Since we have some people looking into how sea urchins are practically immortal, I'm curious if there will be some way to mix and cross-reference the two veins of research to come up with a longevity treatment...
The gene makes a protein that regulates some other genes and Topol said those will now be analyzed to see if they can be linked generally to heart disease.
So no, it's probably not just that gene, but in general it seems the problem starts from here and cascades down.
I'm not a biologist, but I think until they've mapped out every single gene and know exactly what it does, it might be wise to refain from words like "never" and "always".:) =Smidge=
Anywho... I'm not aware of any study ont he effect of caffine on sharks - or any sea life - but I'm sure it exists (Or will shortly!).
Every species reacts to chemicals in different ways. Hell, individuals of te same species react differently! I wouldn't automatically assume that caffine will have the same effect on sharks as it does on humans.
Good example? Chocolate. Cocoa is very poisonous to cats and dogs (Specifically, the chemical Theobromine). Most humans can eat it with no ill effects. Similar items include garlic, onions, and macadamia nuts.
Oddly, cows enjoy chocolate as well. Can't remember where I saw it, but I think there's a place in Australia that feeds their dairy cows "reject" (read: mangled but otherwise edible) candy, which they buy from a factory by the truckload. If I recall, sometimes the flavor can actually leech into the milk.
Moral of the story is: Caffine might not have any effect on sharks, or only for some species of shark, or it might be toxic. Who knows? =Smidge=
Plus, once you have a powerful, (relatively) energy efficient computer in a smaller package, you can use them as building blocks to scale a larger installation.
Modular installation = better able to match requirements without having to build entire system from scratch = more cost effective solution for some (most?) customers.
I think the "Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these" joke may actually pretty close to the point! =Smidge=
<joke>This is why I think we should either annex a new state of kick Florida out of the country. Once we have an odd number of states there be a greatly reduced risk of a tie!</joke>
But seriously, I think the parent poster is dead on here - no system is going to be perfect, and so it's important to have a system that's as tamper-proof and traceable as possible to minimize errors.
E-voting provides neither of these reliably. Even if the software was open source, how can the public be 100% sure that the binaries installed in the machines are made from the available source? There's still potential for tampering.
Granted, at least there will be much less potential for random errors and the like, so if anything goes wrong it would be more likely to be a deliberate tinkering than a typo!
But still, I don't see what the problem is with paper ballots.
"Here's a sheet cardstock and one of those Bingo card markers. Make a dot next to the name of the guy you wanna vote for and stuff it in the slot."
A 6-year-old can probably handle that. Hell you should probably put little photos of the canidates on there too, just in case the voter can't be arsed to read... they seem to vote for whoever looks the best anyway. (And with the choices in canidates, it's really just as good a system as any!) =Smidge=
"Like lead, depleted uranium is a heavy metal that can be toxic if it enters the body"....especially if you got a 20-something pound chunk of it travelling at 3000+ feet per second.
Not to invalidate your argument - because it is a perfectly valid one - but isn't the whole point of using DU ammo to um... kill people? Is somehow people dying from heavy metal poisoning less tolerable than blowing them up by the dozen? =Smidge=
That whole post is misleading. Their website isn't that much better.
In case anyone thinks it's a "solar powered machine that produces 30MW or power", which I did the first few times I read it, it's actually a manufacturing plant that produces enough solar cells every year to generate 30MW of electricity combined.
Stupid grammar... of course, the first thing I though of was "One (American) football field = 48,000 sq.ft. * ~100 watts solar energy per sq.ft. * ~15% efficiency = 720kW... how the hell are they claiming 30MW?!" =Smidge=
...nd net horsepower from a V6 that is likely much higher than the net on even an S/C Rambler
I dunno about MUCH, be yeah definately more. Bear in mind that my car has a naturally asperated straight-6, while the modern V6 it probably turbo charged and definately fuel injected. I never argued that more modern engines aren't more powerful/efficient! (Rambler puts out ~160hp, typical modern V6 is about 200-230 for larger cars)
How much does AMC/Chrysler/DMX make off your Rambler? How much off of a PT Cruiser?
Nothing and probably quite a lot, respectively:) Which was basicaly my point - modern cars aren't built to last, and they screw you over by restricting/discontinuing parts.
Actually, I get about 30mpg out of that Rambler... Using the "divide odometer reading by gas pump readout" method, anyway! Can't be too far off. I bet it has a lot to do with driving habits and weather conditions. (ie: really cold days require longer warm-up idling in the mornings, obviously bad for fuel consumption!)
Air bags? ABS? Who needs 'em! My dashboard is solid steel!:D
The most advanced peice of electronics in that vehicle is the AM only mono radio, which also happens to be the only thing that doesn't work at all. (Everything else works at least in some capacity, even if no in tip-top shape)
I have been thinking about installing a computer though. The instrument panel is a little wonky, and I think it might be cool to replace it with an LCD panel. And of course it would have a radio tuner card and MP3 player... =Smidge=
Despite how well you think modern cars are built, and some of them are built very well, they simply aren't intended to last 20-30 years. If anything, they will force them out of the market by doing exactly what they did to you - stop supporting and making parts for them.
As as a person who drives a car from the 60's ('64 Rambler Classic, specifically!), I can honestly say there is no way even an advanced home mechanic can fix their modern car as easily as that car... not the least reason being that most modern cars greet you with a rats nest of plastic and wires when you open the hood.
With older cars, you open the hood to find an engine of all things! Hell, there's enough room to climb in there and sit next to it while you work!
Anywho, I've heard stories of people sucessfully plugging their generic laptops into their car's computer and getting some useful data out of it. Unfortunately I don't have any sources:( (If I find some I'll let you know!)
And yes, I agree that releasing software for outdated cars would be a Good Thing(tm), as it would make it that much easier for the average Joe to tinker should he be so inclined. Tinkering is seldom a bad thing! =Smidge=
This brings up an interesting point, though I don't know if the parent intended to make this point or just a joke/analogy out of it.
Since the router doesn't descriminate over whith HTTP request it overrides, what happens if it intersects a privacy-sensative transaction?
For example, if someone goes to pay thier bills online, enter thier biling info, click "submit"... then suddenly get an ad... what ramifications might that have?
That's a little more worrysome than getting an ad instead of some random page I might be trying to visit... =Smidge=
"One could imagine, for instance, contact lenses with displays and miniature computers on them, so that you can experience a virtual tour of a new city as you walk around."
The virus, if you've got it, lives mostly in the gastro-intestinal tract. Which means your body already has an immunity to it and you won't get sick from it (assuming normal imune systems).
However, injecting a high concentration of the virus directly into the tumor kills it because your immune system can't clean it up fast enough. By the time the virus spreads outside the injection site you body has responded and is cleaning things up as it should. In other words, it zaps the tumor before your body takes it out.
With that in mind, multiple injections over time may be required to eradicate some tumors, but the body can easily clean itself out after each injection. Combine that with how the reovirus can't attack healthy tissue to begin with (and, as the article says, about 1/3rd of known cancers), and you really never get 'infected' with it in the first place. =Smidge=
Some thoughts on the ideas presented in the article:
1) "Dump the Doodads, and Retrofit the Brain"
I'm all for brain implants, but I think a cell phone ringing in your head day after day would drive anyone insane. Hell, the cell phone in thier pocket drives some people to the brink as it is!
2) "Laptop, Butler and Virtual Mom"
I understand that this is probably an eggageration for humor's sake, but a laptop powered by the glow of it's own screen would be a perpetual motion device. Although otherwise this does seem to reflect a "fewer, more useful gadgets" concept that seems to be pretty common.
3) "Lies Exposed in Telltale Colors"
I like the concept a lot. The only problem is... who is in charge of the system that determines if it's a lie, spin or misperception?
4) I think Trump's telepathic zombie chips speak for themselves...
5) "Zap! The Form's Filled Out"
I don't think I'd want all my personal information, let alone the informatino of myself and my entire family, in a single, pocket sized device with WiFi download capability. I'd stick with a datebook and a pencil... at least they'd have to go through the trouble of confronting (read: Mugging) me to get the info!
6) "One Gizmo to Supplant 15"
Again, another uber-gadget to make for less things to carry around. It's also putting all your eggs in one basket sort of speak. Personal preference I guess.
7) "TiVo Replay Power, on the Road"
I suppose a quick-fix alternative would be a portable DVD player and a DVD-R device at home. But overall it's a good (but not very impressive) idea.
8) "The Ball Is In, or Out. Period."
I could've sworn they had this already... but the best inventions are usually the ones that seem the most obvious in retrospect:)
9) "Can Run, but He Can't Hide"
Get a dog!
10) "A High That Wouldn't Hurt"
It's hard for me to imagine that any drug (or anything, really) can be made so that it's 100% non addictive. Maybe not chemically adictive, but psychologically. Even so, I think the last thing society needs is another chemical diversion from Real Life(tm) no matter how mild. Best to accept your lemons and do your best to make lemonade than to try and hide from it... just my take on it, though.
11) "Memo to My Borsalino: Quiet!"
Anyone else reminded of Peril Sensitive Sunglasses? It's bad enough people turn a figurative blind eye to things they really don't want to be bothered with... but this is going a bit far.
Personally, I'd like to see a mix of #3 and #11... a device that, upon sensing that someone is full of shit, will bleep them out for everybody within range. I can see such a device being banned from political debates... =Smidge=
An interesting (and fairly accurate) analogy, especially since that's a fairly common trap used by the police.
Leave a car on the street, put a tiny camera in it to catch the faces of anyone sitting in it, and as an added bonus put in a remote control device to kill the engine and lock the doors/windows to make it easier to catch the guys. (Obviously the cops ahve to wait until the theif starts to drive off, then it's a little hard to claim they weren't trying to steal it!) =Smidge=
Slashdot Mirror
Since we have some people looking into how sea urchins are practically immortal, I'm curious if there will be some way to mix and cross-reference the two veins of research to come up with a longevity treatment...
=Smidge=
This has been done on both MythBusters and Junkyard Wars. Nothing new.
At least in the Junkyard version, the two teams fought the RC cars Battlebots style, and Mythbusters strapped a set of rocket engines to it!
Don't get me wrong, Monster Garage is a good show, but sometimes it's a little overhyped.
=Smidge=
From the article you probably didn't read:
:)
The gene makes a protein that regulates some other genes and Topol said those will now be analyzed to see if they can be linked generally to heart disease.
So no, it's probably not just that gene, but in general it seems the problem starts from here and cascades down.
I'm not a biologist, but I think until they've mapped out every single gene and know exactly what it does, it might be wise to refain from words like "never" and "always".
=Smidge=
Awsome! I wonder who the poor sap is who's job it is to test them. :)
=Smidge=
Mmm code sharks...
Anywho... I'm not aware of any study ont he effect of caffine on sharks - or any sea life - but I'm sure it exists (Or will shortly!).
Every species reacts to chemicals in different ways. Hell, individuals of te same species react differently! I wouldn't automatically assume that caffine will have the same effect on sharks as it does on humans.
Good example? Chocolate. Cocoa is very poisonous to cats and dogs (Specifically, the chemical Theobromine). Most humans can eat it with no ill effects. Similar items include garlic, onions, and macadamia nuts.
Oddly, cows enjoy chocolate as well. Can't remember where I saw it, but I think there's a place in Australia that feeds their dairy cows "reject" (read: mangled but otherwise edible) candy, which they buy from a factory by the truckload. If I recall, sometimes the flavor can actually leech into the milk.
Moral of the story is: Caffine might not have any effect on sharks, or only for some species of shark, or it might be toxic. Who knows?
=Smidge=
Plus, once you have a powerful, (relatively) energy efficient computer in a smaller package, you can use them as building blocks to scale a larger installation.
Modular installation = better able to match requirements without having to build entire system from scratch = more cost effective solution for some (most?) customers.
I think the "Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these" joke may actually pretty close to the point!
=Smidge=
<joke>This is why I think we should either annex a new state of kick Florida out of the country. Once we have an odd number of states there be a greatly reduced risk of a tie!</joke>
But seriously, I think the parent poster is dead on here - no system is going to be perfect, and so it's important to have a system that's as tamper-proof and traceable as possible to minimize errors.
E-voting provides neither of these reliably. Even if the software was open source, how can the public be 100% sure that the binaries installed in the machines are made from the available source? There's still potential for tampering.
Granted, at least there will be much less potential for random errors and the like, so if anything goes wrong it would be more likely to be a deliberate tinkering than a typo!
But still, I don't see what the problem is with paper ballots.
"Here's a sheet cardstock and one of those Bingo card markers. Make a dot next to the name of the guy you wanna vote for and stuff it in the slot."
A 6-year-old can probably handle that. Hell you should probably put little photos of the canidates on there too, just in case the voter can't be arsed to read... they seem to vote for whoever looks the best anyway. (And with the choices in canidates, it's really just as good a system as any!)
=Smidge=
"Like lead, depleted uranium is a heavy metal that can be toxic if it enters the body". ...especially if you got a 20-something pound chunk of it travelling at 3000+ feet per second.
Not to invalidate your argument - because it is a perfectly valid one - but isn't the whole point of using DU ammo to um... kill people? Is somehow people dying from heavy metal poisoning less tolerable than blowing them up by the dozen?
=Smidge=
Eh... that's one part Oxygen and two parts Hydrogen...
=Smidge=
Don't worry, this vaporware won't condense any time in the next decade. The words "inexpensive and easy to produce" guarantee that.
=Smidge=
My computer is reversable! I back it up every weekend...
=Smidge=
Sports stadiums, however, bring in a heck of a lot more money
Well duh, I can't think of any concert where they sell $8 beers...
=Smidge=
That whole post is misleading. Their website isn't that much better.
In case anyone thinks it's a "solar powered machine that produces 30MW or power", which I did the first few times I read it, it's actually a manufacturing plant that produces enough solar cells every year to generate 30MW of electricity combined.
Stupid grammar... of course, the first thing I though of was "One (American) football field = 48,000 sq.ft. * ~100 watts solar energy per sq.ft. * ~15% efficiency = 720kW... how the hell are they claiming 30MW?!"
=Smidge=
95% of those who actually read it that is, so that pretty much means nobody here will understand it!
=Smidge=
...nd net horsepower from a V6 that is likely much higher than the net on even an S/C Rambler
:) Which was basicaly my point - modern cars aren't built to last, and they screw you over by restricting/discontinuing parts.
:D
I dunno about MUCH, be yeah definately more. Bear in mind that my car has a naturally asperated straight-6, while the modern V6 it probably turbo charged and definately fuel injected. I never argued that more modern engines aren't more powerful/efficient! (Rambler puts out ~160hp, typical modern V6 is about 200-230 for larger cars)
How much does AMC/Chrysler/DMX make off your Rambler? How much off of a PT Cruiser?
Nothing and probably quite a lot, respectively
Actually, I get about 30mpg out of that Rambler... Using the "divide odometer reading by gas pump readout" method, anyway! Can't be too far off. I bet it has a lot to do with driving habits and weather conditions. (ie: really cold days require longer warm-up idling in the mornings, obviously bad for fuel consumption!)
Air bags? ABS? Who needs 'em! My dashboard is solid steel!
The most advanced peice of electronics in that vehicle is the AM only mono radio, which also happens to be the only thing that doesn't work at all. (Everything else works at least in some capacity, even if no in tip-top shape)
I have been thinking about installing a computer though. The instrument panel is a little wonky, and I think it might be cool to replace it with an LCD panel. And of course it would have a radio tuner card and MP3 player...
=Smidge=
Despite how well you think modern cars are built, and some of them are built very well, they simply aren't intended to last 20-30 years. If anything, they will force them out of the market by doing exactly what they did to you - stop supporting and making parts for them.
:( (If I find some I'll let you know!)
As as a person who drives a car from the 60's ('64 Rambler Classic, specifically!), I can honestly say there is no way even an advanced home mechanic can fix their modern car as easily as that car... not the least reason being that most modern cars greet you with a rats nest of plastic and wires when you open the hood.
With older cars, you open the hood to find an engine of all things! Hell, there's enough room to climb in there and sit next to it while you work!
Anywho, I've heard stories of people sucessfully plugging their generic laptops into their car's computer and getting some useful data out of it. Unfortunately I don't have any sources
And yes, I agree that releasing software for outdated cars would be a Good Thing(tm), as it would make it that much easier for the average Joe to tinker should he be so inclined. Tinkering is seldom a bad thing!
=Smidge=
This brings up an interesting point, though I don't know if the parent intended to make this point or just a joke/analogy out of it.
Since the router doesn't descriminate over whith HTTP request it overrides, what happens if it intersects a privacy-sensative transaction?
For example, if someone goes to pay thier bills online, enter thier biling info, click "submit"... then suddenly get an ad... what ramifications might that have?
That's a little more worrysome than getting an ad instead of some random page I might be trying to visit...
=Smidge=
"One could imagine, for instance, contact lenses with displays and miniature computers on them, so that you can experience a virtual tour of a new city as you walk around."
Until the spamming starts!
=Smidge=
Wait, is that a "Viral GPL" joke?... It is, isn't it!? :)
=Smidge=
The virus, if you've got it, lives mostly in the gastro-intestinal tract. Which means your body already has an immunity to it and you won't get sick from it (assuming normal imune systems).
However, injecting a high concentration of the virus directly into the tumor kills it because your immune system can't clean it up fast enough. By the time the virus spreads outside the injection site you body has responded and is cleaning things up as it should. In other words, it zaps the tumor before your body takes it out.
With that in mind, multiple injections over time may be required to eradicate some tumors, but the body can easily clean itself out after each injection. Combine that with how the reovirus can't attack healthy tissue to begin with (and, as the article says, about 1/3rd of known cancers), and you really never get 'infected' with it in the first place.
=Smidge=
Well they're close... just one letter away from "Gonad"...
=Smidge=
Some thoughts on the ideas presented in the article:
:)
1) "Dump the Doodads, and Retrofit the Brain"
I'm all for brain implants, but I think a cell phone ringing in your head day after day would drive anyone insane. Hell, the cell phone in thier pocket drives some people to the brink as it is!
2) "Laptop, Butler and Virtual Mom"
I understand that this is probably an eggageration for humor's sake, but a laptop powered by the glow of it's own screen would be a perpetual motion device. Although otherwise this does seem to reflect a "fewer, more useful gadgets" concept that seems to be pretty common.
3) "Lies Exposed in Telltale Colors"
I like the concept a lot. The only problem is... who is in charge of the system that determines if it's a lie, spin or misperception?
4) I think Trump's telepathic zombie chips speak for themselves...
5) "Zap! The Form's Filled Out"
I don't think I'd want all my personal information, let alone the informatino of myself and my entire family, in a single, pocket sized device with WiFi download capability. I'd stick with a datebook and a pencil... at least they'd have to go through the trouble of confronting (read: Mugging) me to get the info!
6) "One Gizmo to Supplant 15"
Again, another uber-gadget to make for less things to carry around. It's also putting all your eggs in one basket sort of speak. Personal preference I guess.
7) "TiVo Replay Power, on the Road"
I suppose a quick-fix alternative would be a portable DVD player and a DVD-R device at home. But overall it's a good (but not very impressive) idea.
8) "The Ball Is In, or Out. Period."
I could've sworn they had this already... but the best inventions are usually the ones that seem the most obvious in retrospect
9) "Can Run, but He Can't Hide"
Get a dog!
10) "A High That Wouldn't Hurt"
It's hard for me to imagine that any drug (or anything, really) can be made so that it's 100% non addictive. Maybe not chemically adictive, but psychologically. Even so, I think the last thing society needs is another chemical diversion from Real Life(tm) no matter how mild. Best to accept your lemons and do your best to make lemonade than to try and hide from it... just my take on it, though.
11) "Memo to My Borsalino: Quiet!"
Anyone else reminded of Peril Sensitive Sunglasses? It's bad enough people turn a figurative blind eye to things they really don't want to be bothered with... but this is going a bit far.
Personally, I'd like to see a mix of #3 and #11... a device that, upon sensing that someone is full of shit, will bleep them out for everybody within range. I can see such a device being banned from political debates...
=Smidge=
You can probably compress that using smaller font sizes and narrower page margins!
=Smidge=
The only problem would be if the company printing the ballots was based in Florida.
=Smidge=
An interesting (and fairly accurate) analogy, especially since that's a fairly common trap used by the police.
Leave a car on the street, put a tiny camera in it to catch the faces of anyone sitting in it, and as an added bonus put in a remote control device to kill the engine and lock the doors/windows to make it easier to catch the guys. (Obviously the cops ahve to wait until the theif starts to drive off, then it's a little hard to claim they weren't trying to steal it!)
=Smidge=