Monthly Archives: February 2010

Longing for a past that never existed

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There once was a time when all food was organic and no pesticides were used. Health problems were treated with folk wisdom and natural remedies. There was no obesity, and people got lots of exercise. And in that time gone by, the average lifespan was … 35!

That’s right. For most of human existence, according to fossil and anthropological data, the average human lifespan was 35 years. As recently as 1900, American average lifespan was only 48. Today, advocates of alternative health bemoan the current state of American health, the increasing numbers of obese people, the lack of exercise, the use of medications, the medicalization of childbirth. Yet lifespan has never been longer, currently 77.7 years in the US.

Advocates of alternative health have a romanticized and completely unrealistic notion of purported benefits of a “natural” lifestyle. Far from being a paradise, it was hell. The difference between an average lifespan of 48 and one of 77.7 can be accounted for by modern medicine and increased agricultural production brought about by industrial farming methods (including pesticides). Nothing fundamental has changed about human beings. They are still prey to the same illnesses and accidents, but now they can be effectively treated. Indeed, some diseases can be completely prevented by vaccination.

So why are advocates of alternative health complaining? They are complaining because they long for an imagined past that literally never existed. In that sense, alternative health represents a form of fundamentalism. Obviously, fundamentalism is about religion and the analogy can only go so far, but there are several important characteristics of religious fundamentalism that are shared by alternative health advocacy. These include:

  • The desire to return to a “better” lifestyle of the past.
  • The longing for a mythical past that never actual existed.
  • An opposition to modernism (in daily life and in medicine).
  • And the belief that anything produced by evolution (or God, if you prefer) is surely going to be good.

Advocates of alternative health bemoan the incidence of diseases like cancer and heart disease without considering that they are primarily diseases of old age. That both cancer and heart disease are among the primary causes of death today represents a victory, not a defeat. Diseases of old age can become primary causes of death only when diseases of infancy and childhood are vanquished, and that is precisely what has happened.

Alternative health as a form of fundamentalism also makes sense in that it has an almost religious fervor. It is not about scientific evidence. Indeed, it usually ignores scientific evidence entirely. All the existing scientific evidence shows that all of the myriad claims of alternative health are flat out false. None of it works, absolutely none of it. That’s not surprising when you consider that it never worked in times past; advocates of alternative health merely pretend that it did, without any regard for historical reality.

Alternative health is a belief system, a form of fundamentalism, and like most fundamentalisms, it longs for a past never existed. It is not science; it has nothing to do with science; and it merely reflects wishful thinking about the past while ignoring reality.


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Apple Might Have More Control Over Ebook Prices After All (Read: Cheaper Ebooks) [Rumor]

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More details coming out about Apple's deals with book publishers, and it looks like Apple might have more leverage over prices than expected. The NYT says that "Apple inserted provisions requiring publishers to discount e-book prices on best sellers."

Three people "with knowledge of the discussions" told the Times that Apple's provisions allow it to discount books that hit the bestseller list—maybe down to $9.99, after all—with $12.99-$14.99 as simply a ceiling, that way Apple can compete with bookstores and Amazon's Kindle that push bestsellers at a cut rate. And if publishers sell a hardcover at a discount, Apple wants to be able to cut the price on their ebook counterpart as well, even if it doesn't go all bestseller.

Given that the reason publishers were giddy over dealing with Apple was the opportunity to set their own prices, if this report's true, it sounds like they're interested enough in creating a viable threat to Kindle that they'll sell themselves a little shorter than they'd wanted to, just to give Apple a strong foothold in the market. Yep, this is going to be a dirty, dirty fight. [NYT]


Amazing New Einstein Test

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PhysOrg.com reports: "While airplane and rocket experiments have proved that gravity makes clocks tick more slowly - a central prediction of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity - a new experiment in an atom interferometer measures this slowdown 10,000 times more accurately than before,

Help Needed with Solar Tracking Program

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Hi all of you..

I am doing a project on solar tracker. For this I am using 2 photo transistors on either side of the solar panel. The light intensity falling on the photo transistors are given to ADC and then given to micro controller (AT89S52). The program has to compare the values of t

Trudeau’s going to jail. Schadenfreudelicious. | Bad Astronomy

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UPDATE: Kevin Trudeau has been cited with contempt of court and must serve time in jail for it.

I love how that article describes Trudeau as "deeply tanned". That’s awesome.

For those unaware, Trudeau is not one of the good guys. In fact, to describe him in the terms I want, I’d have to violate my own rules on this blog.

The bad part of this? He’s only getting 30 days. Once he’s out he’ll still have all his books and a radio show on which to shill them. But I still have hope the system will prevail. There is a limit to free speech, and fraud breeches that limit. As Trudeau should have learned the first time he was convicted of it.

Tip o’ the coral calcium to Chris Babarskas once again.


Crosley Meets Cadillac

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Yesterday's Crosley-bodied snowmobile showed us what can be done with Crosley sheetmetal, and today we see what can be done with a Crosley chassis. Butch Williams over at Service Motors recently circulated these couple photos of a unique custom Crosley rebodied in Cadillac clothes, similar to

Busbar Rating

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Hai,

i am working in oil and gas industry as electrical projects engineer.

we have 415V panel in which bus bar rating is 50kA(i think this is Symmetrical rms value).We are doing Short circuit study for that network where symmetrical SC values for 3Φ fault are below 50kA.but assymme

LV distribution and Location of Electrical Room

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I'm looking for the design criteria of location of MCC room.

Sometimes, Too big size of LV cable is required considering voltage drop because of long distance between MCC Room and Motors.

It is known MCC room should be loacted as close to Motors but it is not easy to install MCC Room adjac

Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference

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Keith's note: I am at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in Boulder. My plan is to stream several portions of tomorrow's event live via USTREAMTV. First, between 8:30 and 10:00 am MST, will be keynotes by Lori Garver, Pete Worden, Alan Stern, and George Nield. Then, at 12:15 pm MST, there will be a press conference with Lori Garver, Alan Stern, Pete Worden, Jeff Greason and a representative from Virgin Galactic. The webcast will be available here.

Sony DSC-TX5 Rugged Camera is Slim, Slightly Wimpy, But HDR and Panoramic Ready [Cameras]

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Welcome to the rugged camera game, Sony. Your TX5 impresses me with its deck-of-cards size Zeiss lens, and 14-degree rating, but at 10 feet of waterproofness and 5 feet of shock resistance, you're a little fragile.

Other cameras, like the just released Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2, are rated to around 30 feet of depth with respectable image quality. And the Casio EX-G1 is practically as small, although not nearly as capable of a camera.

Still, I respect Sony point and shoots, and this one could be one of the most street friendly because of its sensor and some neat software. The camera has a 10.2 megapixel "Exmor R" CMOS low light sensor, has optical stabilization (handy in a rugged camera) and 10 fps burst modes. (We suspect it has similar guts to the WX1.) Another neat trick is the Intelligent Sweep Panorama, which can stitch together up to 100 separate captures by face matching and judging motion, adjusting them for lens warp to make a huge single image. There's also built in high dynamic range processing which combined bracketed photos. Ideal for capturing detail in sunny or snowy scenes. And smile capture which triggers the shutter when the camera detects a toothy grin or a timer mode that snaps the shot when heads show up in frame. The camera also captures 720p video at 30 frames per second with a special mode that'll allow for 10 times the lens movement to adjust for shake.

Without having used this camera, I'd say it's ideal as a good solid slim point and shoot that can occasionally hit the outdoors. It'll go for $350 this April.

SONY INTRODUCES WATERPROOF DIGITAL STILL CAMERA WITH PERFORMANCE AND STYLE

Model Offers Outstanding Low-Light Performance, High Speed,
Intelligent Sweep Panorama and More

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 17, 2010 – Leading the industry in innovation and design, Sony today unveiled two new Cyber-shot® digital still cameras (models DSC-TX5 and DSC-H55).
Slim enough to fit in your pocket or purse at less than an inch thin — about the size of a deck of cards — the TX5 is the world's thinnest and smallest certified waterproof (up to 10 feet deep) digital still camera with Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization and touch operation. Additionally, the 10.2 megapixel model is Sony's first digital still camera with an "Exmor R" CMOS sensor that is also certified to be freeze proof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, shockproof up to about a 5-foot drop and dust proof.
"Only Sony can deliver a technology-packed, ultra slim, fashionable T-series camera that is also durable. Until now, you couldn't have it all in one camera" said Kelly Davis, director of the Digital Imaging business at Sony Electronics. "It is so versatile because it's a great camera for both indoor and outdoor usage. You can easily take it from a day at the beach with the kids to a cocktail party with friends. This camera is also great for activities such as snorkeling, snowboarding or boating."
Waterproof, Freeze Proof, Shockproof and Dust Proof
Waterproof in up to 10 feet of water for an hour, the TX5 lets you take high-quality photos, including panoramic pictures, and 720p high definition videos of your friends, family or pets underwater. From the tropics to the top of the mountain, the camera is also freeze proof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, so you can take pictures of the kids sledding or snowboarding. Not only is it ready for cold weather, but the TX5 is durable enough to withstand an accidental drop from up to approximately 5 feet. Additionally, it is dust proof, so you can take it with you on a camping trip or a mountain bike ride.
The camera features an "Exmor R" sensor and offers 10fps continuous burst shooting for capturing action shots, so you can get great photos of the perfect moment such as when your kids are in mid air while jumping into the pool. Additionally, the sensor provides outstanding low-light performance so you can take high-quality photos even after the sun sets.
In one easy press-and-sweep motion, take panoramic photos of the underwater landscape or breathtaking views from the top of the mountain using the Intelligent Sweep Panorama™ feature. Another benefit of the "Exmor R" sensor, this innovative feature combines separate captures, detects faces and subject motion and intelligently adjusts the width while stitching the images together, resulting in natural looking panoramic photos.
The camera features a three-inch (measured diagonally) Clear Photo LCD Plus™ (230,400 pixel) wide touch screen display that functions-even underwater. You can focus on your subject, operate the menu and share photos and videos with a touch of the screen-wet or dry. Additionally, you can decorate your photos using the paint feature or scroll through images by simply sweeping your finger across the screen.
Shadows and Details Made Easy
In addition to making it easy to capture entire landscapes or tall buildings, the TX5 camera also helps to manage difficult lighting situations. The "Exmor R" CMOS sensor lets you take high-quality photos in low light without a flash. Additionally, the TX5 has a solution for backlight situations.
With in-camera multi-shot Backlight Correction High Dynamic Range (HDR), the camera combines highlight and shadow detail of two separate captures into one remarkably natural looking image-even without a tripod. HDR offers a solution for strong backlight situations which typically result in either dark shadows in the foreground or a washed out background. Sony's "Exmor R" sensor and BIONZ® processor help to correct these issues.


Sony Cybershot H55: Big 10x Zoom, Small(ish) Camera [Digital Cameras]

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Sony's other new camera is the H55, which goes for the "stuffing a fat zoom lens into a tiny body" party trick (like Nikon's S8000). It's a 10x zoom, starting at a 25mm wide-angle. (I'm curious to see what kind of lens distortion we might get here, if any.)

It shoots 14MP photos and 720p video, plus it has the Sweep Panorama found in some of Sony's other point-and-shoots that lets you shoot a panorama with one sweeping motion. It's $250.

Sony also is introducing the H55 model, which offers high zoom in a compact design. The H55 camera's 10x optical zoom Sony G lens with 25mm wide-angle (equivalent) takes better shots from greater distances and of wider landscapes. With a 14.1 megapixel CCD sensor, this camera lets you take panoramic shots in one sweeping motion with Sweep Panorama™ mode. You can also frame and view photos on its three-inch (measured diagonally) Clear Photo™ LCD screen (230,400 pixels).

Featuring 720p movie recording, the H55 model offers Optical SteadyShot™ image stabilization to help reduce blur in photos without compromising image quality. It also adds Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode, which lets you shoot smoother movie clips even if you are walking while shooting. Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with Active Mode allows a moveable lens element inside the camera to shift with greater range of motion-10 times the range of the Optical SteadyShot feature at wide end in standard mode-to compensate for camera shake.

The TX5 and H55 cameras share intelligent features including HD movie recording (1280 x 720 at 30p). Additionally, these cameras have a Self portrait timer that automatically takes the shot two seconds after one or two faces are detected, making hand held self-portraits easy. They also offer Smile Shutter™ technology to automatically capture smiles and iAUTO and Easy modes, which make it easy to get the best shot in nearly any lighting situation.

To give customers greater choice and enhance the overall customer experience, the TX5 and H55 cameras feature a memory card slot compatible with both Memory Stick® (PRO Duo™) and class-four and above SD/SDHC formats.

Pricing and Availability
The TX5 camera will be available in silver, black, pink, green, and red this April for about $350, and the H55 camera will be available in black and silver this April for about $250. Pre-sales begin in February.


Begun, the Tablet Wars Have: HP’s Slate Wants to Undercut the iPad [Ipad]

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Even if you hate Apple, you can't deny they set the tone. The WSJ reports that while HP announced their Slate first, they waited for the iPad unveil to make changes, like the price—which they plan to undercut.

HP wants to come in under $630 for their full Windows 7 Slate. A tall order, considering that even Asus and MSI, skilled as they are in the art of undercutting, furrowed their collective brows at the iPad's cheaper-than-expected pricing.

And apparently Acer's already backtracking on their promise not to make iPad competitors, with Sumit Agnihotry, a marketing veep at Acer telling the WSJ that working on stuff in between a phone and laptop, and that "Acer plans to introduce possibly more iPad-like devices." Then there's Dell, who found via consumer research what they really want is a five-inch slate for browsing. So voila. Let's not forget JooJoo or Lenovo, either. And Super Kindle!

Oh, this is going to be a fucking mess. [WSJ]


Opacity Measurement of Coating

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Tried searching for opacity of coating information in website, so far I couldn't find any. Opacity is being determined by its transparency. As far as I understand, usually opacity test is conducted based on whiteness not black. Thus do you know that black can used to measure its opacity?

GFCI Type Circuitry for Power Surges

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Power Surges in India is extremely common and the off-the-shelf power surge protectors dont seem to be able to stop the surge, even with a couple of surge protectors. We have lost a couple of appliances/VCRs due to surges. Are they based on 'fuse'-tripping circuits? Couldn't someone come up with

Justin Amash: A real deal Libertarian Republican for Congress

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by Dan Sheill

While the term “REAL LIBERTARIAN” is perhaps the most overused in the Eric Dondero vocabulary (as evidenced by this blog), one candidate for Congress out of West Michigan truly fits the term. Justin Amash is a once in a generation candidate for the libertarian movement, who we can all get behind (unless, of course, you’re an anarchist like Knappster blogger Tom Knapp). He is currently running for Congress in Michigan ’s third district. The day after he announced, incumbent Vern Ehlers (a typical fiscal liberal/social conservative Michigan Republican) announced his intention to retire.

I first came into contact with Justin in February of 2007. At that time, I was just becoming chair of Michigan Republican Liberty Caucus, and to say that we had an active chapter would have been quite an exaggeration. Justin was one of the few people who sought out the organization, not the other way around, and we soon appointed him to our board of directors.

By the following year, he was up and running for the state legislature, winning a huge upset victory over the incumbent’s wife. His election also helped revive the credibility of the Michigan RLC, an organization which was sorely lacking from a public face after we lost former legislator Leon Drolet to term limits in 2006.

Some of the many actions Amash has taken since assuming office include turning down lifetime health care benefits, which every elected representative in Michigan qualifies for (most legislators only remain in office for only about six years). He has introduced a bill which prohibits the forced unionization of home health care providers. Currently, the state considers a private health care provider to actually be a public employee if say their elderly patients pay for the services with Medicare or some other government subsidy.

He has proposed right to work legislation for any government or public school employee, and has also fought “prevailing wage” laws on government contracts, which are simply kickbacks for organized labor whom almost always win the bids. And when one state legislator proposed that a state university restaurant receive a variance in order to operate with a liquor license on campus property, Amash offered a friendly amendment to grant that same privilege to the owners of restaurants located at any state college or university.

But what has put him on the political map has been his taking on the bogus Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a governmental entity created over ten years ago to supposedly help bring jobs to the state. Michigan over that same period of time has developed the highest unemployment rate in the country. Basically, the MEDC picks winners and losers in the marketplace by giving huge tax breaks to a select few companies, which are paid for in many cases by their small business competitors.

A good example of this is Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm’s prized film tax credit, which reimburses up to 40% of the production costs of any movie made in Michigan . Amash has been the legislature’s biggest critic of this program, drawing the ire of the liberal left back home who delusionally believe that Detroit can somehow become the Hollywood of the Midwest .

I suppose this could happen if Robocop joined forces with Kurt Russell’s character Snake Plissken to make the blockbuster entitled “Escape from Detroit,” since so many able bodied people (including myself) have done so in the last few years. If you’ve ever been to Detroit , you’d probably agree that it would make the perfect backdrop for the sequel to “Terminator Salvation.”

Justin was born and raised in Grand Rapids , where he was valedictorian of his high school. He went on to the University of Michigan where earned his bachelor’s and juris doctor, later practicing business law back home in Grand Rapids. He and his wife Kara have two beautiful young children.

My personal opinion is that I hate to see him leave the Michigan legislature where I believe that his work is unfinished. However, I wish him the best in his campaign for Congress. Of course, Libertarian Republicans will be working hard in the coming months to do everything we can to elect Justin, who is about the finest exemplar of our movement and our true beliefs, in the Midwest, and perhaps the entire U.S. To learn more about it, please visit http://www.amashforcongress.com.

Editor's Note - Dan Sheill is a Michigan Attorney, temporarily residing in Texas. He's also a National Committee member of the RLC.

Sarah Palin backs another libertarian-leaning GOPer for Congress: Wisconsin’s Sean Duffy

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From Eric Dondero:

Three weeks ago, it was Rand Paul, running for US Senate in Kentucky; a family man, Constitionalist and Tax fighter, but with a libertarian streak on social matters. Sarah Palin gave him her enthusiastic support on her Facebook page, which rocked the political world, and could have very well have thrown the race in his direction.

Now Sarah Palin is giving some strong indications that such youthful libertarian-oriented candidates are the ones who she's most willing to campaign for and support.

Wisconsin's Sean Duffy has been called a "fiscal conservative" and "social libertarian." He is a staunch budget cutter, tax fighter and proud Tea Party member. But he's also got a socially tolerant streak. He was one of the cast members of MTV's Real World show over 10 years ago. (Photo below of Duffy and his future wife whom he met on the Real World set, in the lower left corner).

From The Buzz a celebrity-oriented website from 2006:

Duffy has been painted as a political moderate, but says that is a false label and maintains he is a "solid conservative"...

Duffy's strong libertarian leanings and "live and let live" attitude... small government approach could help unite a party that must put aside its differences on social issues...

From Sarah Palin's Facebook Page yesterday:

There is hope! And this hope lies in draining the swamp in D.C. and sending Commonsense Conservatives to Washington who understand the need for fiscal restraint. Those who are willing to rein in spending, respect Constitutional limits, and repeal the stimulus should get our support, and those who have been part of the problem should be replaced.

In this election year, we’ll see many daring Davids take on entrenched Goliaths. Just one of these many brave souls is a northern Wisconsin patriot named Sean Duffy. He’s running in Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district against a liberal Goliath who’s been in Congress over 40 years now and has the dubious distinction of being the author of the stimulus bill. To commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the stimulus, Sean Duffy is holding a fundraising “money bomb” for his campaign so he can replace the career politician who drafted this government-bloating behemoth.

If you’re frustrated about the waste in the stimulus bill, please support a solid fiscal conservative who will work to repeal it. Please visit Sean Duffy’s website and help him help us correct the mistakes of this past year.

Interestingly, there are some stunning similarities between Palin and Duffy, outside the obvious nearly identical political positions. Palin herself was deemed a "social libertarian" in her early political career, most specifically in the 2006 GOP primary for Governor; she has a somewhat exotic family life with a sports eccentric husband and uniquely named children, and she once made favorable remarks about Alaska's lax laws on marijuana use.

Duffey is taking on longtime entrenched Democrat incumbent and House Appropriations Chairman Rep. David Obey. An appearance in the district or two by Palin herself, could work to even the playing field.