LLPOH Digital Archives: August 2003
Sunday, August 31, 2003
"Many observers, some of whom have extensive inside knowledge, believe that the evolution of monetary systems is undermining the traditional political structure of nation states. Walter Wriston, ex-CEO of Citicorp, called this the “twilight of sovereignty” (1992)." [reference] followup priority 3.11
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:26 PM CST [Link]
Charles Goodhart (1975) has formulated a monetary equivalent of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle: “Any observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control purposes.” [from Single global currency: the geo from Intangible Economy and Electronic Money [by Charles Goldfinger;in The Future of Money, published by OECD: ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT 2002 ] [see previous note]
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:21 PM CST [Link]
Food For Thought Department: Single global currency: the geo from Intangible Economy and Electronic Money [by Charles Goldfinger;in The Future of Money, published by OECD: ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT 2002 ] "This is the polar opposite of private currency: it postulates the emergence of a single global currency. That would be a logical consequence of a broad globalisation trend, a monetary translation of deepening economic integration. The example of the euro demonstrates – although some observers question how convincingly – the feasibility of a single currency in a multinational framework. It is interesting to note that another Nobel Prize winner – Robert Mundell, who played a major role in providing the conceptual underpinning for the euro – has more recently advocated creating a composite global currency, initially backed by gold. Thus, from the euro, the dollar and the yen could emerge the geo." ... interesting ... follow-up priority 3. [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 10:35 PM CST [Link]
According to a 2000 Scientist commentary ...."The Asilomar process can be summed up fairly succinctly: Is discussion among scientists regarding current and future research and its possible ramifications on society worthwhile? In other words, is a scientist-led process for identifying, analyzing, and suggesting a course of action on new developments in science that may raise moral and ethical issues or even pose dangers for society a valid one? Did it work in 1975? Will it work today, 25 years later, when people are much more cynical and their perceptions of themselves and their interactions with each other and their various environments are very, very different?" -- luminaries like David Baltimore, Paul Berg, Maxine Singer, and Alexander Capron attended the old and the new ... but we need some more thinking caps involved ... as I was trying to hook up a new in-expensive hi tech DVD player to an old TV set that had no RCA plugs and requires an RF modulator, it dawned on me (probably for the fifth time) that there are some serious structural imbalances being built into our civilization. Version control is not only important for software and computer hardware ... its important for all technology - technics related items ...and we're not paying enough attention. More later
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:39 PM CST [Link]
Saturday, August 30, 2003
A Classic ... The Chemistry of the Hydrazo, Azo and Azoxy Groups was published in 1975 in two parts ... "Since 1975 three supplementary volumes dealing with the chemistry of double-bonded functional groups were also published in the Series and these volumes contain much material on the chemistry of azoxy compounds. Several subjects were omitted from the original volume in 1975. These omissions have been corrected in the present volumes which contains chapters on "Detection, identification and determination," on NMR, on ESR, on PES, on pharmacology and toxicology, and also on safety and environmental factors" look for more on Azo, and chemistry ...
Posted by E Moritz @ 12:49 PM CST [Link]
Hotter Spots: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & The Wireless Web; Is the 2.5G Conspiracy real? John Strand, in his November 25, 2002 post speculated there may be some undelying reasons why " terminal manufactures release new generation CDMA 2.5G colour phones in Asia, while at the same time, delaying GPRS 2.5G phones in Europe... " ... his conclusion? "the Korean mobile market is somewhere between 3 and 5 years ahead of the Europe .... and ... European mobile industry, that still does not know exactly what sort of strategies they should be looking at for their 2.5G rollout". Well in forehindsight, what's the sit now?
[more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:00 AM CST [Link]
What's new in songraphy? why ULTRASONOGRAPHY (the ne plus ultra?) [Ultrasonography in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Sonography, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Exams and Examination, Normal Structure and Functional Anatomy, Clinical Echocardiography, Ultrasound Scanning, Abdominal Ultrasound, Vascular Ultrasound, Ultrasound Scanning, Transesophageal Echocardiography, Diagnostic Ultrasound, ...]
[more]Posted by E Moritz @ 10:45 AM CST [Link]
Visualizing the Semantic Web by Vladimir Geroimenko and Chaomei Chen is making an impact: The Web has evolved from HTML quite dramatically over the last few years with revolutionary techniques for content and structural modeling, including XML (eXtensible Markup Language), RDF (Resource Definition Framework) and Topic Maps. Compared to HTML, the content of XML documents is enriched with semantic and structural features, and also is completely separated from its visual appearance. This allows a Web document to be displayed in any desired form. Given such an unrestricted choice, many companies and end users prefer a graphically rich document appearance with effective visual access to semantic and structural information.
"Visualizing the Semantic Web: XML-based Internet and Information Visualization" deals specifically with visualization of the Second-Generation Web. It presents the state-of-the-art research in this area and focuses on key topics such as: * The nature of the Semantic Web and its relationship to Information Visualization * Visualization of semantic and structural information and metadata * Ontology-based and Topic Maps visualizations * Visual interfaces for retrieving, browsing and mapping semantic information * SVG/X3D as new visualization techniques for the semantic web * Methods used to construct high quality metadata / metadata taxonomies * Recommender systems, interface issues related to filtering and recommending on the Web * A comparative analysis of web services and the semantic web * Semantic-oriented use of existing visualization methods * Semantically enhanced solutions for the medical community. ... The design of semantically and graphically enriched interfaces for e-commerce and information retrieval and presentation is currently a challenging area of practical Web development. Most of the techniques and methods discussed can be applied now, making this book essential reading for visualization researchers as well as XML and Web developers (Book Description) This of course is a result of the pushing the boundries on the previous post [more]Posted by E Moritz @ 12:38 AM CST [Link]
I was actually looking at the theory of economic abundance and ran via link chaining into Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics by Alfred Korzybski of which a reader writes: So, I read the selections from Science and Sanity, and I realize, damn this book is amazing. One would be wise to ask, What is the importance of generalities, or in other words, how important is a general understanding of the position mankind is in at this-very-moment(1933). Of the information and knowledge, the engineering, history, and science, which influences every moment of our day, from when we wake till when we sleep. Korzybski accumulated a large amount of information for the developement of a system, which not only gives a general outline of the evolution of science and math, up to 1933, but still holds weight to this very day. ... General semantics, does not refer to the semantics of words, but of our thoughts, and the nature of the logic which we adhere to today, mostly of Aristotlian propositions. He outlines and differentiates from his system the older, outdated Aristotlian system. This of course, he acknowledges as being a loose generalization of his system. His system takes the revolutionary ideas of great mathemeticians, scientists, philosophers, psychiatrists, and anthropologists, to name a few, and accumulates the knowledge to form a concept he refered to as 'time-binding' or the function of passing information learned in ones lifetime to one's kin, more efficiently. My understanding of the system at this point is still amateur at best, but the potential is damn near infinite. Criticism of the system comes mainly from those who haven't taken the time to apply the principles, and not just ponder them. The genius behind the system is in the application. He utilizes techniques I don't even think were fully understood at the time of writing the book. The use of visualization and non-identification alone in application creates an inner revolution of unspeakable precident, increasing memorization ability, organization of thought, temper reactions to words and memories, and numerous other benefits that can only be experienced. So here's a reading list combining the topics of abundance and general semantics ... maybe generators for other ideas ... look for [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 12:22 AM CST [Link]
Friday, August 29, 2003
BuzzMachine on Wi-Fi at political conventions ... quoting someone at ABC " Greetings:
I read your post about Wi-Fi at the political conventions with great interest. I am a project manager for the operations division of ABC News and we are actively working with both parties to encourage them to make Wi-Fi available not only at the conventions but also during the primaries.
We are planning to use Wi-Fi for our own production oriented activites including email and, to a lesser degree, for sending video files to our news room. ABC News has trained a number of its correspondents to shoot video in the field and transmit it using a laptop and DV camera"awesome ... can't wait ...
Posted by E Moritz @ 01:48 PM CST [Link]
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Expertise, Prospect Theory and other Economics Stuff ... Not for NeoCons. OK NeoCons can peek ... just came across this interesting set of topics, theory of expertise, rationality, etc etc ... looks like there's a pony somewhere in there ... need help in sorting it ... maybe there's an expert on expertise around the corner ... Captain America? [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:30 PM CST [Link]
Practical Guides to Air Fares and Ticketing , Flight Attendants, Scheduling Reservation, Airline Marketing and Airline Finance are in .... find out [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:01 PM CST [Link]
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
The Tomb of God, Languedoc, who would have guessed ... according to the conspiracy rumors ... there's "A theory of the burial of the remains of Jesus Christ! and the relocation of his bloodline through Mary Magdalene in the Languedoc region of Southern France" the Encyclopædia Britannica says this of Languedoc: historical and cultural region encompassing the southern French départements of Hérault, Gard, and Ardèche and parts of Haute-Loire, Lozère, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, and Ariège and coextensive with the former province of Languedoc. --- Languedoc is a centre of the distinctive civilization of the south of France. Its name is derived from the traditional language of southern France, in which the word oc means "yes," in contrast to oïl, or oui, in northern French. From the 13th century the name applied to the entire area in which the Languedoc, or Occitan, language was spoken and came to apply specifically to the territory of the feudal county of Toulouse. ...
The local history tells this story:
BC 60 Commencement of Roman occupation
AD 300 - 500 Invasion by Alamans, Vandals and Visigoths
AD 476 Collapse of the Roman empire
AD 700 Occupation by the saracens
AD 865 Formation of Catalonia
AD 900 - 1300 Intermittent war resulting in changes of ruler. Elimination of the CatharesThey're mum about the big story ... but there's [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:00 PM CST [Link]
Following up on an earlier entry, According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), "Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.". [discussed also wrt to Hormone Therapies; Risks and benfits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal... ]
Here's some of what they say:
* In 2000, 1.6 million seniors were treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries and 353,000 were hospitalized (CDC 2001).
* In 1999, about 10,000 people ages 65 and older died from fall-related injuries (CDC 2001). More than 60% of people who die from falls are 75 and older (Murphy 2000).
* Of those who fall, 20% to 30% suffer moderate to severe injuries such as hip fractures or head traumas that reduce mobility and independence, and increase the risk of premature death (Sterling 2001).
* Among people ages 75 years and older, those who fall are four to five times more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer (Donald 1999).
* Falls are a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (Jager 2000).
* Among older adults, the majority of fractures are caused by falls (Bell 2000).
* Approximately 3% to 5% of older adult falls cause fractures (Cooper 1992; Wilkins 1999). Based on the 2000 census, this translates to 360,000 to 480,000 fall-related fractures each year.
* The most common fractures are of the vertebrae, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand (Scott 1990). [more]Posted by E Moritz @ 07:03 PM CST [Link]
Balance of Culture - The Thirteenth Century: for some reason, the Thirteenth Century is getting a lot of attention all of a sudden. One wonders why ... [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 06:17 PM CST [Link]
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Wireless on the Wire 802.11 Wireless Networks CWNA=Certified Wireless Network Administrator, Wireless Java J2ME, CWSP=Certified Wireless Security Professional, Wireless Community Networks, Security, Wi-Fi Protected Access and 802.11i, License-Free Wireless Wide-Area Networks, Broadband, RF ... is there more? [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:06 PM CST [Link]
What would you find if you just looked for 'stuff'? Well, stuff like:Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life : How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect and Happiness, Cut the Clutter and Stow the Stuff: The Q.U.I.C.K. Way to Bring Lasting Order to Household Chaos, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work: Simple Ways to Minimize Stress and Conflict While Bringing Out the Best in Yourself and Others, Hot Stuff to Help Kids Chill Out: The Anger Management Book,The Book of Fabulous Questions: Great Conversation Starters About Love, Sex and Other Personal Stuff, The Right Stuff , Let's Talk! Good Stuff for Girlfriends About God, Guys, and Growing Up, Stuff Happens (and then you fix it!): 9 Reality Rules to Steer Your Life Back in the Right Direction, The Big Book of Presentation Games: Wake-Em-Up Tricks, Icebreakers, and Other Fun Stuff ... etc ... etc ... etc ... to find out how to stuff a Wild Bikini click [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:56 PM CST [Link]
Monday, August 25, 2003
Edward Witten - Super mathematical physicist: Born: 26 Aug 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA ... awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1982 .... explained the relation between geometry and theoretical physics:- It used to be that when one thought of geometry in physics, one thought chiefly of classical physics - and in particular general relativity - rather than quantum physics. ... Of course, quantum physics had from the beginning a marked influence in many areas of mathematics - functional analysis and representation theory, to mention just two. ... Several important influences have brought about a change in this situation. One of the principal influences was the recognition - clearly established by the middle 1970s - of the central role of nonabelian gauge theory in elementary particle physics. The other main influence came from the emerging study of supersymmetry and string theory. .. received the Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Kyoto, Japan in 1990. (adapted from University of St Andrews' mathematics history project)
[more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:25 PM CST [Link]
I was reviewing the Amino Acid List; decided to check on GABA ... and ran into GABA: The Anxiety Amino Acid by Billie Jay Sahley [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:47 PM CST [Link]
What's the latest on those Amino Acids? [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:35 PM CST [Link]
Nanopants are out (of stock) ... so the next best thing ... the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Access Point + Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch
[more]Posted by E Moritz @ 08:03 PM CST [Link]
The Human Cerebellum must be fascinating ... "studies have shown that the cerebellum is involved in much more than motor coordination alone: also in higher functions including memory, language, emotion, and attention, as well as sensory discrimination." [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 07:30 PM CST [Link]
Sunday, August 24, 2003
History of Money? Money goes back a dizzyingly long way in Indo-European civilisation. Well before the invention of minted coins in the Lydian cities of the Aegean in the 7th century BCE, writings from the Sumerian civilisation at Ur in the 3rd millennium BCE refer to documents mentioning silver struck with the head of Ishtar. The mother-goddess and symbol of fertility, Ishtar was also the goddess of death. So from the very outset, money’s ambivalence reflects the ambiguity of its social function: an instrument of cohesion and pacification in the community, it is also at the centre of power struggles and a source of violence. {from Digital Money, Chapter 3, Whence and Whither Money? by Michel Aglietta Université de Paris X – Mini Forum and CEPII France} um ... delicious and interesting ...
Posted by E Moritz @ 10:56 PM CST [Link]
California Real Estate, History, Guides, and Map Links are located here.
Posted by E Moritz @ 10:03 PM CST [Link]
NICHOLAS WADE of the NY Times reports Life-Extending Chemical Is Found in Certain Red Wines Biologists have found a class of chemicals that they hope will make people live longer by activating an ancient survival reflex. One of the chemicals, a natural substance known as resveratrol, is found in red wines, particularly those made in cooler climates like that of New York.
The finding could help explain the so-called French paradox, the fact that the French live as long as anyone else despite consuming fatty foods deemed threatening to the heart.
Besides the wine connection, the finding has the attraction of stemming from fundamental research in the biology of aging. However, the new chemicals have not yet been tested even in mice, let alone people, and even if they worked in humans, it would be many years before any drug based on the new findings became available.
The possible benefits could be significant. The chemicals are designed to mimic the effect of a very low-calorie diet, which is known to lengthen the life span of rodents. Scientists involved in the research say that human life spans could be extended by 30 percent if humans respond to the chemicals in the same way as rats and mice do to low calories. Even someone who started at age 50 to take one of the new chemicals could expect to gain an extra 10 years of life, said Dr. Leonard Guarente of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the pioneers of the new research.
The new result was announced last week at a scientific conference in Arolla, a small village in the Swiss alps, by Dr. David A. Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School..
Well, We knew about Roy L. Walford's restricted calorie diets ... We were always curious about the French Paradox ... it seems like there's a French Paradox in almost every area of human endeavor (just kidding), and of course conferencing in the Swiss Alps can't help but prolong life. VIVA LONGEVITY!
[more]Posted by E Moritz @ 05:47 PM CST [Link]
Saturday, August 23, 2003
According to Sci bite's in-cites Logic circuits with carbon nanotube transistors, by Adrian Bachtold, Peter Hadley, Takeshi Nakanishi, and Cees Dekker, [Science, 294(5545): 1317-20, 9 November 2001] is the Current Physics Hot Paper. Abstract: "We demonstrate logic circuits with field-effect transistors based on single carbon nanotubes. Our device layout features local gates that provide excellent capacitive coupling between the gate and nanotube, enabling strong electrostatic doping of the nanotube from p-doping to n-doping and the study of the nonconventional long-range screening of charge along the one-dimensional nanotubes. The transistors show favorable device characteristics such as high gain (>10), a large on-off ratio (>10[to the fifth]), and room-temperature operation. Importantly, the local-gate layout allows for integration of multiple, devices on a single chip. Indeed, we demonstrate one-, two-, and three-transistor circuits that exhibit a range of digital logic operations, such: as an inverter, a logic NOR, a static random-access memory cell, and an ac ring oscillator.". Well nanothis and nanotht, pretty soon we'll all go nanonanonano; or was it nanu nanu nanu [come on, Mork and Mindy, aka Robin Williams and Mindy], and what about nanopants? eh? Yes, logic circuits are neat, but nano pants are neater ... unless you're workin' at IBM's nano department ["Here, we focus on our recent work on carbon nanotubes; their structure, properties and uses in nano-electronic devices. Carbon nanotubes are extremely thin (their diameter is about 10,000 times smaller than a human hair), hollow cylinders made of carbon atoms." -- and they did something neat with them too "We have successfully fabricated and tested nanotube transistors using individual multi-wall or single-wall nanotubes as the channel of a field-effect transistor (FET)." -- IBM's pictures of the FET nantube is eato neato but why do they keep using gold?]
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:54 PM CST [Link]
On Phillip Areeda's INTRAENTERPRISE CONSPIRACY IN DECLINE in Harvard Law Review [Vol. 97:451] For nearly four decades, antitrust plaintiffs have brought suits that invoke Supreme Court precedent endorsing the notion that companies affiliated under common ownership are capable of "conspiring" in violation of the Sherman Act. In this Comment, Professor Areeda challenges both the view that separate incorporation of firms wholly owned in common has anticompetitive significance in itself and the contention that seizing on the circumstance of separate incorporation may be a useful technical device to control conduct by the affiliated firms that is objectionable on grounds independent of the purported conspiracy. He then argues that the Court has seriously qualified the broad language of its early cases, and he examines the various means by which the lower courts have limited the effect of the intraenterprise conspiracy doctrine.
MOST antitrust claims depend on the existence of concerted action - a "conspiracy" - among two or more business entities. Although the usual issue is whether two parties actually entered into an agreement in restraint of trade, in certain situations the parties' legal capacity to conspire is disputed. The question whether commonly owned firms are capable of conspiring forms the subject of this Comment. There is universal agreement that antitrust law respects the legal and economic unity of the single business corporation and that relations among its managers, employees, or divisions cannot constitute a "contract, combination . . . or conspiracy" under section 1 of the Sherman Act. If the owners choose to conduct their business through multiple corporations, however, an ill-defined body of Supreme Court precedent offers plaintiffs tantalizing, if unpredictable, opportunities to paint contacts among those corporations as antitrust conspiracies. Few defendants are actually found liable solely on the basis of intraenterprise conspiracy doctrine, but the availability of that doctrine induces unsuccessful suits that would not otherwise occur, complicates and lengthens independently meritorious suits, confuses judges and juries, and sometimes leads to the condemnation - without justification in antitrust policy - of unilateral behavior. ... well that's another view of conspiracy ...
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:30 PM CST [Link]
Posted by E Moritz @ 10:59 PM CST [Link]
Endometrial Carcinoma / Cancer - not a good thing! Our previous blog entry [Risks and benfits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women] pointed out the dangers of hormone treatments; Endometrial Carcinoma / Cancer was one of the risks. Information sources on Endometrial Carcinoma / Cancer are located here.
[more]Posted by E Moritz @ 10:55 PM CST [Link]
Risks and benfits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women. Principal results from the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial," by the Writing Group for the Women's Health Initiative Investigators (J.E. Rossouw, et al.), JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(3): 321-33, 17 July 2002. is the current HOT PAPER IN MEDICINE, according to in-cites. Abstract: "Context Despite decades of accumulated observational evidence, the balance of risks and benefits for hormone use in healthy postmenopausal women remains uncertain. Objective To assess the major health benefits and risks of the most commonly used combined hormone preparation in the United States. Design Estrogen plus progestin component of the Women's Health Initiative, a randomized controlled primary prevention trial (planned duration, 8.5 years) in which 16608 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years with an intact uterus at baseline were recruited by 40 US clinical centers in 1993-1998. Interventions Participants received conjugated equine estrogens, 0.625 mg/d, plus medroxyprogesterone acetate, 2.5 mg/d, in 1 tablet (n=8506) or placebo (n=8102). Main Outcomes Measures The primary outcome was coronary heart disease (CHD) (nonfatal myocardial infarction and CHD death), with invasive breast cancer as the primary adverse outcome. A global index summarizing the balance of the risks and benefits included the 2 primary outcomes plus stroke, pulmonary embolism (PE), endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, hip fracture , and death due to other causes. Results On May 31, 2002, after a mean of 5.2 years of follow-up, the data and safety monitoring board recommended stopping the trial of estrogen plus progestin vs placebo because the test statistics for invasive breast cancer exceeded the stopping boundary for this adverse effect and the global index statistic supported risks exceeding benefits. This report includes data on the major clinical outcomes through April 30, 2002. Estimated hazard ratios (HRs) (nominal 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were as follows: CHD, 1.29 (1.02-1.63) with 286 cases; breast cancer, 1.26 (1.00-1.59) with 290 cases; stroke, 1.41 (1.07-1.85) with 212 cases; PE, 2.13-3.25) with 101 cases; colorectal cancer, 0.63 (0.43-0.92) with 112 cases; endometrial cancer, 0.83 (0.47-1.47) with 47 cases; hip fracture, 0.66 (0.45-0.98) with 106 cases; and death due to other causes, 0.92 (0.74-1.14) with 331 cases. Corresponding HRs (nominal 95% CIs) for composite outcomes were 1.22 (1.09-1.36) for total cardiovascular disease (arterial and venous disease), 1.03 (0.90-1.17) for total cancer, 0.76 (0.69-0.85) for combined fractures, 0.98 (0.82-1.18) for total mortality, and 1.15 (1.03-1.28) for the global index. Absolute excess risks per 10000 person-years attributable to estrogen plus progestin were 7 more CHD events, 8 more strokes, 8 more PEs, and 8 more invasive breast cancers, while absolute risk reductions per 10000 person-years were 6 fewer colorectal cancers and 5 fewer hip fractures. The absolute excess risk of events included in the global index was 19 per 10000 person-years. Conclusions Overall health risks exceeded benefits from use of combined estrogen plus progestin for an average 5.2-year follow-up among healthy postmenopausal US women. All-cause mortality was not affected during the trial. The risk-benefit profile found in this trial is not consistent with the requirements for a viable intervention for primary prevention of chronic diseases, and the results indicate that this regimen should not be initiated or continued for primary prevention of CHD." I would say this is not good news for combined estrogen and progestin treatments
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:50 PM CST [Link]
In case you're wondering where Leonardo da Vinci's drawings and notebooks are, the Encyclopædia Britannica locates the main collections at: Institut de France, Paris; British Museum; Uffizi, Florence; Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan; Accademia, Venice; Royal Library, Windsor Castle; Biblioteca Reale, Turin; Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid; Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:31 PM CST [Link]
For a balanced perspective, here's what the Encyclopædia Britannica has to say about the Holy Grail, Fisher King, and Joseph of Arimathea For the Christian medieval world the Holy Grail (the chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper) symbolized the truth and knowledge needed to achieve the experience of salvation. Led in search of the Grail by divine grace, the naive hero Perceval inquired directly about the Grail, a question other knights had failed to ask. His simplistic question, put to the ailing Fisher King, revitalized not only the royal body but the entire drooping cosmos. The human condition is rejuvenated by the graceful quest for the truth of salvation. Perceval was superseded by Galahad as the winner of the Holy Grail in later variations, Galahad being viewed as a descendant of Joseph of Arimathea (the member of the Jerusalem council in whose tomb the body of Jesus was laid), who was believed to have gone to Glastonbury, Eng., with the Holy Grail. [Topics to explore: Rennes-Le-Chateau, Le Sang Reale, Michael Baigent : DEAD SEA SCROLLS, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Temple and Lodge, Prieure de Simon Merovingian? Beyond the Matrix Reloaded, and of course the Da Vinci Code; see the latest on the Da Vinci Code].
We'll return to the topic again, and explore whether the grail belongs to the Conspiracy of Logic, The Conspiracy of Myth, The Conspiracy of Secrecy, or if its just a plain nice story of civilization in its infancy.
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:23 PM CST [Link]
Let the good times roll -- by the way, not only a third world power grid, lets develop a third world educational agenda ... It really is getting a little scary ... if what the NY Times reports is true, The University of Illinois has canceled 1,000 classes on hundreds of subjects this year. Up to 1,000 students at the University of North Carolina will be shut out of beginning Spanish. The University of Colorado has eliminated academic programs in journalism, business and engineering. The University of California has put off opening an entire campus.
Virginia Tech is scrapping an education major and suspending mandatory history classes because it does not have enough professors to lead them. The University of Nebraska is canceling Portuguese, closing agricultural research laboratories and off-site classrooms, shedding exercise science, paring down Russian and museum studies. Rutgers is pruning the arts and sciences.
The University of Missouri has reduced the number of class time slots across the board, cut its teacher training program in half, eliminated a nursing degree and trimmed international studies. The University of Michigan will nearly double the size of some classes, shorten library hours and offer fewer freshman seminars. At the California State University, up to 30,000 students will be turned away come spring.
"The academic cuts are probably the most severe I've seen," said Edward M. Elmendorf, an assistant secretary of education in the Reagan administration and now a senior vice president at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "And I don't see any mitigation in them in the coming year." Read and Weep.
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:35 AM CST [Link]
BARZUN provides a fascinating backdrop to the real story behind Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Normally we think of Beaumarchais as the author of the comedy on which Gioacchino Rossini's The Barber of Seville and Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro were based; he was known to do more, but what's really fascinating is that Beaumarchais lobbied for and arranged for the French government to provide George Washington's army 200 cannon, 25,000 firearms and ammunition, 200,000 pounds of powder, clothing and camping equipment for 25,000 men, and all this without raising suspicion of the English Ambassador in Paris ... to do this Caron de B became Rodrigue, Hortalez and Company. Eventually Beaumarchais got his thank you note from John Jay (then president of Congress). This did in fact make a tremendous difference, and we do have a debt of gratitude to the French for enabling the American Revolution, and allowing the Constitution to survive, and the First Ammendment to exist. Countess du Barry, the King's mistress owes Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais her gratitude as well. The moral of the story? Individuals can and do make a great difference. and you wondered where the Barber of Seville and Marriage of Figaro were dreamt up? [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:06 AM CST [Link]
Friday, August 22, 2003
Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System by Donald A. Neumann addresses the "link between structure and function of the musculoskeletal system is clarified and explained in this complete guide to clinical kinesiology. Kinesiology of the Musculoskeletal System is the most comprehensive, research-based, reader-friendly text on kinesiology ever published. Beautifully and abundantly illustrated in two-color, this dynamic, accessible resource presents complex scientific information in an approach designed to draw the reader in and explore the fundamental principles of kinesiology of the trunk and extremities as well as in relation to joints, muscles, and biomechanics." check here for details:
[more]Posted by E Moritz @ 11:41 PM CST [Link]
Posted by E Moritz @ 05:15 PM CST [Link]
In the Conspiracy of Logic, the Math side units are located here. [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 05:06 PM CST [Link]
Thursday, August 21, 2003
A simple linguistic experiment:
real estate ideas
real estate investing
real estate mortgage
real estate planning
real estate taxes
real estate connections
real estate trusts
real estate company
real estate laws
real estate experts
real estate advice
real estate marketing
real estate sales
real estate advertising
real estate listing
real estate franchise
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:54 PM CST [Link]
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
REALTOR.ORG TOUTING WIRELESS SCONES ... Cyberspace and dirtspace meet to create baby wireless scones .... read the story in realtor.org or just enjoy the mainline here ... WI-FI HOTSPOTS: Stop by your neighborhood coffee shop for a decaf skim mocha latte, a blueberry muffin, and your e-mail inbox. ... Imagine your next visit to a coffee shop: "I'll have a latte, a scone and a wireless internet connection, please." If the coffee shop is a Wi-Fi Hotspot, your request is no problem. Wi-Fi enables you, with a laptop or PDA, to easily and affordably connect to the Internet or your corporate network at speeds up to 50-200 times faster than dial-up. Wi-Fi Hotspots can also be found in hotels, airports, libraries, book stores, bowling alleys, marinas, health clubs – the list goes on and on. A boon for the those who work away from the office, as well as the business traveler. Imagine the full scone (full monty?)
Yeah ... imagine a busy computer ... inagine thisPosted by E Moritz @ 12:02 AM CST [Link]
Monday, August 18, 2003
Scones, Muffins, and Tea Cakes : Breakfast Breads and Teatime Spreads Shortcakes, Gingerbreads, Cornbreads, Coffeecakes, Biscuits, Doughnuts, Pancakes, Waffles, Popovers, Fritters, smd more Scones. Yes learn [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:42 PM CST [Link]
Matthew Clark of ElectricNews.Net reports Super Wi-Fi to hit the market by 2004. A California start-up has announced details of a new technology that it claims can dramatically boost the power and cut the cost of Wi-Fi networks. ..... Airgo Networks, a wireless technology developer, took the wraps off its AGN100 Wi-Fi chipset, which the company said can boost the range, speed and security of 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks. .... According to the firm, the new technology could allow 802.11x wireless networks to be built with a range of 300 feet or more, compared to about 100 feet currently. ... Minimum throughput in networks equipped with its technology would be about 34Mbps, which is less than the maximum data rate for 802.11a of 54Mbps, but substantially faster than the typical maximum throughput of between 17Mbps and 22Mbps on a wireless LAN (local area network). A network loaded with Airgo chips would have a maximum speed of about 108Mbps.
108Mbps ... awesome, I can't wait ... the future isn't what it used to be ;-)
Posted by E Moritz @ 07:52 PM CST [Link]
According to Infoworld [Via Google WiFi News Search] Nextel, in partnership with RadioFrame Networks, will launch this week a unique hybrid wireless service that guarantees improved in-building signal strength for both voice and data with the option to create a campuswide wireless LAN using the same equipment. ... The integrated service will use Nextel’s iDEN network for wide area cellular coverage and RadioFrame’s hybrid access points [APs], which give an IT department the option of including seven different radio antennas in a single device by adding “blades,” or cards the size of a cassette tape, to the AP, according to Jon Pelson senior director of Custom Network Solutions at Nextel. .... “Wi-Fi is everywhere the customer wants it. You can slide in different blades, slide in an iDEN blade, a wireless LAN blade -- whatever you need. And if it is 802.11g, or ultra wideband, the access point can accommodate that, too” said Pelson. ... Nice!
Posted by E Moritz @ 07:45 PM CST [Link]
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Reminder, Scone Recipes. You won't know until you try.
Posted by E Moritz @ 06:44 PM CST [Link]
Friday, August 15, 2003
The Blackout History Project explains ... The minimum daily load [in New York City] during the off-peak season on the system is about 20 percent of the weekday peak load. On an average day, the minimum load is about 30 percent of the peak load. This wide variation in system daily load creates a problem in the control of system voltage during both heavy and light load periods. During the former periods, about 500Mvar of switchable shunt capacitors are placed in service both for voltage control on the 4-kV feeders and to reduce the current load on high-voltage cable and substation transformers. During the lighter load periods, the capacitive megavars will far exceed the inductive megavars even though all switched capacitors are disconnected. It is during these periods that control of system voltage becomes an acute problem, requiring the special attention of “engineering and operations" to maintain stable voltage conditions at each voltage level of the system.
The full text from which this excerpt was taken is available in the archive:IEEE Spectrum, Sept. 1966, pg. 142.
Its nice that someone is really tracking the ongoings of the megablackouts ... hopefully they don't become a regular event ... hopefully we really get motivated to address the national energy situation as a national priority rather than a business proposition.
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:36 PM CST [Link]
Arnold Schwarzenegger is getting a lot of attention .... Conan the Barbarian? The Terminator? True Lies? The Running Man? You Decide! Running Man for sure ... was the terminator series set out in California for a reason? Total Recall, CONTINUING EDUCATION OF A BODYBUILDER? Perhaps California does need a Kindergarten Cop. This is interesting ... where will it lead? Its good to have some spice in politics ... it will be intereting to see what Californians really really think ... and what actors can really really do. Click here to get some more insight on the Arnold Factor. [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 03:56 PM CST [Link]
Thursday, August 14, 2003
What's Pecuniary Compensation all about?
Posted by E Moritz @ 10:40 PM CST [Link]
Wi-Fi Networking News provides interesting insights about the WiFi Hotspot scene ... like this note about Wired sponsoring WiFi in NY "Wired Magazine sponsors Union Square Park Wi-Fi in Manhattan: Wired's biggest push these days is, in fact, unwired technology, and they've been covering it more and more thoroughly as the year has progressed. In this odd move, they're sponsoring Union Square Park's unwiring via Emenity, a company founded by some of the folks who also founded the community wireless networking group NYCWireless, which itself was behind the Bryant Park Wi-Fi. Wired has some sales offices in Manhattan in the Conde Nast Building" [more about WiFi here].
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:19 PM CST [Link]
54g Networking from Linksys: something to consider ...
According to the vendors ... Wireless 54g is the new 54 Mbps wireless networking standard that's almost five times faster than the widely deployed 802.11b products found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hot spots around the country. But because they share the same 2.4 GHz radio band, 54g wireless devices also work with existing 11 Mbps 802.11b equipment. Interesting ...
[more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:31 PM CST [Link]
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Notes on Digital Wireless ...
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:19 PM CST [Link]
LBS Applications Introduction at davidhwilliams.com is interesting ... whats a PSAP? So is the detailed discussion of Location Based Services (LBS).
Posted by E Moritz @ 07:16 PM CST [Link]
According to the the Verizon WiFi page, "Verizon Online Customers get Wi-Fi access at no additional charge". What is Wi-Fi, it iss Wireless Fidelity Verizon's FAQ and other pages explain: "Wi-Fi has become popular because it uses a wireless frequency that is available without a license from the FCC ... Wi-Fi signals operate in the 2.4 and 5Ghz radio bands, which are also used today by many cordless phones. However, Wi-Fi enabled devices are designed to transmit data across a wireless network at broadband speeds. ... Wi-Fi HotSpot network works through base stations called access points, The term HotSpot is becoming popular to refer to a Wi-Fi access point location that is available in a public location (away from your home or office). Verizon Wi-Fi is available at multiple locations in the New York City area. The majority of our locations, also known as Verizon HotSpots, are currently in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Verizon Wi-Fi service is not available from other hotspots outside the Verizon HotSpot network. Generally, each Verizon Wi-Fi HotSpot covers a 600-foot diameter area around the access point". PRETTY NEAT ... They also provide maps of locations wher hotspots are found ... Lots more information here, here, and here.
Posted by E Moritz @ 06:56 PM CST [Link]
Net.law.blog on Markoff on Future of Wi-Fi John Markoff has some excellent insights in his N.Y. Times article Led by Intel, True Believers in Wi-Fi Say It Will Endure:
One of them echoes the point I made here previously: The fact that profits may be hard to come by for Wi-Fi vendors does not mean that Wi-Fi is not a great investment for end users, including lawyers. Markoff sees "windshield warriors," workers who need Internet access on the road, as being a big driver of Wi-Fi growth.Another observation: Businesses like Starbucks that normally get most of their customers before 9:00 A.M. find free Wi-Fi attractive because of its potential to bring in customers at other times. Schlotsky's Deli & Wyndham hotels have both found that free Wi-Fi attracts significant new business. Another Times article has more on the trend toward free Wi-Fi in McDonalds and other businesses.
...Looking at the NY Times source article I found this little gem "The Intel test, however, will explore using the 802.16 standard, known as WiMax, to distribute the data to Wi-Fi antennas in local neighborhoods.
If Intel is able to jump-start the market to reach millions of homes with a relatively inexpensive interactive data and video service, the technology could quickly alter the communications landscape." If that's not the cat's meow .... what is?
Posted by E Moritz @ 07:45 AM CST [Link]
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Wi Fi is exciting and scary. All wireless digital devices are exciting and scary ... they contain both the ying and yang, black and white ... imagine you can sip endlessly from the fountain of knowledge any time any where ... but the cost, the eternal eye. your personal on star is on you all the time ... mama knows where you've been and who you've been talking to, and so on .... make the link, or even walk into the range of wi-fi region, and the equipment autodetects you're in the zone ... The FreeSpot™ Directory lists Wi-Fi hotspots offering Free Wireless Internet Access utilizing 802.11 technology.
Bryant Park between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues in NY City apparently provides free Wi Fi; According to their instructions all you have to do is configure your Wireless card to the following:
Network name/SSID – bryantpark.org
Mode – Infrastructure
Encryption/WEP – Disabled
Configure your Network settings to: All TCP/IP options – DHCP or Auto
Configure your Web Browser so it is NOT set to use a proxy serverand then Boom, Launch your web browser. The Bryant Park Wireless Network portal appears. [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 11:10 PM CST [Link]
Linksys BEFW11S4 EtherFast Wireless-B Access Point + Cable/DSL Router with 4-Port 10/100 Switch looks to be a staple home office item .... [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 10:40 PM CST [Link]
Discover digital tetherless freedom: Wi Fi is IT! 802.11, Security, Wi-Fi Protected Access, 802.11i, 802.11g, 802.11b, can they invent more? I'll exploring what's really going on with WI FI in the city ... New York ... San Francisco ... Chicago ... Los Angeles ... wait a second, what about Atlanta? I've had Wi fi at home and didn't even know about it ... [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 06:54 PM CST [Link]
Saturday, August 9, 2003
When a Mule is Not A Mule: Apparently being a mule is not the end of the line anymore. Normally considered a hybrid between a horse and a donkey; the offspring of a male donkey and a mare is a sterile hybrid. But what does sterility really mean when you can clone? It turns out [ according to sciencenews.org ] that "About 2 months ago, in a Science report online, Woods and his colleagues described how they created a mule, named Idaho Gem, through cloning" [see A Mule Cloned from Fetal Cells by Nuclear Transfer Gordon L. Woods, Kenneth L. White, Dirk K. Vanderwall, Guang-Peng Li, Kenneth I. Aston, Thomas D. Bunch, Lora N. Meerdo, Barry J. Pate -- Northwest Equine Reproduction Laboratory, Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA. and Center for Developmental and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology Center, Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences Department, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.] This is in advance of Prometea, the first cloned horse. Apparently Seabiscuit is not where the horce race really is ... its the race to clone a horse which is where it is, or was. And the winner is Cesare Galli and his colleagues of the Consortium for Zootechnical Improvement in Cremona, Italy who claimed the Triple Triple Crown victory by reporting Prometea's birth on May 28.
[more]Posted by E Moritz @ 11:19 PM CST [Link]
What's happening on the Human Genome front? and what about this Italian horse cloning?
Posted by E Moritz @ 06:40 PM CST [Link]
Thursday, August 7, 2003
Giambattista Vico: (1668-1744) - Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Naples -deserves attention!. Author of the The New Science, he remains largely an unknown giant ...
you can get a taste via the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy which addresses his stages of human civilization ... Vico characterizes this movement as a "necessity of nature" ... which means that, with the passage of time, human beings and societies tend increasingly towards realizing their full potential. From rude beginnings undirected passion is transformed into virtue, the bestial state of early society is subordinated to the rule of law, and philosophy replaces sentiments of religion. "Out of ferocity, avarice, and ambition, the three vices which run throughout the human race," Vico says, "legislation creates the military, merchant, and governing classes, and thus the strength, riches, and wisdom of commonwealths. Out of these three great vices, which could certainly destroy all mankind on the face of the earth, it makes civil happiness" ... In addition, the transition from poetic to rational consciousness enables reflective individuals-the philosopher, that is, in the shape of Vico-to recover the body of universal history from the particularity of apparently random events. This is a fact attested to by the form and content of The New Science itself.
.... Vico also emphasizes the cyclical feature of historical development. Society progresses towards perfection, but without reaching it (thus history is "ideal"), interrupted as it is by a break or return (recurso) to a relatively more primitive condition. Out of this reversal, history begins its course anew, albeit from the irreversibly higher point to which it has already attained. Vico observes that in the latter part of the age of men (manifest in the institutions and customs of medieval feudalism) the "barbarism" which marks the first stages of civil society returns as a "civil disease" to corrupt the body politic from within. This development is marked by the decline of popular commonwealths into bureaucratic monarchies, and, by the force of unrestrained passions, the return of corrupt manners which had characterized the earlier societies of gods and heroes. Out of this "second barbarism," however, either through the appearance of wise legislators, the rise of the fittest, or a the last vestiges of civilization, society returns to the "primitive simplicity of the first world of peoples," and individuals are again "religious, truthful, and faithful" ... From this begins a new curso which Vico saw manifest in his own time as the "second age of men" characterized by the "true" Christian religion and the monarchical government of seventeenth century Europe.
Why do we find out about Vico only later on? Is it a conspiracy of logic or a conspiracy of fear? [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 09:48 PM CST [Link]
Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself ... or something like that? [more]
Posted by E Moritz @ 08:57 PM CST [Link]
Friday, August 1, 2003
Bob Hope and the Pursuit of Happiness ... Yes, yes, yes ... he brought happiness to many ... sadly, he is no more. Happily, he made it to 100. Awesome! Go Bob. [more]