Sometimes I can’t help but comment upon odd things that bring people to this web site. Today our referrer logs reveal that someone was sent from MSN’s search page, trying to find information on:
“how long do a person have to file a camel on personal injury”
Our official position is that we do NOT endorse the filing of camels.
No animals were harmed in the creation of this post. Thank you.
Add comment January 30th, 2006
Seed magazine online is running a story about reasearch published in the science journal Nature stating that darkness may aid in weight loss.
Odd findings, no? In my experience the dark winter months tend to make people put ON weight.
Read more:
Scientists show connection between darkness and metabolic fuel switch. [SeedMagazine]
Add comment January 30th, 2006
Last year, our write up of a DIY heart rate monitor was one of our most popular articles. In that spirit, we now present to you the R-ECG1c DIY Electrocardiograph kit.
The R-ECG1c is a Heathkit-type affair, with enclosure, that allows you to monitor cardiac function in the comfort of your own garage, attic or basement.
From the catalog entry:
“Use the ECG1 to astound your physician with your knowledge of ECG/EKG systems. Enjoy learning about the inner workings of the heart while at the same time covering the stage-by-stage electronic circuit theory used in the kit to monitor it. The three probe wire pick-ups allow for easy application and experimentation without the cumbersome harness normally associated with ECG monitors.”
Assembly required, 9 volt battery not included!
Read More:
R-ECG1C ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH KIT w/case [gibsonteched.com]
Add comment January 30th, 2006
One for the Coffee-heads:
The main ways of making coffee up to this point have been the percolator, drip, pressurised espresso method, cold-brew
As someone who has worked as a barrista in a previous life, I must say I’m a bit skeptical that this concentrate is a good substitute for straight espresso, (because there would be no Crema, the delicate pale brown foam that is the mark of a well drawn shot of Cafe Espresso). I’m willing to concede that it may make a perfectly acceptible “espresso-based drink”, such as a latte, cappuccino, cafe mocha or Americano.
As an aside, an Americano made in this way would be the same as a regular coffee made this way. That is actually appropriate, though, as the term Americano is used somewhat derisively by europeans who think US-style coffee tastes like watered-down espresso, anyway.
The main differences between this type of coffee maker and a french press are that the Aeropress has a open bottom and sits over a cup or container. After the coffee is properly brewed, it is pressed out from above using a plunger. Unlike a french press, the Aeropress is self cleaning. The reason the flavor is supposedly better than that of a standard press is that the special filtration system allows for a finer grind.
A normal french press requires a coarse grind and therefore a longer brew. Since the Aeropress can use a standard grind (as for a drip coffee maker) it is able to brew faster, picking up less bitterness and more pure-coffee flavor.
The Aeropress also has a more reasonable price than many of the other coffee making technologies available today - about US$30.00.
Read More:
The AeroPress Coffee Machine: a new concept in an ancient art [GizMag]
1 comment January 30th, 2006
Researchers at Cambridge University have come up with a test to help adults find out where they lie on the continuum from median to autistic. NewsWeek/MSNBC have made this test available online:
I rank at 33, which is the low end of the “High” category. This would be 2 points below the average for those with Asperger’s Syndrome. Hmmmm.
The problem is that the test is self-administered, and there is no “I don’t know” option for any of the questions. This could lead people to chose affirmative answers that may not actually be appropriate, but then again, since I’m a 33, I am theorhetically unable to judge other people’s intentions!
How Autistic are you? Post comments below.
4 comments January 20th, 2006
If you are a hardcore sleephacker, you may be interested in the drug Modafinil, also known as Provigil.
According to GizMag.com, the drug’s manufacturers claim that:
Modafinil improves memory, and enhances one’s mood, alertness and cognitive powers. The drug has a smoother feel than amphetamines and enables the user to stay awake and alert for 40 hours or more. Once the drug wears off, you just have to catch up on some sleep.
Test on military fighter pilots (the armed forces are quite interested in this med) show that on long flight missions, pilots taking Modafinil begin to dramatically improve performance compared to non-medicated pilots at about 25 hours of wakefulness, hitting peak benefit at around 33 hours. The benefit continues on past the 40-hour mark.
Provigil/Modafinil was invented by the french in the late 1970’s but only maketed in the US starting in 1998. It has some uses for ADHD, narcolepsy and some other sleep disorders, but not Chronic Fatigue.
The ethics of using this medicine for purposes of productivity, as the military intends, seem to be a grey area, but we would advise against recreational use.
Read More:
Modafinil - the time-shifting drug [GizMag]
Modafinil [WikiPedia]
Modafinil Fact Sheet [MedLine Plus]
3 comments January 20th, 2006
Mechanical engineer Don Schoendorfer has come up with an idea to improve the lives of the mobility-impaired in the developing world. Staggering in their simplicity, he has sourced to China the packaging of wheelchairs made entirely of off-the-shelf consumer commodities, like lawn furniture.
His non-profit organization has the chairs packaged for on-site assembly in China. Total cost to make and deliver from China to end-user? US$44.40.
Read more about this awesome philanthropic effort:
Gizmo of the Week: the US$44.40 wheelchair [GizMag]
2 comments January 19th, 2006
We’ve found the authoritative site on the topic of Caffeine. If you have a question about this sublime stimulant that cannot be answered by reading this site, well, you simply need to drink more. Eventually you will begin to vibrate like a hummingbird and will forget the question altogether.
Read More:
Frequently Asked Questions about Caffeine [CoffeeFaq]
Add comment January 19th, 2006
InformationWeek wants to know (rhetorically), Is Your Computer Killing You?
They have posted an article addressing the myriad ways that computer can cause aches, pains and discomfort to us and our world.
Some of the addressed topics in this six-page article include:
One thing to note, however is that this article does not take into account recent research showing that among repetitive strain injuries, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is only rarely caused by computer use.
Read more:
Is Your Computer Killing You? [InformationWeek]
Add comment January 19th, 2006
This weekend, I was speaking with Kerstin Lindblad-Toh of MIT’s Broad Institute. Kerstin is a fascinating person who has been working at the forefront of various gene-mapping projects for the last several years.
When we first met, she was working on the Human Genome Project, later she was one of the leaders on the project to map the genome of the mouse. Currently she runs the recently completed Dog Genome Sequencing Project [the Broad Institute]. We had a really interesting conversation about what’s happining with this project since their paper was published in Nature last month (Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog, December ‘05), and how everyday people can help further their research.
According to Kerstin, all genes present in the human genome are present in dogs, but with roughly one-fifth the complexity. Since all domestic dogs diverged from one species, the Grey Wolf, 30,000 years ago, dog genes have not become burdened with too many “noise” genes yet. In fact, it was the Dog Genome Sequencing Project that was able to pinpoint man’s domestication of dog (or, as Kerstin says, it may be dog who chose to cohabit with man) to that date; previously there was only an accepted range of between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago.
Additionally, many of the diseases that are the worst scourges of dogkind also exist in humans. Bone Cancer is one example. Those working on the Dog Genome believe that by studying the genetic causes and implications of these disorders in dogs, with their much simpler genetic makeup, cures can be found relatively quickly and with important implications for human medicine.
Kerstin and her fellow researchers hope to help cure these diseases with the help of the public. They are asking owners of purebred dogs, healthy or suffering from:
to visit http://www.dogdna.org [The Broad Institute] to learn how you can donate DNA samples of your beloved pooch. While the research will benefit all dogs (and people) they are requesting only Purebred DNA at this time, please.
For those interested, the specific dog whose genome was sequenced is a female boxer named Tasha, who now lives as a happy recluse in the midwest.
Caveat: I am neither a molecular biologist, nor an expert in genetics, genomics, cultural anthropology, or industrial cheese fabrication. Any mistakes in this article are due to my deficiencies, not those of Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, the Dog Genome Sequencing Project, The Broad Institute, MIT, science in general, or the multiverse itself.
Technorati Tags: genetics, genome, genomics , dog, canine, cancer, DNA
1 comment January 17th, 2006
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