So now it's all becoming clear what a major part of the reason for Apple to change over to Intel chips was. Yesterday, Apple released software that will allow the new Intel Macs to run Windows XP: SAN JOSE, Calif. - To broaden its appeal in a Windows-dominated world, Apple Computer Inc. unveiled software Wednesday to help owners of its new Intel-based Macs run not only its own operating system but also Microsoft Corp.'s rival software. Apple's shares surged as Wall Street bet the move would help Apple grow its current worldwide personal computer market share beyond the current range of 3…

By the time this appears, I should be on my way home from the AACR. For some reason, the meeting this year didn't get me all fired up the way it usually does. Perhaps I'll post in more detail about why that may have been after I get home. In the meantime, here's something I've been meaning to try out but never have, simply because I never thought I had the critical mass of readers to make it worthwhile. When Daily Kos or PZ has an open thread, they'll gets dozens, if not hundreds, of responses. If I were to try an open thread, I feared I'd get one or two. I've overcome that fear, though, and…

Yesterday, I wrote extensively about a new study by Paul Shattuck that seriously casts doubt upon one of the key claims of those arguing that mercury in childhood vaccines causes autism, namely the existence of an "autism epidemic." These claims are nearly always based on rapidly rising numbers of children being classified as autistic for special education. The findings of the paper, boiled down to their essence, is that it was diagnostic substitution that was largely responsible for this apparent increase. Before 1993, autism and autism spectrum disorders were not even one of the major…

One of the key arguments by advocates claiming a link between mercury in childhood vaccines is that there is an "epidemic" of autism. They'll claim that autism was unknown before the 1930's, when thimerosal was first introduced into vaccines. (Never mind that there are plenty of descriptions of autism-like conditions dating from as far back as the 18th century.) They'll then claim that there is an "epidemic" that accelerated in the 1990's, when additional vaccines were added to the recommended childhood schedule, and that it was the additional mercury from those vaccines that was responsible…

Having gone to two meetings in less than two weeks, I've noticed something different about how I approach meetings. Surgical meetings often reflect the truly bizarre nature of surgeon personalities. For example, the meeting in San Diego that I went to had one session that started at--I kid you not--6 AM. True, they did lure us in with a full breakfast, the only session that offered more than coffee and the occasional snack, but even for a surgeon getting up to show up at such an early session is a bit brutal. Back when I was younger, I would actually get up to go to that session, because it…

With the weather in Washington, DC, threatening to be full of thunderstorms and plunging temperatures this afternoon and tonight, I like to think back to where I was less than two weeks ago. As I mentioned before, last week, I was in southern California for a surgical meeting. While I was there, I happened to have an afternoon free, during which time I wandered over to Amoeba Music (my all time favorite new and used CD store), where I indulged one of my few vices and bought up a bunch of music. I also had enough time to take a side trip over to another of my haunts when I find myself in the L…

Damn you, Kev! You hit me with this meme. I often ignore being tagged with memes, but because it's Kev I won't refuse. It's also a conveniently quick way to fill blog space while I'm at the AACR Meeting. I was just too tired last night to write anything substantive and utterly crashed at around 10 PM, even though a few of you have been clamoring for me to address this study--patience). I'll be posting some stuff, but I don't know if I'll get around to any detailed analyses until I get back on Thursday. (Of course, if the meeting ends up being dull, I may end up finding one of the wifi…

I'm apparently a punk wannabe... I am 30% Punk Rock. Well, I may know what punk is, but... Okay maybe some people think I am punk, but is that enough? Nope.Take the Punk Rock Test @ FualiDotCom

Opening day at last! The 2006 baseball season starts this weekend. One thing that I can predict with a high degree of certainty is that, sadly, my old hometown team the Detroit Tigers will continue to suck, getting deeper into their second decade of futility as measured by sub-.500 records. In contrast, my other favorite team, the Cleveland Indians (which I came to root for during the eight years I lived in Cleveland), look strong. Given that they gave the Chicago White Sox a scare in the last couple of months of the season, almost catching them from a huge deficit before falling just short…

What the heck? On April Fools Day, all the other SB'ers are doing this quiz, so why not? I am 11% Idiot. I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people.Take theIdiot Test@ FualiDotCom 11% idiot? Orac is not amused.

R.I.P. Hal. At least you had a good romp before the end.

Sadly, unlike my post a couple of hours ago, this is not an April Fools jest. Evolgen previously reported on the success of the Specter-Harkin Amendment in the Senate to change a completely flat National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget containing actual real cuts to the budget of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to one with a modest increase in fiscal year 2007. Both the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) and Genetics Society of America both weighed in when the budget was sent to the House in order to garner support in committee for adding an amendment similar to the Specter…

You know, after all these years as a scientist, physician, and skeptic, I've been wondering. Perhaps it's time to undergo a reassessment of my and philosophy. I've always been a bit of a curmudgeon, and it hasn't really gotten me anywhere. My words appear to have no impact on the credulous. For example, perhaps I've been a bit harder than I should be on purveyors of dubious alternative medicine. Millions of people use it every day. Would they use it if there weren't anything to it? I think not. After all, look at all those testimonials for chelation therapy, Reiki therapy, Chinese energy…

This is just to announce briefly that comment spam has once again reared its ugly head. Some spam comments are actually making it through the filters to be published here. I delete them as soon as I see them, but I'm dismayed that they're getting through. As a result I may be tightening up the spam filter score a bit. That means more comments than usual might be held up for moderation. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Blame the spammers, the lowest life form on the Internet.

Congrats are in order to fellow blogger Phil Plait (a.k.a. The Bad Astronomer) whose blog Bad Astronomy (a misnomer if ever there was one, given the amount of good astronomy he regularly writes about) garnered a favorable mention in the Netwatch section of Science. Hopefully this will bring Bad Astronomy to more of the masses.

The 2005 Pigasus Awards have been announced by The Amazing Randi himself. The categories: Category #1, to the scientist who said or did the silliest thing related to the supernatural, paranormal or occult. Category #2, to the funding organization that supported the most useless study of a supernatural, paranormal or occult claim. Category #3, to the media outlet that reported as factual the most outrageous supernatural, paranormal or occult claims. Category #4, to the "psychic" performer who fooled the greatest number of people with the least talent:. Category #5, for the most persistent…

Maybe you're like me, tired of a government that does not seem to respect one of the founding documents of our nation, namely the Bill of Rights. Maybe you're tired of Christian fundamentalists who do not see the placement of monuments containing the Ten Commandments on government property as a government endorsement of a specific religious tradition (Judeo-Christian) and consequently as a violation of the First Amendment. Maybe you wonder why there are so many willing to place religious monuments on government land and why you so seldom see the document responsible for the religious freedom…

Why? Because I feel like it. So here goes... It's on America's tortured brow That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow And now the workers have struck for fame 'Cause Lennon's on sale again See the mice in their million hordes From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads Rule Britannia is out of bounds To my Mother, my dog, and clowns But the film is a saddening bore 'Cause I wrote it ten times or more It's about to be writ again As I ask you to focus on Sailors fighting in the dance hall Oh man! Look at those cavemen go It's the freakiest show Take a look at the lawman Beating up the wrong guy Oh man!…

Yes, it's that time again, time for the most dedicated skeptics of the blogosphere to gather once again to try to apply critical thinking in an environment where credulity is usually the order of the day, and dubious stories can proliferate and spread around the world in mere hours. This time, Abel Pharmboy is your host for the 31st Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle over at Terra Sigillata. It's his first attempt in his young blogging career at hosting a blog carnival, and he's done himself proud, with an invocation and everything. Go check it out! Next up is Matt (a.k.a. The Pooflinger) on…

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the principles of population evolution can be applied to premalignant lesions in order to predict which lesions would progress to cancer. This time around, I'd like to discuss how using evolutionary principles can provide insights to human disease that would not be as obvious or that would take much longer to discover without considering evolution. One of the beautiful things about evolution and applying it to medicine is that one can find connections in unexpected places that may actually shed light on the pathogenesis of human diseases and even suggest…