Regarding the medical profession

I recently ran across an aphorism describing the other great profession thus:

Internists know everything but they don't do anything.
Surgeons aren't supposed to know anything, but they do it all.
Pathologists know everything and do everything, but it's all too late.

Poll results

I am a big fan of David Morgan-Mar's generally Lego-based Irregular Webcomic.  One feature of Mr. Morgan-Mar's comic is a poll, the topic of which changes periodically.  I find it an amusing commentary on the generally geeky makeup of the comic's audience that in one recent poll, his readership voted, with a margin of nearly 25% more votes, to save semi-obscure mathematician Evariste Galois from an untimely death over doing the same for Princess Diana.

The Waldo Ultimatum

For one who grew up on these books (not the Ludlum books!), here's some quality entertainment.


http://view.break.com/465843

Do YOU trust your water?

Ever wondered what prescription and nonprescription drugs you drink and brush your teeth with every day? Some answers here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/10/AR2008031000621.html?sid=ST2008030901877

Mood stabilizers in Fairfax County Virginia; Estrogen in New Orleans; heart medications in New York, etc.

The amounts are trace and we are told not to panic...

Global warming followup

I posted recently on global warming guessing here.

Since then, another stellar article has come out indicating that there is a significant new tool for climate change modeling.  Try to follow the trail of made-up information and guesswork: the scientists here have guessed backwards about sea level changes to create hypothetical data.  They then indicate that this data is useful for modeling future climate change.  In other words, by drawing a line from a guess in the past through what we think we know about the present, we will be able to definitively state what the future will be like.  Given the certainty with which we can state the outlook and causes of this future, we should make state-mandated policies to control the effects we state this future will hold.

Sure, that much guesswork inspires confidence.

Technology to watch

A byproduct of Scotch distillation appears to have significant environmental cleanup uses.  Although the nature of the product is (understandably) a closely held secret at this time, I don't mind saying, "Save the earth.  Have another shot of the good stuff."

Article Here.

Bizzare but fun link of the day

Telephone Touch Tone Tunes

Now you too can play "Joy to the World" on your phone.  Just be careful of any tunes that start with '1'...

With two-tone dialing, you get (roughly) the notes F, G, A, and B-flat on the rows (starting with 1, 4, 7, and *, respectively) and the notes D, E, and F-sharp on the columns (1, 2, and 3 respectively).  Chords are created by combinations thereof:

1 = D over F
2 = E/F
3 = F#/F
4 = D/G
5 = E/G
6 = F#/G
7 = D/A
8 = E/A
9 = F#/A
* = D/Bb
0 = E/Bb
# = F#/Bb

Because the notes are not exact, there is a bit of leeway regarding sharps and flats and so forth.

Reference:
Tone Dialing
Frequencies

A Night on the Town, Riyadh style

Blogger "Saudi Jeans" describes the difficulty of finding a jazz concert in Saudi Arabia.

I know intellectually that there are significant restraints on personal life in much of the Arabian Peninsula, and always sort of felt a sense that "Wahabiism is a rough way to live" (see here), but somehow the idea of having to go to the U.S. Embassy to hear any live music at all in the Kingdom puts a visceral realism to it for me. Or maybe I am just messed up enough that it takes something like this to get to me on a personal level.

Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Taxes Ruled Unconstitutional

Loudoun County, Bob Marshall, and the handful of other defendants have won the court fight against regional taxation authority.  The decision stated that it was an unconstitutional delegation of taxing power to an entity which is not a local government, and therefore all taxes imposed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) are null and void.  Opinion (22 pages) available at the Virginia Supreme Court website.

And there was much rejoicing.

Clinton ad

Hillary is running an ad calling on her "experience" theme.

I think it really does beg the question, though, as to whether, when
that call comes, you really want her to be the one taking that call.
Even if you grant that a few years as a senator and some surrogate
terms as spouse-of-executive count as experience, do you really trust
the answer she would give when she picked up the phone for whatever
domestic or international emergency was going on?

Global weather trauma

Although the BBC is a news outlet, not a peer-reviewed journal, and even though they are not particularly known for the quality of their scientific analysis, and even though I know that they label their articles to catch people's attention, I was still surprised by the adreneline-filled headline Climate Set for Sudden Shifts. The article goes on to mention that there are a number of changes that may occur on earth, some of which "could occur this century." Ok, so not exactly something to stay glued to your radio waiting for the announcement. I have no incentive for any sudden, unstudied solution. For instance, sudden loss of ice in Greenland and Antarctica aren't supposed to come up for another 300 years. Plenty of time to fill sandbags around New York City or come up with another idea.

The article claims to be summarizing the information in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. One problem right off the bat for this article is that the solution recommended involves using computer models as an early warning system. Presumably, this also means that their results came from such a computer model. In other words, someone should take their ideas of how the data trends work together and create a system that shows these ideas. Which sounds an awful lot like a self-fulfilling prophesy. Models are inherently simplified. (See without further amplification Models Key to Climate Forecast, and ask yourself (1) if these are just the things they think they have to account for, how much are they missing? and (2) how do they select which approximations to allow?)

For instance, see Ocean Thermostat Can Save Coral. In this article, we are informed that the ocean regulates itself in such a way that surface temperature variations are absorbed and dissipated before long term damage can be done to tropical corals except in very localized situations, essentially meaning that coral bleaching is not a threat.

In closing and for further recommended reading, I finished recently Michael Crichton's State of Fear. While sometimes Crichton's works border on the silly, this book took a serious look at climate change. Stylistically, the book seemed more modeled on ancient Greek dialogs than the modern novel (although Crichton certainly did include enough plot to keep it moving). Through the course of the characters' interactions, he developed a decent skeptical argument regarding how little we know, how little we can prove, and how arrogant it is to assume that a few government regulations can fix things, and how that assumption is key to understanding why a political generation with no Soviet Union to fear need a new problem that only the government can solve.

Pivo 2

Sometimes something is so innovative and intriguing that I can't help forwarding it. Such is the case with the following car, which, although lacking muscle, ground clearance, carrying capacity, or any of the other things I normally comment favorably on, is too odd and innovative to let pass. Without further, ado, the

Pivo 2

Pivo 2 represents the other end of Nissan’s passion for cars, which can be characterised as friendly, innovative and design-led. It represents a commitment to finding new, innovative and bold solutions for future generations of motorists.

Pivo 2 is a zero-emissions vehicle propelled by four small 3D disc motors in each wheel and powered by advanced Super-Thin Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries. The driver can always face the direction of travel as the cabin rotates 360 degrees and each wheel has 90 degrees of movement, meaning parking manoeuvres can be executed easily.

Entrance to the cabin is via a single, front-mounted door which also houses the major controls. Operation is made possible thanks to “X by Wire” technology, meaning that the steering and other mechanical linkages are replaced by electronic signals to operate Pivo 2’s drive systems.

(From Car Scoop.)

Why I won't support Mitt Romney

The Boston Globe: Romney Retreats on Gun Control

Although less talked about than his about-faces on abortion and gay rights, Romney's gun record is yet another example of convenient timing for changing views right before running for President.

Ask yourself, "what does it take for a Republican to get elected governor in Massachusetts?" For comparison, there are Democratic supermajorities in the legislature (137-19 House, 35-5 Senate)...

Infant food alergies overstated

I don't mean to come across as insensitive to allergies which actually do exist and are serious, but...

Mothers who fear their babies suffer from food allergies are largely wrong.

Wine Review: Barefoot Merlot (2006?)

We had a bottle of Barefoot Merlot (California) recently. The first problem was when I picked up the bottle, started thinking about what I might say about it, and looked in vain for the vintage. There was a "Copyright 2003" label on the bottle, but that doesn't mean anything regarding when the grapes were picked.

The flavor was cranberry and earth, the weight a medium heavy, and there was no complexity to the finish. Overall, it was good but monochromatic. We had it with a hearty but not spicy beef meal, and it held up; it seems it would be a good picnic wine to accompany a moderately heavy meat meal where you want a solid but not exotic wine.