Ok, the next time I do something klutzy, I won't feel so bad....because I will know that it could have been WAY worse.

Ouch...that has to suck

The Vatican newspaper has published an article saying "intelligent design" is not science and that teaching it alongside evolutionary theory in school classrooms only creates confusion.

Vatican paper article says 'intelligent design' not science

Tom got into Science before I did....curse:)

Tom Cross, who is a software security researcher and co-developer of the MemeStream social networking website, also disagrees that “if we want to improve America's scientific competitiveness, we need to increase the supply of technical workers, which will reduce their cost.” Gathering Storm, he believes, has “misdefined the problem, [which] is on the demand side and not the supply side.”

“Technological competitiveness is not about how much technology you are doing but what kind,” he states. “You don't want to lead the world in having development sweatshops where people grind out code for hours at low wages. ... You want to lead the world in creating new innovations.”

Science Magazine quoted my MemeStream. :)

ScienceCareers.org | What's Wrong With American Science? : Benderly: 9 December 2005

Ok, so I have recently taken up knitting as a hobby (there is a really cool alien scarf I want to make, and also, I figure since all my friends are starting to have babies, I could knit baby blankets). Anyway...my friend Clint sent me this link, which is truely hilarious/disturbing. Go to the link, and click on "icky ski masks". Number three is my favorite:)

--:--:--| hodgepodge |--:--:--

Well, although there isn't much left of NO, there is one thing....wireless internet.....I hope this trend continues with other cities....

New Orleans offers free WiFi

Mike the Usurper wrote:

Decius wrote:

Mike the Usurper wrote:
The current strain of bird flu is a great hazard to birds, and probably to the people who handle them, but making a vaccine for the current strain will do a whole lot of nothing other than throw yet more money down a hole.

Can you site a reference for this? Is it clear that a vaccine for the present strain would not produce antibodies that are effective against mutant strains?

Here's one of the places it is noted, but this was something that was heavily discussed after the botch with last year's flu vaccine. They need the actual pathogen, and while close might help, it needs to be close enough.

The best way to do this is have the infrastructure ready to go like I said. The problem is, there's no money in vaccines, so the impetus for the private sector just isn't there. There IS money in the anti-flu drugs like Tamiflu (with a price tag of $60).

Vaccines are always a hit or miss. At the time that people get their annual flu shot, doctors/scientists are always unsure about whether or not the flu shot will actually help against the current year's flu. The real problem is the technology of making the vaccines. They can't "have an infastructure ready to go" to make a vaccine, because due to technical challenges, it takes six months to actually make the vaccine. That is why you get your flu shot before/right at the start of flu season as opposed to right after the start of flu season, when they would be able to design a vaccine that specifically target the current year's flu virus. I don't agree that it is a waste of money to have avian flu vaccines around. Although right now, avian flu seems to be most harmful to birds, the particular strain (H5N1) is interesting, and will be monitored closely by the CDC and the WHO. Whereas most of the time, flu would normally be most fatal to young children (who haven't had the time to develop a hefty aquired immunity system) and older people (who are susceptible to illness), the avian flu (much like the deadly 1918 pandemic strain) has been seen to affect cytokine activity (cytokines being signalling molecules for the immune system), thus becoming very dangerous for people in any age group. The 1918 pandemic was so deadly because it caused people's immune system to start attacking their lungs...so it was especially lethal to people with healthy immune systems (people in their 20s and 30s). Thus, if H5N1 turns into a pandemic, it could be quite serious, and so having a vaccine around - even if it isn't perfect - is important. I do agree that spending money on making drugs such as Tamiflu is also important (H5N1 is currently suceptible to these neuraminidase inhibitors), however, that can't be the only source of defence against a virus, because it is only effective if taken within 48 hours of symptoms appearing. As well, if the public sees money being funnelled into Tamiflu, they will start stockpiling it (actually, this has already been rumored to have started), or worst, taking it for symptoms that aren't actually the flu, thus generating resistance. Basically, I think we really need to be funding the research of vaccine production...if we could generate a faster way to produce vaccines, that would be the best thing. There are several groups studying this, and several models that are in clinical trials at the moment.
Anyway, thats the end of my rant for the evening, but if you are interested in reading more on this subject, I direct you to the November 2005 issue of Scientific American. They have a very informative and interesting article in there about preparing for potential pandemics.

RE: Bush Outlines $7.1B Flu-Fighting Strategy

Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Cybernetic Arms

This EP was written as a soundtrack to the September 2005 issue of Popular Science on The Future of the Body. They are available as a free download from the PopSci website.

I imagine this must be some secret admirer of nanochick, writing all these songs focused on biology 'n stuff. I actually found him through a link on boingboing about his folk song remix of Baby Got Back. Yeah, you gotta listen to that one, too.

Songs Written for Nanochick?

Dear Memestreamers:

As a biochemist...I care about the health of your scrotum. Please make sure to fully read the scrotal safety commissions report on scrotal safety.....

Have fun, but be protected!

I care about your scrotum

Second Life is a virtual world - a 3D online persistent space totally created and evolved by its users. Within this vast and rapidly expanding place, you can do, create or become just about anything you can imagine.

Interesting idea...

Second Life: Basic Overview

Well, I just want to inform the community that I will sadly *not* be attending PhreakNIC this year. This is a startling discovery for me, as I have not missed a single PN except for PN 1. I will be attending another conference with my boss, and it is a pretty big deal that I get to go, so there is no way around it. But I will see you all at PN 10 for the great return of the nanochick.