Scientists have been able to "turn off" diabetes in mice for ten years now.
This has not yet turned into a viable, universal treatment option yet.
It might not ever. It might. We accept that the limits of medicine are really the limits of our ability to understand the human body's complexity, and the limits of our ability to functionally apply what little we do know.
I've got a vested interest in this, with a couple of issues to wait for a cure for. One has a specific genetic component that sits right next to the diabetes 'switch.' Like diabetes, it can switch on at any point in the lifespan. We know that a lot of things can trigger sudden expression of diseases- illness, strain on the system, even viral activity. There are a lot of things that can make us sick, and it's possible that there are going to be a lot of ways to make us well, one of them being finding out how to turn a disease off, how to make it no longer expressed.
How do we know that hitting that switch for diabetes won't result in hypoglycemia, with too much insulin? That turning off the process that results in an autoimmune problem won't leave us dying of common colds? We don't, but we look at the most obvious flaws first, and aim to correct what we know is causing a problem. From there, we work with what we've got.
These are real issues, and they are being explored. I do not want to be among the first test subjects, but i don't have as much at stake as the people likely to be the first volunteers. I do look forward to a cure in my lifetime, and while i don't follow the blog in question, this particular bit of scientific discussion is neither the beginning nor the end of this line of scientific exploration, and i strongly urge people with genetic ailments to stay on top of the subject through some of the more reputable scientific journals, because we may be seeing the beginnings of viable treatments in the not-too-too-distant (think 'next decade') future.
Worse still, he now has to live with the permanent epithet, "Laser Guy."
Evildoer 1: I'm the Disgruntled Postman!
Evildoer 2: Welcome aboard! Meet MurderOne, Manslaughter, Aggravated Assault, and oh- that guy over in the corner is Laser Guy.
Evildoer 1: THE Laser Guy?
Laser Guy: Just give me a laser pointer and i'll - (remembers what he's in for and hangs his head in shame) be almost completely ineffective, but not ineffective enough to stay out of PRISON... *curls up in fetal position and sobs*
Nonsense. Everyone knows that alewife is a fish, so you have to start from the aquarium...
But i think the point isn't just here to there (which is easy to find online, though you're right, people don't tend to look if they aren't used to the medium) but 'where should i go while i'm in Boston to get some culture?' and then the answers will come back, obviously, heavily favouring a.) museums, b.) bars, and c.) the MIT biology labs.
Maybe there will be a usefulness ranking system, so that your responses can gradually have more or less weight, according to how many people you send on wild goose chases?
kinda like a moderation system... where you gain 'karma'.....oh, right.
I did read it. That's why i posted it... I read the article AND the web site; the web site claims that some of their cylindrical locks have a problem, but not the problem being touted in the media. The news article has a man claiming that he opened his gun cabinet lock with a pen.
I posted it merely because i thought that people might want to read the article, and thought that the website deserved a mention for having a lock replacement program and are the cabinetmaker listed in the news article.
In fact, why not expand this to other issues? Why not require an on-the-spot literacy and basic knowledge test? I think that this would be a great idea, no leader left behind, and all. I may sound snarky, but i mean it. I'd love to see them have to answer some basic stuff. Things they really ought to know if they've got their hands on the purse strings and their finger on the button...
1. Which country does the US currently owe the most money to?
2. How much is one trillion, in millions?
(If you can't answer this, i don't want you spending my taxes. The English answer is often different from the American answer, too.)
3.a. What's the basic standard treatment for radiation sickness?
3.b. How thick should the walls of a fallout shelter be?
Female, with a traditionally male name. And a relatively unusual male name- Solomon. My middle name is too long for most documents, so it gets shortened to an initial.
It requires large amounts of proof when i show up for anything and use my full name, so i generally use a nickname for anything that doesn't require a full legal signature. However, if it's in writing, i generally assume that it requires a full legal signature. Using my middle initial has never been a problem, and it does not appear on my social security card. (it wouldn't fit.)
So i just made the license match. There's nothing stopping you from using your name any way you'd like to, especially if it's bleeding obvious that it's similar. Do horror stories abound? Yes. But in almost every case, the folks doing the paperwork-accepting have a little leeway on what they accept, and the more documents you have, the better.
I've asked. Here's why.
I have been called on to help several people with lifestyle changes, including name changes, divorces, and once, that whole changing-the-gender-on-the-license question. the response that i have gotten from the DMV and the SSA in advocating for others has been this: That the social security card and license should have your full, legal name. Mene doesn't. They asked why, and i told them, and they said that's fine because it's obvious that it wouldn't fit. If you aren't happy with it, change it, but make those documents have that in the same form. Your license should ALSO bear any nickname you use in common day-to-day activities IF that nickname is not 'obviously derivative' of your name. For example, they don't think i need to put 'sol' or 'solemn' on my license (even though the latter, which my mum calls me, to me is not obviously derivative) as long as my legal full name with middle initial is there and it's pretty close. The SSA especially was very straightforward: They didn't care as long as they were close, because it was the number that mattered. Timothy and Tim should be fine. Your credit report will include them all, or it should, and you should check to make sure there isn't a timmy yourlastname down the street whose info is ALSO on there.
In my case, the SSA person simply looked at me when i applied, and asked if i was sure.
Sure what? That it's my name? That i'm me? I said, "Sure about what?" and looked confused. She took my paperwork for a replacement card (do yourself a favour. Laminate your social security card, it's rare that they won't accept it and they'll sure accept it better than if you hand them the wad of washing-machine-treated paper that used to be a SS card.) and let it go at that.
Er... that's also how i get my username- solemndragon...
the most interesting part is work, where my name tag on the desk leads people to believe that i'm a temp, because i'm not a guy. That's caused some entertainment, and is an example of why it's gone out of political correctness to begin letters with "dear Sir."
Incidentally, it makes sorting my junk mail easy. Anything for "Mr." gets thrown in the shredder. *shaking head* administration appreciates paper. GO in with every scrap of ID you can find, including utility bills, and eventually they'll get tired of looking at them all. (This was also DMV advice.) As long as there was a cohesive paper trail linking the names, you should be FINE.
...donating to the good cause. If you don't want to donate money, volunteer to proofread, or it might be worth it for writers out there to consider a notation in your will that will allow your works to pass either directly into the public domain, or, as i have been in contact with lawyers to discuss, simply passing the copyright of your own works on to project gutenberg. This allows them more work to publish, and if you're in a contract somewhere that allows for royalty collection, you can set it up so that those royalties switch to project gutenberg at the time of your death.
Now might also be a good time to contribute an hour a week to a literacy project, or to make a donation there. Adult literacy is a serious issue all over the world, and that includes right here in the states, where there really are bright people out there who could have better lives if they could read. I can't think of a more on-topic subject than project gutenberg to discuss adult literacy and the need for both literacy teaching and to support free literature for the masses such as this project provides.
First, hit your local community college. Many actually have programs to accommodate disabilities of various kinds, and you may be able to get part of your courses tailored to include one-on-one training in the learning style that you need to use. You also may qualify for a number of scolarships, by the way, so be sure to check around. There may be special programs where you can get credit through alternate means- which is to say, tutoring, testing, or time spent on certain projects.
Also, look into trade and tech schools for certification programs. If you can teach yourself to do the work, and can prove that you know how, that may be all it takes for some of what you want to do.
There's a lot of room in the computer world and no, not all of it involves math. You probably have some adaptive skills that other people don't have, both from the unique brain makeup and particularly from having to work around it. These can be a big asset when it comes time to develop unique approaches to problems. I'd rather have someone who can think on my team than someone who can calculate- calculation can be done by computer, but originality and creativity are still human-led fields.
One thing is certain- everyone loves it when people show initiative. So don't give up. The strength that it takes to tackle a disability head-on and work on such a goal in spite of it really does get respect in the real world. Above all, hang out where computers are being discussed. Make friends with the local geeks, hang out at tech school info meets, go check out what's out there. You'll find that they're all looking for bright people and willing to bend in a lot of ways if approached in a 'how can i go to your school' mindset. Let yourself be, to some degree, a group project- you will benefit, the school will benefit, and the world will benefit from one more person having one more skill.
I can speak on this one. What i look at vinyl for is not 'simpler,' per se, but 'analog.' The joy of vinyl is simply that it isn't digital; that it is a reproduction that you could conceivably build a home listening station for without needing any programming ability. For some people, this is a big deal- the way books are so lovable in hard copy. Any bibliophile can tell you about the smell of a bookstore specialising in antique books.
This doesn't mean that vinyl i necessarily better, but it does mean that there isn't exactly a replacement for it so much as an alternate choice. Personally, i don't mind CDs or MP3s. My collection is stored mostly digitally. But i understand about vinyl- it's not just simpler, but to some people, more 'real,' because there are fewer leaps between product and music. The sound quality may not be the same- but there's a perception about the type of recording, rather than the quality, that gets involved.
Eureka moments require a few different things to happen in order to bring them about. First, it requires an attempt to solve the puzzle in linear fashion, setting up the problem in mind and at least someplace to start in approaching it.
Next, an incubation period, where you go and do something else, or stare into space and 'woolgather,' that fuzzy day-dream-like state in which you actually start organising thoughts, although it may not feel like it. The three Bs come into play here- bed, bath, and bus- the three likeliest placest to have a eureka moment, because those are incubatory periods, in which your brain starts approaching the puzzle from different angles.
There are other good places- i find washing dishes helps, it's an activity that lets my mind wander and it's always been a quiet spot in the day after dinner. I know someone who goes for long walks.
Sleeping on a problem really does help, partly because the brain trains during sleep, and you'll wake up better at the problem-solving activities because your brain has run through them in sleep. It may not solve abstract problems, but it at least helps with concrete skills, so who's to say it doesn't help with abstract thinking abilities as well?
Beyond that, all i can think is... what kind of eureka moment results in... an article about eureka moments??
Didn't pay for it? Maybe you hang around with the wrong activists. Some people were donating at the same time that they petitioned and protested. Even my doctor is doing tht; he's even planning to retire over in Africa to help with time and energy. There are a LOT of programs right here in Boston working to help lower-income people in the US and all over the world get the meds they need to deal with HIV/AIDS, and i am amazed how many of those noble and selfless people are reaching into their own wallets to do it.
My mum, for example, worked with RI project AIDS for a long time, most of my childhood, and she did that on a regular basis and taught the rest of us to do so. She also gave to other AIDS foundations, and if you really feel strongly about the idea that these lives are worth more than money, i can help put you in contact with charities who will help your donation go farther.
I'm all for more choices. Though some people may be overwhelmed, those are usually the ones who don't have a specific preference in mind. At that point, trying what looks like it might match existing preferences but varies a little is a positive thing- it lets you categorise a new experience at the same time that it lets you have an experience likely to be one you'll enjoy.
i, on the other hand, am a walking example of why the choices might need to be there. With serious food allergy issues, it's wonderful to be able to walk into a restaurant, look at the menu, and specify that i need it to be a corn tortilla, hold the onions, thanks. I respect your point of view- which is why i think a 'default' option should exist (if you don't specify, we serve you X) and let you not worry about it. But for everyone whose needs differ widely from the middle of the bell curve, the more specialisation has to be an option.
I think that this is why people like linux; they are not your average joe sixpack user, have specific needs and wants, and want something that can be adapted to suit them. As people learn what else they can do with their computer, they start to want more than AOL, and they start looking around.
While the menu of software available may make many average users blanch, having easy-to-use interfaces helps bridge that gap and helps them inch out to the edge of the curve where the more experienced computer users live. From choice comes progress, and the point where specialisations stop being economically viable (not enough people with given preference to buy said product), adaptability takes over (people from all areas of the fringe who need X specification buy the adaptable product.)
That's where the make-your-own-recipe restaurants take over. Those who don't need the specialisation are only a part of the market.
This is possibly going to sound off-topic, at first, but i promise i'll try to bring it round again. The very best science teacher i ever met was one who would not grade tests on a hundred point scale. He did them on a 10/10 per-question scale- if you got everything right on a six-question test, you got a 60 and that was a perfect score. This becomes relevant because of what those ten points would be for. In real life, most mathematical questions are not merely hit-or-miss. There's the math- but you also have to know the other factors.
For example, if you knew what you were looking for, such as calories or joules or centimetres, that's one part of it. If you know the formula relevant to the situation, that's another. Then you get to basic arithmetic skills- it doesn't do you any good to know the formula if you can't add or multiply the numbers.
My favourite way to tutor math- and how i learned it as an adult (i never took the SATs and was fortunate to have a tutor who could teach me high school math even though i'm 27) - is to use basic math issues that everyone sees, every day. Like the label on food. If this equals x% of your USRDA, how much is the USRDA? Putting the problems in everyday life situations may make you more comfortable with the math,a nd it will definitely leave you with an idea of the numbers involved.
'An idea of the numbers...' by which i mean a feel for the numbers, and what they stand for. A lot of people have trouble connecting the numbers to reality- and if you can understand in a concrete way the relationship between the distance around a pipe and the distance across it, the math may stick better for real world use later on.
The other trick? Estimate where you can, and use the information that's easily accessible to you..
For example: What's 5% of the time in a week?
well, you know that there's 24 hours per day. Add the big numbers first- 20 times seven, that's 140, right? plus four times seven- 28. Right off the bat, you're up to 168 hours in a week. Ten percent of a number is easy, ten percent of this number is 16.8. Half of that will give you the five percent that you're looking for- 8.4. You've just figured out that 8.4 hours is 5% of a week. Convert that.4 into minutes- forty percent of an hour is a little less than half. (sixty minutes, times ten percent, is six minutes. That's ten percent. Four times six is twenty four minutes. That's forty percent.) The answer? Eight hours, 24 minutes.
I use this with others because it teaches people how to think about numbers, that they are reachable things, not just the provenance of mathemagicians. The biggest barrier to doing math is the belief that math is too difficult. (i also play for people Tom Lehrer's wonderful song, New Math, and assure them that we're going to ignore base 8.)
Good luck with it, and try to use it in the real world where you can get a feel for what the numbers attach to. Figure out what you know and what you need to know, and just practice. There will always be more math to attempt; there will always be stuff that's intimidating. The only way to learn it is to do it, a piece at a time from the information that you can grasp easiest.
Oh, and in high school, in that science class? i got a C. Worked hard for it, i've never been prouder of a grade then or since. And i've never forgotten the real stuff i learned there- that being able to describe what you're reaching for is as important as the math skills to get you that answer.
They sell pet repellent. Take the cables outside, spray them along the length but not at the ends, and then bring them in and set them up. Your pet may avoid the whole area after that.
Another option is to make them inaccessible- run them through cardboard tubes. Of course, if your cat shreds cardboard, this won't work. So maybe taping something around them- plastic panels or something?
The options are simple:
render them unappetising
render them inaccessible
render them indestructible
i put them in the order that i thought most likely to work- my cat hates the pet repellent, so the area under my desk gets treated.
i'm on the other side: i'm a patient who works with other patients. Fibromyalgia, for example. And the first thing that they come crying for is, "How do i get my doctor to prescribe pain meds?"
The first answer that we have to give- HAVE to, because we don't know them, either, is, "You don't."
Plain and simple, unless they are doing EVERYthing else- the physical therapy, the exercise, the effort, the tests for concurrent/comorbid conditions, they shouldn't be given pain meds. It's a tough rule but a vital one, because it pushes them into a relationship with the doc, so that they can get checked out, make sure that they aren't just doc shopping.
And we tell them that if the doc gives them a scrip on their first visit, something's wrong. We have to tell them the order of things that will be tried, and explain that some of them might help. It's hard because the perception in this country is that there's a pill for every problem, and with pain meds, that's just not always the case. When they get to the pain med stage, and find themselves with side effects, some of them get angry, because they wanted it to just be all better, why would these meds be held back unless they really fixed everything?
But that's not how it works. So we end up with people getting depressed, and even when we explain all this up front, it still goes that way for some people. For others, the pain meds work, and we wish that they could actually get them when they needed them to start with, without all the secret personality testing.
This looks like it's a great idea. One thing that i have to say for biofeedback and other therapies- they work on the biofeedback level, but they also work because they are something different. they can distract the person from their pain long enough for them to focus elsewhere, and if you're going to learn to live with chronic pain, that's a very important skill.
I think this is a great idea. I know that they did a study a long time ago showing that people who exercised to music or some other distraction felt less workout pain than people who focused solely on their workout. I use that study all the time.
I'll be very hapy when this makes it to take-home stage, and i'll be interested in seeing if it can be combined with workout equipment, for example, for some of the physical therapy that some of my fellow patients have to go through. When they haven't moved much for awhile, i get to see people cry when they try to start up again. And it's not because they're wimps, it's that extra 300-400% of pain chemicals along with the muscle atrophy.
Some of us already vote with our wallets, and i'd second the notion that it's how to get the idea out there that we might want to know what's in our food. I hate to bring up the same old song again, but the truth is that there are a lot of reasons for GMO food to be labelled, and some of it has to do with current, known allergies, intolerances, and illnesses. Obviously, this won't matter if a GM rat makes it into the food market- anyone who's eating rat probably isn't watching their diet for such things too closely. But when it comes to cows? It's hard enough to find cows that aren't being fed other cows (mad cow disease, anyone?) Do we know what a prion disease would do in a supercow? would they be more immune, or would they just survive longer as incubators, becoming more infectious once they got turned into feed? (I don't know if they're 100% sure that that's how it spreads, but i think that's what they've decided to go with here in the US.)
What if they just show fewer symptoms?
Granted, the non-organic but anti-growth-hormone folks might like this path (except for me, but i'm a treehugging crazy white chick who has immune and food allergy problems; i have to be careful what i buy in the first place) but i'd like folks to have a lot more time to think about it before it hits the market.
i would add one piece of information to what you've offered about the diamond trade in general, and the fears of diamond sellers/resellers in particular. The diamond-reseller marketplace is having to be more and more concerned with synthetics, now that even things that aren't diamond are making the rounds. The story is from 1999, the frauds started making waves in 1998. It's a pretty big deal.
I bring it up only because it adds to the erosion of the previously unassailable spot that diamonds have held at the top of the gem marketability pyramid- if you can't even tell that it's a diamond and you're a dealer synthetic diamonds are just one more piece of the changing industry.
me, i think every female science geek in the country, myself included, would get a big thrill out of a lab-grown diamond. It's a rock that wasn't mined or found, but created just for you using modern technology. I know if i buy one for myself- as i never would one of the conflict variety- i'd go for lab-grown and show it off with enthusiasm.
One thing that i can tell you about migraines is that, while individual results vary, almost anything that has an effect on blood pressure and blood flow can change a migraine for somebody. For many patient, an ice pack on the head and one on the back of the neck is the best way to start easing the pain.
I read this story and thought, this could be a treatment for otherwise debilitating migraines, especially for those people who have real trouble with triptan medications.
Don't know about y'all, but i'll be watching closely when they start using this for things like that. The milder extra pain caused by the cold is worth it compared to the ice pick throbbing of a migraine- it's even a relief, if you can get it 'instead' rather than 'as well...'
Slashdot Mirror
Scientists have been able to "turn off" diabetes in mice for ten years now.
This has not yet turned into a viable, universal treatment option yet.
It might not ever. It might. We accept that the limits of medicine are really the limits of our ability to understand the human body's complexity, and the limits of our ability to functionally apply what little we do know.
I've got a vested interest in this, with a couple of issues to wait for a cure for. One has a specific genetic component that sits right next to the diabetes 'switch.' Like diabetes, it can switch on at any point in the lifespan. We know that a lot of things can trigger sudden expression of diseases- illness, strain on the system, even viral activity. There are a lot of things that can make us sick, and it's possible that there are going to be a lot of ways to make us well, one of them being finding out how to turn a disease off, how to make it no longer expressed.
How do we know that hitting that switch for diabetes won't result in hypoglycemia, with too much insulin? That turning off the process that results in an autoimmune problem won't leave us dying of common colds? We don't, but we look at the most obvious flaws first, and aim to correct what we know is causing a problem. From there, we work with what we've got.
These are real issues, and they are being explored. I do not want to be among the first test subjects, but i don't have as much at stake as the people likely to be the first volunteers. I do look forward to a cure in my lifetime, and while i don't follow the blog in question, this particular bit of scientific discussion is neither the beginning nor the end of this line of scientific exploration, and i strongly urge people with genetic ailments to stay on top of the subject through some of the more reputable scientific journals, because we may be seeing the beginnings of viable treatments in the not-too-too-distant (think 'next decade') future.
Worse still, he now has to live with the permanent epithet, "Laser Guy."
Evildoer 1: I'm the Disgruntled Postman!
Evildoer 2: Welcome aboard! Meet MurderOne, Manslaughter, Aggravated Assault, and oh- that guy over in the corner is Laser Guy.
Evildoer 1: THE Laser Guy?
Laser Guy: Just give me a laser pointer and i'll - (remembers what he's in for and hangs his head in shame) be almost completely ineffective, but not ineffective enough to stay out of PRISON... *curls up in fetal position and sobs*
Evildoer 2: Yep, that's LaserGuy, all right.
I never thought about this before. This is probably going to sound like a stupid question.
How much water DO bees need to live?
Thanks,
solemndragon
Nonsense. Everyone knows that alewife is a fish, so you have to start from the aquarium...
..oh, right.
But i think the point isn't just here to there (which is easy to find online, though you're right, people don't tend to look if they aren't used to the medium) but 'where should i go while i'm in Boston to get some culture?' and then the answers will come back, obviously, heavily favouring a.) museums, b.) bars, and c.) the MIT biology labs.
Maybe there will be a usefulness ranking system, so that your responses can gradually have more or less weight, according to how many people you send on wild goose chases?
kinda like a moderation system... where you gain 'karma'...
I did read it. That's why i posted it... I read the article AND the web site; the web site claims that some of their cylindrical locks have a problem, but not the problem being touted in the media. The news article has a man claiming that he opened his gun cabinet lock with a pen.
I posted it merely because i thought that people might want to read the article, and thought that the website deserved a mention for having a lock replacement program and are the cabinetmaker listed in the news article.
I know it's old news by now, but the gun cabinet maker denies that their locks are having this problem- but is offering free lock replacement.
Old news link about the gun cabinet.
Darn those Blue lasers and their pesky... ground-level camouflaged lasers?
In fact, why not expand this to other issues? Why not require an on-the-spot literacy and basic knowledge test? I think that this would be a great idea, no leader left behind, and all. I may sound snarky, but i mean it. I'd love to see them have to answer some basic stuff. Things they really ought to know if they've got their hands on the purse strings and their finger on the button...
1. Which country does the US currently owe the most money to?
2. How much is one trillion, in millions?
(If you can't answer this, i don't want you spending my taxes. The English answer is often different from the American answer, too.)
3.a. What's the basic standard treatment for radiation sickness?
3.b. How thick should the walls of a fallout shelter be?
***
What else should be on the test?
it's my middle NAME that doesn't fit. The initial fits just fine. *sigh* solemndragon :0, 'preview' button: 1
Female, with a traditionally male name. And a relatively unusual male name- Solomon. My middle name is too long for most documents, so it gets shortened to an initial.
It requires large amounts of proof when i show up for anything and use my full name, so i generally use a nickname for anything that doesn't require a full legal signature. However, if it's in writing, i generally assume that it requires a full legal signature. Using my middle initial has never been a problem, and it does not appear on my social security card. (it wouldn't fit.)
So i just made the license match. There's nothing stopping you from using your name any way you'd like to, especially if it's bleeding obvious that it's similar. Do horror stories abound? Yes. But in almost every case, the folks doing the paperwork-accepting have a little leeway on what they accept, and the more documents you have, the better.
I've asked. Here's why.
I have been called on to help several people with lifestyle changes, including name changes, divorces, and once, that whole changing-the-gender-on-the-license question. the response that i have gotten from the DMV and the SSA in advocating for others has been this: That the social security card and license should have your full, legal name. Mene doesn't. They asked why, and i told them, and they said that's fine because it's obvious that it wouldn't fit. If you aren't happy with it, change it, but make those documents have that in the same form. Your license should ALSO bear any nickname you use in common day-to-day activities IF that nickname is not 'obviously derivative' of your name. For example, they don't think i need to put 'sol' or 'solemn' on my license (even though the latter, which my mum calls me, to me is not obviously derivative) as long as my legal full name with middle initial is there and it's pretty close. The SSA especially was very straightforward: They didn't care as long as they were close, because it was the number that mattered. Timothy and Tim should be fine. Your credit report will include them all, or it should, and you should check to make sure there isn't a timmy yourlastname down the street whose info is ALSO on there.
In my case, the SSA person simply looked at me when i applied, and asked if i was sure.
Sure what? That it's my name? That i'm me? I said, "Sure about what?" and looked confused. She took my paperwork for a replacement card (do yourself a favour. Laminate your social security card, it's rare that they won't accept it and they'll sure accept it better than if you hand them the wad of washing-machine-treated paper that used to be a SS card.) and let it go at that.
Er... that's also how i get my username- solemndragon...
the most interesting part is work, where my name tag on the desk leads people to believe that i'm a temp, because i'm not a guy. That's caused some entertainment, and is an example of why it's gone out of political correctness to begin letters with "dear Sir."
Incidentally, it makes sorting my junk mail easy. Anything for "Mr." gets thrown in the shredder. *shaking head* administration appreciates paper. GO in with every scrap of ID you can find, including utility bills, and eventually they'll get tired of looking at them all. (This was also DMV advice.) As long as there was a cohesive paper trail linking the names, you should be FINE.
...donating to the good cause. If you don't want to donate money, volunteer to proofread, or it might be worth it for writers out there to consider a notation in your will that will allow your works to pass either directly into the public domain, or, as i have been in contact with lawyers to discuss, simply passing the copyright of your own works on to project gutenberg. This allows them more work to publish, and if you're in a contract somewhere that allows for royalty collection, you can set it up so that those royalties switch to project gutenberg at the time of your death.
Now might also be a good time to contribute an hour a week to a literacy project, or to make a donation there. Adult literacy is a serious issue all over the world, and that includes right here in the states, where there really are bright people out there who could have better lives if they could read. I can't think of a more on-topic subject than project gutenberg to discuss adult literacy and the need for both literacy teaching and to support free literature for the masses such as this project provides.
Just my $0.02...
solemndragon
First, hit your local community college. Many actually have programs to accommodate disabilities of various kinds, and you may be able to get part of your courses tailored to include one-on-one training in the learning style that you need to use. You also may qualify for a number of scolarships, by the way, so be sure to check around. There may be special programs where you can get credit through alternate means- which is to say, tutoring, testing, or time spent on certain projects.
Also, look into trade and tech schools for certification programs. If you can teach yourself to do the work, and can prove that you know how, that may be all it takes for some of what you want to do.
There's a lot of room in the computer world and no, not all of it involves math. You probably have some adaptive skills that other people don't have, both from the unique brain makeup and particularly from having to work around it. These can be a big asset when it comes time to develop unique approaches to problems. I'd rather have someone who can think on my team than someone who can calculate- calculation can be done by computer, but originality and creativity are still human-led fields.
One thing is certain- everyone loves it when people show initiative. So don't give up. The strength that it takes to tackle a disability head-on and work on such a goal in spite of it really does get respect in the real world. Above all, hang out where computers are being discussed. Make friends with the local geeks, hang out at tech school info meets, go check out what's out there. You'll find that they're all looking for bright people and willing to bend in a lot of ways if approached in a 'how can i go to your school' mindset. Let yourself be, to some degree, a group project- you will benefit, the school will benefit, and the world will benefit from one more person having one more skill.
Good luck, and keep us posted, all right?
I can speak on this one. What i look at vinyl for is not 'simpler,' per se, but 'analog.' The joy of vinyl is simply that it isn't digital; that it is a reproduction that you could conceivably build a home listening station for without needing any programming ability. For some people, this is a big deal- the way books are so lovable in hard copy. Any bibliophile can tell you about the smell of a bookstore specialising in antique books.
This doesn't mean that vinyl i necessarily better, but it does mean that there isn't exactly a replacement for it so much as an alternate choice. Personally, i don't mind CDs or MP3s. My collection is stored mostly digitally. But i understand about vinyl- it's not just simpler, but to some people, more 'real,' because there are fewer leaps between product and music. The sound quality may not be the same- but there's a perception about the type of recording, rather than the quality, that gets involved.
"Do not use if printed seal is missing or broken."
Right, i'll just chew a hole in the bottom of the packet to get my migraine medicine out.
By Bill Watterson:
...It means Karl Marx hadn't seen anything yet...
Calvin: : It says here, "Religion is the opiate of the masses."...What do you suppose that means?
TV:
Eureka moments require a few different things to happen in order to bring them about. First, it requires an attempt to solve the puzzle in linear fashion, setting up the problem in mind and at least someplace to start in approaching it.
Next, an incubation period, where you go and do something else, or stare into space and 'woolgather,' that fuzzy day-dream-like state in which you actually start organising thoughts, although it may not feel like it. The three Bs come into play here- bed, bath, and bus- the three likeliest placest to have a eureka moment, because those are incubatory periods, in which your brain starts approaching the puzzle from different angles.
There are other good places- i find washing dishes helps, it's an activity that lets my mind wander and it's always been a quiet spot in the day after dinner. I know someone who goes for long walks.
Sleeping on a problem really does help, partly because the brain trains during sleep, and you'll wake up better at the problem-solving activities because your brain has run through them in sleep. It may not solve abstract problems, but it at least helps with concrete skills, so who's to say it doesn't help with abstract thinking abilities as well?
Beyond that, all i can think is... what kind of eureka moment results in... an article about eureka moments??
meant to link Here to one of those people.
Didn't pay for it? Maybe you hang around with the wrong activists. Some people were donating at the same time that they petitioned and protested. Even my doctor is doing tht; he's even planning to retire over in Africa to help with time and energy. There are a LOT of programs right here in Boston working to help lower-income people in the US and all over the world get the meds they need to deal with HIV/AIDS, and i am amazed how many of those noble and selfless people
are reaching into their own wallets to do it.
My mum, for example, worked with RI project AIDS for a long time, most of my childhood, and she did that on a regular basis and taught the rest of us to do so. She also gave to other AIDS foundations, and if you really feel strongly about the idea that these lives are worth more than money, i can help put you in contact with charities who will help your donation go farther.
I'm all for more choices. Though some people may be overwhelmed, those are usually the ones who don't have a specific preference in mind. At that point, trying what looks like it might match existing preferences but varies a little is a positive thing- it lets you categorise a new experience at the same time that it lets you have an experience likely to be one you'll enjoy.
i, on the other hand, am a walking example of why the choices might need to be there. With serious food allergy issues, it's wonderful to be able to walk into a restaurant, look at the menu, and specify that i need it to be a corn tortilla, hold the onions, thanks. I respect your point of view- which is why i think a 'default' option should exist (if you don't specify, we serve you X) and let you not worry about it. But for everyone whose needs differ widely from the middle of the bell curve, the more specialisation has to be an option.
I think that this is why people like linux; they are not your average joe sixpack user, have specific needs and wants, and want something that can be adapted to suit them. As people learn what else they can do with their computer, they start to want more than AOL, and they start looking around.
While the menu of software available may make many average users blanch, having easy-to-use interfaces helps bridge that gap and helps them inch out to the edge of the curve where the more experienced computer users live. From choice comes progress, and the point where specialisations stop being economically viable (not enough people with given preference to buy said product), adaptability takes over (people from all areas of the fringe who need X specification buy the adaptable product.)
That's where the make-your-own-recipe restaurants take over. Those who don't need the specialisation are only a part of the market.
For example, if you knew what you were looking for, such as calories or joules or centimetres, that's one part of it. If you know the formula relevant to the situation, that's another. Then you get to basic arithmetic skills- it doesn't do you any good to know the formula if you can't add or multiply the numbers.
My favourite way to tutor math- and how i learned it as an adult (i never took the SATs and was fortunate to have a tutor who could teach me high school math even though i'm 27) - is to use basic math issues that everyone sees, every day. Like the label on food. If this equals x% of your USRDA, how much is the USRDA? Putting the problems in everyday life situations may make you more comfortable with the math,a nd it will definitely leave you with an idea of the numbers involved.
'An idea of the numbers...' by which i mean a feel for the numbers, and what they stand for. A lot of people have trouble connecting the numbers to reality- and if you can understand in a concrete way the relationship between the distance around a pipe and the distance across it, the math may stick better for real world use later on.
The other trick? Estimate where you can, and use the information that's easily accessible to you..
For example: What's 5% of the time in a week?
well, you know that there's 24 hours per day. Add the big numbers first- 20 times seven, that's 140, right? plus four times seven- 28. Right off the bat, you're up to 168 hours in a week. Ten percent of a number is easy, ten percent of this number is 16.8. Half of that will give you the five percent that you're looking for- 8.4. You've just figured out that 8.4 hours is 5% of a week. Convert that .4 into minutes- forty percent of an hour is a little less than half. (sixty minutes, times ten percent, is six minutes. That's ten percent. Four times six is twenty four minutes. That's forty percent.) The answer? Eight hours, 24 minutes.
I use this with others because it teaches people how to think about numbers, that they are reachable things, not just the provenance of mathemagicians. The biggest barrier to doing math is the belief that math is too difficult. (i also play for people Tom Lehrer's wonderful song, New Math, and assure them that we're going to ignore base 8.)
Good luck with it, and try to use it in the real world where you can get a feel for what the numbers attach to. Figure out what you know and what you need to know, and just practice. There will always be more math to attempt; there will always be stuff that's intimidating. The only way to learn it is to do it, a piece at a time from the information that you can grasp easiest.
Oh, and in high school, in that science class? i got a C. Worked hard for it, i've never been prouder of a grade then or since. And i've never forgotten the real stuff i learned there- that being able to describe what you're reaching for is as important as the math skills to get you that answer.
Another option is to make them inaccessible- run them through cardboard tubes. Of course, if your cat shreds cardboard, this won't work. So maybe taping something around them- plastic panels or something?
The options are simple:
render them unappetising
render them inaccessible
render them indestructible
i put them in the order that i thought most likely to work- my cat hates the pet repellent, so the area under my desk gets treated.
let us know what works!
The first answer that we have to give- HAVE to, because we don't know them, either, is, "You don't."
Plain and simple, unless they are doing EVERYthing else- the physical therapy, the exercise, the effort, the tests for concurrent/comorbid conditions, they shouldn't be given pain meds. It's a tough rule but a vital one, because it pushes them into a relationship with the doc, so that they can get checked out, make sure that they aren't just doc shopping.
And we tell them that if the doc gives them a scrip on their first visit, something's wrong. We have to tell them the order of things that will be tried, and explain that some of them might help. It's hard because the perception in this country is that there's a pill for every problem, and with pain meds, that's just not always the case. When they get to the pain med stage, and find themselves with side effects, some of them get angry, because they wanted it to just be all better, why would these meds be held back unless they really fixed everything?
But that's not how it works. So we end up with people getting depressed, and even when we explain all this up front, it still goes that way for some people. For others, the pain meds work, and we wish that they could actually get them when they needed them to start with, without all the secret personality testing.
This looks like it's a great idea. One thing that i have to say for biofeedback and other therapies- they work on the biofeedback level, but they also work because they are something different. they can distract the person from their pain long enough for them to focus elsewhere, and if you're going to learn to live with chronic pain, that's a very important skill.
I think this is a great idea. I know that they did a study a long time ago showing that people who exercised to music or some other distraction felt less workout pain than people who focused solely on their workout. I use that study all the time.
I'll be very hapy when this makes it to take-home stage, and i'll be interested in seeing if it can be combined with workout equipment, for example, for some of the physical therapy that some of my fellow patients have to go through. When they haven't moved much for awhile, i get to see people cry when they try to start up again. And it's not because they're wimps, it's that extra 300-400% of pain chemicals along with the muscle atrophy.
sol
Some of us already vote with our wallets, and i'd second the notion that it's how to get the idea out there that we might want to know what's in our food. I hate to bring up the same old song again, but the truth is that there are a lot of reasons for GMO food to be labelled, and some of it has to do with current, known allergies, intolerances, and illnesses. Obviously, this won't matter if a GM rat makes it into the food market- anyone who's eating rat probably isn't watching their diet for such things too closely. But when it comes to cows? It's hard enough to find cows that aren't being fed other cows (mad cow disease, anyone?) Do we know what a prion disease would do in a supercow? would they be more immune, or would they just survive longer as incubators, becoming more infectious once they got turned into feed? (I don't know if they're 100% sure that that's how it spreads, but i think that's what they've decided to go with here in the US.)
What if they just show fewer symptoms?
Granted, the non-organic but anti-growth-hormone folks might like this path (except for me, but i'm a treehugging crazy white chick who has immune and food allergy problems; i have to be careful what i buy in the first place) but i'd like folks to have a lot more time to think about it before it hits the market.
I bring it up only because it adds to the erosion of the previously unassailable spot that diamonds have held at the top of the gem marketability pyramid- if you can't even tell that it's a diamond and you're a dealer synthetic diamonds are just one more piece of the changing industry.
me, i think every female science geek in the country, myself included, would get a big thrill out of a lab-grown diamond. It's a rock that wasn't mined or found, but created just for you using modern technology. I know if i buy one for myself- as i never would one of the conflict variety- i'd go for lab-grown and show it off with enthusiasm.
One thing that i can tell you about migraines is that, while individual results vary, almost anything that has an effect on blood pressure and blood flow can change a migraine for somebody. For many patient, an ice pack on the head and one on the back of the neck is the best way to start easing the pain.
I read this story and thought, this could be a treatment for otherwise debilitating migraines, especially for those people who have real trouble with triptan medications.
Don't know about y'all, but i'll be watching closely when they start using this for things like that. The milder extra pain caused by the cold is worth it compared to the ice pick throbbing of a migraine- it's even a relief, if you can get it 'instead' rather than 'as well...'