June 29, 2009
Category: Psychiatry • Public Health • Social Issues
Psychology is turning out to be a rather important field these
days. Nate Hagens has a post on The Oil Drum,
The Psychological and
Evolutionary Roots of Resource Overconsumption Revisited. He
reviews the evolutionary psychology of poor economic
decision-making. Calculated Risk has a post,
Scientific
American: Bubbles and Busts. It's based on an article in Scientific
American (
The
Science of Economic Bubbles), in which behavioral economics is
discussed. Both posts have a similar theme: human psychology is
such that people are not always rational when it comes to individual
financial decisions, or to decisions pertaining to economic policy.
In a way, both posts are pessimistic. They both argue that we are
susceptible to certain systematic errors that increase the likelihood
of financial misfortune.
At least one psychologist has decided to do something about it.
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:06 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 27, 2009
Category: Uncategorizable
OK, folks, explain this to me.
It is a bicycle. Bicycles are cool. But from the
looks of this thing, it seems as though it would be like riding an
anvil around town. Sure, it'd be great if you got hit by a
Hummer. The
bike would be fine.
There are
more
photos at designbloom, and
Yatzer.
One person
comments:
The
BauBike is designed by Michael Ubbesen Jakobsen and available to order
directly from him in Denmark. It is so beautiful to look at, even just
leaning in a garage. I honestly haven't ridden it so I can only remark
based on it's stunning and unusual design. Check out the link to read
all about it and see many detailed photos along with the contact and
ordering info.
The maker says:
The
design follows a set of formal rules, limiting the geometry to straight
lines in a pattern of 60 and 90 degree angles in proportions following
the principle of the golden section.
OK, cool. Everyone like the golden section (AKA
, AKA
golden ratio,
1.61803399). But I would trade that for a comfortable seat, and
handlebars that don't destroy my tendons. Regarding
functionality, the maker
says:
By limiting the form with a fixed set of design rules and
stepping away from the traditional function-oriented approach to the
design process, this project transcends the border between design and
art, raising fundamental questions about the nature of the bike as
design and as a lifestyle accessory and introducing a much needed
playfulness on the bicycle scene.
Stepping away from the function-oriented approach? OK, if you
have lots of money and your
glutei maximi are made of
carbon
steel alloy #1090.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 1:04 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 25, 2009
Category: Neuroscience • Psychiatry
PhysioProf commented about this back in 2006 after Alex Palazzo 's
post,
A
silent mutation affects pain perception? That post discussed
mutations that affect pain perception. Now, there is a bit
more information available about potential commercial developments
stemming from this line of genetic research.
Firewalker's
Faulty Gene May Shake Up Market for Painkillers
By Dermot Doherty
June 25 (Bloomberg)
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 11:27 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 22, 2009
Category: Medicine • Politics • Public Health • Social Issues
It was the second-most-blogged article on the NYT when I got up this
morning; now, it is the first-most-blogged. It is the article
that reports on a survey that shows 72% support for a government-run
health insurance program. The program would be similar to
Medicare, but would be available to persons under 65 and not on Social
Security Disability.
In
Poll, Wide Support for Government-Run Health
By KEVIN SACK and MARJORIE CONNELLY
Published: June 20, 2009
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:24 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 18, 2009
Category: Energy • Environment • Science News
This method, if it pans out, could not only be clean, it could make the
environment even cleaner.
Jonathan Trent, the lead research scientist on the Spaceship Earth
project at NASA Ames Research Center, has been working on a method to
produce oil from algae. Their Algal Biofuels Team appears to be
making progress.
NASA
Envisions "Clean Energy" From Algae Grown in Waste Water
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:25 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 17, 2009
Category: Medicine • Social Issues
When I first heard about the American Medical Association (AMA)
opposing Obama's health care reform, I was troubled. I almost
wrote a post about it, but by the time I got home, I found that others
had beaten me to it.
Revere,
for example, appears to have written
before work,
posting at 6:46AM. That's dedication.
But it the interim, I've come up with a different angle. Part
of it comes from an article on Medpage Today (free registration):
AMA:
Obama Faces Tough Audience at the 'House of Medicine'
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage
Today
Published: June 14, 2009
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 9:01 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 16, 2009
Category: Neuroscience • Psychiatry
This is one of those "interesting, wonder if it'll ever pan out"
studies. So far it has been presented at a meeting, but not
published. The study was summarized in an article on
Medpage Today (free registration):
APSS:
Depression and Insomnia May Be Genetically Linked
Read on »
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:12 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 9, 2009
Category: Medicine • Public Health • Social Issues
Market Folly writes of a new hedge fund strategy, and asks if there are
any more ideas
like
this:
We came across this interesting piece in Dealbook the other
day and thought it was very intriguing. Simply put: hedge funds are now
investing in lawsuits. The premise is pretty simple: they invest in one
side of the lawsuit and get a share of the winnings (if, of course,
they win the case)...
...If you think about it, it makes sense. These investors essentially
'bankroll' a litigation team, thus giving them access to all kinds of
different tools. The defendant/prosecutor obviously enjoys knowing that
their team has deep pockets and the lawyers themselves will find
comfort in the fact that they will have no problem getting paid...
...We're always on the lookout for interesting opportunities like
these, so let us know if you find anymore...
Here's my idea. Invest in sick people. Have a single entity
that amasses a large quantity of money. When people get sick, pay
out for their health care. If they get better, take a slice of
their productivity for the remainer of their lives.
The great thing about this idea is how simple it is. The strategy
of investing in lawsuits makes sense only if you can select a very few
cases that are likely to win. But when it comes to investing is
sick people, you don't have to be selective at all. In fact, the
best outcome would be attained by covering everybody. So it would
not require a sophisticated analysis to pick and choose.
Drat.
Someone
else already came up with
this idea.
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 8:37 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
June 8, 2009
Category: Environment • Science News
In 2008, we
were
informed that a kind of cloud formation had been named: the
mammatus
formation, so-called because it resembles a breast. Sort
of. Whatever.
A new development is more serious. The
Cloud Appreciation Society
has suggested that the name
asperatus be given to clouds that
portray a particular kind of turbulence.
Flickr photo by Vince Perritano, Creative Commons license
Other, more dramatic examples can be seen at the BBC page,
A
New Kind of Cloud?, at National Geographic,
New
Cloud Type Discovered?, and, of course, at the Cloud Appreciation
Society,
'Asperatus',
a new variety of cloud?
Every schoolkid knows that there are
four
main types: nimbus, cirrus, stratus, and cumulus. (Actually,
there are many cloud types, although many of the names are
derived from the four listed above. Some are not: noctilucent
clouds,
contrails, funnel clouds, to name a few. See the
Wikipedia page.)
This classification had stood since 1953. Why mess with it
now? If you do, there'll be committee meetings and newspaper
articles. People will be chanting "Teach the Controversy!"
Then we will have to change all the textbooks (assuming the Texas Board
of Education goes along with the scheme, which may not happen
easily).
Posted by Joseph j7uy5 at 2:34 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
