Wow. This is really something. Long and must be in the right frame of mind to enjoy. Very Carl Sagan/Hawkins. May not be the message you want, but very compelling.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Hefner Engaged Again
Hugh Hefner was apparently a very good boy this year. The 84-year-old Playboy founder announced his engagement to his 24-year-old girlfriend, Crystal Harris, a Playboy Playmate on Sunday. Hefner tweeted, "When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears. This is the happiest Christmas weekend in memory...I got what I was hoping for for Christmas...Crystal's love." This will be his third marriage: Hefner was married to his first wife Mildred from 1949 to 1959 and then in 1989, he went on to wed former Playmate of the Year Kimberly Conrad, who he legally divorced last year. Hefner has four children from his previous marriages— Christie, 58, David, 55, Marston, 10, and Cooper, 9.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Want to know more about The Wall?
Everything you ever wanted to know about Pink Floyd’s The Wall including lyrics and song by song explanations seems to be here. Aside from being a reference (if such a thing is needed), this introduction provides a good base understanding of the story told by the album.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Taxpayer Dollars at Work
Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) released today his annual Wastebook, which details lavish government funding on obscure projects.
“As you look at these examples, ask yourself: at a time when we are borrowing over $44,000 for every person in the country, are these items a priority and are they a federal responsibility?” writes Coburn in the introduction, adding that the cost of the 100 projects he highlights totals over $11.5 billion. Here’s some of the “best” taxpayer-funded items:
● $1.8 million to the Neon Boneyard Park and Museum, which collects and displays discarded neon Las Vegas signs.
● $2.9 million to a group of professors at University of California-Irvine for research on internet games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life and how, according to the university’s press release, they “can help organizations collaborate and compete more effectively in the global marketplace.”
● $239,100 to Stanford University for a study on how people date and find love online.
● $137,530 to a Dartmouth professor Mary Flanagan to make, according to Wastebook, a “video game called ‘Layoff,’ a puzzle-style game in which players fire as many people as they can as quickly as possible.”
● $150,000 to the Vermont town of Monkton to erect signs warning drivers to look out for salamanders crossing the road.
● $47.6 million to Atlanta, Georgia to build a streetcar system — on the exact same route as an existing subway system.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Implanted Computers Control Pain
![spinalimplant1270x220-thumb-550xauto-53450[1]](http://lh6.ggpht.com/_GJTDIg4UGMU/TQtDxoNY0RI/AAAAAAAAAC8/oZPtJQPcInc/s1600-h/spinalimplant1270x220-thumb-550xauto-53450%5B1%5D%5B2%5D.jpg "spinalimplant1270x220-thumb-550xauto-53450[1]")
Researchers at Sydney's National ICT Australia (NICTA) have spent the past two years developing an incredibly futuristic invention which could bring relief to those who suffer from chronic pain. What it amounts to is a series of 'smart' chips inserted into biocompatible devices and strung together. These are then sewn into a very small (1.22mm wide) lead made of a polymer yarn and wires, which are then inserted into the spine. The device is them connected to a battery and computer which can measure and gather information about the pain-carrying nerves signalling the brain. The device can also respond by sending 10 volt electrical pulses to block the signals' path to the brain, tricking the brain into thinking there is no pain. There are devices such as this one already in existence, but they are much larger than this new device, and its smaller size increases accuracy as it can be implanted closer to the spine than previous models. The NICTA's device is set to go into human trials next year. Video after the break.
The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast - NYTimes.com
December 15, 2010, 12:01 am
Phys Ed: The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDSIan Spanier/Getty Images
The holiday season brings many joys and, unfortunately, many countervailing dietary pitfalls. Even the fittest and most disciplined of us can succumb, indulging in more fat and calories than at any other time of the year. The health consequences, if the behavior is unchecked, can be swift and worrying. A recent study by scientists in Australia found that after only three days, an extremely high-fat, high-calorie diet can lead to increased blood sugar and insulin resistance, potentially increasing the risk for Type 2 diabetes. Waistlines also can expand at this time of year, prompting self-recrimination and unrealistic New Year’s resolutions.
But a new study published in The Journal of Physiology suggests a more reliable and far simpler response. Run or bicycle before breakfast. Exercising in the morning, before eating, the study results show, seems to significantly lessen the ill effects of holiday Bacchanalias.
For the study, researchers in Belgium recruited 28 healthy, active young men and began stuffing them with a truly lousy diet, composed of 50 percent fat and 30 percent more calories, overall, than the men had been consuming. Some of the men agreed not to exercise during the experiment. The rest were assigned to one of two exercise groups. The groups’ regimens were identical and exhausting. The men worked out four times a week in the mornings, running and cycling at a strenuous intensity. Two of the sessions lasted 90 minutes, the others, an hour. All of the workouts were supervised, so the energy expenditure of the two groups was identical.
Their early-morning routines, however, were not. One of the groups ate a hefty, carbohydrate-rich breakfast before exercising and continued to ingest carbohydrates, in the form of something like a sports drink, throughout their workouts. The second group worked out without eating first and drank only water during the training. They made up for their abstinence with breakfast later that morning, comparable in calories to the other group’s trencherman portions.
The experiment lasted for six weeks. At the end, the nonexercising group was, to no one’s surprise, super-sized, having packed on an average of more than six pounds. They had also developed insulin resistance — their muscles were no longer responding well to insulin and weren’t pulling sugar (or, more technically, glucose) out of the bloodstream efficiently — and they had begun storing extra fat within and between their muscle cells. Both insulin resistance and fat-marbled muscles are metabolically unhealthy conditions that can be precursors of diabetes.
The men who ate breakfast before exercising gained weight, too, although only about half as much as the control group. Like those sedentary big eaters, however, they had become more insulin-resistant and were storing a greater amount of fat in their muscles.
Only the group that exercised before breakfast gained almost no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. They also burned the fat they were taking in more efficiently. “Our current data,” the study’s authors wrote, “indicate that exercise training in the fasted state is more effective than exercise in the carbohydrate-fed state to stimulate glucose tolerance despite a hypercaloric high-fat diet.”
Just how exercising before breakfast blunts the deleterious effects of overindulging is not completely understood, although this study points toward several intriguing explanations. For one, as has been known for some time, exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. When you burn fat, you obviously don’t store it in your muscles. In “our study, only the fasted group demonstrated beneficial metabolic adaptations, which eventually may enhance oxidative fatty acid turnover,” said Peter Hespel, Ph.D., a professor in the Research Center for Exercise and Health at Catholic University Leuven in Belgium and senior author of the study.
At the same time, the fasting group showed increased levels of a muscle protein that “is responsible for insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle and thus plays a pivotal role in regulation of insulin sensitivity,” Dr Hespel said.
In other words, working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight.
There are caveats, of course. Exercising on an empty stomach is unlikely to improve your performance during that workout. Carbohydrates are easier for working muscles to access and burn for energy than fat, which is why athletes typically eat a high-carbohydrate diet. The researchers also don’t know whether the same benefits will accrue if you exercise at a more leisurely pace and for less time than in this study, although, according to Leonie Heilbronn, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia, who has extensively studied the effects of high-fat diets and wrote a commentary about the Belgian study, “I would predict low intensity is better than nothing.”
So, unpleasant as the prospect may be, set your alarm after the next Christmas party to wake you early enough that you can run before sitting down to breakfast. “I would recommend this,” Dr. Heilbronn concluded, “as a way of combating Christmas” and those insidiously delectable cookies.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Jets suspend strength coach for tripping incident
(Reuters) - The New York Jets have suspended their strength and conditioning coach without pay for the rest of the season for tripping a Miami Dolphins player, the team said Monday.
Sal Alosi was also fined $25,000 for sticking his leg out and causing rookie cornerback Nolan Carroll to stumble during Sunday's 10-6 Dolphins victory in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Carroll was shaken up after being tripped by Alosi on the sideline while covering a punt during the third quarter but later returned to action.
"After reviewing the facts and consulting with the league office, we determined that this was the most appropriate discipline," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement issued by the team.
Alosi apologized after the game and again Monday during a news conference at the Jets' training facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.
"It's an honor and a privilege to work every day and coach every day in the National Football League," Alosi said.
"I come into contact with a lot of good people in our building every day -- players, staff, coaches -- and I let everybody down yesterday with my actions."
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Banks have us all by the balls
An in-depth article about the derivatives business. Posted here more for future reference and not for general reading unless you feel ambitious.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/business/12advantage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
Using Google Maps to Find Foreclosures
I haven’t tried this, but I thought it may contain some useful procedures.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/12/using-google-maps-to-find-foreclosures/67773/
Metrodome Roof Collapse
Actual video of the roof giving in. It’s a Teflon skin, which sheds water and ice, but apparently the snow was just too much for it.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
4 Fun Ways to Help Prevent Prostate Cancer
Guess I should be in good shape, huh?
http://health.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=31737&content=45538400&pageNum=-1
Video Test
Just a test to see how this works. Assuming it does work, it is worth a look for a few chuckles.
Cages In The Zoo
This is a perfect example of the crap that permeates blogging, internet news, newspapers and the pseudo-political garbage they attempt to sell as information. On the other hand, it is quite humorous and worth the chuckle if one recognizes the uselessness of the information.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/08/AR2010120806537.html
Credit Where It’s Due
A somewhat wordy and pontificating opinion piece which outlines the new and positive direction of the Obama White House since the election. This guy is a serious conservative and his limited praise is significant.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/254893/obama-revives-conrad-black
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Want To Know Why WikiLeaks Guy Was Arrested?
Unbelievable! What an obvious government plot.
Read it here: Reuters WikiLeaks Article
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Humanism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Humanism (capital 'H', no adjective such as "secular")[53] is a comprehensive life stance that upholds human reason, ethics, and justice, and rejects supernaturalism, pseudoscience, and superstition. Many Humanists derive their morals from a philosophy of Ethical naturalism, and some acknowledge a science of morality.
The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is the world union of more than 100 Humanist, rationalist, secular, ethical culture, and free thought organizations in more than 40 countries. The Happy Human is the official symbol of the IHEU as well as being regarded as a universally recognized symbol for those who call themselves Humanists (as opposed to "humanists"). In 2002, the IHEU General Assembly unanimously adopted the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 which represents the official defining statement of World Humanism.[54]
All member organizations of the IHEU are required by IHEU bylaw 5.1[55] to accept the IHEU Minimum Statement on Humanism:
Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.
Humanism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The fundamentals of modern Humanism are as follows:
- Humanism is ethical.
- Humanism is rational.
- Humanism supports democracy and human rights.
- Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility.
- Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion.
- Humanism values artistic creativity and imagination and recognizes the transforming power of art.
- Humanism is a life stance aiming at the maximum possible fulfillment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living.
The Amsterdam Declaration explicitly states that Humanism rejects dogma, and imposes no creed upon its adherents.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Organic Veggies Not More Nutritious
There are plenty of good reasons to buy organic produce, but nutrition may not be one of them, 
The study only looked at three types of vegetables and just a few select nutrients. But the experiment was part of a bigger project that was so systematic and rigorously controlled that the findings likely apply to other crops, too, said lead author Pia Knuthsen, a senior research scientist at the Danish National Food Institute’s department of food chemistry, based at the University of Copenhagen.
“Giving preference to organic products because they contain more bioactive components is doubtful and not supported by scientific evidence,” Knuthsen said. “Still, there are many good reasons for the consumer to select organic food products, including absence of pesticide residues in foods, animal welfare, and environmental protections.”
Controversy over whether organic produce is more nutritious than conventional varieties has been around for at least a decade, said Jeffrey Blumberg, director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston.
Some studies have suggested that organically grown plants contain higher levels of healthful antioxidants, possibly because some antioxidants act as natural fungicides, pesticides and insecticides,” he said.
“The idea is that, without help from industrial chemicals, plants on organic farms need to work harder to protect themselves. They end up becoming more nutritious as a result.
But plenty of other studies have shown no such relationship.
“It’s a nice hypothesis,” Blumberg said. As for evidence, he said, “I can summarize the state of the science very well by saying it’s very mixed.”
One of the biggest challenges to doing these kinds of studies, he said, is that a huge number of confounding factors can affect the results, including the age of a plant, how long it is allowed to grow, and variable weather conditions from year to year.
There is also no clear definition of what “organic” and “conventional” actually mean. Farming practices range from industrial and chemically intensive to wild and overgrown.
Knuthsen and colleagues tried to set up as controlled of an experiment as possible. Tapping into a large project called OrgTrace, which is investigating how growing methods contribute to the content of minerals and other compounds in plants, the researchers analyzed potatoes, carrots and onions that were cultivated in side-by-side fields over two growing seasons.
Temperature, moisture levels, soil type, and other environmental conditions were kept the same between fields. But some of the vegetables were grown with chemical pesticides and organic fertilizers. Others complied with Danish guidelines for organic farming.
At the end of the growing season, the researchers measured two types of antioxidants: flavonoids and phenolic acids. Both types have been shown to benefit human health. And both are abundant in onions, carrots, and potatoes.
Results, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed no significant differences in the levels of either type of antioxidant between the organically and conventionally grown vegetables.
Whether the findings will apply to other kinds of produce, other types of nutrients, or to produce grown in real-world conditions is still unknown, Blumberg said, and will probably remain that way indefinitely.
Perhaps, he added, that’s for the best. With so many Americans falling short on fruit and vegetable intake, he would hate to see people trying to skimp on a serving of broccoli because they figured they were making up for the nutrient deficit by eating organic.
“I understand that organic farmers would love to be able to say that theirs are super-fruits and super-vegetables because there are higher amounts of these compounds in them,” Blumberg said. “If you want to buy them because you think they’re safer for the planet to grow things that way, or because you think pesticides are bad for you or your family, or you like that they come from a shorter distance away, that’s great.”
“But if you want to buy them because they’re more nutritious, you’re confused, and we don’t know if that’s true or not.”
References
Excerpted from Organic Veggies Not More Nutritious : Discovery News
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science
Much of what medical researchers conclude in their studies is misleading, exaggerated, or flat-out wrong. So why are doctors—to a striking extent—still drawing upon misinformation in their everyday practice? Dr. John Ioannidis has spent his career challenging his peers by exposing their bad science.
He’s what’s known as a meta-researcher, and he’s become one of the world’s foremost experts on the credibility of medical research. He and his team have shown, again and again, and in many different ways, that much of what biomedical researchers conclude in published studies—conclusions that doctors keep in mind when they prescribe antibiotics or blood-pressure medication, or when they advise us to consume more fiber or less meat, or when they recommend surgery for heart disease or back pain—is misleading, exaggerated, and often flat-out wrong. He charges that as much as 90 percent of the published medical information that doctors rely on is flawed. His work has been widely accepted by the medical community; it has been published in the field’s top journals, where it is heavily cited; and he is a big draw at conferences. Given this exposure, and the fact that his work broadly targets everyone else’s work in medicine, as well as everything that physicians do and all the health advice we get, Ioannidis may be one of the most influential scientists alive. Yet for all his influence, he worries that the field of medical research is so pervasively flawed, and so riddled with conflicts of interest, that it might be chronically resistant to change—or even to publicly admitting that there’s a problem.
The complete article (although it’s long and somewhat flowery).
See! Sex is good for you.
An hour of sex burns 346 calories—the equivalent of a morning jog, weight-lifting session, or even four hours of writing. See which other activities offer the same caloric benefit as a roll in the hay.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ron Paul–The Tea Party’s Brain
If you ever wondered about whether he’s a nut case or a visionary you may find some enlightenment in this article. It’s a ‘news magazine style’, long and in-depth article, so make sure you have the time.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/the-tea-party-8217-s-brain/8280/1/
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
White Space Wi-Fi
This could change everything. Expect it to spread like wildfire because it is a dramatic improvement to WiFi, solves a lot of problems and will require the replacement of all wireless computing and phone devices.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/206205/fcc_opens_access_to_white_spaces_spectrum.html?tk=hp_new
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wild Article on Red Rain
Just really different. The bonus at the end from Peter Gabriel and his interesting group.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1686362/aliens-red-rain-india-2001
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Google going into music streaming
Well, Michael. The evil continues…
Google is apparently in talks with record labels to populate its upcoming music store and streaming service by Christmas.
http://venturebeat.com/2010/09/03/google-gearing-up-for-itunes-rival-music-service-by-year-end/
And then there’s another one, Qriocity, by Sony that was also announced yesterday. That story is here. (http://www.fastcompany.com/1686340/sony-launches-music-service-to-rival-apple-itunes)
US-Mexico border to be guarded by Predator drones
Well, I guess this is a start. Haven’t seen much is the press about this. Not a lot of discussion about what the drones intend to do, either.
The international border in Nogales, Arizona is shown in this April 22 file photo. The entire 2,000-mile US-Mexico border will be monitored by Predator drones starting Wednesday.
Entire US-Mexico border to be guarded by Predator drones - CSMonitor.comSaturday, August 21, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wintersnet Change
To anyone who looks at or uses the Wintersnet.com home page,
As the old homepage has not been changed in years and probably no one really cares, I have decided to use a new blog space (that was originally designed to pass items of interest to CEW) as the homepage for Wintersnet.com. This way it will change and be updated regularly and actually hold information that is of some value. And none of the old stuff will go away.
If anyone has any thoughts or items to add, please feel free to let me know. Keep in mind that this is public and anyone on the web can view this blog if they know it exists. If you wish to share it with others, please feel free to do so.
Captain Ray
As the old homepage has not been changed in years and probably no one really cares, I have decided to use a new blog space (that was originally designed to pass items of interest to CEW) as the homepage for Wintersnet.com. This way it will change and be updated regularly and actually hold information that is of some value. And none of the old stuff will go away.
If anyone has any thoughts or items to add, please feel free to let me know. Keep in mind that this is public and anyone on the web can view this blog if they know it exists. If you wish to share it with others, please feel free to do so.
Captain Ray
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Dr. Laura Schlessinger Ending Her Radio Show
Dr. Laura is a conservative nighttime radio syndicated radio talk show host who is quitting after 30 years. Of course she’s very capable of saying things she shouldn’t.
The article, which can be read here, is reasonably interesting enough and you may need to read it to really understand the story, but more interesting is the comment posted below the article. As I am not sure it will continue to show up as a top comment I have inserted it below.
“Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. She said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by an east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them: When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify, why can't I own Canadians? I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here? Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die? I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your devoted fan,
Jim”
Monday, August 16, 2010
Droid 2 Evaluation
It seems X tested better, but the 2 has the physical keyboard.
Motorola Droid 2 Hands-on Review - Droid 2 vs. Incredible vs. HTC - Popular Mechanics
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)