You raise a good point. I think the only compelling reason to do a transplant like this is to push the field forward. It's not that the child or parents get nothing out of it, but the biggest benefit is probably to medical science in gaining experience in such a massive transplant. When they first started doing ANY single organ transplant, the success rate was not very good and people didn't have a great quality of life. However, with experience, many things that were once bleeding-edge technology are now totally routine.
I own computers both platforms (Titanium Powerbook and AMD-based PC that I build myself from parts). I know how to set up a PC - it takes significantly longer to set up and keep functional (excluding the hour it took to put the HD in the case, screw in the power supply, etc.
Also, I don't know where you buy your computers, but comparable Macs simply don't cost three times as much.
I can't comment on other states, but the law has recently been changed in Minnesota to permit the deceased's wishes to be honored, regardless of next-of-kin's wishes. I'm not 100% sure if it's in effect, but if not it will be shortly.
Re:Proof Apple is still not enterprise ready...
on
Jaguar is Over
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· Score: 1
I think you are misunderstanding their announcements. They are not "killing off" their current OS after 1 year, they are continuing to improve it and add features. The core, underlying OS is not substantially different (e.g., Unix). I don't think that ~yearly upgrades disqualify an OS for "enterprise operations." Besides, Microsoft "upgrades" Window$ with service packs and so forth all the time.
We had made ice cream this way in college (group of physics majors) and several of us discussed this. We never did any actual research into the matter, but figured that the worst that would happen is that it would boil off and we would be inhaling an extra percentage or so of nitrogen (maybe 78% instead of 77% or whatever percentage of nitrogen is in "air"). I'm now an M.D., and never learned anything in medical school that makes me think it would be a problem.
There certainly are a lot of "me-too" games out there, but one that I found recently that held my attention for quite a while was Aargon Deluxe (can be found here). It's a puzzle game involving lasers and optics. Definitely a neat concept. I don't know if it's available for other platforms (I have OS X), but it's worth a look, IMHO. I haven't ever seen anything like it.
Etiology still pending
on
Goodbye, Dolly
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Although the shortening of her telomeres is well-publicized, it very well may have had nothing to do with the death. A somewhat more detailed story can be found here [Reuters].
It kind of depends on what you mean by 'upgrade.' If you mean get a whole new computer, I probably do so about every 3 years or so. But even that is more because of the lust factor than that my older computer is no longer able to run contemporary applications.
In terms of upgrading an existing machine, I still have my first generation G3 desktop machine that I bought in 1997. I have upgraded this machine several times over the years to keep it semi-up to date. I put in a 400 MHz G3 for about $200 (probably 4 years ago now), tons of extra RAM, a bigger HD, and added a FireWire/USB card. This machine runs OS X (although the GUI is much slower than on my 500 MHz G4 Titanium PB) and is still perfectly functional. I have friends who own PC's from that same era and they have long since had to abandon them (or change them to linux boxes, e.g.). Games are another matter - I was a bigger gamer in the past, but now play games like Civilization 3 and Sims that run fine on my PB. Twitchy first-person shooters (Unreal, etc.) really do need the power and graphics cards that you can't get in a laptop. If you are big into those types of games, laptops are NOT the way to go. On the other hand, the desktops are very upgradeable, especially now that Apple has AGP, uses IDE drives, etc.
As far as PB's breaking down, that would cost a bundle (as would any laptop), but you can get a 3-year extended warranty (covers EVERYTHING) for about $300. I thought it was worth it but will also be happy if I never need it (haven't had to invoke it yet).
I disagree with you that super-bacteria have been over-hyped by the press. I this that the public (note public != slashdot community) is woefully uneducated about the significance of this. The emergence of VRSA should have been headline news - in 10 years it will be killing FAR more people than West Nile Virus (a very good example of media hype, IMHO).
I believe that you are mistaken about a causal connection between the use of antibiotics in animals and antibiotic resistance as a result in infections in people. Please see New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 345 (Oct 18, 2001). There are mutliple articles and an editorial on this topic. I would have provided a link to the articles, but I think full-text access is limited to subscribers. Their home page is here.
I believe that you are mistaken about the infection that you had. Vancomycin resistant staph aureus (VRSA) is indeed new and has never before been reported in a clinical infection (other than as reported in the article). Vancomycin resistance, however, is not new, and has been seen in other bacteria. Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (another species of bacteria altogether) or VRE, is fairly common and is often treated with linezolid if it is even treated at all. I suspect that is what you had. The article referred to touched on the pathogenicity of Staph aureus, but neglected to mention that resistance to vancomycin is not new, only resistance to vancomycin by Staph aureus. This is such a big deal because Staph aureus is a really nasty bug and is very good at infecting people and producing toxins that cause low blood pressure, etc, etc, and lead to death. Enterococcus can make you sick (and can kill you), but it's nowhere near as nasty as Staph aureus.
The presence of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus pretty much predicted that Staph would eventually acquire it. Bacteria swap antibiotic resistance genes all the time (transfection, transduction, conjugation, etc. - see any microbiology text for details) and several other resistance genes that are known to have originated in Enterococcus have made their way to Staph.
Another minor clarification of a common misconception is that there are different "Strengths" of antibiotics. Admittedly, some antiobiotics kill (bacteriocidal) and others merely prevent growth or division (bacteriostatic), thereby allowing the body to kill them. However, the potency of an antibiotic is more appropriately measured in terms of spectrum of activity (i.e. does the antibiotic chosen work against the particular species that is causing the infection?). Some are very narrow and others are more broad. If your doctor puts you on one antibiotic and your infection does not improve, choosing or adding another antibiotic is not a matter of strength but of broadening the coverage to include other likely pathogens.
I couldn't resist - I had to see if she was real (even after the AP story). I eventually found her contact information (Google is invincible) - she appears to be a real person. I feel a little bit guilty about posting this here, but it's not like it's not freely available information to anyone who looks for it.
Can someone be slashdotted by phone?
Steve and Valerie Mallinson, (206) 367-1953, 2203 N 106th St, Seattle, WA 98133
Slashdot Mirror
I'd be stunned if this child lives to be old enough to reproduce.
You raise a good point. I think the only compelling reason to do a transplant like this is to push the field forward. It's not that the child or parents get nothing out of it, but the biggest benefit is probably to medical science in gaining experience in such a massive transplant. When they first started doing ANY single organ transplant, the success rate was not very good and people didn't have a great quality of life. However, with experience, many things that were once bleeding-edge technology are now totally routine.
Also, I don't know where you buy your computers, but comparable Macs simply don't cost three times as much.
I've always been fond of the saying that "Macs are expensive" only for people who don't value their time...
I can't comment on other states, but the law has recently been changed in Minnesota to permit the deceased's wishes to be honored, regardless of next-of-kin's wishes. I'm not 100% sure if it's in effect, but if not it will be shortly.
I think you are misunderstanding their announcements. They are not "killing off" their current OS after 1 year, they are continuing to improve it and add features. The core, underlying OS is not substantially different (e.g., Unix). I don't think that ~yearly upgrades disqualify an OS for "enterprise operations." Besides, Microsoft "upgrades" Window$ with service packs and so forth all the time.
We had made ice cream this way in college (group of physics majors) and several of us discussed this. We never did any actual research into the matter, but figured that the worst that would happen is that it would boil off and we would be inhaling an extra percentage or so of nitrogen (maybe 78% instead of 77% or whatever percentage of nitrogen is in "air"). I'm now an M.D., and never learned anything in medical school that makes me think it would be a problem.
There certainly are a lot of "me-too" games out there, but one that I found recently that held my attention for quite a while was Aargon Deluxe (can be found here). It's a puzzle game involving lasers and optics. Definitely a neat concept. I don't know if it's available for other platforms (I have OS X), but it's worth a look, IMHO. I haven't ever seen anything like it.
Although the shortening of her telomeres is well-publicized, it very well may have had nothing to do with the death. A somewhat more detailed story can be found here [Reuters].
In terms of upgrading an existing machine, I still have my first generation G3 desktop machine that I bought in 1997. I have upgraded this machine several times over the years to keep it semi-up to date. I put in a 400 MHz G3 for about $200 (probably 4 years ago now), tons of extra RAM, a bigger HD, and added a FireWire/USB card. This machine runs OS X (although the GUI is much slower than on my 500 MHz G4 Titanium PB) and is still perfectly functional. I have friends who own PC's from that same era and they have long since had to abandon them (or change them to linux boxes, e.g.). Games are another matter - I was a bigger gamer in the past, but now play games like Civilization 3 and Sims that run fine on my PB. Twitchy first-person shooters (Unreal, etc.) really do need the power and graphics cards that you can't get in a laptop. If you are big into those types of games, laptops are NOT the way to go. On the other hand, the desktops are very upgradeable, especially now that Apple has AGP, uses IDE drives, etc.
As far as PB's breaking down, that would cost a bundle (as would any laptop), but you can get a 3-year extended warranty (covers EVERYTHING) for about $300. I thought it was worth it but will also be happy if I never need it (haven't had to invoke it yet).
Hope this helps.
The article mentions compiling a vast collection of spam. Such a project is already underway at SpamArchive.
I believe that you are mistaken about a causal connection between the use of antibiotics in animals and antibiotic resistance as a result in infections in people. Please see New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 345 (Oct 18, 2001). There are mutliple articles and an editorial on this topic. I would have provided a link to the articles, but I think full-text access is limited to subscribers. Their home page is here.
The presence of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus pretty much predicted that Staph would eventually acquire it. Bacteria swap antibiotic resistance genes all the time (transfection, transduction, conjugation, etc. - see any microbiology text for details) and several other resistance genes that are known to have originated in Enterococcus have made their way to Staph.
Another minor clarification of a common misconception is that there are different "Strengths" of antibiotics. Admittedly, some antiobiotics kill (bacteriocidal) and others merely prevent growth or division (bacteriostatic), thereby allowing the body to kill them. However, the potency of an antibiotic is more appropriately measured in terms of spectrum of activity (i.e. does the antibiotic chosen work against the particular species that is causing the infection?). Some are very narrow and others are more broad. If your doctor puts you on one antibiotic and your infection does not improve, choosing or adding another antibiotic is not a matter of strength but of broadening the coverage to include other likely pathogens.
#2) I'm not going to harass her - that wouldn't accomplish anything.
#3) The bright will figure out how I found out that you are wrong.
you mean by reading all the other posts like you did? :-)
Can someone be slashdotted by phone?
Steve and Valerie Mallinson, (206) 367-1953, 2203 N 106th St, Seattle, WA 98133
Mapquest
No, I didn't call her.