Monday, March 31, 2008 . 3/31/2008
A few days ago I came across Be the Creature on TV, a show with the Kratt brothers. I practically grew up watching these two, ever since I was around four years old and maybe even younger. I liked how they made learning things exciting. Same for Bill Nye the Science Guy. With him, science was really fun to learn. And it got me thinking.. why can't more documentary/learning programs be this way? I enjoy watching regular documentaries and all, but I can understand how a lot of people would be put off on that kind of thing all together simply because, well, most documentaries tend to have narrators with monotone voices. Unless the subject matter is really interesting to me, even I become bored.Speaking of which, why can't learning math in schools be put in a more exciting way? I really hate math, but I would like so much to understand it better. I would like to understand at least the very basics of how physicists solve problems with math, too. Part of the problem is that learning math is just boring for me and a lot of other people. Similarly, learning science can be boring for some people (although for the life of me, I can't understand how. Some people out there are probably wondering the same thing about me and math). Science and math pretty much go hand in hand, so why can't teachers find ways to make even math exciting?
Labels: science
0 Comments - Post/view commentsSunday, March 30, 2008 . 3/30/2008
Dumb quiz timeYour Thinking is Abstract and Sequential |
 You like to do research and collect lots of information. The more facts you have, the easier it is for you to learn. You need to figure things out for yourself and consider all possibilities. You tend to become an expert in the subjects that you study. It's difficult for you to work with people who know less than you do. You aren't a very patient teacher, and you don't like convincing people that you're right. |
Hurrr.
Labels: Quizzes
0 Comments - Post/view commentsWednesday, March 26, 2008 . 3/26/2008
Okay, I was angry the other day and I think I might have gone a little too far with that rant.I don't like religion in general. Religion in general is stupid, just like people in general seem to be stupid. Individuals though are a different story; I realize there are plenty of religious people who accept evolution, are ok with abortion etc. Really, I would have no problem with religion at all if it didn't try to butt into places it doesn't belong.
That's all. Move along, nothing to see here.
Labels: Religion
0 Comments - Post/view commentsMonday, March 24, 2008 . 3/24/2008
Well, I went to the eye doctor today. When I walked in I noticed this really annoying infomercial-style thing on this screen that played the same thing over and over about how the retina works and what this new machine does, etc. So that pissed me off real quick. I only lasted until after they took measurements and stuff of my eyes and then I started to cry. I don't know why, but I did. All I wanted to do was go home and go to bed. Needless to say, I had the appointment rescheduled. I don't know what went wrong.. I just felt overstimulated and irritated and it was terrible. And it got me thinking - how the hell am I ever going to make it in the real world? My mom was with me today to get her eyes tested as well and I can only imagine what it would have been like if I went by myself. I feel so fucking helpless.-------------------
Cardinal Keith O'Brien will use his Easter Sunday sermon to launch an attack on the government's proposals.
He will also call on Gordon Brown to allow Labour MPs a free vote on the issue at Westminster.
Downing Street did not respond directly to the cardinal's attack, saying Mr Brown had already made his views clear.
The prime minister has said the bill would improve research into many illnesses.
Hybrid embryos
Supporters of the bill believe hybrid embryos could lead to cures for diseases including multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
Leading scientists accused the Roman Catholic Church of "scaremongering" over research which had the potential to save many lives.
Cardinal O'Brien, who is the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, also wants Catholic ministers serving in the Cabinet to stand down rather than support the bill.
In his sermon, which was released on Friday, the cardinal claims that the bill would lead to the endorsement of experiments of "Frankenstein proportions".
He says: "This bill represents a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life.
"In some European countries one could be jailed for doing what we intend to make legal.
"I can say that the government has no mandate for these changes: they were not in any election manifesto, nor do they enjoy widespread public support."
The cardinal describes the practice as "grotesque" and "hideous".
Dr Stephen Minger, director of the stem cell biology laboratory at King's College London, said: "This is yet another example where it is clear that the Catholic Church is misrepresenting science because it doesn't understand the basic facts."
He added: "The church should carefully review the science they are commenting on, and ensure that their official comments are accurate, before seriously misinforming their congregations."
Read more...He says: "This bill represents a monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life."
This research is to save lives you fucking idiot.
I thought religion like this was supposed to embrace the possibility of lives being saved. And since their non-existent god won't help us achieve this, we have science. These idiots have two choices: pray that all problems will go away, OR ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. And they aren't doing anything but whining as far as I can tell. This is how almost all religion is; go to church, preach to the choir, and whine about how science is so gosh darn evil. I am not going to lie or sugar-coat this any longer - I absolutely hate religion. It is a useless piece of shit that does nothing to help us advance further. If it isn't homosexual discrimination, it's racist. Or telling a woman whether or not she can have a zygote removed from her own body, even if she gets raped. Or letting AIDS run rampant in Africa because missionaries refuse to hand out condoms or do anything but preach abstinence. Or pushing ignorance such as creationism. Or bitching about how science is immoral and wrong.
I am fucking sick of it. And not only is protesting against stem-cell research and the like idiotic, it also shows how absolutely ignorant you are. They are cells. There are cells everywhere, really. They can't think and they can't feel. Did these people not pay attention in Biology class or did they just drop out of school in the 3rd grade? Or think of it this way: I'm willing to bet that these people have eggs for breakfast at least every once in a while. Eggs such as these are the biggest cells we can see without a microscope. Why aren't they protesting against eating eggs since they had the potential to contain life? And why don't women who protest against stem cell research just get pregnant all the time? Every time they get their period, an egg goes to waste!
And as a final note, let me just say that I think anyone who considers a bunch of non-sentient cells more valuable than an actual human life is immoral. Or an idiot, whichever.
Labels: Personal, Religion, Stupid
0 Comments - Post/view commentsSunday, March 23, 2008 . 3/23/2008
I'm bored. Here are some quizzes:Your Chocolate Easter Bunny Personality |
 You know what you want in life and how to get it. You're not going to waste time or let yourself be meek Whether it's chocolate, money, or power... You take what you can get, and you act quickly. You have a lot of energy, and people sometimes scared by your determination. Not that you care what other people think. You're not going to apologize for who you are. |
A lot of energy? Nah..
What Your Easter Egg Says About You |
 You are whimsical, spontaneous, and fun loving. You connect well with people, but nature is your true love. Changing locations and scenery is important to your creativity. You are inspired by the surroundings around you |
No, I just liked the colors.
You Are Peppermint Flavored Gum |
 You have a sharp mind that is always churning. You are mentally hyper. You're always thinking of something. And while your mind is always on, you're not the most physically active person around. Some people make mistake you for being lazy, but the truth is: you never relax. You tend to get so deeply into your projects that you ignore everything around you. You are creative and cutting edge. You love telling people about your newest ideas and discoveries. |
You Are a Crossword Puzzle |
 You are well read, and you have a good head for remembering facts. You are a wordsmith. You have a way with words, and you're very literate. You are a mysterious person who enjoys dropping little clues every now and then. |
Your Spelling is Perfect |
 You got 10/10 correct. Your spelling is excellent. You also have a great memory and eye for detail. |
Labels: Quizzes
0 Comments - Post/view commentsMonday, March 17, 2008 . 3/17/2008
I don't know about you, but I find it rather annoying that there are people out there who have the nerve to take advantage of the gullible. I also find it annoying that there even are gullible people out there. Most people have probably heard this already but the makers of Airborne are offering refunds to people who bought (into) it:Concocted by second-grade teacher Victoria Knight McDowell and her screenwriter husband Thomas Rider McDowell, Airborne promised to “boost your immune system to help your body combat germs” and instructed users to “take it at the first sign of a cold symptom or before entering crowded, potentially germ-infested environments.” The company’s folksy “created by a school teacher!” slogan and insistence that the product be stocked with real cold, cough, and flu medicines instead of with dietary supplements, helped turn the company into an overnight success, as did an appearance by Victoria Knight McDowell on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
But in February 2006, ABC News revealed on Good Morning America that Airborne’s much-touted lone clinical trial was actually conducted without any doctors or scientists, just a “two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study.” Soon after the plaintiff notified Airborne of his intent to file suit in March 2006, the company stopped mentioning the study and began toning down the overt cold-curing claims in favor of vague “immunity boosting” language. Next, in 2007, the Federal Trade Commission and a group of state attorneys general began investigating the various “cold busting” claims that Airborne has made since its launch in 1999. Those investigations are continuing.
Airborne’s basic formula contains Vitamins A, C, and E, as well as other nutrients common in multivitamins; the amino acids glutamine and lysine, and an “herbal extract proprietary blend.” CSPI cautions that Airborne may provide too much vitamin A, since just two pills provide 10,000 IU—the maximum safe level for a day—and the package directs customers to take three per day. In addition to several flavors of the original formula, other Airborne products include “Power Pixies,” an artificially sweetened powder version for children; Airborne Seasonal, which is described as a “non-drowsy formula containing a nutritional blend which promotes normal histamine levels”; Airborne On-the-Go; and Airborne Nighttime.
“There’s no credible evidence that what’s in Airborne can prevent colds or protect you from a germy environment,” said CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt, who reviewed Airborne’s claims. “Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that’s been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed.”
Read on...
Now, I guess I could understand if someone bought into Airborne's claims simply because there is so much pseudoscience/quackery out there that it can be hard to tell what's real and what isn't, and not everyone is interested in science or knows about the placebo effect. But when there is evidence that it doesn't actually work, as well as an explanation as to why, and you STILL think it does.. well then there is no hope for you. From LiveScience:
Last week the makers of Airborne, an herbal supplement once claimed to help prevent and cure the common cold, agreed to pay over $23 million to settle a false advertising class action lawsuit.
Despite a lack of scientific evidence that the remedy worked as initially advertised, many of Airborne’s defenders believe that the supplement is effective, and that people wouldn't use the product if it didn't work. There was a similar reaction earlier in the winter when the efficacy of children's cough medicines was questioned.
The idea that people wouldn't continue to do things if they didn't work is very common, and on a superficial level it makes some sense. It's also absolutely false.
People do things all the time that don't work—and they do them again and again. The problem is that it's often not clear whether something "works" or not, especially when it comes to health issues. A body is not like a car, for example. A car either works or does not work, and the remedies taken to fix a problem either work or do not work. This is pretty clear-cut.
Personal experience
Medical issues are far more ambiguous and subjective. We know, for example, that the placebo effect can reduce the pain that a person feels even though they were not actually given a painkiller. Let's look a little more closely at the testimonials for Airborne, as posted by users for an ABCNews.com story:
One wrote, "I used it and works for me. I used to suffer from colds, but for some reason taking Airborne has reduced the frequency significantly." Another, reflecting a touch of conspiracy theory, wrote "Airborne has always worked for me and my family. It may not be FDA approved, but it still works. Someone is afraid that it really works and got scared that it just might be a good thing."
How do the Airborne users know that the product worked? Because they didn't get a cold? Maybe, but not everyone catches a cold when they expect to, even when others around them are sick. We (and they) don't know how many colds—if any—the person would have gotten if they had not taken the herbal remedy. If they used Airborne and didn't get a cold, they will likely assume the supplement prevented it. On the other hand, if they used the remedy and did catch a cold, they may still believe that the medicine worked, assuming that the pills probably prevented two or three other colds! As decades of research on placebos shows, whether the preventive measures actually work or not has little to do with whether people believe they do.
Danger of false cures
While colds are miserable but pretty minor, a mistaken belief in the efficacy of medical treatments has killed many people.
People used to believe that disease was caused by an imbalance of fluids in the body called humors. There were four humors: yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood. Working under this premise, physicians treated patients by trying to restore balance among the humors. Bloodletting was a common treatment (veins would be opened with knives and leeches applied to sick patients), along with the use of laxatives and purgatives. A minority of patients (those who didn't die from severe blood loss or infection) recovered and thanked the doctors for their effective treatment.
Airborne's CEO, Elise Donahue, claimed that "Airborne ... helps your body build a healthy immune system. When you have a healthy immune system, then it allows your body, on its own, to fight off germs."
It is certainly true that having a strong immune system helps fight off disease. But there are many ways to boost your immune system, and most are cheap or free. Getting enough exercise and sleep are two ways, and (unlike Airborne's pills) they are proven and don't cost a dime.
Speaking of multi-vitamin pills and supplements, it also kind of annoys me to see people who say, "Oh, I almost forgot to take my multi-vitamin!" We're talking about fit, healthy individuals here, people who eat three times a day. Multi-vitamins are meant either for children, people with vitamin deficiencies, the really ill and/or disabled, and old people. They are for people who can't take care of themselves properly. I am willing to bet that most people who take multi-vitamins get more than enough vitamins from the food they eat. And yeah, there is such a thing as taking too much of a vitamin. All in all, you're supposed to consult a doctor (not a quack, i.e a "naturopath") to determine whether or not you even need to take a supplement. More info can be found here. 1 Comments - Post/view comments
Sunday, March 09, 2008 . 3/09/2008
Scented pads. Shouldn't the makers of feminine products know better than to make something that can irritate the area? I mean seriously, what the hell? And these particular ones by Always/Tampax/whatever don't even smell like anything (unless, I suppose, you like to sniff your own crotch). I had to use this kind before since it was the only kind they had at the store, which means people are smart enough NOT TO FUCKING BUY THESE. Itch and period do not go well together, let me tell you.Fuck you, Tampax/Always/whatever.
Labels: Rants
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From Ask Bill Nye:
Along with the semiannual confusion, there is controversy around daylight saving time. Some people think it saves energy and thereby, perhaps, helps average Americans save money. The argument here is that we keep our lights off more when the Sun is still up later in the day.
Other people assert that we actually use more energy than we would without daylight saving time, because we drive around and shop more while the Sun shines. These are apparently both real effects: Less electricity is used with more daylight available, but more energy is consumed as automobile usage increases.
So far, studies agree that traffic accidents go down a tad during daylight saving time, but it's not clear how much.
Legislating daylight
A Department of Energy study about our energy use, commissioned in 2005, is still being ... er ... studied. Regardless, the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 declares that we continue to observe daylight saving time indefinitely. It even changed the start and end dates to give us four more weeks of DST. Since March 2007, DST begins each year on the second Sunday in March, and ends the first Sunday in November. (It used to start the first Sunday in April, and end the last Sunday in October.)
Many argue that daylight saving time (not "savings time") just causes more confusion than it's worth. Everyone agrees that there is a loss of efficiency whenever the time changes. At world stock markets, for example, one estimate claims that $31 billion leaks away in the confusion every year. Airline schedules are just a pain in the neck when the clocks are messed with. The actual time it takes to get from one place to another stays the same, still it's easy to end up being late (or early) if you forget to change your clock along with the rest of the world. But with all this, we've stuck with daylight saving for about a century.
Ben Franklin's Joke
Writer, inventor and American founding father Ben Franklin is often credited (or blamed) for starting daylight saving time. He apparently joked that the people of Paris should be home and in bed as soon as the sun set because horse-drawn coaches -- taxis -- should be banned from the streets at night. He took his facetiousness further by saying the citizens of the City of Lights should be awakened every morning by a blast of cannon fire, and that anyone shuttering their windows from sunrise would be taxed.
Franklin was writing with his well-known dry wit. He loved Paris and traveled there frequently. But somehow, his suggestions about going to bed early and rising early planted the notion that he was behind this whole business of changing our clocks to match the sunrise and sunset.
In reality, Englishman William Willett, an avid outdoorsman, gets the credit for all this clock adjusting. The Victorian-era builder and pamphleteer felt that people were missing the best part of every summer day and argued strongly for daylight saving. One of the primary points of his argument was that adjusting our clocks would save money and resources since people would be using artificial lights less if they were up and working when the Sun was up.
Minority report
His idea was not popular, but Britain tried it out in 1916, in an effort to save money during World War I. Willett had died the previous year, so he was not around to see the various trial-and-error attempts at making his proposal work. Appropriately enough, the memorial sundial dedicated to Willet is always on Summer Time.
This is where I'd like us all to start thinking about the problem -- the value and reasoning behind daylight saving time. For starters, keep in mind that this is a minority idea worldwide. Most people on Earth don't use it.
After all, about half the people on Earth have never even used a telephone! It's a developed-world idea. People in parts of the world without clocks get up with the Sun and reckon midday by the moment the Sun is highest in the sky. Why don't we all just do that?
Any way you slice it ...
If we divided the day into "halves" based on daylight and darkness, winter "hours" would be much shorter than summer hours. You can note this well for yourself by comparing a stopwatch or an oven timer, say, to a sundial.
In planetary science, "solar noon" is the moment when the Sun is highest in the sky. But during solar noon the Sun is not straight overhead in North America -- it's actually well to the south. In South America, it's to the north. And, since not everyone starts daylight saving time/Summer Time reckoning at the same time, there are one-, two- or three-hour differences between north and south twice a year. Phew.
But, if you're going to pick a time to start counting, solar noon is a pretty good one. We humans have gone on to divide the year, Earth's orbit of the Sun, into an equal number of seconds: 31,557,600.
By so doing, the clock's noon hardly ever lines up with the Sun's noon. We have come to like it this way. We can make our trains, planes and computer games all work together, coming and going to places north, south, east and west, to altitudes high and low, in the fourth dimension -- in time.
So is daylight saving worth holding on to? For my part, I like it. I love being outside all summer, often missing some good television and not having time for it, even if I record it. But, others must find it a messy inconvenience.
Arizona and Hawaii, sunny places, don't bother. In Alaska, certain citizens' groups want to discontinue it. Why don't we all just get up earlier in the summer and enjoy what Willett called the best part of the day? Apparently, there is something about our mathematical nature that finds daylight saving time appealing.
We've grown so accustomed to our precise arithmetic dividing the year into seconds -- even if we think of the year in larger increments -- that we prefer it to straight-up astronomical reckoning or the Sun's path in the sky.
We'll see how that Dept. of Energy study comes out, but I've got a feeling we all just like moving our clocks ahead, because we can sleep to the same part of the Sun's day, but get up when our clock reads what we feel is a civilized time.
Saturday, March 08, 2008 . 3/08/2008
------------
Pets Pampered with People Products
Dozens of companies — from Harley-Davidson and Jeep to Omaha Steaks and Newman’s Own Organics — now produce pet clothes, toys and treats.
A slowing economy isn’t even worrying companies about jumping into the sector.
“I really have no concerns at all at this point,” says Steven Shweky, president of New York City-based Pet Head, a dog grooming line by Bed Head. “I think [owners] will spend on their pets before they’ll spend on themselves.”
Pets these days are also treated to music therapy and stem cell therapy. Their owners increasingly use pet funeral homes at that special time.
Recent figures released by American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA,) a trade group based in Greenwich, Conn., shows spending on pets topped $41 billion in 2007 — that’s more than what consumers pay annually to satisfy their sweet tooth for candy.
With pet obsession at an all-time high, the APPMA is forecasting 5.5 percent growth this year.
Paul Mitchell goes to the dogs
Pet Head’s recent launch of more than 300 products includes apparel and accessories as well as shampoos, crème rinses and sprays.
Products are sold in beauty salons nationwide — a sales strategy also used by John Paul Pet, popular grooming supplies created by John Paul DeJoria, co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair care products.
“There’s one dog for every two people in America so your chances of hitting a pet owner [at a beauty salon] are pretty good,” explained Pet Head’s Shweky.
Grooming supplies use similar packaging to Bed Head with bright, bold colors and quirky names. There’s Fears for Tears (tearless shampoo), Dirty Talk (deodorizing shampoo) and Furball, a detangling spray.
Doggie shampoos share the same fragrance as the human cleansers, and are free of chemical additives such as parabens, petroleum derivatives and propylene glycol.
“We’ve really raised the bar in the pet business to mimic what’s going on in the human side, “said Shweky.
Better bowls
Another company eyeing the pet industry as an additional source of revenue is Dexas International, a housewares manufacturer in Coppell, Texas.
The 40-year-old company recently introduced Popware for Pets, a line of collapsible rubber bowls for home or travel.
“This was a natural cross-over,” said John Hollingsworth who developed the company’s space saving pet products. Dexas has long manufactured collapsible measuring cups, colanders and funnels.
The Popware for Pets line includes turquoise and pink bowls that fit into a chocolate brown stand — a color scheme that’s hot in both the housewares and pet industries, he said. When not in use, the dishwasher safe unit flattens to 1.5 inches.
For pups on the go, the company’s lightweight travel bowl easily clips to a collar or leash. It holds two cups of water and collapses to a slender quarter of an inch.
Soft or firm?
Serta mattress is banking on brand image to sell dog beds, which were introduced for the first time last month at a pet industry trade show. The recycled polyester filled beds, made in the United States, feature removable covers for easy washing.
“The consumer has confidence in Serta for their own sleep,” said Randy Spence, president of nVision Marketing in North Carolina, which heads production and sales of the dog beds. “And they certainly want that for their animals as well.”
Work is already under way to add to the line by incorporating features normally found in specialty mattresses, such as memory foam and orthopedic support.
Those human-grade dog beds will hit store shelves later this year, he said, with a price tag of around $200.
[Source: LiveScience]
This is so fucking stupid. What's the world coming to when people care more about treating their pets like humans than actually caring about other humans? You know, like those homeless ones? Dogs don't need clothes on their backs; that is what fur is for. They don't need mattresses. PEOPLE DO. This also brings to mind all of those fatasses that eat enough food to feed Africa. 0 Comments - Post/view comments
Monday, March 03, 2008 . 3/03/2008
The following is a stupid post that you most likely couldn't care less about.On Friday I went to the hospital with my mom since she had to get a test done which took about 20 minutes. I had to wait in the waiting room and there were quite a few people there, but amazingly I felt very comfortable, especially after I resumed reading the book I brought to keep me occupied (Demon-Haunted World). After that we went shopping, which was really fun. I think I really am starting to get over my social anxiety, which is exciting. In short, I guess you could say that I'm finally starting to wake up and live life instead of being miserable all the time. I only have one life and I'm going to try and make the best of it, goddammit. But one thing (or two) is still missing: friends.
And the thought of having to one day live on my own is terrifying.
I still don't really know what job I want to pursue either. I'm stuck between a really weird dilemma between being a biologist or some other type of scientist, and being a model. Maybe I could be both and promote scientific literacy or something.
Labels: Personal
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