clock | September 15, 2006I feel a professional duty to watch - once it is available - and review this movie about sleep deprivation and insomnia. Sounds pretty good and informed, as well as entertaining, at least according to the article:
Night after night for some 40 years, the US independent filmmaker, Alan Berliner, has battled with his sleep demons.
He has tried everything to defeat them, including meditation, acupuncture, herbal remedies, "lots of sex" and earplugs.
Recently, he made Wide Awake, a film investigating both insomnia in general, and his affliction in particular. In the film, we watch as night…
clock | September 15, 2006Mendel's Garden #6 is up on The Voltage Gate.
History Carnival #39 is up on Cliopatria
clock | September 15, 2006This post from November 26, 2004 was my fourth (out of five), and longest, analysis of the 2004 election. With Balkans and Creationism sprinkled in. How did it stand the test of time over the past two years?
Oftentimes, an outside observer can see what a native observer cannot. The native is too deeply immersed in one's own culture, takes too much for granted, sees too many things as "normal" ("doesn't everyone do it this way?") that an outsider finds highly idiosyncratic and unusual.
I spent the first 25 years of my life in a nicest country. Life was great. I had everything I wanted, and…
clock | September 15, 2006A Community Genetics Forum 2006: Finding the Genome is a 3-day conference here in the Triangle. I will try to go to the third day events on Saturday, 10am - 3pm.
It is a very medically oriented meeting, so I doubt they will mention the importance of comparative genomics in the study of evolution, but it will be fun anyway.
On the other hand, it is probably good for my emotional well-being that there is likely to be no mention of Francis' awful book...
clock | September 15, 2006Students not getting enough sleep:
College students may believe they are being more productive when they sleep less, but in reality it is causing harm to their bodies. The National Sleep Foundation points out that receiving less than six hours of sleep a night is associated with 1.7 times greater risk of disease, according to www.sleepfoundation.org. The chance of decreased academic performance, driving accidents, colds and flu and mental illnesses are all increased.
Workplace fatigue risky business at 30,000 ft.:
Fatigue is worsened when lack of sleep is coupled with a disruption to the body…
clock | September 14, 2006I hope you can come to ConvergeSouth06. If you are interested in the Facebook session and if you have access to Facebook, join the Group Facebook at ConvergeSouth06.
Technorati Tag: ConvergeSouth
clock | September 14, 2006We are about to start the new blogging season in the Triangle, beginning with the regular Chapel Hill-Carboro meetups. The first meetup will be next Monday in the downstairs conference room of the Chapel Hill Public Library at 7 p.m. There will be wifi, and two presentations (Jameson on Lyceum, Roy on wiki.com).
After that, the next Meetup will be on Thursday 5 October at Open Eye Cafe at 6 p.m. (moving to Tyler's Tap Room at 7).
We'll try this meetup schedule for the next couple of months:
* First Thursdays for social drinks and chatting.
* Third Mondays for presentations and…
clock | September 14, 2006From an e-mail:
The U.S. television premiere of the Academy Award-winning MARCH OF THE PENGUINS will be on Hallmark Channel, Saturday, November 25 (9/8 c).
The theatrical movie is accompanied by a never-before-seen film short on the subject from Academy Award-winners (director) Luc Jacquet, (producer) Emanuel Priou, (producer) Christophe Lioud and (producer) Yves Darondeau. The short will follow the premiere of the movie and will encore after the second run of the movie that same evening.
The little movie that walked away with film's most prized statue - the Academy Award - follows the…
clock | September 14, 2006Nicotine Lessens Symptoms Of Depression In Nonsmokers:
Nicotine may improve the symptoms of depression in people who do not smoke, Duke University Medical Center scientists have discovered.
The finding does not mean that people with depression should smoke or even start using a nicotine patch, the researchers caution. They say that smoking remains the No. 1 preventable cause of death and disability in the United States, and that the addictive hazards of tobacco far outweigh the potential benefits of nicotine in depression.
But the finding suggests that it may be possible to manipulate…
clock | September 14, 2006Tonight, I felt I needed to regress into my childhood so I fixed myself something I haven't eaten since I was a little kid - chocolate cream-o-wheat! Here is the recipe for half the quantity I used to eat as a kid in one sitting:
Put a bar (100g) of bittersweet chocolate (or less - I like it superchocolatey) and 4 tablespoons (or less - I like it supersweet)of sugar into 250ml (1/4L) of cold milk. Put on the stove and turn on high. Star mixing continuously. When the milk boils, add a heaping tablespoon (25g or a little more) to the mix. Cut the heat down to Medium and keep mixing…
clock | September 14, 2006From am e-mail I got today:
While Iraq dominates the headlines, the other issue that Americans are grappling with as they head to the polls this fall is the economic uncertainty that affects all American workers. While the numbers on the economy look good, most American workers haven't participated in the economic growth of the past 5 years and rightfully feel that their income and, more importantly, their security, are eroding away. Today's New York Times features an article on the launch of a new advocacy group called United Professionals. Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed…
clock | September 14, 2006I'm glad I am not the only one majorly pissed I was not invited to the secret meeting of Chapel Hill (and area) bloggers wih John Edwards (some of which were not even supporting him back in 2003 and 2004). So is Anton. He is doubly pissed and rightly so.
Ed and Pam were there, though.
clock | September 14, 2006Warming Climate May Put Chill On Arctic Polar Bear Population:
The new research suggests that progressively earlier breakup of the Arctic sea ice, stimulated by climate warming, shortens the spring hunting season for female polar bears in Western Hudson Bay and is likely responsible for the continuing fall in the average weight of these bears. As females become lighter, their ability to reproduce and the survival of their young decline. Also, as the bears become thinner, they are more likely to push into human settlements for food, giving the impression that the population is increasing. The…
clock | September 14, 2006About a year ago, on October 01, 2005, I did a little stats on the self-described political affiliation of NCSU students with Facebook profiles and posted it here. I reposted it here on January 16, 2006. I was thinking about doing the same thing exactly a year later, but the new Facebook News-Feed is making many students nervous, so they delete a lot of their information from their profiles. Political and religious affiliations are usually the first to go. I was interested if there would be any noticable change from one year to another, particularly in light of increased dissatisfaction…
clock | September 14, 2006There is a second physics carnival being launched!
The first one is monthly Panta Rei (the 3rd edition will be on September 28rd), focusing on heat and flow.
The new one is called Philosophia Naturalis, with a broader theme of everything to deal with physical science and technology, and the inaugural edition is now up on Science And Reason.
The two carnivals appear to have very different concepts so it does not look like they will compete against each other.
clock | September 14, 2006Skeptics' Circle #43 - the Sad Puppy Edition - is up on Adventures in Ethics and Science.
Carnival of the Liberals #21 is up on Archy.
clock | September 13, 2006I finally saw the newest 'King Kong' (thanks to Netflix). Not much new to say. We fixed lots of popcorn and big glasses of Coke, sat back and enjoyed the special effects without any expectation that anything in the movie will make sense - which it didn't. Thus, it was great fun.
In a way I am glad I did not see this on a big screen - this movie is not for people with a fear of hights! Even on a small screen some scenes made me dizzy.