Wasn't this core technology discussed on Slashdot a number of years back? If you google "Seam Carving" you'll find some nice wikipedia articles that discuss content-aware image resizing. This may be a variant on the same technology, and i actually doubt that this is an early release of an April Fool's Day joke (no matter how Star Trek this technology seems).
So you seriously want your physician to prescribe you something he/she knows has no physiological effect, but tell you, or at least allow you to believe that it will work solely so that you can benefit from the placebo i.e. psychological effect?
Essentially what you are suggesting that physicians do is let their patients believe that sugar pills mixed with water work to cure disease X; or, at least, fail to re-educate patients with such notions.
This sounds like trouble. Who judges what is cyberbullying and what is just being a troll? Much as we may like to see people modded down for making assinine comments or denigrating statements to others, I hardly think that this would be enough cause for someone to be suspended or expelled from school.
I see this as having huge potential for abuse, and having little to no potential to actually help make schools safer. This is stupid knee-jerk stuff.
If people actually are documented attacking others on video or in a picture, then they deserve to be charged with assault and dealt with accordingly.
A specific statement regarding "cyberbullying" potentially could trample om free speech.
Actually, although patients may develop symptoms in adolescence (or not) they often do not seek medical attention and arrive at a diagnosis until later in life when it becomes more serious. It is true that as a hereditary neuropathy it is more likely to present in adolescence but there is absolutely no rule that states that HNPP cannot present in adults as well.
Since I am a neurologist and am trained to diagnose this condition, I actually can be quite certain about this.
Hereditary Neuropathy with a liability to Pressure Palsies is a well defined clinical entity, and the genetic test for it is not "unproven" but used in clinical practice as a diagnostic tool by physicians. I suspect that this is the unnamed diagnostic test referred to in the article.
A positive diagnostic test should reliably identify an individual who would have developed carpal tunnel syndrome, not due to the job conditions, but rather due to the patient's own genetic predisposition. Such a patient might very well have been expected to develop a pressure palsy such as carpal tunnel syndrome even in a less physically demanding job. A claim on the part of such a patient that they ought to be compensated by the company for an injury that they were likely destined to sustain anyway would therefore be difficult to support.
On the other hand, the bit about testing the patients WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION would be considered UNETHICAL by most physicians (and all ethical physicians). The diagnosis of HNPP can be made WITHOUT genetic testing, and a positive genetic test raises issues of employability and insurability not only in the patient but also in their relatives. The patient and family members should not be exposed to risk of loss of employability and insurability without full disclosure of consequences of such genetic testing.
IN SHORT:
Use of this genetic test by a company to prove that they are not responsible for an employee's injuries is defensible, and is not a violation of the patient's rights.
Use of this genetic testing without permission of the individuals involved is deplorable, and is a violation of their rights.
It is not the genetic testing that is the issue, but rather the covert nature of that testing.
Re:Uhh, VoIP is digital
on
VoIP Wiretapping
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Isn't skype supposed to be encrypted? Thought that was one of the big deals about it (Besides the sound quality)
http://www.skype.com/
These sensor networks sound very promising in that more information and real-time tracking could potentially result in more efficient distribution of resources, better tracking of that letter you sent through the mail system, better control of traffic lights to reduce traffic jams etc.
However I hope that in the future as our first world societies incorporate these technologies we don't become overly dependent upon them. We're going to become increasingly susceptible to terrorist type attacks in the future and imagine the havoc that could be wrought on a society completely dependent on electronics and nanotech by a few well placed EMP bombs.
Back to the stone ages, Baghdad-style riots, bludgeoning your neighbour to get that last sack of rice and so on.
I'd have to express a hefty degree of skepticism about the purported mechanism of this kind of device in treating Alzheimer's disease. As mentioned in the article shunts are successfully used in a condition known as hydrocephalus to reduce abnormal CSF pressure in the brain which can certainly cause a dementia-like picture that can mimic Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease isn't just caused by evil humors... we don't know the actual pathophysiology yet and are only beginning to work it out by analyzing the debris in the aftermath of the biochemical accident that takes place. These theories of increased tau and beta amyloid deposition cascading into decreased CSF production and creating more deposition are certainly possible but they are just that - theories, and are not the primary avenues of research in Alzheimer's disease today either.
More important to address is the implication in the Wired article that there was a benefit in this treatment from the trial they mention. (1) This trial was not an randomized controlled trial powered to determine efficacy or lack thereof but rather a trial to determine safety. (2) There was only a trend to benefit that was not statistically significant. (3) Most importantly the treatment group had 3 patients excluded from the analysis for various reasons and were not included in the final analysis. In other words, the statistical analysis performed was not an intention-to-treat analysis which is the gold standard we use in looking at the validity of the result of a trial. Were an intention to treat analysis performed there very well might have been no benefit seen. The editorial in the journal where the original trial was published expressed skepticism, although it also encouraged the researcher to continue with their work and pursue a larger trial with more patients to better assess benefit.
In other words, this treatment is barely in alpha-testing and the follow-up trial to be performed by the Eunoe people will determine if it will see the light of day.
Having said that this trial is a breath of fresh air from the ongoing pursuit of cholinesterase inhibitor medications and it would be a major breakthrough it it works. I'm just not going to hold my breath.
Anime culture...
on
Robots!
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· Score: 5, Interesting
Interesting that from a nation that loves its giant battling robots (as seen in every other anime series from Japan) there is enough desire on the part of the manufacturers to create such robots in real life. And that there is enough demand there to make it worthwhile. They wouldn't be able to make these things if they couldn't sell them; You wouldn't be able to get the vast majority of North Americans to shell out a couple thousand on these things or an AIBO for instance. I'm a geek and I think these are cool but you won't catch me buying one until it's smart enough to get a job and make money to pay for itself.
So why do the Japanese love these things so much? Any thoughts?
Too bad sometime the fansubs are better than the subs on the DVD. I bought the Asian versions of the DVDs for Great Teacher Onizuka and was horrified at the terrible subs... the fansubs are far far better. Oh well. I downloaded it, liked it, and so bought it so my conscience is clear.... about those particular Divxs....
Please don't forget (for people who don't like giant battling robots), Great Teacher Onizuka, an intelligent comedy about a young Japanese schoolteacher and his antics to teach his class of misfits some life lessons, or anything by Studio Ghibli, such as the film recently nominated for the Academy Awards, Spirited Away, and its predecessors, such as Princess Mononoke and the like. (Also devoid of giant battling robots, or anime pr0n) More info on Studio Ghibli stuff at this excellent fan news website
Your sentiment in trying to find your grandmother a keyboard to communicate with is admirable but I think that perhaps you might do better to speak to the speech pathologists at the institution where she has been hospitalized and is receiving rehabilitation.
The problem is that a left middle cerebral artery territory stroke (of which you are describing a partial territory stroke given preservation of comprehension) is that it isn't just the motor functions with the right hand that are destroyed, but the actual LANGUAGE areas as well... meaning that not only can she not move her mouth, but the part of her brain that used to deal with finding the right words to express a concept are also gone. The result is that in many cases such patients not only are unable to speak, but also are unable to write (and presumably also unable to type). Your speech pathologists may be able to help provide you with alternate forms of communication with pictureboards etc which will likely be cheaper and more workable than oversized keyboards which she may be able to use anyway regardless of motor limitations if her expressive language areas have been destroyed by the stroke.
The average user who ends up being inconvenienced by it would only find out AFTER purchasing the product. Who in the world is going to go out and find out if a game that they want is or is not copy protected on the net, and then decide on buying it? That's such an ill thought out comment, nuxx - no offense to you
I have a crusoe based Fujitsu laptop as well, but my impression sofar that the major limitation is not the processor but rather the dog of a hard drive that the machine has. At some things I've found the 867 Mhz crusoe to be faster than my PIII 700. It is the hard disk access that is slow and keeps me waiting,.
If you're smart enough and technically inclined enough to have a RedHat linux box to run this program on why not just run FreeRadius instead? It would seem to me that it would be better just to have a good authentication protocol and real security rather than just splatter crap all over the radio instead.
Slashdot Mirror
Wasn't this core technology discussed on Slashdot a number of years back? If you google "Seam Carving" you'll find some nice wikipedia articles that discuss content-aware image resizing. This may be a variant on the same technology, and i actually doubt that this is an early release of an April Fool's Day joke (no matter how Star Trek this technology seems).
Essentially what you are suggesting that physicians do is let their patients believe that sugar pills mixed with water work to cure disease X; or, at least, fail to re-educate patients with such notions.
A very interesting thesis you post. FYI, I too am a Canadian.
If people actually are documented attacking others on video or in a picture, then they deserve to be charged with assault and dealt with accordingly.
A specific statement regarding "cyberbullying" potentially could trample om free speech.
Actually, although patients may develop symptoms in adolescence (or not) they often do not seek medical attention and arrive at a diagnosis until later in life when it becomes more serious. It is true that as a hereditary neuropathy it is more likely to present in adolescence but there is absolutely no rule that states that HNPP cannot present in adults as well. Since I am a neurologist and am trained to diagnose this condition, I actually can be quite certain about this.
See: http://users.rcn.com/smith.ma.ultranet/athena4.htm l#5/
A positive diagnostic test should reliably identify an individual who would have developed carpal tunnel syndrome, not due to the job conditions, but rather due to the patient's own genetic predisposition. Such a patient might very well have been expected to develop a pressure palsy such as carpal tunnel syndrome even in a less physically demanding job. A claim on the part of such a patient that they ought to be compensated by the company for an injury that they were likely destined to sustain anyway would therefore be difficult to support.
On the other hand, the bit about testing the patients WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION would be considered UNETHICAL by most physicians (and all ethical physicians). The diagnosis of HNPP can be made WITHOUT genetic testing, and a positive genetic test raises issues of employability and insurability not only in the patient but also in their relatives. The patient and family members should not be exposed to risk of loss of employability and insurability without full disclosure of consequences of such genetic testing.
IN SHORT:
Use of this genetic test by a company to prove that they are not responsible for an employee's injuries is defensible, and is not a violation of the patient's rights.
Use of this genetic testing without permission of the individuals involved is deplorable, and is a violation of their rights.
It is not the genetic testing that is the issue, but rather the covert nature of that testing.
Isn't skype supposed to be encrypted? Thought that was one of the big deals about it (Besides the sound quality) http://www.skype.com/
When you try to put a bag of holding into another bag of holding??
Oh wait...
We're not playing D&D here...
Although if we're trying to run an emulator on an emulator it's a good bet we used to...
You'd think you could add code for that to keep below the 100k mark...
However I hope that in the future as our first world societies incorporate these technologies we don't become overly dependent upon them. We're going to become increasingly susceptible to terrorist type attacks in the future and imagine the havoc that could be wrought on a society completely dependent on electronics and nanotech by a few well placed EMP bombs.
Back to the stone ages, Baghdad-style riots, bludgeoning your neighbour to get that last sack of rice and so on.
More important to address is the implication in the Wired article that there was a benefit in this treatment from the trial they mention. (1) This trial was not an randomized controlled trial powered to determine efficacy or lack thereof but rather a trial to determine safety. (2) There was only a trend to benefit that was not statistically significant. (3) Most importantly the treatment group had 3 patients excluded from the analysis for various reasons and were not included in the final analysis. In other words, the statistical analysis performed was not an intention-to-treat analysis which is the gold standard we use in looking at the validity of the result of a trial. Were an intention to treat analysis performed there very well might have been no benefit seen. The editorial in the journal where the original trial was published expressed skepticism, although it also encouraged the researcher to continue with their work and pursue a larger trial with more patients to better assess benefit.
In other words, this treatment is barely in alpha-testing and the follow-up trial to be performed by the Eunoe people will determine if it will see the light of day.
Having said that this trial is a breath of fresh air from the ongoing pursuit of cholinesterase inhibitor medications and it would be a major breakthrough it it works. I'm just not going to hold my breath.
Interesting that from a nation that loves its giant battling robots (as seen in every other anime series from Japan) there is enough desire on the part of the manufacturers to create such robots in real life. And that there is enough demand there to make it worthwhile. They wouldn't be able to make these things if they couldn't sell them; You wouldn't be able to get the vast majority of North Americans to shell out a couple thousand on these things or an AIBO for instance. I'm a geek and I think these are cool but you won't catch me buying one until it's smart enough to get a job and make money to pay for itself. So why do the Japanese love these things so much? Any thoughts?
you despoiler of innocence..... :(
Too bad sometime the fansubs are better than the subs on the DVD. I bought the Asian versions of the DVDs for Great Teacher Onizuka and was horrified at the terrible subs... the fansubs are far far better. Oh well. I downloaded it, liked it, and so bought it so my conscience is clear.... about those particular Divxs....
Please don't forget (for people who don't like giant battling robots), Great Teacher Onizuka , an intelligent comedy about a young Japanese schoolteacher and his antics to teach his class of misfits some life lessons, or anything by Studio Ghibli, such as the film recently nominated for the Academy Awards, Spirited Away , and its predecessors, such as Princess Mononoke and the like. (Also devoid of giant battling robots, or anime pr0n) More info on Studio Ghibli stuff at this excellent fan news website
Your sentiment in trying to find your grandmother a keyboard to communicate with is admirable but I think that perhaps you might do better to speak to the speech pathologists at the institution where she has been hospitalized and is receiving rehabilitation. The problem is that a left middle cerebral artery territory stroke (of which you are describing a partial territory stroke given preservation of comprehension) is that it isn't just the motor functions with the right hand that are destroyed, but the actual LANGUAGE areas as well... meaning that not only can she not move her mouth, but the part of her brain that used to deal with finding the right words to express a concept are also gone. The result is that in many cases such patients not only are unable to speak, but also are unable to write (and presumably also unable to type). Your speech pathologists may be able to help provide you with alternate forms of communication with pictureboards etc which will likely be cheaper and more workable than oversized keyboards which she may be able to use anyway regardless of motor limitations if her expressive language areas have been destroyed by the stroke.
The average user who ends up being inconvenienced by it would only find out AFTER purchasing the product. Who in the world is going to go out and find out if a game that they want is or is not copy protected on the net, and then decide on buying it? That's such an ill thought out comment, nuxx - no offense to you
I have a crusoe based Fujitsu laptop as well, but my impression sofar that the major limitation is not the processor but rather the dog of a hard drive that the machine has. At some things I've found the 867 Mhz crusoe to be faster than my PIII 700. It is the hard disk access that is slow and keeps me waiting,.
If you're smart enough and technically inclined enough to have a RedHat linux box to run this program on why not just run FreeRadius instead? It would seem to me that it would be better just to have a good authentication protocol and real security rather than just splatter crap all over the radio instead.