LLPOH Digital Archives: September 2003

Biotechnology, Cancer, Chemistry, Health, Diet, Nutrition, Nanotechnology, Clinical Medicine, Dentistry
Development, Drug Discovery, Genetics, Immunology, Medical Research, Microbiology, Molecular Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Physics, Earth Sciences, Evolution, Ecology --- are all topics on the new development watch list. [more]

RFID Handbook could come in very handy if you want to know more about Radio Frequency Identification and Smart Cards . [more]

KITCHENAID KSM150PSMC ARTISAN SERIES 5-QUART MIXER. The ladies will very likely like this neato machine. It boasts a powerful 325-watt motor mixer with 10 speeds and a 5-quart stainless steel bowl with ergonomic handle. Very retro!

The CyberJournalist List lists the J-Blogs (Weblogs by professional journalists). By the way, did you know the Mask of Warka was recovered? Here's CNN's take. I don't think I saw any mention on the J-Blogs ... but who knows, there's a bunch of them.

Desertification is a very serious problem! with all the politics and war-peace-war-terrorism-peace-war talk clogging the blogs ... we're missing the desert takeover ... World Atlas of Desertification is recording the problem. [more]

Turfgrass Management - you might sneer at Turfgrass Management but there more than meets the eye here ... Take a look at the EXTENSIVE DESCRIPTION FOR Turfgrass Management. Totally fascinating ... [more]

Discourse Parsing is one of the topic we encountered while hunting the theory of theories adventure page. If you're interested in semantics-free theoretical frameworks read on ... [more]

Theory of Theories for reasons yet undecipherable ... theory links are located here.

Italian Blackout Cuts Short Rome All - Night Party according to REUTERS via the NY TIMES "The national grid authority said the blackout was caused by a malfunction of incoming electricity lines from abroad, national new agency ANSA reported." -- and then there was this Denmark Blackout earlier "COPENHAGEN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A major power blackout briefly struck southern Sweden and eastern Denmark on Tuesday, leaving millions people without electricity and crippling industry, airports and trains." ... looks like we need to think this stuff through ... Its not just New York, or the Northeast ... or just the U.S. --

There must be a theory for everything ... I just ran into Emotions Theory. No Kidding. Really ... I juat finished reviewing the earlier post Attachment issues revisted ... Is there a case for Borderline personality disorder (BPD)?, and looked again at the Consedine NS, Magai C. -- Attachment and emotion experience in later life: the view from emotions theory. Attach Hum Dev. 2003 Jun;5(2):165-87. citation ... and guess what, I noticed EMOTIONS THEORY ... so linking another chain slowly, i looked for references on emotions theory ...and they are there .. and so are references to more theories ... so now the question arises, are there domains of experience or existence without named theories? It seems like speculation abhors a vacuum ... [more]

Attachment issues revisted ... Is there a case for Borderline personality disorder(BPD)? in a random attachment theory search, rather interesting information popped up. Recently, it appears that PUBMED is processing an abstract of a J Holmes' paper to appear in Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2003 Oct;37(5):524-31 on the topic Borderline personality disorder and the search for meaning: an attachment perspective. The abstract states " OBJECTIVE: To explore the links between the attachment theory-derived concept of disorganized attachment, and the psychiatric diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD)", and reports "RESULTS: Disorganized attachment can be understood in terms of an approach-avoidance dilemma for infants for whom stressed or traumatized/traumatizing caregivers are simultaneously a source of threat and a secure base." Items addressed include: interpersonal relationships, caregivers, approach-avoidance dilemma, disturbed transference/countertransference interactions, 'language games', stable self-structures, and 'meta-cognitive monitoring'. --- We'll be monitoring the topic. [more]

Stage Makeup- You wouldn't think its important, but its critical ... Encyclop�dia Britannica explains In the Greek and Roman theatre the actors' use of masks precluded the need for makeup. In the religious plays of medieval Europe, actors playing God or Christ painted their faces white or sometimes gold, while the faces of angels were coloured bright red. During the Renaissance, popular characters in French farce wore false beards of lamb's wool and whitened their faces with flour. It is known that on the stage of Elizabethan England, actors playing ghosts and murderers powdered their faces with chalk and that those appearing as blacks and Moors were blackened with soot or burnt cork. Little attempt was made to achieve historical accuracy in either makeup or costuming until early in the 19th century. ... . By 1890 the demand for stage makeup had warranted its manufacture on a commercial scale. Half a century later, greasepaint in stick form had given way to more easily handled creams. ... On the modern stage, makeup is a necessity because powerful stage-lighting systems may remove all colour from a performer's complexion and will eliminate shadows and lines. Makeup restores this colour and defines the facial features to ensure a natural appearance. It also helps the player to look and feel the part, a consideration especially helpful in character interpretations. A theatrical makeup kit typically includes makeup base colours, rouges, coloured liners for shadow and highlighting effects, eye makeup and false eyelashes, various cleansers, powder and powder puffs, putties for making prosthetic features, adhesives, wigs, and facial hairpieces or mohair to construct them. ... The first makeup designed expressly for motion pictures was created by Max Factor in 1910. It was a light, semiliquid greasepaint available in jars in a precisely graduated range of tan tone, suitable for the lighting and orthochromatic film emulsion used during that period.
The introduction of panchromatic film and incandescent lighting on movie sets eventually made it possible to standardize the film, lighting, and colours of makeup that were most effective for motion pictures. ... Motion-picture makeup is both corrective and creative. Makeup must always be applied skillfully, delicately, and subtly so that facial expression will have natural freedom. On the screen, particularly in close-ups, the face may be magnified many times larger than life size, so that every complexion flaw or crudely applied makeup artifice is clearly discernible. As a corrective art, makeup serves to (1) cover blemishes, (2) provide the face with a smooth and even colour tone for the most effective photography, (3) clearly define the facial features for more visibly expressive action, (4) make the player appear more attractive, and (5) ensure a uniform appearance before the camera. ... The arrival of television created new makeup problems. Light complexions looked ghostly, and dark complexions dirty. Street makeup on women either disappeared or looked dark or dowdy. This is the backdrop ... if you'e an aspiring stage, movie or television actor or actress ... this needs to be one of your main considerations ... even as you're thinking about the audition ... [more]

Mexican Art Deserves Mention. All forms of art ... According to The Encyclop�dia Britannica "the most widely recognized Mexican art form is the mural, and the Mexican Muralist school counted among its members the most powerful figures of the genre. The murals created by Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, depicting aspects of the Mexican Revolution, the nation's modernization, and class struggle, have become legendary, and, among others, Rufino Tamayo and Juan Soriano have achieved stature. Perhaps the most popular of Mexico's folk artists is Jos� Clemente Orozco, whose animated plaster-of-paris skeleton characters are both satirical and lifelike." [more]

More Mexican Culture to Explore ... Yes its worth it! Beyond the heroes listed earlier there's Mexican Achievements, Mexican Adventures , Mexican Agriculture, Mexican Almanacs, Mexican Animals, Mexican Anthology, Mexican Antiques, Mexican Antiquity, Mexican Architecture, Mexican Army, Mexican Art , Mexican Artifacts, and much more ... I think Olmec History is fascinating [more]

Mexican Heroes Revisited. Beyond the first steps. Think of Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla and Grito de Dolores ... Viva M�xico! Viva la Independencia! Vivan los h�roes! Think Jos� Mar�a Morelos y Pav�n. What about Pancho Villa and Mart�n Luis Guzm�n?
[more]

Latest nanotechnology patents: The first ten are:
1 6,625,802 Method for modifying a chip layout to minimize within-die CD variations caused by flare variations in EUV lithography
2 6,625,372 Mounting and alignment structures for optical components
3 6,621,083 High-absorption wide-band pixel for bolometer arrays
4 6,617,583 Inventory control
5 6,616,821 Reference electrode having a microfluidic flowing liquid junction
6 6,614,084 Magnetic materials
7 6,613,894 Method for producing a pyranosyl nucleic acid conjugate
8 6,608,186 Pyranosyl nucleic acid conjugates
9 6,607,779 Nanotechnology for photonic and optical components
10 6,602,671 Semiconductor nanocrystals for inventory control ... there's [more]

We meant to add pointers to Celestine Sibley ... so here they are ... Turned Funny: A Memoir, Christmas in Georgia, Small Blessings, Young 'Uns, Children, My Children, Spider in the Sink: A Kate Mulcay Mystery, The Celestine Sibley Sampler, The Sweet Apple Gardening Book, Place Called Sweet Apple: Country Living and Southern Recipes, A Plague of Kinfolks, All Seasons, Straight As an Arrow, A, Sweet Mystery, Dire Happenings at Scratch Ankle ... for a start. [more]

CAVEMEN ... Not your normal topic but sufficiently popular for quite a few ... and what about the cavewomen? [more]

College Board Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT Level I and Level II) are on some kids' mind these days. The topics: PSAT, NMSQT, Writing, Literature, U.S. History, World History, Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English, Verbal, Some require Reading and Listening ... I guess it takes more these days. [more]

Why is Phil McGraw's The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom Number three on the bestseller's list?

[more]

Thank goodness for ScrappleFace. Really, without the dedicated effort we wouldn't know that these are the stories to follow:
--George Plimpton to Write Book on Death
--French Rat Clones Want Cheese at Every Turn
--Angry Virginians Blow Up Power Substation
--Davis to Pay for Nightly Re-Broadcast of Debate
--McClintock Fails to Prepare Debate 'Zingers'
--9th Circuit Blocks Hillary Book Recall
--United Nations Hail Chirac's Moral Vision
--Hillary's Chinese Publisher Calls Cuts 'Honest Mistake'
--Polled Democrat Voters Flip-Flop on Clark
--NARAL Head to Quit in 2nd Trimester of 2004

The Foucault Effect: Studies in Governmentality: With Two Lectures by and an Interview With Michel Foucault by Graham Burchell, Colin Gordon,and Peter Miller is gathering a following ... Nate says 'Academic researchers ought to buy it.' Peter says "This is a key text for any of us wrestling with the epistemological change which Foucault created in his own, earlier writing." - Insanity in the Age of Reason? Sexuality? Fearless Speech? Archaeology of Knowledge? How do these all fit in? [more]

of Powers of Freedom: Reframing Political Thought by Nikolas Rose ... "Powers of Freedom offers a compelling new approach to the analysis of political power which extends Foucault's hypotheses on governmentality in new and challenging ways. Nikolas Rose sets out the key characteristics of this approach to political power and analyses the government of conduct in new fields and in new ways. He analyses the role of expertise, the politics of numbers, technologies of economic management and the political uses of space. He illuminates the relation of this approach to contemporary theories of 'risk society' and 'the sociology of governance'. Uniquely, he argues that freedom is not the opposite of government but one of its key inventions and most significant resources. He also seeks some rapprochement between analyses of government and the concerns of critical sociology, cultural studies and Marxism, to establish a basis for the critique of power and its exercise. ... will be of interest to students and scholars in political theory, sociology, social policy and cultural studies." [more]

The Scientist identified the following as possible CANCER PREVENTATIVES: Calcium, Fiber, Folate, Selenium, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Phytochemicals, Carotenoids, Corcumin, Diallyl sulfides, Genistein, Green tea and grape polyphenols, Indole-3-carbinol, Isoflavones, Isothiocyanates, L-perillyl alcohol, Saponins, Terpines, Anti-inflammatories, NSAIDS aspirin, ibuprofen, COX2 inhibitors, Chromatin modifiers, and Nuclear receptor ligands, we've discussed some of these earlier ... the links are provided below [more]

Status Symbols and Conspicuous Consumption meet the Grass Roots Does this sound odd? How about pecuniary emulation? The combinations and possibilities might leave your chads hanging ... Bust seriously ... the starting points for the hooha are right here. [more]

Allergic and contact hypersensitivity syndromes are of interest ... recently, Ning Zhang, Zuxu Fang, Pamela R Contag, Anthony F Purchio, and David B West of Xenogen Corp., Alameda, CA submitted the paper Tracking angiogenesis induced by skin wounding and contact hypersensitivity using a Vegfr2-luciferase transgenic mouse (due to be published in Blood). [We're tracking angiogenesis for example here, here, here, and elsewhere]. The Zhang et al abstract states:The ability to monitor and quantify VEGFR2 expression in vivo may facilitate a better understanding of the role of VEGFR2 in different states. Here we describe a transgenic mouse, Vegfr2-luc, in which a luciferase reporter is under control of the murine VEGFR2 promoter. In adult mice, luciferase activity was highest in lung and uterus, intermediate in heart, skin and kidney, and lower in other tissues. Luciferase expression in these tissues correlated with endogenous VEGFR2 mRNA expression. In a cutaneous wound-healing model, Vegfr2-luc expression was induced in the wound tissue. Histological and immunohistochemical studies showed significant macrophage infiltration into the wound and induction of Vegfr2-luc expression in both endothelial and stromal cells. Dexamethasone significantly suppressed both Vegfr2-luc expression and macrophage infiltration into the wound, resulting in delayed healing and impaired angiogenesis. ... Treatment by dexamethasone markedly suppressed Vegfr2-luc expression and leukocyte infiltration in the ear, and was correlated with reduced dermal edema and epidermal hyperplasia. ...". This is very interesting both from the angiognesis angle and the luciferin-luciferase aspect ... [and you thought the luciferin-luciferase fire fly science-fair experiment wasn't up to snuff?] ... Keep it up Xenogen ... looks like fascinating stuff..
[more]

Electrophoretic Adventures You might not recognize their impact, but they are there! Chromatin is another matter. Both are addressed here ... roll up your mental sleeves and find out [more]

The latest patents associated with water treatment are:
6,625,248 Process for the treatment of radioactive graphite
6,624,637 Device for measuring the concentrations in a measuring liquid
6,624,252 Sealing device
6,624,103 Low melting high lithia glass compositions and methods
6,624,100 Microfiber nonwoven web laminates
6,623,681 Polyester fiber and process for preparing the same
6,623,680 Tetrafluoroethylene/hexafluoropropylene copolymers with higher drawability
6,623,650 Processes and apparatus for treating sewage or like sludge
6,623,648 Oxidation catalyst, method for preparing the same, method for recycling the same and method for treating wastewater using the same
6,623,647 Methods of optimized control of multiple oxidizer feedstreams
6,623,642 System for removing phosphorus from waste water
6,623,641 Wastewater treatment process for nitrogen-deficient feed in controlled environment
6,623,640 Phase separator having multiple separation units, upflow reactor apparatus, and methods for phase separation
6,623,633 Sewer eco-collar for sump application
6,623,603 Method and apparatus for water purification

[explore relationships of water treatment to other emerging opportunities here]
[more]

Quetzalc�atl - One Reed - Ce Acatl deserves further attention. In a prior post, we brought Q's name up, but we haven't done justice to his significance... "Quetzalcoatl Ce Acatl (born in A.D. 947)--whose stature has been compared to that of Christ, Buddha, and Krishna--was the key figure in the development of the spiritual culture of the Toltecs" .... The Encyclop�dia Britannica provides more insight: The name comes form Nahuatl quetzalli, "tail feather of the quetzal bird [Pharomachrus mocinno]," and coatl, "snake"), the Feathered Serpent, one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuac�n civilization (3rd to 8th century AD) on the central plateau. ... With the immigration of Nahua-speaking tribes from the north, Quetzalc�atl's cult underwent drastic changes. The subsequent Toltec culture (9th through 12th centuries), centred at the city of Tula, emphasized war and human sacrifice linked with the worship of heavenly bodies. Quetzalc�atl became the god of the morning and evening star, and his temple was the centre of ceremonial life in Tula. .... As the morning and evening star, Quetzalc�atl was the symbol of death and resurrection. With his companion Xolotl, a dog-headed god, he was said to have descended to the underground hell of Mictlan to gather the bones of the ancient dead. .... One important body of myths describes Quetzalc�atl as the priest-king of Tula, the capital of the Toltecs. He never offered human victims, only snakes, birds, and butterflies. But the god of the night sky, Tezcatlipoca, expelled him from Tula by performing feats of black magic. Quetzalc�atl wandered down to the coast of the "divine water" (the Atlantic Ocean) and then immolated himself on a pyre, emerging as the planet Venus. According to another version, he embarked upon a raft made of snakes and disappeared beyond the eastern horizon. ... The legend of the victory of Tezcatlipoca over the Feathered Serpent probably reflects historical fact. The first century of the Toltec civilization was dominated by the Teotihuac�n culture, with its inspired ideals of priestly rule and peaceful behaviour. .... His sea voyage to the east should probably be connected with the invasion of Yucat�n by the Itz�, a tribe that showed strong Toltec features. Quetzalc�atl's calendar name was Ce Acatl (One Reed). The belief that he would return from the east in a One Reed year led the Aztec sovereign Montezuma II to regard the Spanish conqueror Hern�n Cort�s and his comrades as divine envoys, because 1519, the year in which they landed on the Mexican Gulf coast, was a One Reed year. [more]

Quetzalcoatl Reincarnated ... THE PLUMED SERPENT SOARS AGAIN Over those golden mountains of the mind ... in the popular imagination of the willing ... Lord of the Dawn ... GOD OF MAIZE - SKY ABOVE EARTH BELOW ... CHOLULA AND XOCHICALCO; so greatly did the Toltecs believe in their priest Quetzalc�atl, and so greatly obedient and given to the things of their god were they, and so fearful of god, that all obeyed him, all believed in Quetzalc�atl; PLUMEDE SERPENT'S BROTHER-GOD, COCIJO - PEOPLE OF THE BOOK - HIDDEN RICHES IN MIXTEC TOMBS ... would you be searching if you had the clues ... look for [more]

People keep asking about Vegan Vegetarian Recipes -- hello tasty leads like those for Barbecued Tempeh-Chipotle Burgers, Fennel Cannelloni, Five-Spiced Portobello Satays. [more]

Beyond Posthumans ...Transapience? OVer a decade ago I floated the concep of Home Transsapiens ... Transapience -Transapiennce didn't take then ... but I see a lot of 'Posthuman' this and that, so what's happening in the Posthuman Universe? Apparently, quite a lot ... [more]

Invisble made visible ... the Visible Human Project from the National Library of Medicine of The National Institutes of Health data ... [more]

Recycling - Time to Rexamine the basic assumptions. We'll add this to the tracking tripper trigger. In other words, we'll revisit frequently. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that as we move to understand true crimes against humanity [i.e. the collection of all current and potentially future humans], pollution, spilling over into your neighbors air or yard or stream, will become more and more of an issue; and likewise, massive emission of pollution, and wastes that deny others clean air and water and sunlight, will be paramount issues. I'm not talking Greenpeace, I'm talking peace of mind. Sorry about all the commas. [more]

Stoll, Migliorini, Kadambi, Munn, and Jain's new paper, A mathematical model of the contribution of endothelial progenitor cells to angiogenesis in tumors: implications for anti-angiogenic therapy, is coming out (Blood, 1 October 2003, Vol. 102, No. 7, pp. 2555-2561)
[more]

Bioprocess Engineering is also important. Think ... internal structure and functions of different types of microorganisms, major metabolic pathways, enzymes, microbial genetics, kinetics and stoichiometry of growth, bioprocess synthesis and design, modern biotechnology, production of pharmaceuticals and biologics, solution of environmental problems, production of commodities, the mind boggles ... [more]

Medical Instrumentation Application and Design are increasingly important. There's more to the state of the art ... "sensors and principles, amplifiers and signal processing, biopotential electrodes and amplifiers, blood pressure and sound, measurement of flow and volume of blood and of the respiratory system" ... all these and others play a role ... [more]

Allometry, "the study of the growth rate of an organism's parts in relation to the whole like the relation between body mass and body length" is rather fascinating. there's always something to learn there ... of course, there's the Magic Mountain thats totally nonallometric, only mythmagnetic. [more]

Angiogenesis Inhibitors in Cancer Research [DOWNLOADABLE PDF] ... Pharmacia, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Genentech are in the hunt ... there's an endless goldmine in sight for not only Cancer Treatment and Cure, but also THE CURE FOR OBESITY [see the previous note]. What's your company doing? [more]

Research shows fat is an organ ... That's right ...fat is an organ ... with cells like any other organ ... they're called 'fat cells'. Check the story in the National Post ... There's good news here, and there's more to the story ... [more]

Newt Gingrich, The Future of Human Longevity, and Probiotics I stumbled into this on the way to the forum ... you'd enjoy his testimony ... "Great Breakthroughs are occurring in large established companies as well as small startups. For example, The Nestl� TM Research Center in Switzerland is one of the largest and most sophisticated private laboratories of its kind in the world. The scientists at Nestl� TM have a very wide, and at times somewhat different, perspective on the importance and impact of nutrition on health. In addition to their interest in normal body cells, they also have a keen interest in the 70% of the cells in your body that are not "you." Our bodies are hosts for billions of tiny beneficial bacteria that live in our small and large intestines. These organisms, referred to as probiotic organisms, help us stay healthy by, not only altering some metabolic processes in the intestine for the better, but also by competitively inhibiting attempts at colonization of the intestine by harmful bacteria.

Consequently, these probiotics act as a protective barrier for our bodies. The food you eat influences the numbers of these beneficial probiotic bacteria in our intestine in a way we are beginning to understand. As a result, they have developed a yogurt that delivers these beneficial bacteria to the intestine in a way that is both inexpensive and practicable. Once in the intestine, the probiotic bacteria can then actively play out their beneficial role. The implications for health management and disease prevention are amazing." (emphasis adde to probiotics) What can I say about Newt? We didn't always agree (actually, I don't think he really paid attention to anything I said, exept during a flight from DC to Atlanta [where we talked about Harry Seldon]

) ... he's amazing ... I had no clue he was into probiotics .. [more]

Consider an astonishing fact. Female life expectancy in the record-holding country has risen for 160 years at a steady pace of 3 months per year. In 1840 the record was held by Swedish women, who lived on average a little more than 45 years. Among nations today, the longest expectation of life--just over 85 years--is enjoyed by Japanese women. There is no evidence of any slowing of this long-term rise in best-practice life expectancy. If you looked at the document you'd find the 2050 intercept for the Japanese women at 97.5 while the American equivalent (based on the Social Security Administration) to be 83.4! -- to be continued. [more]

Pharmaceutical Patents : Information, Clues, Links, and Other Useful Starting Points. Only if you're in the business ... [more]

Miramax Award Winners Collection (Shakespeare in Love/The English Patient/Good Will Hunting/Sling Blade/The Cider House Rules/Life is Beautiful/Il Postino) may very well make you happy. [more]

Heterocyclic Amines in Cooked Meats Revisited... BAD BAD BAD ... In a recent Hindustan Times story " ... In a revelation that is sure to have veggie-lovers smiling, Dr T Takanashi, former Chief Surgeon at Tokyo's world-famous Cancer Institute, claims frying or barbecuing meat at high temperatures creates chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that lead to cancer. Since these agents are embedded beneath the surface, scraping them off is not an option. In fact higher and more prolonged the heat, greater are the chances of HCAs being formed.

It is a view with which a number of cancer specialists attending the three-day National Conference of the Indian Society of Surgical Oncology in Lucknow, concur. Indians, being partial to a non-vegetarian diet, are especially susceptible to the deadly disease, they insist. In fact succulent kebabs and fried fish are being particularly blamed for the alarming rise in cancer cases in the country." It turns out that our National Cancer Institute issued a warning as far back as 1996. The Warning reads Research conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as well as by Japanese and European scientists indicates that heterocyclic amines are created within muscle meats during most types of high temperature cooking.

Recent studies have further evaluated the relationship associated with methods of cooking meat and the development of specific types of cancer. One study conducted by researchers from NCI's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics found a link between individuals with stomach cancer and the consumption of cooked meats. The researchers assessed the diets and cooking habits of 176 people diagnosed with stomach cancer and 503 people without cancer. The researchers found that those who ate their beef medium-well or well-done had more than three times the risk of stomach cancer than those who ate their beef rare or medium-rare. They also found that people who ate beef four or more times a week had more than twice the risk of stomach cancer than those consuming beef less frequently. Additional studies have shown that an increased risk of developing colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer is associated with high intakes of well-done, fried, or barbequed meats. [more]

Gates Foundation Donates $168 Million for Malaria Research The NY Times story starts Filed at 12:19 p.m. ET -- MANHICA, Mozambique (AP) -- Touring a malaria clinic where they sat on reed mats while coddling babies, Bill and Melinda Gates announced a $168 million grant Sunday to accelerate research into malaria, a disease that kills over a million people each year, most of them young African children. I don't know if Bill abd Melinda read my "Transport and Trafficking in the Malaria-Infected Erythrocyte" blog, which recaptiulated "Malaria is a major infectious disease, affecting 500 million people and causing the death of around two million people each year" but I am glad to see the attention Malria is getting from the Gates ... way to go Bill and Melinda ... I am willing to pay a few extra bucks for Windows to see this wealth aggregation go to some worthwhile causes.

Bioinformatics ... Probably one of the hottest areas for years to come. This is what's happening in structural bioinformatics:

Metabolic acidosis "a clinical disturbance characterized by an increase in total body acid" might involve release of cellular phosphate and sulfate (see related note), and probably some other processes of significant concern, [more]

The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene is an interesting hunt for history ... Jane Schaberg author of The Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives and The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament. Sort of reminds you of the Da Vinci Code, doesn't it? [additional clues: Holy Grail, Fisher King, Joseph of Arimathea and the Da Vinci Code notes, DVC local, Rennes-Le-Chateau, DEAD SEA SCROLLS, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Temple and Lodge note, were there offsprings? [Is it true there was a behind-the-scenes society called the Prieure de Sion, allegedly involved in reinstating descendants of the Merovingian bloodline into political power?]] [more]

APOCRYPHA IN THE BIBLE ... just a reminder "The Apocrypha are the fourteen books that stand in old English Bibles between the Old Testament and the New. They are I and II Esdras, Tobit, Judith, some Additions to Esther, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Sirach, Baruch, Susanna, the Song of the Three Children, Bel and the Dragon, the Prayer of Manasseh, and I and II Maccabees."[from The Story of the Apocrypha. Edgar J. Goodspeed -- via Questia] [more]

FLIPPIN QZKST..,,*RUXG ok ...we're just kiddin ... but Flippin Flipping is huge! [more]

If are looking for discrete hyper names .... this is what Ozy and Millie would come up with for OONA and OOPA ... Principal Analogous Eggplant Hyper-Hippopotamus Dragony Gizmo OONA (the Twenty-Third), and Principal Parallel Cauldron Mock-Caterpillar Surrealist Whatchamacallit OOPA (the Forty-Second) ... this could be interesting:

My Ozy and Millie title is:
Principal Analogous Eggplant Hyper-Hippopotamus Dragony Gizmo OONA(the Twenty-Third) !

To get your Ozy and Millie title, enter your name here:

On the road, hunting for books by and about SYDNEY SMITH [Son of Robert Smith, English clergyman, wit and essayist (1771 - 1845) - prize game = Selected Writings of Sydney Smith, edited by W.H. Auden], I've come across a few interesting quotes:

* He had occasional flashes of silence, that made his conversation perfectly delightful. [referring to Macaulay]

*Errors to be dangerous must have a great deal of truth mingled with them. It is only from this alliance that they can ever obtain an extensive circulation.

* Madam, I have been looking for a person who disliked gravy all my life; let us swear eternal friendship.

* My living in Yorkshire was so far out of the way, that it was actually twelve miles from a lemon.

BIOPIRACY ... A New term making the rounds ... Vandana Shiva refers to it as Plunder of Nature and Knowledge .... Robert S. Desowitz has written "Federal Bodysnatchers and the New Guinea Virus: Tales of People, Parasites, and Politics", in his book "he quotes then US secretary of commerce Ronald Brown to the effect that genetic material can be taken from you and patented for the enrichment of someone else and there is nothing you can do about it. (p. 200) Some people call this "biopiracy." (p. 193)" ... interesting ... is there something to this? should we be concerned? alarmed? Is this just another spin?
[more]

Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases is the reference to get ... [For practitioners, residents, and students. Discusses major clinical syndromes, pathologic microbes, and special problems in infectious disease. Includes new chapters, including human genetics and infections. DNLM: Communicable Diseases. ... Mos says "awesome review of every known topic in infectious diseases"] ... if you're interested in Malaria ... here's the bib [more]

Transport and Trafficking in the Malaria-Infected Erythrocyte? Apparently a symposium was held on this topic [Novartis Foundation, London, U.K., on January 26-28, 1999]. According to the Symposium notes "Malaria is a major infectious disease, affecting 500 million people and causing the death of around two million people each year. As the parasite becomes resistant to available drugs there is an urgent need to uncover new therapies that will protect against and cure this debilitating and fatal disease. Knowledge of specific physiological and biochemical processes in the malaria-infected erythrocyte could provide a basis for the development and targeting of such drugs. This book offers insights into three interrelated aspects of the malaria-infected erythrocyte:

The transport of solutes into and out of the infected cell and the use of specific trafficking pathways in drug targeting.
The traffic of proteins produced by the intracellular parasite as an essential process for the biogenesis of transport systems.
The relationship between the transport of drugs into the infected cell and the mode of drug action and drug resistance"

This is amazing ... affecting 500 million people and causing the death of around two million people each year ... still? In our day and age? Apparently there's much yet to be done ... [Malaria bibliography]. [more]

The Scientist reoprts Erythrocyte G protein�coupled receptor signals may control malarial infection Plasmodium falciparum�the species that causes the most virulent human form of malaria�infects both hepatocytes and mature red blood cells (erythrocytes). The erythrocytic stages are responsible for the symptoms associated with the disease (e.g., fever, headache, and back pain), but the mechanisms involved in malarial infection have been poorly understood. In the September 19 Science, Travis Harrison and colleagues at the Feinberg School of Medicine show that signaling via the erythrocyte �2-adrenergic receptor and G�s regulates erythrocytic stages of malarial infection across Plasmodium species (Science, 301:1734-1736, September 19, 2003). [more]

Apollo Versus the Echomaker Lunt's Pride? Add this to the list of undiscovered territories. [more]

OOPA and OONA Object of Positive Attention and Object of Negative Attention ... to be developed. The goal? To recast the debate in terms of the balance of OOPA and OONA in general discourse, media, and policy development. The nation is OONA oriented at this time. [more]

1785 Ordinance of 1785. Provided for the rectangular land survey of the Old Northwest. The rectangular survey has been called "the largest single act of national planning in our history and . . . the most significant in terms of continuing impact on the body politic" (Daniel Elazar).

1862 Homestead Act opened the lands of the Public Domain to settlers for a nominal fee and five years residence.

1862 Morrill Act. Congress authorizes land grants from the Public Domain to the states. Proceeds from the sale were to be used to found colleges offering instruction in agriculture, engineering, and other practical arts.

Pretty interesting ... are we doing as well in laying down a similar national strategy of true public benefit? [more]

Fair is Fair ... prior post linked to Al Franken -isms so now its Equal time for Rush Limbaugh, make the best of it ... [more]

from CNN LONDON, England -- John Caudwell, the multi-millionaire owner of high street retailer Phones 4u, has banned staff from using e-mail ... ... is this guy for real? [more]

The Most Important Thing We Do Is Not Doing from The Unpublished Opinions of Mr. Justice Brandeis: The Supreme Court at Work, by Alexander M. Bickel, Louis Dembitz Brandeis. [more]

The 37th Amendment: A Novel by Susan Shelley is interesting ... legal thriller - keeps you turning the pages - "the 37th amendment is enacted to take away the guarantee of due process in the Bill of Rights, repealing the 14th amendment provisions that the states would also insure due process" -- " .... "..a decision of the Supreme Court can be overturned by the decision of a future Supreme Court. And that makes every vacancy on the Court a crisis for those who live by the grace of the last ruling. A constitutional amendment, on the other hand, cannot be reversed simply because five of the nine justices think the time has arrived to reverse it." ... makes you think .. [more]

Run it on Sugar ... or ... Derek R. Lovley's bacterial battery: "Two scientists at the University of Massachusetts have discovered a novel sugar-loving micro-organism, Rhodoferax ferrireducens, that may one day serve as a stable source of low power ... R. ferrireducens belongs to a group of micro-organisms Dr. Lovley and colleagues have discovered only in the past few years. Often described as iron-breathing, they use iron for metabolic energy just as humans use oxygen to burn food. .... "They live in an environment with no oxygen, but lots of iron," Dr. Lovley said. "So they evolved the strategy of iron respiration," grabbing carbon from sediment on the seafloor and releasing carbon dioxide, then transferring the electrons that accumulated to nearby iron oxides or rust. "To the organism," he said, "the electrode in the fuel cell probably looks like iron oxide, its usual repository" [from the New York Times] .. Too sweet to be true ... electricity directly from sugar ... I can't wait until this gets commecialized ... Blackouts begone ...

HURRICANE ISABEL DISCUSSION NUMBER 51 - ISABEL MADE LANDFALL ON THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA NEAR DRUM INLET We started tracking her on 13 Sept. Unless something dramatic happens ... This wraps it up here for Isabel. [more]

What do -- Wine, the Bible, Jazz, Food, Philosophy, the Supreme Court, Shakespeare, Music, United States History, Mind, Christian Thought, Dickens, English Literature, and American Military History -- all have in common? Why its the OXFORD COMPANIONSHIP. They all have an Oxford Companion. I stumbled into this factoid researching The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. There probably are more topics ... we'll report the result later. [more]

More on "The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States" [continuing the earlier note] The companion's self description states: In Democracy in America, De Tocqueville observed that there is hardly a political question in the United States which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one. Two hundred years of American history have certainly born out the truth of this remark. Whether a controversy is political, economic, or social, whether it focuses on child labor, slavery, prayer in public schools, war powers, busing, abortion, business monopolies, or capital punishment, eventually the battle is taken to court. And the ultimate venue for these vital struggles is the Supreme Court. Indeed, the Supreme Court is a prism through which the entire life of our nation is magnified and illuminated, and through which we have defined ourselves as a people.

Now, in The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States, readers have a rich source of information about one of the central institutions of American life. Everything one would want to know about the Supreme Court is here, in more than a thousand alphabetically arranged entries. There are biographies of every justice who ever sat on the Supreme Court (with pictures of each) as well as entries on rejected nominees and prominent judges (such as Learned Hand), on presidents who had an important impact on--or conflict with--the Court (including Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt), and on other influential figures (from Alexander Hamilton to Cass Gilbert, the architect of the Supreme Court Building). More than four hundred entries examine every major case that the court has decided, from Marbury v. Madison (which established the Court's power to declare federal laws unconstitutional) and Scott v. Sandford (the Dred Scott Case) to Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade. In addition, there are extended essays on the major issues that have confronted the Court (from slavery to national security, capital punishment to religion, from affirmative action to the Vietnam War), entries on judicial matters and legal terms (ranging from judicial review and separation of powers to amicus brief and habeas corpus), articles on all Amendments to the Constitution, and an extensive, four-part history of the Court. And as in all Oxford Companions, the contributors combine scholarship with engaging insight, giving us a sense of the personality and the inner workings of the Court. They examine everything from the wanderings of the Supreme Court (the first session was held on the second floor of the Royal Exchange Building in New York City, and the Court at times has met in a Congressional committee room, a tavern, a rented house, and finally, in 1935, its own building), to the Jackson-Black Feud and the clouded resignation of Abe Fortas, to the Supreme Court's press room and the paintings and sculptures adorning the Supreme Court building.

The decisions of the Supreme Court have touched--and will continue to influence--every corner of American society. A comprehensive, authoritative guide to the Supreme Court, this volume is an essential reference source for everyone interested in the workings of this vital institution and in the multitude of issues it has confronted over the course of its history.

Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States I never thought that this would be an Oxford Companion Topic ... apparently it is ... and there are three variants ... theres more and [more]

Hats off to Mike Lazaridis, RIM, and the Perimeter Institute. AWESOME! (from the Perimeter Site) Mike Lazaridis used to dream that one day he might be in a position to create a setting where scientists could boldly devote themselves to unlocking nature�s deepest secrets. Unlike most, however, Mike stayed true to his dream. ... In the summer of 1999, long after the ambitious undergraduate firmly established himself as the founder and Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), the success of RIM�s BlackberryTM and other products gave him the chance to make good on his undergraduate resolution. . Apparently Mike donated 100 Million to get this going, Canadian government and others chipped in. On October 23, 2000 "The City of Waterloo donated a premier site in Uptown Waterloo for the Institute�s new building" ... now they're on their way to having a peer to some of the world's finest research institutes ... like "Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), Institute for Theoretical Physics (Santa Barbara), Santa Fe Institute, CERN (Geneva), Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques (Paris), Max Planck Institute (Potsdam), International Centre for Theoretical Physics (Trieste)". CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PERIMETER INSTITUTE, Mike Lazaridis, and the founding staff. We wish you well in your quest to unlock the mysteries of fundamental issues in theoretical physics, quantum gravity, cosmology, and other neat stuff!

Patrick Geddes appears to have tremendously impressed Lewis Mumford, and possibly Abraham Lincoln ... go figure. Also take a look at this ridiculously long list of movie titles. [more]

ALL PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA.

WTNT23 KNHC 172028
TCMAT3
HURRICANE ISABEL FORECAST/ADVISORY NUMBER 47
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL132003
2100Z WED SEP 17 2003

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA
TO CHINCOTEAGUE VIRGINIA...INCLUDING PAMLICO AND ALBEMARLE
SOUNDS...AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY SOUTH OF SMITH POINT. A HURRICANE
WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE
WARNING AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 24 HOURS.

ALL PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO
COMPLETION IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT SOUTH OF CAPE FEAR TO
SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SOUTH CAROLINA...AND NORTH OF CHINCOTEAGUE TO
SANDY HOOK NEW JERSEY...INCLUDING DELAWARE BAY. A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SMITH
POINT NORTHWARD...AND FOR THE TIDAL POTOMAC.

HURRICANE CENTER LOCATED NEAR 31.1N 73.3W AT 17/2100Z
POSITION ACCURATE WITHIN 15 NM

Small RNAs: interfering with interferon? Nature discussion: From worms to mice, RNA interference has become the method of choice to silence specific genes. The advent of small interfering RNAs has been greeted with particular enthusiasm, as they were thought to bypass an unwanted interferon response. But in the September issue of Nature Cell Biology, a report from Bryan Williams and colleagues suggests that it may not be so simple. Interferon-responsive genes may also be induced in cells treated with small interfering RNAs � perhaps resulting in non-specific effects. In an accompanying News and Views article, Eric Moss and John Taylor conclude that researchers using this technology should proceed with caution. [more]

Chromosome instability: cause or consequence of cancer? Recent Nature discussion: Chromosome instability � large-scale changes in chromosome structure and number � is one of the hallmarks of cancer. But is it a cause or a consequence of tumorigenesis? In this month's Nature Reviews Cancer, Harith Rajagopalan and colleagues consider the role of chromosome instability in tumour development. Using colorectal cancer as a case study, they examine the experimental evidence and use mathematical models to support their argument that chromosome instability could have a direct role in initiating colorectal cancer. [more]

Bacterial pathogens modulate an apoptosis differentiation program in human neutrophils Just in case you're wondering what the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is highlighting these days ... [authors: Kobayashi SD, Braughton KR, Whitney AR, Voyich JM, Schwan TG, Musser JM, DeLeo FR.] Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs or neutrophils) are essential to the innate immune response against bacterial pathogens. Recent evidence suggests that PMN apoptosis facilitates resolution of inflammation during bacterial infection. Although progress has been made toward understanding apoptosis in neutrophils, very little is known about transcriptional regulation of this process during bacterial infection. To gain insight into the molecular processes that facilitate resolution of infection, we measured global changes in PMN gene expression during phagocytosis of a diverse group of bacterial pathogens. Genes encoding key effectors of apoptosis were up-regulated, and receptors critical to innate immune function were down-regulated during apoptosis induced by phagocytosis of Burkholderia cepacia, Borrelia hermsii, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Importantly, we identified genes that comprise a common apoptosis differentiation program in human PMNs after phagocytosis of pathogenic bacteria. Unexpectedly, phagocytosis of Str. pyogenes induced changes in neutrophil gene expression not observed with other pathogens tested, including down-regulation of 21 genes involved in responses to IFN. Compared with other bacteria, PMN apoptosis was significantly accelerated by Str. pyogenes and was followed by necrosis. Thus, we hypothesize that there are two fundamental outcomes for the interaction of bacterial pathogens with neutrophils: (i) phagocytosis of bacteria induces an apoptosis differentiation program in human PMNs that contributes to resolution of bacterial infection, or (ii) phagocytosis of microorganisms such as Str. pyogenes alters the apoptosis differentiation program in neutrophils, resulting in pathogen survival and disease. So now you know! [more]

HURRICANE ISABEL DISCUSSION NUMBER 47 via the Tropical Analysis and Forecasting Branch's Tropical Cyclone, Tropical Weather, & TPC Information Topics [per FORECASTER FRANKLIN]:

WTNT43 KNHC 172052
TCDAT3
HURRICANE ISABEL DISCUSSION NUMBER 47
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 PM EDT WED SEP 17 2003

IF FLIGHT-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS WERE ALL WE HAD...ISABEL WOULD BE A
CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE. THE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT THIS
AFTERNOON FOUND A NUMBER OF SPOTS OF WINDS OF 110-120 KT. THIS
WOULD NORMALLY CORRESPOND TO SURFACE WINDS OF 100-105 KT.
HOWEVER...NUMEROUS DROPSONDE PROFILES IN THE HIGH WIND REGIONS OF
THE CIRCULATION SHOW A CONSISTENT AND UNUSUALLY STEEP FALL-OFF OF
WIND IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE MEAGER
CONVECTION IN THE HURRICANE CORE. BASED ON THESE PROFILES...THE
INITIAL INTENSITY IS SET AT 90 KT. THE UPPER-LEVEL OUTFLOW PATTERN
HAS BECOME FAVORABLE...AS WAS FORECAST BY THE GLOBAL MODELS...AND
IN FACT THE CIRCULATION ALOFT IS STRENGTHENING. HOWEVER...
THERMODYANAMIC FACTORS ARE LIMITING THE ABILITY OF ISABEL TO
COMPLETELY RESPOND TO THE FAVORABLE UPPER-LEVEL FORCING. THE
OFFICIAL FORECAST DOES NOT ANTICIPATE ANY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN
STRENGTH PRIOR TO LANDFALL...BUT SHOULD THERE BE A SUBSTANTIAL
INCREASE IN DEEP CONVECTION ISABEL COULD QUICKLY REACH CATEGORY
THREE STATUS.

ONCE AGAIN...THERE HAS BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO THE TRACK
FORECAST OR REASONING. THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS IS A LITTLE
FASTER AND SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT OF THE PREVIOUS RUN...BUT THE
GUIDANCE REMAINS IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT. THE INITIAL MOTION IS NOW
330/12 AS ISABEL BEGINS A MODEST ACCELERATION TOWARD THE COAST.
SOME ADDITIONAL ACCELERATION IS STILL EXPECTED PRIOR TO LANDFALL.

ISABEL HAS A LARGE CIRCULATION...INCLUDING A LARGE EXTENT OF
DAMAGING WINDS. THEREFORE...IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT NOT TO
FOCUS ON THE PRECISE LANDFALL LOCATION...SINCE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS
WILL BE FELT AT LARGE DISTANCES FROM THE LANDFALL POINT.

FORECASTER FRANKLIN

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INITIAL 17/2100Z 31.1N 73.3W 90 KT
12HR VT 18/0600Z 32.7N 74.4W 95 KT
24HR VT 18/1800Z 35.0N 76.6W 95 KT...INLAND
36HR VT 19/0600Z 37.6N 78.5W 60 KT...INLAND
48HR VT 19/1800Z 41.5N 79.0W 40 KT...INLAND
72HR VT 20/1800Z 52.5N 76.0W 30 KT...EXTRATROPICAL
96HR VT 21/1800Z...ABSORBED BY EXTRATROPICAL LOW

The World Doesn't End, The Voice at 3:00 A.M, Walking the Black Cat, Dime Store Alchemy , Metaphysician in the Dark, A Fly in the Soup, The Unemployed Fortune-Teller, Hotel Insomnia, The Hour Between Dog and Wolf, Unending Bluesall these poems by Charles Simic and
[more]

CounterIntuitive Before Analysis, Obvious after? Follow-up to earlier note ... If you try to optimize aggregate happiness (with tax incentives or subsidies), for a fixed amount of money, the less people you distribute it to (based on some threshold), the larger the aggregate happiness. (counterintuitive at first, but if happiness is proportional to the subsidy you provide, the less people you subsidize, the larger the amount they get, the happier they become .... giving N individuals $100 each would be less effective then giving a N/10 individuals $1000 each ...) go figure ... obviously this is too simple a model, and the assumptions are well hidden ... but ...

Have you ever heard about Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)? According to their website The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was established as a development agency of the U.S. government in 1971. OPIC helps U.S. businesses invest overseas, fosters economic development in new and emerging markets, complements the private sector in managing the risks associated with foreign direct investment, and supports U.S. foreign policy. By expanding economic development in host countries, OPIC-supported projects can encourage political stability, free market reforms and U.S. best practices. OPIC projects also support American jobs and exports�over 280,000 new U.S. jobs and $65 billion in exports since 1971. Because OPIC charges market-based fees for its products, it operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to taxpayers. Interesting ... find out [more]

Gerald Farin likes to write about Curves, Surfaces, CAGD, Geometry Toolboxes,Graphics and Modeling, Nurbs, Projective Geometry, Geometric Design, Scientific Visualization and other interesting things. [more]

Wafarin Therapy news via PUBMED [in N Engl J Med. 2003 Aug 14;349(7):631-9] Comparison of low-intensity warfarin therapy with conventional-intensity warfarin therapy for long-term prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism. Kearon et al ...
BACKGROUND: Warfarin is very effective in preventing recurrent venous thromboembolism but is also associated with a substantial risk of bleeding. After three months of conventional warfarin therapy, a lower dose of anticoagulant medication may result in less bleeding and still prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism.

HURRICANE ISABEL and Fire upon the Deep: The current Hurricane Advisory
WTNT33 KNHC 152036
TCPAT3
BULLETIN
HURRICANE ISABEL ADVISORY NUMBER 39
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 PM AST MON SEP 15 2003

...POWERFUL HURRICANE ISABEL MOVING NORTHWESTWARD...

INTERESTS FROM THE CAROLINAS NORTHWARD TO SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND...ALONG THE COAST AND INLAND...SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF ISABEL. reads like something out of "A Fire upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge. I should mention that "Fire upon the Deep" is one of my threee most favorite sci-fi books. [more]

Robert J. Cousins, University Of Florida, Wins Bristol-Myers Squibb - Mead Johnson Award For Distinguished Achievement In Nutrition Research according to a Bristol-Myers Squibb Press Release Cousins is being recognized for "Pioneering Contributions to Understanding Function and Metabolism of Zinc as an Essential Nutrient in Human Health" ... Dr. Cousins was honored for major contributions to micronutrient research, and research on the metabolism and function of zinc in the body, including its critical role in the immune response system. His research focused on zinc metabolism as regulated by hormones and immune mediators related to stress and infection, and transcriptional regulation studies allowing understanding of zinc's role in gene expression and protein function. .... also elucidated the presence of intestinal metallothionein, a protein involved in the regulation and kinetics of the intestinal absorption of dietary zinc, while also discovering its vital role in cellular zinc metabolism, its relationship to zinc deficiency and the consequences that can have on the body. In his studies, he was the first to demonstrate that a dietary trace mineral could actually influence the transcriptional regulation of gene expression. His laboratory continues to study the role of such zinc-binding proteins and the factors controlling their synthesis and degradation. Cousins discovered the zinc-binding properties of cysteine-rich intestinal protein or CRIP, which led to a more complete appreciation of how zinc behaves in intestinal and immune cells and its role in immune defense against infection. [adapted from the press release]. [more]

Random.org offers true random numbers to anyone on the internet. At least that's what they claim. Here's a sample of their discussion A really good source of entropy is a radioactive source. The points in time at which a radioactive source decays are completely unpredictable, and can be sampled and fed into a computer, avoiding any buffering mechanisms in the operating system. In fact, this is what the HotBits people at Fourmilab in Switzerland are doing. Another source of entropy could be atmospheric noise from a radio, like that used here at random.org, or even just background noise from an office or laboratory. The lavarand people at Silicon Graphics have been clever enough to use lava lamps to generate random numbers, so their entropy source not only gives them entropy, it also looks good! The latest random number generator to come online (both lavarand and HotBits precede random.org) is Damon Hart-Davis' Java EntropyPool which gathers random bits from a variety of sources including HotBits and random.org, but also from web page hits received by the EntropyPool's web server. ... we blog .. you decide!

How do they generate their randoms? The way the random.org random number generator works is quite simple. A radio is tuned into a frequency where nobody is broadcasting. The atmospheric noise picked up by the receiver is fed into a Sun SPARC workstation through the microphone port where it is sampled by a program as an eight bit mono signal at a frequency of 8KHz. The upper seven bits of each sample are discarded immediately and the remaining bits are gathered and turned into a stream of bits with a high content of entropy. Skew correction is performed on the bit stream, in order to ensure that there is an approximately even distribution of 0s and 1s.

>
48 19 87 ea 74 d0 2b 2e 24 3c 56 82 ad 40 c3 52
0d bf 6e 36 a0 95 d6 d3 07 b1 bd b2 ff 8c 4f 91
49 5e 4f 35 60 51 4d 9a 61 11 ad 93 01 9b 83 2b
5a cc 59 f3 b0 c3 3b d0 62 93 cd ad 60 93 ad 9a
fa 92 70 e6 c5 d0 1c 2e 0e 1b 69 21 59 e0 9c 80
53 a2 c5 f1 ef 0a a9 fa e9 28 4e 24 03 ec cb 4f
1a cb 3f df ef a7 8c 18 da a2 51 86 86 d9 7e 8a
43 32 f4 7d 6a 03 09 95 19 e5 bf 95 af 5c 1b d7
4c 19 71 22 3c 84 c7 a0 d5 63 3a 47 ea 6e ae 6f
e5 5f 58 92 be e4 fa d3 6c 68 b6 d7 80 86 2e 0f
77 64 e0 25 31 7e ca 6c 09 f8 f4 84 66 0f e6 62
c6 f7 e3 42 06 6b 04 9e 6e 7a 89 74 8c a1 b9 a4
d8 2e 1e bc b1 1b 24 5a

Dynamist and Virginia Postrel yes, in case you wondered (wandered aimlessly i.e without AOL's A.I.M.) yes ... they are related .... and yes Virginia Postrel has authored a number of books in addition to The Future and Its Enemies (and if there's a way we'll see how to factor it into the happiness model).

Virginia Postrel's The Future and Its Enemies deserves a read! From Reviews: "Today we have greater wealth, health, opportunity, and choice than at any time in history -- the fruits of human ingenuity, curiosity, and perseverance. Yet a chorus of intellectuals and politicians loudly laments our condition. Technology, they say, enslaves us. Economic change makes us insecure. Popular culture coarsens and brutalizes us. Consumerism despoils the environment. The future, they say, is dangerously out of control, and unless we rein in these forces of change and guide them closely, we risk disaster.

In The Future and Its Enemies, Virginia Postrel explodes these myths, embarking on a bold exploration of how progress really occurs. In areas of endeavor ranging from fashion to fisheries, from movies to medicine, from contact lenses to computers, she shows how and why unplanned, open-ended trial and error -- not conformity to one central vision -- is the key to human betterment. Thus, the true enemies of humanity's future are those who insist on prescribing outcomes in advance, circumventing the process of competition and experiment in favor of their own preconceptions and prejudices.

Postrel argues that these conflicting views of progress, rather than the traditional left and right, increasingly define our political and cultural debate. On one side, she identifies a collection of strange bedfellows: Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader standing shoulder to shoulder against international trade: "right-wing" nativists and "left-wing" environmentalists opposing immigration; traditionalists and technocrats denouncing Wal-Mart, biotechnology, the Internet, and suburban sprawl. Some prefer a pre-industrial past, while others envision a bureaucratically engineered future, but all share a devotion to what she calls "stasis," a controlled, uniform society that changes only with permission from some central authority.

On the other side is an emerging coalition in support of what Postrel calls "dynamism": an open-ended society where creativity and enterprise, operating under predictable rules, generate progress in unpredictable ways. Dynamists are united not by a single political agenda out by an appreciation for such complex evolutionary processes as scientific inquiry, market competition, artistic development, and technological invention. Entrepreneurs and artists, scientists and legal theorists, cultural analysts and computer programmers, dynamists are, says Postrel "the party of life."

The Future and Its Enemies is a vigorous manifesto for the dynamist worldview, as well as a penetrating analysis of how our beliefs about personal knowledge, nature, virtue, and even the relation between work and play shape the way we run our businesses, make public policy, and search for truth and beauty. Controversial and provocative, Virginia Postrel's thesis heralds a fundamental shift in the way we view politics, culture, and society as we face an unknown -- and thus invigorating -- future." [more]

Loaded cost of offering free Wi-Fi access yes, WiFi economics is getting some attention. Dynamist quotes reader Buzz Bruggeman The fully loaded cost of offering free Wi-Fi access is less than $6/day. Operating a billable hotspot costs over $30/day. Half this cost comes from building or altering billing systems, plus the endless associated customer care. The millions of dollars already spent on systems to charge Wi-Fi users by the megabyte, minute, etc., will never be recuperated. Next year, authentication should become cheap enough to be part of a profitable Wi-Fi offering, but for the foreseeable future, authorization and accounting remain dangerous distractions. ... I have no way of verifying the calcs, but it sounds reasonable ... I guess we have to wait until the neocons weigh in to make this respectable.

Money based happiness experiment ... initial notes ... I'm developing a model for a macro (population based) happiness metrics. The idea is to explore the notion that there's a certain amount of happiness associated with individual deviation from the mean; it turns out when you provide some money to those at the lower income, the aggregate happiness metric increases ... more details to come. [more]

Apoptosis, Cellular Aging, Caspases, and Cell Death are topics worth understnding if a cure to cancer and other serious diseases are to be found. [more]

Medscape reports "Aug. 21, 2003 � Editor's Note: Earlier this week at New York�Presbyterian Hospital, the first of 12 patients approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for participation in a phase I trial received gene therapy for severe Parkinson's disease via adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-mediated somatic cell gene transfer. Under stereotactic guidance, neurosurgeons infused into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) 3.5 billion viral particles, each bearing a copy of a human gene for glutamic acid decarboxylase, an enzyme needed for production of the neurotransmitter gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) ... magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] is used to image the subthalamic nucleus (STN) ... an electrode is slowly moved towards the STN using a microdrive. ... electrode is pulled out, leaving just the microelectrode sheath through which a hair-thin (170 �m) hollow vitreous silica fiber is inserted. Thirty-five �L containing 3.5 billion particles of the viral vector, an AAV containing the human GAD gene (cDNA), is then infused at 0.5 �L/min together with 15 �L 25% mannitol. After the 100-minute infusion period, the delivery catheter is withdrawn and the wound closed."

According to another MSNBC story "It looks like Madonna has gotten to Britney Spears with more than just her tongue. The inter-generational best friends created a stir with their televised smooch at the MTV Video Music Awards, but the buzz is that when they�re off camera, Madonna has been busy preaching the virtues of Kabbalah, the study of ancient Jewish texts that has become all the rage among certain celebs these days." [more]

Smallpox vaccine may help protect people against the AIDS virus ... so it reads in the current MSNBC Health story --- A team at Virginia�s George Mason University said they had shown, in lab dishes, that blood cells from people vaccinated against smallpox were four times less likely to become infected by the AIDS virus

[more]

Ever hear of Labanotation? The rectangle is modified in shape to show direction of movement; in length to show duration of movement (rhythm); and in shade to show level. Expression of Joy: Laban Movement Analysis, Labanotation, Dance and Movement pointers can be found here.

Uncle John's Bathroom Readers ... only in America ... Forget the prunes, Laugh it out ... What a great country! [more]

David Letterman to become father? That's what he said ... read the details [more]

WTNT43 KNHC 132046
TCDAT3
HURRICANE ISABEL DISCUSSION NUMBER 31
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
5 PM EDT SAT SEP 13 2003

THERE HAS BEEN A PLETHORA OF WIND DATA FROM BOTH THE AIR FORCE
RESERVE AND NOAA HURRICANE HUNTERS THIS AFTERNOON. IN SUMMARY...THE
AIRCRAFT FOUND MAXIMUM 700 MB FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 157 AND 158 KT
...ALONG WITH A DROPSONDE WIND VALUE OF 178 KT...OR 205 MPH...AT
879 MB...ALL OF WHICH CORRESPONDS TO SURFACE WIND ESTIMATES OF
141-142 KT. THEREFORE...THE INITIAL INTENSITY HAS BEEN INCREASED TO
140 KT/160 MPH...SO ISABEL IS A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE ONCE AGAIN.

Will Supercouple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck marry? Ever? In Santa Barbara? We don't know, but we explored the possibilities with the Lopez - Affleck Marriage Experiment ...

The cancellation of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's weekend wedding in Santa Barbara California has threatened Michael Jackson's star-studded charity bash at his Neverland ranch nearby which was planned to take place this Saturday -- Tickets are reportedly struggling to ...

... Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have postponed their weekend wedding plans because the big day has become a circus of media attention. September 11 2003 ...

... Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have turned down the chance to cash in on their wedding next weekend and rejected multi-million dollar magazine deals. September 9 2003 ...

... Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck will spend their wedding night at the ultra-luxurious Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara California -- Reports yesterday revealed their wedding will take place in ...

A source of happiness to many ... Wireless Application Protocol: [Information, Clues, Links, and Other Useful Starting Points] has gained many supporters and friends. National Hurricane Center's Tropical Prediction Center had this to say ... Tropical Prediction Center (TPC) has conducted experimental delivery of selected products on the TPC web site in the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). Comments on this experimental service were requested during the period May 21 to June 30, 2003. ... After these consolidations and deletions, 39 email comments remain, all of which supported continuation of the WAP service. Five emergency managers, two commercial meteorologists, and one television broadcast meteorologist specifically identified their affiliation and cited the value of the service during hurricane season. Most commenters did not provide an affiliation. Eighteen comments included technical suggestions which are being evaluated; some regarding improvements in the existing WAP service, many suggesting additional WAP services. In addition to the 39 emails, the Director, NWS, received a letter from one commercial meteorology firm objecting to the service. The NWS response to that letter referred the letter itself to the TPC for inclusion in this analysis of comments on TPC's WAP products.

1) As an Emergency Manager having this information literally in the palm of my hand is critical. During the hurricane season and especially when we are threatened, I speak with dozens of our political leaders. Now before each session I can double check to be sure that my information is current without returning to the office. Not to mention when my internet services are down I have a backup to access this information.

2) The WAP service is awesome. I didn't know it existed until just now. I logged on with my T-Mobile Motorola 720i. Great to have when I'm not near a computer with internet access. I work in Mobile, AL in the shipbuilding industry.

3)I have a Samsung A500 Phone on the Sprint PCS network. I have been viewing the NHC page on it for about the last 3 months. I find it helpful in keeping track of tropical storms since I live in New Orleans. Also, I am an engineer in the offshore oil industry and much of my work is in the Gulf of Mexico.

4)I want to thank anyone and everyone with this great idea that will finally bring the so very important NHC/TPC advisories including discussions and other information out to the general public in a way that other means did not accomplish. To be able to bring NHC/TPC Tropical Cyclone text advisories, aircraft reconnaissance messages, and TAFB text forecasts and discussions to Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) capable cellphones and Portable Digital Assistants (PDA) is a big step in the right direction to fill the gap that emergency managers nation-wide struggle with in times of threat from the "Tropical Terrorist", the tropical cyclone.

Per CNN, Actor and comedian John Ritter, who gained stardom in the sitcom "Three's Company," died Thursday night after collapsing on the set of his current TV series. He was 54.. We're sad about his ... his comedy will live on ... [more]

Hurricane ISABEL is THE BIG NEWS! This is what FORECASTER STEWART says on SEP 13 2003:

WTNT33 KNHC 131448
TCPAT3
BULLETIN
HURRICANE ISABEL ADVISORY NUMBER 30
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 AM AST SAT SEP 13 2003

...POWERFUL CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE ISABEL GETTING A LITTLE BETTER
ORGANIZED AS IT MOVES WESTWARD...

AT 11 AM AST...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE ISABEL WAS LOCATED
NEAR LATITUDE 22.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 61.5 WEST OR ABOUT 405 MILES
...650 KM...NORTHEAST OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO.

ISABEL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 10 MPH...17 KM/HR...AND THIS
GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 150 MPH...240 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME SLIGHT STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT
24 HOURS. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS
SCHEDULED TO INVESTIGATE THE DANGEROUS HURRICANE THIS AFTERNOON.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES...140 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 175 MILES...280 KM.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 935 MB...27.61 INCHES.

LARGE OCEAN SWELLS AND DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY OVER
PORTIONS OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO
...AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.

REPEATING THE 11 AM AST POSITION...22.2 N... 61.5 W. MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST NEAR 10 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...150 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 935 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
AT 5 PM AST. [more]

Linksys WMA11B Wireless Digital Media Adapter ... yet a another step along the inexorable path to digitial Calvinism (or is it digital anti-Calvinism?)

Manufacturer Desrciption: The Linksys Wireless-B Media Adapter lets you bring the digital pictures and music stored on your computer to your Home Entertainment Center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the Media Adapter displays your digital photographs on the TV for the whole family to enjoy. And your digital music collection is finally freed from those little computer speakers and can play in full glory through your stereo system. The Wireless-B Media Adapter sits by your home stereo and television and connects to them using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking, or if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote control and the user-friendly menus on your TV, you can browse through the digital pictures on your computer by folder, filename, or thumbnail. You can view pictures one at a time, or watch an automatically created slideshow of all the pictures in a given folder. The Media Adapter supports five popular picture formats: JPG, GIF, TIF and BMP. Use the remote control's Zoom button to get a close-up of the details in your pictures. --- You can also use the remote to browse your MP3 or WMA formatted music collection by title, artist, genre, folder, or playlist. Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B Media Adapter play it through your stereo system. You can even let music play in the background while you browse your pictures. find out [more]

Geekfishing Blog and WiFi -- yes Martha (who the hec is Martha?) ... there's a Geekfishing Blog and it talks about WiFi and Fiber Splicing too. 2kule.

ECFR Listing of Agencies of the Federal Government: is here, together with links to appropriate sections of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations like Title 1--General Provisions. You've got to admit, whoever thought up this Internet thing deserves our daily thanks! Likewise for whoever thought up the United States. While we're thanking folks, those who protect us (U.S.) deserve our daily thanks as well. THANK YOU!

attention-deficit -- hyperactivity disorder is hot news again -- the "inattention, impulsivity and frenetic behavior" cycle may be broken ... or at least that's what the competition bewtween Ritalin, Strattera, and Concerta is aiming for. The MSNBC story New ADD drug grows in popularity is highlighting some of the new approaches.

Which are better, stimulants (the benchmark treatment for attention deficit and hyperactivity as they increase production of dopamine, a chemical necessary for concentration) or alternatives that "blocks cells from reabsorbing norepinephrine, another chemical considered important in regulating attention; more norepinephrine thus remains in the brain".

RFIDs (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) - To Laugh or to Cry? I just read this piece in Slate This week, Hitachi announced the release of a tiny wireless ID chip that can be "easily embedded in bank notes." Rumors have swirled that the European Central Bank has been looking to embed such chips, called RFIDs, or Radio Frequency Identification Devices, into Europe's paper money in another year or two. The ECB hopes the chips will thwart both counterfeiters and money launderers. So, what exactly are RFIDs, and how do they work? I am not quite sure whether it time to jump for joy or run scared. A previous note scratched the surface ... Do you want your money talking directly to the can of beans? Or the weight sensor in your shoe to talk to that can of choclate covered macademia nuts? or to any one else. What about merry hackers planting a virus in your money? Is this thought out at all? [more]

DNA Microarrays, Functional Genomics, Integrative Genomics, and Gene Expression are all the rage in Molecular Biology these days. [more]

Happiness Revisited. Its always interesting to see what pops up as the latest Happiness trend. The Happiness search machine for information, clues, links, and other useful starting points returns these: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalai Lama, New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential, Guided Meditations: For Developing Calmness, Awareness, and Love by Bodhipaksa, The Sedona Method - Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-being , and a Short Guide to a Happy Life by Anna Quindlen ... among others. Check this link for more details.
[more]

Somali Language and Grammar (Yibir and Midgan Dialects) are getting renewed attention.
[more]

Something to Keep in Mind the Walter J. Freeman Neurophysiology Lab. Topics: neurophysiology, consciousness, and intentionality. ... Follow up to search on Category errors -and WJ Freeman paper Three centuries of category errors in studies of the neural basis of consciousness and intentionality published in Neural Networks 10: 1175-1183, 1997. [ Paper Abstract: Recent interest in consciousness and the mind-brain problem has been fueled by technological advances in brain imaging and computer modeling in artificial intelligence: Can machines be conscious? The machine metaphor originated in Cartesian "reflections" and culminated in 19th century reflexology modeled on Newtonian optics. It replaced the Aquinian view of mind, which was focused on the emergence of intentionality within the body, with control of output by input through brain dynamics. The state variables for neural activity were identified successively with animal spirits, �lan vital, electricity, energy, information, and, most recently, Heisenbergian potentia. The source of dynamic structure in brains was conceived to lie outside brains in genetic and environmental determinism. An alternative view has grown in the 20th century from roots in American Pragmatists, particularly John Dewey, and European philosophers, particularly Heidegger and Piaget, by which brains are intrinsically unstable and continually create themselves. This view has new support from neurobiological studies in properties of self-organizing nonlinear dynamic systems. Intentional behavior can only be understood in relation to the chaotic patterns of neural activity that produce it. The machine metaphor remains, but the machine is seen as self-determining."

Particularly interesting section on quantum phenomenology as root of consciousness contains Penrose quote "The main difference between the coherer model of mind and quantum consciousness models is that ... mind is somehow resident in Heisenberg's quantum potentia rather than in electromagnetic "ether."" - and is elaborated in the discussion: "Criticisms that brains, neurons, organelles and receptor molecules are neither small enough nor cold enough to afford quantum coherence have been met with the rejoinder that superconductivity is a macroscopic state of coherence that has already been achieved at temperatures approaching Siberian winter nights, and that it may soon be found also at normal brain temperatures."

Very interesting and promising ... worth looking at a lot of Freeman's source material.

I really wanted to record a note on Category Errors ... and thus I stumbled into Stephen Downes' Guide to the Logical Fallacies definitions:
These fallacies occur because the author mistakenly assumes that the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts. However, things joined together may have different properties as a whole than any of them do separately. The following fallacies are category errors:
* Composition (Because the parts have a property, the whole is said to have that property)
* Division (Because the whole has a property, the parts are said to have that property)

This is not the end of the story, but at least its a start, so one might check on logical fallacies ... but I was really intrigued by Trial and Error (aka The Dock Brief) by Peter Sellers [more]

So what's goin on in the Pharmaceutical Industries? Quite a lot, it turns out ... [more]

21 CFR Part 11 Electronic Records; Electronic Signatures; Final Rule is getting a lot of commercial interest ... check the 21CFRPart11.com Web site ... I never heard the GxP terms before ("Good Practices" found within the pharmaceutical industry. like Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)). -- live and learn ... [more]

What are Jean-Jacques Laffont and David Martimort saying? Well they wrote a book called The Theory of Incentives: The Principal-Agent Model ... where as a knowledgeable reader says "This is a fabulous book, destined to become a classic reference summarizing some 30 years of research in a field that has now become mature and which has completely redefined and expanded the field of Modern Economics. Jean Jacques Laffont is a sure-bet future Nobel laureate for his contributions to the field (likely to be shared with that other Toulouse-based giant Jean Tirole). Martimort is a rising star in his own right.

This volume, the first in what is described as a two-volume survey, should be on the bookshelf of any serious economist or any graduate student trying to work her way through a serious first or second year microeconomic theory. It could also be used effectively to teach a first-year graduate or an advanced undergraduate course on asymmetric information and contracts.

What is so nice about the book pedagogically in my view is the way the authors have synthesized so many results by working with variants of simple models. It's the power of elegant simplicity. When looking at moral hazard for example, they start with the simplest two outcome, two action problem, with a risk-neutral principal and agent. Then they slowly and selectively complicate the same base model (e.g. adding a limited liability constraint, making the agent risk averse, allowing for more action levels and outcomes, adding more tasks, more agents, etc). Hence you get the essential insights without being overly burdened from the start with cumbersome notation. They have several nice graphical representations to accompany the very well written intuitive explanations. The end result is that you end up seeing with clarity how many results in the literature, that had previously seemed disparate, tie together very neatly and share a common mathematical structure.

The authors state in the introduction (which is a brilliant historical survey of ideas and the development of the field) that they plan a second volume on multi-agent contracts and mechanism design. It should also be fabulous and will hopefully help to popularize and democratize an area of economics that is packed with essential insights for understanding political economy and the behavior of groups, hiearchies and organizations, yet has mostly been left to mathematical economists. " [more]

Accoding to CNET (via the globe and mail) , Massachusetts Institute of Technology the EPC Network will unveil a futuristic bar code ( EPC=electronic product code, a new product numbering scheme). .... the EPC is designed to provide a unique serial number for every item in the system. By contrast, bar codes only identify groups of products. So, all cans of Diet Coke have the same bar code more or less. Under EPC, every can of Coke would have a one-of-a-kind identifier ... EPC can be linked to databases that can store much more information about a particular product than is possible with the bar code. In addition to price and manufacturer, the EPC could link to information about location of an item based on a complex system of readers and microchips, or "tags," that communicate via radio frequency, a concept known as radio frequency identification (RFID) ... its 96-bit format, which some say is large enough to generate a unique code for every grain of rice on the planet ... Wal-Mart intends to present its detailed plan for setting up an EPC system for tracking shipments to its distribution centres

We'll see if it comes to pass; interesting and scary ... RFID + video cameras will now be able to record your mere interest in a product ... let alone your buying history. Is this something of interest to either liberals or conservatives?

What about the future? The Future ain't what it used to be ... the topics and the trajectories are changing ... looking at the reading list, there are new topics on the agenda ... [more]

According to Physics News Update: Bose Einstein condensations (BEC), essentially dilute gas clouds in which millions of atoms enter into a single, corporate coherent object, have proven to be a versatile testbed for numerous quantum effects. But having attained the critical conditions necessary for making BEC in the first place, physicists have not paid much attention to the collapse process itself. Now an experiment ... look at the collapse more closely and find something surprising while analyzing cigar shaped samples. In their experiment atoms enter the BEC state through the use of "shock cooling," in which radio-frequency waves used to cool atoms are provided in a single one millisecond burst rather than in a sustained way as in conventional evaporative cooling. The work shows that BEC is a local effect with local coherence (atoms acting in concert) and that coherence over the whole of a condensate occurs only later. In other words, the condensation has happened so fast that not all atoms are in the ground state; that is, the atoms are not all in equilibrium. Instead, the cloud is much elongated, with warmer atoms near the center and cooler atoms toward the ends of a cigar shaped condensate. While coming to eventual equilibrium, the condensate undergoes oscillations in its shape.

Well, its nice to know that someone is watching the kettle. we wouldn't want it to boil without observers. Heisnberg would just roll over. We wouldn't be quite certain what's happening and who knows where that might lead ... Do atoms in concert constitute a symphony or just good 'ole jammin' ? [more]