science are inside or outside of nature. As a scientific theory, ID only claims that there is empirical evidence that key features of the universe and living things are the products of an intelligent cause. Whether the intelligent cause involved is inside or outside of nature cannot be decided by empirical evidence alone. That question involves philosophy, including metaphysics.” What absolute garbage. How could "intelligent cause" be anything other than "god?" Inside or outside of nature is just sophistry.

What's also bizarre is that the Theory of Evolution doesn't actually contradict ID/creationism ... it could be a mechanism for a "design." But ID isn't science - it's a faith-based conjecture. I'm so disgusted that I can't write more. I'll just leave you with some information about macro-evolution/speciation.

Paging Dr. Evil ....

2006-07-21T12:05:00.000-04:00

I have, for personal reasons, an interest in medical news, so I tend to keep an eye on some of that stuff. Nevertheless, the fact that "on average, a hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day," is shocking to me.

A more random medical note: I've heard about saving "cord" stem cells in case bone marrow treatments are needed, but cells from baby teeth?

Speaking of random: type in a domain name, and see an estimate of its worth! My personal site name is apparently worth about $341.

Another strange fact ... this blog you are reading (before this post, anyway) is 34% evil. Since that's 66% good, I'll take it!

On the subject of evil ... I usually enjoy judges who assign creative and relevant punishments.

Nissan may have felt that discretion was the better part of valor (or sales), but I love that New Zealand put together a tourism campaign with the theme "Where the bloody hell are you." And did you know that prostitution is legal there? Oh, those Kiwis.

(Uh oh, I think my blog just became more evil!)

To finish up, I'll take on a trait of my adopted hometown and revel in an ad poking fun at Cleveland.

Moral consistency

2006-07-20T09:43:00.000-04:00

To start on a more serious note than my previous posts:
I disagree with President Bush about the morality of stem cell research. I understand that he has a moral position here - though I don't believe it should necessarily guide law. Nonetheless, I could almost respect his view: he's against abortion, thinks life begins at conception, so he feels that these are "innocent lives" he's talking about. However, I don't see how he can preach about the sanctity of innocent life when he's willing to sacrifice so many innocents in Iraq (or Lebanon, at the moment - something he's not trying to hard to stop). If the importance of the war justifies such sacrifices, why isn't that true as a tradeoff for the potential benefits of stem cell research? Does a clump of cells that COULD become a child have more value than an actual child? I could maybe buy one moral stance or the other - but not both from the same person. As a President who seems to live by the credo "The end justifies the means," this is a particularly strange moral inconsistency. Especially when most of these embryos will be destroyed anyway ... so he's not "saving" and "lives" here.

Now let's talk about really saving lives, with an article featuring my adopted hometown's Children's Hospital. They're trying to give specialized care to teens and young adults with cancer, rather than clumping them in with pediatric or adult care. Sounds good .... though the article includes an oddly candid statement about the economic importance of such patients.

Speaking of Pittsburgh: ex-Steelers are dying off at an alarming rate. Weird, though count me in for assuming steriods are part of the problem.

Put this in the "I never thought about it" file: one guy does all the Google special occasion logos.

It sounds like my man, Coach K, is putting his stamp on the new USA National basketball team.

A sad semi-sports story over the past few years has been Pat Tillman's death. This story sure makes it sound like the ordeal has at least been far more complicated than it needed to be - that at least part of the truth was available all along. At worst, there was an intentional attempt to cover up the facts.

Another ugly case in the news has been that of the Duke Lacrosse team/alleged rape. This article is interesting because it primarily focuses on the players who were not accused, but were affected in many other ways.

A little tech, a little talent ...

2006-07-14T16:13:00.000-04:00

ePassports. A cool idea. But from what I read/know about security risks, they are also a bad idea.

Another fun medical possibility today - suspended animation may be closer than you think. It's not the far-out Sleeping Beauty sort of thing - just something ER surgeons can use to save a life.

How ironic ... Pete Coors busted for DUI.

I'm using the link for an article that's updated throughout the day, so who knows what you'll see ... but it's becoming an open war in Isreal/Lebanon/Gaza. Ugly.

On a lighter note ... I enjoyed the World Cup, so I'm thinking of adopting an English Premier League team to root for. I saw someone suggest this on a BB and thought it was a great idea. Apparently EPL is a good choice, as they're on TV in the US more than most international leagues. I'm leaning toward Newcastle (good beer, almost in Scotland) or maybe Arsenal. Stay tuned.

On the same board, someone else linked to the video from 1999/2000 - lots of sports highlights and historic moments synched to Aerosmith's "Dream On." Fun stuff. I was glad to see Duke highlights. I wish I knew what more of this was, however ... guess I'm not as big a sports fan as I thought.

From highlights to lowlights ... the Bulwer-Lytton (bad) fiction contest.

Brain sensors, FCC, mentos and more

2006-07-13T12:44:00.000-04:00

Now this is a neat idea: Brain sensor helps paralyzed people do tasks. I hope this promise is fulfilled.

I’m sure glad the FCC is on the job and combing through sports broadcast tapes to look into swearing that might make it on air. I only hope they have better things to do than to follow up on this.

I’m 36. These guys are CEOs before 35 … and not for 1-man operations either. What have I done with my working life?!

You know, I remember braces being something people DIDN’T want people to see. Now you can get a shinier version that’s bad for your teeth … and it’s considered fashion? Yikes.

I know this isn’t new, but …
My father-in-law and son tried the Mentos-Diet Coke fountain experiment – and it worked – but these guys take it to a whole new level.

Maybe it’s just me, but is it really worth spending hours waiting in line for a single tank of free gas?

My first post...

2006-07-12T23:54:00.000-04:00

There are “lies, damn lies, and statistics.” Not surprisingly, most of us lie. I’m all about being not just honest, but forthcoming. However, even I’ll admit that there are times and places to stretch the truth a bit. You just have to think things through. I’m not a big fan of the parent telling the kids that there are “no more” cartoons, though. Suck it up and just say “no!”

Aren’t psychedelics illegal? How did they manage to do this study? Interesting stuff though … not being religious, I find the parallels between “magic mushrooms” and feelings of “spirituality” to be suggestive ...

How cool is this picture of a "fire rainbow?"

Did you know that Sherlock Holmes didn't "really" say "Elementary, my dear Watson!"?

A friend passed on what I think this is a good thought piece on the inherent conflicts between being conservative and governing. But then, some call me “liberal.”

My last sentence reminds me … “There are some who call me... 'Tim'?”

Speaking of politics, here’s an interesting confluence with another interest of mine – marketing. In particular, data mining/niche marketing/customer profiling has interested me since learning about it in business school. So, I’m impressed … but I still think Rove is a moral black hole…