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The first day back was light enough - got reading done, got some work done, got a paper back. I’ve found out that I can make the magic of paper-writing go cross-discipline. Well, I did that a few times in my undergraduate, with my various classes, I suppose, but this is proving I can do it on the graduate level. And then my editors get a hold of it and only make it better.
It’s on MySpace, which might elicit a hiss from the crowd (or not), but this is what happens when you apply the logic of No Child Left Behind to dentistry. See how silly it is? There are probably people who would heartily endorse the extension of that logic to other professions like dentistry, though. So maybe we shouldn’t be giving them ideas...
A short piece in the New York Times about how the industrialized world is having fertility rates drop, some below the “replacement rate”. It then describes a “fertility paradox” in some countries - those countries that offer paid maternity leave and subsidized child care have higher fertility rates than those using "traditional" man-works-woman-raises-children methods. Isn’t that odd? Women who can work and be mothers are having more children than countries where women feel they have to choose between working and being a mother. Maybe they’re more secure about starting a family because they know there’s something there to help them out once they have a child. The United States could stand to take a page out of that playbook, but it probably won’t happen because all the opponents would have to do is shout “Socialism! Socialism! Lalalalalalalala!” and the whole thing would collapse.
Two articles are next, originating from the same source. Probably aiming to be funny, and falling somewhat short of the goal (because these days, there’s a chance the most outlandish statement that you can think of in the political sphere has been seriously voiced by someone), what the left-wing extremist believes, and what the right-wing extremist believes. As I was saying, there are shades of possible truth in both, depending on whose lens you look at them with. There was also an alternate right-wing list proposed by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
satyrblade on bradhicks's journal. And much venting and commentary was had by all. (Hooray.)
Amy Goodman of Democracy now talked with General Wesley Clark (recall that name?), who hints he might be running for President, details decisions that were made to invade Iraq (and possibly Iran) without supporting evidence, and outlines what he thinks can be done to change the course of the conflict in Iraq, among other things. There’s a lot there in the interview about both past and present.
European light bulb manufacturers are looking to encourage all the consumers of Europe to follow Australia’s lead and switch over totally to compact flourescent lamps for all their lightning needs. Th energy savings supposedly would be the equivalent of twenty-seven power plants’ generation. That’s pretty impressive. And if the possibility of carbon nanotubes helping to improve solar cell efficiency is good, then we get closer to being able to harness renewable sources for more power generation than before.
The Cherokee Nation voted on Sunday to revoke tribal citizenship for the descendants of slaves Cherokees owned. Only those with the blood in them are part of the nation now, and only those part of the nation can secure any tribal benefits provided.
Planet Ark says there's a good chance there will be more hurricanes in the Atlatntic than average this year, as the El Nino system that has been hanging around since last year has gone away. Batten down the hatches, and if there is a $DEITY, he’d better stay well clear of New Orleans.
Steampunk Keyboard. It’s an excellent-looking device, with typewriter keys and brassed buttons, metal and great design. I think I would very much enjoy having a keyboard like that, and I wonder if/hope that someone has applied/will apply this principle to creating an entire keyboard/monitor/peripheral set-up on the steampunk idea. Style and substance, too. Good piece of work.
The New York Times also has a piece on how to grow a super-athlete (start early, practice deliberately, take plenty of time), which was as much about myelin reinforcement of nerve pathways and channels used often as it was about the building blocks of good technique and skill. In addition to that, good breakfast foods will keep them healthy while tehy do sport - a press release from the American Heart Association says that whole-grain cereals (those with at least 25 percent oat or bran content) reduce the risk of heart disease if eaten regularly.
A third piece from the Times, clocking in at eleven webpages, talks about the research around the evolution of religion and G-d into brain function, and whether that early adaptation serves any purpose in modern society. Religion might have appeared because of the tendency to ascribe agency and narratives to what could be random noise, as well as the theory of mind that lets us think in other people’s shoes. That could create disembodied minds mucking about with the universe. Then make those agents slightly outside the bounds of scientific reality, and you have gods, angels, and other beings. Or, perhaps think of what religion could have conferred to the ancestors as evolutionary advantages, things that we may not consider to be advantages today, but were then. Have a read (although you’ll need the services of BugMeNot), and make your own conclusions about the origins of G-d.
Last bit for tonight is a gimmick, but perhaps one that will eventually be of use - people can buy certificates of ownership for personalized parallel universes. Of course, we’d have to figure out how to slide into them for the deed to be worth anything... and even then, we might have to figure out how to deal with ourselves in our own ideal situation. This is assuming, of course, that the person and their doppelganger don’t pull a matter-anti-matter reaction when they get close.
That’s all you get from me tonight. I’ll dream of layout designs and case studies and the whole programming thing, too... and there’s a couple other projects that I have to get in order. This month is going to be hell. I can just tell...
It’s on MySpace, which might elicit a hiss from the crowd (or not), but this is what happens when you apply the logic of No Child Left Behind to dentistry. See how silly it is? There are probably people who would heartily endorse the extension of that logic to other professions like dentistry, though. So maybe we shouldn’t be giving them ideas...
A short piece in the New York Times about how the industrialized world is having fertility rates drop, some below the “replacement rate”. It then describes a “fertility paradox” in some countries - those countries that offer paid maternity leave and subsidized child care have higher fertility rates than those using "traditional" man-works-woman-raises-children methods. Isn’t that odd? Women who can work and be mothers are having more children than countries where women feel they have to choose between working and being a mother. Maybe they’re more secure about starting a family because they know there’s something there to help them out once they have a child. The United States could stand to take a page out of that playbook, but it probably won’t happen because all the opponents would have to do is shout “Socialism! Socialism! Lalalalalalalala!” and the whole thing would collapse.
Two articles are next, originating from the same source. Probably aiming to be funny, and falling somewhat short of the goal (because these days, there’s a chance the most outlandish statement that you can think of in the political sphere has been seriously voiced by someone), what the left-wing extremist believes, and what the right-wing extremist believes. As I was saying, there are shades of possible truth in both, depending on whose lens you look at them with. There was also an alternate right-wing list proposed by
satyrblade on bradhicks's journal. And much venting and commentary was had by all. (Hooray.) Amy Goodman of Democracy now talked with General Wesley Clark (recall that name?), who hints he might be running for President, details decisions that were made to invade Iraq (and possibly Iran) without supporting evidence, and outlines what he thinks can be done to change the course of the conflict in Iraq, among other things. There’s a lot there in the interview about both past and present.
European light bulb manufacturers are looking to encourage all the consumers of Europe to follow Australia’s lead and switch over totally to compact flourescent lamps for all their lightning needs. Th energy savings supposedly would be the equivalent of twenty-seven power plants’ generation. That’s pretty impressive. And if the possibility of carbon nanotubes helping to improve solar cell efficiency is good, then we get closer to being able to harness renewable sources for more power generation than before.
The Cherokee Nation voted on Sunday to revoke tribal citizenship for the descendants of slaves Cherokees owned. Only those with the blood in them are part of the nation now, and only those part of the nation can secure any tribal benefits provided.
Planet Ark says there's a good chance there will be more hurricanes in the Atlatntic than average this year, as the El Nino system that has been hanging around since last year has gone away. Batten down the hatches, and if there is a $DEITY, he’d better stay well clear of New Orleans.
Steampunk Keyboard. It’s an excellent-looking device, with typewriter keys and brassed buttons, metal and great design. I think I would very much enjoy having a keyboard like that, and I wonder if/hope that someone has applied/will apply this principle to creating an entire keyboard/monitor/peripheral set-up on the steampunk idea. Style and substance, too. Good piece of work.
The New York Times also has a piece on how to grow a super-athlete (start early, practice deliberately, take plenty of time), which was as much about myelin reinforcement of nerve pathways and channels used often as it was about the building blocks of good technique and skill. In addition to that, good breakfast foods will keep them healthy while tehy do sport - a press release from the American Heart Association says that whole-grain cereals (those with at least 25 percent oat or bran content) reduce the risk of heart disease if eaten regularly.
A third piece from the Times, clocking in at eleven webpages, talks about the research around the evolution of religion and G-d into brain function, and whether that early adaptation serves any purpose in modern society. Religion might have appeared because of the tendency to ascribe agency and narratives to what could be random noise, as well as the theory of mind that lets us think in other people’s shoes. That could create disembodied minds mucking about with the universe. Then make those agents slightly outside the bounds of scientific reality, and you have gods, angels, and other beings. Or, perhaps think of what religion could have conferred to the ancestors as evolutionary advantages, things that we may not consider to be advantages today, but were then. Have a read (although you’ll need the services of BugMeNot), and make your own conclusions about the origins of G-d.
Last bit for tonight is a gimmick, but perhaps one that will eventually be of use - people can buy certificates of ownership for personalized parallel universes. Of course, we’d have to figure out how to slide into them for the deed to be worth anything... and even then, we might have to figure out how to deal with ourselves in our own ideal situation. This is assuming, of course, that the person and their doppelganger don’t pull a matter-anti-matter reaction when they get close.
That’s all you get from me tonight. I’ll dream of layout designs and case studies and the whole programming thing, too... and there’s a couple other projects that I have to get in order. This month is going to be hell. I can just tell...
