MAR 06
Link of the day
Fake happiness.
Pretending to be happy at work can make you ill – says a new study
from the Organisational Psychology department at the University of Frankfurt
am Main.
Researchers set up a fake call centre – for railway customer complaints – staffed by 80 students.
Half were allowed to say exactly what they thought to angry ‘customers’ - the others had to be nice - which proved decidedly bad for their health . . .
Really Magazine suggests a follow-up study to find out if the call centre’s staff ‘fake happiness’ is also bad for the customers – who can, of course, unfailingly detect it within a few seconds of conversation.
Or would you rather talk to a robot ?
The study is published in the current issue of the British Medical Journal ( subscribers only )
؟ ؟ ؟
Also see this previous research ( from the same dept ) ( Google translation from German )
31 MAR 06
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Psssst ! anyone want to check out a water cannon ?
" people of different faiths can live together
in harmony and peace "
says British prime minister Tony Blair on his 24hr visit to Indonesia.
Which is of course true - they can - given the chance . . .
The squeaky-clean BBC report unfortunately neglected to mention however one of the primary reasons for the trip - for which we’ll have to go to CNN instead :
It’s to ‘ normalize defence ties ’ between the two countries :
translation ? :
Tony wants to oil the wheels of harmony and peace by organising the re-commencement of arms exports from the UK to Indonesia . . .
Really Magazine hopes that Tony is aware of the EU ‘ Code of Conduct on Arms Export ’ – to which the UK is fully signed up.
It states that member countries which manufacture weapons and wish to export them around the globe ( as the UK does ) should not issue an export licence :
“ if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression. “
And, for the avoidance of any doubt, the code explains exactly what ‘ Internal
repression ’ means :
“ Internal repression includes, inter alia, torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, summary or arbitrary executions, disappearances, arbitrary detentions and other major violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms as set out in relevant international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. “
So,
any countries spring to mind Tony ?
؟ ؟ ؟
For everything you ever wanted to know ( and more ) about the UK’s recent history of arms exports to Indonesia, see this report from CAAT.org
30 MAR 06
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Dangers in the flowerbeds.
As many have pointed out - nothing is risk free - not even a garden.
125,000 people ended up in hospital emergency departments in the US in 2003
as a result of gardening.
As part of their campaign to counter the alarming number of gardening-related injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published an on-line guide.
It reveals, as might be expected, that most injuries occur as a result of garden machinery – but there are less obvious dangers too :
For instance, you should :
• Be aware of slopes, holes, slippery spots, and uneven steps.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day to replace lost fluids. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink.
• Listen to your body and monitor your level of fatigue, heart rate, and physical discomfort
You should not :
• Drink alcohol
• Work under the hot sun
• Use strong chemicals and poisons to protect your lawn and garden except when absolutely necessary.
The site has forty or so recommendations to make the pastime safer :
29 MAR 06
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Shoe-size not a factor
Really Magazine is much confused by a report in The Times yesterday.
Germans have an IQ of 107, Swedes 104, and Finns 99 says the article.
Curiously though, a similar table from just four years ago ( emanating from the same researcher ) gives the figures as 102, 101 and 97.
Perhaps we’re all getting smarter then ?
As well as linking geographic location to IQ, other research from the author, Richard Lynn, Professor Emeritus, University of Ulster also takes into account :
• per capita income
• winter and summer temperatures
• and skin colour.
And along slightly similar lines, another IQ study ( just published in the March/April edition of the journal ‘ Intelligence ’ ) also looks at IQ corelated with:
• per capita income
• winter and summer temperatures
• and skin colour.
Though the journal has taken the unusual step of publishing a ‘Comment’ in the same edition which states :
“ correlations obtained from this type of analysis are completely non-informative regarding any causal or functional connection between individual differences in skin pigmentation and individual differences in IQ, nor are they informative regarding the causal basis of the correlation . . .”
errr . . . right.
Really Magazine isn't yet altogether convinced about the alleged link between IQ and brain-size either.
Which, according to prof. Lynn, varies ( on average ) from
a somewhat diminutive 1282 cc up to a fully impressive 1416 cc
in humans.
If all this isn't perplexing enough for you, Google this : shin color IQ - it will lead you directly to the prof's website . . .
28 MAR 06
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Saving the forests.
1.3 million cubic meters of timber is used every year in the production of 15 billion wooden chopsticks in China.
In an attempt to ( slightly ) discourage unnecessary chopstick use, the Chinese government is bringing in a 5% tax surcharge – on 1st April.
No, really, they are.
( ABC1’s should note that this is in addition to the existing 10% tax on yachts and golfballs )
27 MAR 06 (late)
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Big Bills.
Which is heavier, a ton of sand or a ton of feathers ? Which is valued more, a $100 bill, or 10 x $10 bills ?
The answer is revealed by a study published in the current issue of The Journal of Consumer Research – it's the big one.
“It is easier to assess the value of a large bill -- a $100 bill is worth exactly that -- one hundred dollars. The fact that smaller bills (10 $10 bills) can combine to form various values (e.g., $20, $50 or $100), actually hinders the consumer's processing fluency or ability to give the currency one unique value. “
The study opens the intriguing possibility ( according to the authors ) that banks may be able to increase the total amount of consumer spending just by stocking their AT(M) machines with lower denomination notes.
Perhaps the effect could be exploited even further if the machines stocked no notes at all – just coins ? ( Note * bring your own wheelbarrow )
Also see: University
of Iowa's Tippie College of Business press
release.
27 MAR 06
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From alpha to omega ( and back again )
The result of a huge study into the ( possible ) health benefits of eating plenty of Omega 3 oils was released today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The new work reviewed and co-ordinated the results of 89 previous research projects.
To cut to the chase, the conclusion was that there is :
“ no evidence of clear benefits of omega 3 fats on health.”
So, what are the public now to make of the UK government's Food Standards Agency ( motto: Putting the Consumer First ) guidelines like this one ? which states:
“ The majority of the UK population does not consume enough fish, particularly oily fish, and should be encouraged to increase consumption. “
Just when and where did the ' we should eat more oily fish ' meme first take hold ? As far as Really Magazine has been able to determine, it all began in Denmark in 1972.
[ Bang HO, Dyerberg J. Plasma lipids and lipoproteins in Greenlandic west coast Eskimos. Acta Med Scand 1972;192:85-94. ]
• Fact 1 : The Inuit people of Greenland have a very
low incidence of coronary heart disease.
• Fact 2 : They tend to eat a lot of oily fish.
The study linked the two.
؟ ؟ ؟
Reader Carmelita points us towards the possibility
of Omega 3-rich bacon via GM'd
pigs. Mmmmmmmmmm !
24 MAR 06
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Link of the day
Executive monkeys
A new study from the Duke University Medical Centre showed macaque monkeys photos of high-ranking colleagues - and complete-nobody monkeys - looking either to the left or the right.
The experimental subjects assiduously followed the gaze of the ‘execs’ and consistently ignored the nobodies.
Researchers hope that further studies might reveal :
<quote>
“ - what hormonal and/or genetic influences determine who becomes the monkey or human equivalent of Donald Trump, and who becomes a Woody Allen. “
<unquote>
W e l l l l l l l , Really Magazine is not completely sure of the implications
of that statement – but
here’s an artists impression of what it might look like.
23 MAR 06
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Quote of the day
“ fundamental science should be treated with the utmost respect. A person who does not understand its role in modern society is a trivial obscurantist. “
Professor Vitaly
Lazarevich Ginzburg ( Nobel prize for physics 2003 ) in a
recent
letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What are they on ?
“ The structure of the humpback whale song is repetitive and rigid. “ says the press release from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Researchers used a bespoke computer programme to apply parametric and nonparametric entropy estimators to the songs – and found that :
“ the maximum amount of information that could be communicated by the sequence of sounds made is less than 1 bit per second. “
In contrast, the same entropic analysis shows that human speech ( in English ) “ generates 10 bits of information for each word spoken. “
10 bits for each word ? really ? [ that’s 60 bits ]
Really Magazine would like to point out that it might perhaps be an idea for future research to compare like with like.
Viz. songs with songs
In other words, analyse this :
( featured track ‘Sonic Chaos ’ by Antimatter , available from UKDancerecords.com £5.49 )
* * *
For the best possible introduction to whale songs, buy the classic album ' Songs of the Humpback Whale '.
The songs were recorded in the 1960’s using arrays of military hydrophones designed to detect Soviet submarines.
22 MAR 06
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Link of the day
Major Extinction Events in the history of the Earth ( so far )
440 million years ago
375 million years ago
250 million years ago
205 million years ago
65 million years ago
and errrrr . . . now.
That’s according to Biodiversity Outlook 2 (BDO2) a booklet launched yesterday at the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Curitiba, Brazil.
“ Species are going extinct at rates 1,000 times the background rates typical of Earth’s past. The direct causes of biodiversity loss - habitat change, overexploitation, the introduction of invasive alien species, nutrient loading and climatechange - show no sign of abating.”
The 81 page booklet gives an excellent overview of the current sad situation :
“ The global demand for resources now exceeds the biological capacity of the Earth to renew these resources by some 20%. “ *
It’s pretty much essential reading for enthusiasts of reality.
Being an 8Mb .pdf file, readers will need to be fairly very determined to download a copy, but it’s well worth the effort.
Caution : May cause despondency
* Note
The 20% overdemand figure is averaged across the entire human population. But very many millions of people across the world are living in abject poverty. If the same calculation is made for occupants of a ‘developed’ country such as the UK, it comes out at around 200% - and in the US 400% ( source: BBC Material World 16 Mar 06 )
21 MAR 06
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Organ Plumbing
“ The instruments at Salisbury Cathedral, St Paul’s in London, Worcester Cathedral, St Albans Abbey and Birmingham Town Hall are among the first that may be silenced. “
says this piece in The Times last Saturday.
It explains in detail how the lead used in the organ pipes will exceed permissible levels when new EU legislation comes into force in July 2006.
Really Magazine would like to point out though that EU directive 2002 96/EC WEEE will only cover electrical appliances.
If organs aren’t powered by electric fans – they will exempt.
By the end of the middle ages, very large organs ( with lead pipes ) were a common feature in many European abbeys and cathedrals. though none have survived, we can guess that they weren’t powered by electricity.
Why not go back to the traditional method of employing teams of manual bellow operators ? ( helping to partially alleviate the current EU unemployment crisis at the same time ? )
Alternatively, the cathedrals could switch to another tried and tested method of organ power - using steam - in a variation called the calliope.
Given enough steam, couldn’t this could provide an awe inspiring visual display as well as a musical one ?
Update :
As of June 27th 2006, the EU has exempted organ pipes from the directive.
* * *
For a short history of organ development through the ages, see this page
20 MAR 06
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Something for the weekend.
The entire volume of Charles Mackay’s ‘ Extraordinary Popular Delusions And The Madness Of Crowds ’ written in 1841 (ish), is available on the www. ( or, you can buy it from Amazon )
Don’t miss his essays ‘ The Magnetisers ’ – here’s a clip :
1. Six wine glasses, filled with water unmesmerised, were placed on a table, and Jane Okey being called in, was requested to drink from each of them successively. She did so, and no effect was produced.
2. The same six glasses stood on the table, the water in the fourth having been subjected for a long time to the supposed magnetic influence. She was requested in like manner to drink of these. She did so, and again no effect was produced, although, according to the doctrine of the magnetisers, she ought to have been immediately fixed on drinking of the fourth.
3. In this experiment the position of the glasses was changed. There was no result.
4. Was a repetition of the foregoing. No result.
5. The water in all the glasses was subjected to the supposed magnetic influence from the fingers of Dr. Elliotson, until, in his opinion, it was strongly magnetised. Still no result.
6. The glasses were filled up with fresh water unmesmerised. No result.
7. The water was strongly magnetised in each glass, and the girl emptied them all. No result.
He ends :
“ In England, the delusion of magnetism may for the present be considered as fairly exploded. “
that was in 1841 remember – little could he have imagined that now, in 2006 . . .
The entire book is to be found, amongst other places, on Richard Mason’s excellent website
17 MAR 06 (late)
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This may raise your eyebrows ( if they're still working )
It’s time for an update on the numbers of surgical cosmetic procedures in the US (2005)
The top 5 were :
• liposuction (324,000),
• nose reshaping (298,000),
• breast augmentation (291,000),
• eyelid surgery (231,000),
• tummy tuck (135,000),
facelifts, however, were down to just 109,000 “ as
a result of increased consumer demand for minimally-invasive injectable wrinkle
fillers and fighters “
think : Botox®* : which was used in 3.8 million procedures ( it doesn't appear in the table above - being classed as ' minimally-invasive ' rather than surgical.)
Full details from the American
Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
* Note:
Astonishing as it may seem, the exact mechanism by which Botulinum neurotoxin A gains access to nerve cells was until very recently unknown.
The results of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) research project were published yesterday, identifying the cellular receptor for the first time. The new knowledge may help in the quest for efficient antidotes to the poison – one of the most lethal substances known.
Bearing in mind that there are, at an absolute minimum, 3.8 million doses in circulation each year in the US alone – the sooner the better.
17 MAR 06
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O
Disappointingly, Really Magazine wasn’t invitied to attend the prizegiving ceremony in New York yesterday.
We can report however, that the £795,000 Templeton prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities was awarded to prof John D. Barrow. Research Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.
The professor is - amongst many other things - author of 1999 book ‘ Impossibility – the limits of science and the science of limits ’ – in which he – amongst many other things – launched the concept of:
“ The big ‘ O ’ “
a hypothetical Omniscient Being.
Really Magazine is not sure whether that was a contributing factor towards the judges decision, but in any event it’s an excellent read, which we can thoroughly recommend.
Back to the prize though, you can ( in theory at least ) watch the hour long presentation ceremony here ( Realplayer format : good luck )
* * *
Many thanks to reader Anonymous who pointed us towards this ( somewhat
harsh ) piece in yesterday’s Globe and Mail
16 MAR 06 (late late edtion)
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In$ect$
There are plenty of options for gleaning introductory details about BAA 06-22 - one of the best sources is the BBC.
‘ Pentagon plans cyber-insect army ‘ was posted yesterday.
Readers who require more detailed info though, could look here :
It should be noted, for instance, that the idea is not restricted just to flying insects -
“Although flying insects are of great interest (e.g. moths and dragonflies), hopping and swimming insects could also meet final demonstration goals. “
Large companies, small companies, and even individuals who would like to apply for the research grants are encouraged to attend ( the free ) ' Proposer's Day Workshop ’ in support of the Hybrid Insect MEMS program on March 24th, 2006 “ at a location in the vicinity of Arlington, Virginia.”
Maybe somewhere near here ?
But purleese, no timewasters. As the Darpa website points out :
“ We can all agree that anti-gravity has military utility, and we would love to fund such a program, but the key question is how will you achieve anti-gravity ? “
* * *
* Note :
Despite an extensive search of the on-line material, Really Magazine wasn’t able to find any mention whatever of one crucial detail regarding the proposals – namely, the scale of the grant$ which are available. If anyone can give us an idea, please get in touch.
16 MAR 06 (late edtion)
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An exclusive interview with Don Wise . . .
Professor Emeritus of Structural Geology, Dept. of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts at Amherst – and coiner of the phrase ‘ Incompetent Design ’ (ID)
Really Magazine interviewed the professor regarding his ID ideas . . .
Plus! there's a special bonus
item on his theory of formation of the moon by rotational fission.
16 MAR 06
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Myo-inositol 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexakis dihydrogen phosphate breakdown by myo-inositol hexakisphosphate phosphohydrolase in transgenic Sus scrofa domesticus.
' Why GM is Good for Us ' appears in the Mar 20th issue of Newsweek International.
The article focuses ( in the main ) on the ongoing development of Enviropig™ – from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It’s been created in an attempt to cut down on the amounts of ecologically damaging phosphate overloaded run-off from pig farms.
" Enviropig™ is a transgenic animal capable of synthesizing its own salivary phytase. Therefore, the Enviropig™ will not require supplemental phosphorus in the ration and will excrete 35-85% less phosphorus in its fecal material. ”
The patent-applied-for pig
has been GM’d to produce phytase in its saliva. Phytase being an enzyme
which can break down phytate – a
phosphorus-rich compound which commonly exists in plants ( and therefore
pigfood ) as Ca-Mg-K salts of phytic acid.
Really Magazine wonders where all that phosphorus – which, over the last few million years or so has traditionally passed though the pig more or less undigested – will now end up . . .
One answer springs to mind. It might stay in the pig instead.
For discussion :
• Would phosphorus-rich pork be better for us ?
• Can we register the name PhosphoSausage™ ? / PhoSaus™ / PhosoSaus™ etc etc
• Will they glow
in the dark ?
The Really Magazine office is largely vegetarian, so perhaps we’ll leave
any further research to others.
* * *
Notes :
• The pig to human ratio is now 2-1 in some European countries.
• “ We cannot reliably predict when the EnviropigsTM will reach the consumers. “ quote from the university fact sheet.
• Farm animals (pigs, goats, sheep, cows, horses, rabbits and the
like), rodents (such as mice and rats), domestic pets (eg. cats and dogs),
fish and poultry
(eg. chickens) are included in the scope of this
invention. [ our italics ]
15 MAR 06 (late)
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Comet conundra
The assumptions about the makeup and formation of comets are being challenged - thanks to the materials collected by the NASA ‘ Stardust ’ probe.
The
spacecraft passed within 149 miles of the comet Wild-2 in January
2004, and returned to Earth with some of its dust two years later.
According to a NASA press briefing released yesterday :
" It seems that comets are not composed entirely of volatile rich materials but rather are a mixture of materials formed at all temperature ranges, at places very near the early sun and at places very remote from it."
The samples analysed so far include Forsterite / Olivine , common minerals on Earth, which can only form at very high temperatures.
Comets – Wild-2 at least – are turning out to be more like the agglomerated contents of cosmic hoover-bags than ‘dirty snowballs’.
More info, including hi-res photos of the dust, here :
15 MAR 06
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Really Magazine exclusive.
A new challenger has emerged as a possible alternative to the ‘ Hop
Rod ’ butane-powered pogo stick from the 1960's.
A Californian patent, issued today, “ can be configured to propel an adult user six feet or more into the air.”
It takes a pneumatic approach, which, as far as Really Magazine has been ale to determine, appears to be passive in nature. Slightly disappointing perhaps - but presumably a link to an external pressurised air supply could be incorporated in future models.
Full details here:
* * *
Note:
The Hop Rod , built by Chance Manufacturing Inc. in Wichita, was banned from sale to the public in the early 1970’s.
Also see :
Professor Kunikov’s gas-powered boots.
14 MAR 06 (late)
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Fibreglass cows – a longitudinal study.
The latest fibreglass cow exhibition is under way at Cottesloe Beach , Perth Australia.
( the work, ' B(l)eached
Cows ' is part of the ‘ Sculpture
by the sea ‘ event – free to the public and running
until 19th Mar. – which is featuring creations by 47 different artists.
)
An Really Magazine research project endeavoured to trace the origin of the fibreglass cow : results so far -
• Bucharest 2005
• Johannesburg 2005
• Sydney 2002
perhaps though, the seminal work was the original ‘ Cow Parade ’
• Chicago 1999
But Really Magazine has
a hunch that the Chicago event might not have been the first time that the
fibreglass cow entered the zeitgeist.
Can any readers enlighten us with earlier origins ?
Comments:
Reader Tim L alerts us to the substantial 1978 cow installation at Milton Keynes in the UK. These cows were not fibreglass however, they were concrete. Ed.
Following a lead provided by reader Carmelita :
The first fibreglass models were, it seems, originally sculpted the cows for ' Land Ahoy – Off to Zurich ', a public art event staged in Zurich, Switzerland in 1998.
* * *
Further reading : Fibreglass camels
14 MAR 06
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Quote of the week :
“ On any plate of food the only things that can be relied on to be safe to eat are those chemicals, natural or synthetic, which are traces of pesticides or hormones or those that have E-numbers. The rest of the food must be taken on trust.”
Source : ' Making sense of chemical stories : a briefing for the lifestyle sector on misconceptions about chemicals '
published by Senseaboutscience.org.uk
13 MAR 06 ( late edition )
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Are we there yet ?
This week, London's Hampstead Scientific Society is hosting a series of free talks - as they do every year during Science Week.
E.g. – ‘ How smart will robots get ‘ – by Igor Aleksander, FREng, Prof of Neural Systems Engineering, Imperial College.
The professor has written extensively about the possibilities for ‘ machine consciousness ‘. As he points out “ ‘ Mind ’ and its relation to ‘ Brain ’ is not just for late night discussion: It is the area of greatest ignorance in medicine. “
It’s worth remembering too that as yet there is no agreed definition of what consciousness actually is – so the quest to build consciousness into man-made machines is likely to be a long one.
Though it could of course ‘emerge’ spontaneously.
The most complex machine ever constructed is the worldwide telecomm network
and all the computers connected to it – but so far rumours of any emergent
intelligence would seem to be greatly exaggerated.
13 MAR 06
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Disease Mongering conference update.
Feeling low ? Listless ? Exhausted even ? Could you be suffering from Motivational Deficiency Disorder (MoDeD) ?
Unlikely, since the condition doesn’t exist as yet. It’s been dreamed up by David Henry, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Newcastle University, Australia, to demonstrate the techniques of ‘ Disease Mongering ’.
A presentation entitled ‘ MoDeD: Epidemiology, causation and preliminary experience with indolebant. Be present at the birth of an important new disease ‘ is the first item on the agenda of the upcoming disease mongering conference to be held at the Royal Newcastle Hospital , April 11th – 13th, 2006
“ a public relations company will demonstrate how a disease is ‘managed’, how it is promoted into the community and will explain all the steps and techniques involved in this process,”
think :
• ‘spontaneous’ ‘grass roots’ sufferer’s websites ( covertly bankrolled by Big Pharma )
• articles in respectable medical journals ‘ghostwritten’ by PR staff.
• ' perception management '
Etc etc
Also on the agenda at the conference:
Direct to consumer advertising – beyond legislative control : Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, Australia
Rewriting scientific abstracts to support disease-mongering : Peter Parry Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Eastern CAMHS, South Australia
Reclaiming health from the spin doctors: Bob Burton Freelance journalist, Canberra Australia
Click here for the full programme
* * *
Further reading : click to view these books
Selling Sickness by
Ray Moynihan & Alan Cassels
* * *
10 MAR 06 (late edition)
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Make art not landfill.
Really Magazine would like to re-pose the old questions ‘ Can art sometimes be rubbish ’ and ‘ Can rubbish sometimes be art ? ’
It’s been more than four years since cleaner Emmanuel Asare accidentally threw out a carefully-crafted pile of trash – by Damien Hirst – valued at £n grand - from the über-fashionable Eyestorm gallery in central London.
But that was definitely not the last time that rubbish has been used to create works of art.
For instance, there’s the ongoing Artists in Residence project organised by Norcal Waste Systems ( a.k.a. Sunset Scavenger / Golden Gate Disposal ) – all the artworks are created by local artists, and formed from, based on, and inspired by rubbish from San Francisco’s waste stream – to which the artists get ‘unlimited access’.
Their 2,000-square-foot art studio is located within a 46-acre property that includes several recycling facilities and the Public Disposal Area - also known as ' the dump ' ( near Monster Park.)
The next show – from artists Sarah Barsness and Ed Clapp - will held at the art studio, 503 Tunnel Ave. San Francisco, on Friday evening (5-9 pm) April 21 and on Saturday afternoon (1-5 pm) April 22, 2006.
Full details of the project, which preceded Damien’s rubbish idea
by some 10 years, here :
10 MAR 06
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Link of the day
' More on salt ' from the UK gov Food Standards Agency ( eat no more than 6g a day )
It’s a jungle out there ( in Northampton )
“ With the current management ethos of team building and bonding coupled with the high stress levels many experience at work, more and more companies are now turning to specialist activities to motivate, develop or reward staff. “
says the UK's* tanks-a-lot website.
An impressive list of blue chip companies have already taken advantage of the opportunity to allow their staff to bond – by driving a tank.
For even more intensive corporate leadership enhancement activities, companies can also sign up their staff for ‘ The Full Monty ’ – which allows access to a 432 Armoured personal carrier, a Lance missile carrier, an Abbot Gun Tank, a Hagglund Bv206, and also incorporates a terrorism lecture, and crucial briefings regarding landmines, trip wires and jungle warfare.
As if all that wasn’t enough, the ‘winner’ of the day’s personal development activities “ gets the chance to drive a 56ton Chieftain Main Battle Tank....... over a family saloon car ! “
(* Note : not to be confused with
this one in Australia )
09 MAR 06 (late edition)
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Patrick Moore ( plays the xylophone too )
Very best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS – who, at 83, is in hospital today having a pacemaker fitted.
Patrick is the presenter of the UK’s longest running TV show ‘ The Sky at Night ’ – which takes a monthly look at all things astronomical.
He has a stellar talent – which would put many a university lecturer in the shade - for presenting complex facts in a clear, enthusiastic and thoroughly grounded way.
We hope that he recovers in time to present the next Sky at Night – for who on earth could possibly take his place ?
Quite frankly, we just don’t know.
{ for non UK readers who would like to get to know how Patrick works, try
and here
}
09 MAR 06
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Openness and honesty – the key to trust.
The Social Market Foundation ( an independent think-tank “ established in 1989 to provide a source of innovative economic and social policy ideas.” ) has just published a report entitled ‘ Science Risk and the Media ‘.
Arguing that “ misreporting of scientific research has eroded public confidence in the Government and industry ”
It quotes as examples such alarming headlines as “ Mobile Phones Make You Blind “ ( Sunday Mirror ) and “ Frankenstein (sic.) Comes To Life “ ( Daily Mail )
And suggests several strategies which might help to remedy the situation : for example
• Newspapers and broadcasters should employ more science graduates.
• Universities should offer multidisciplinary science degrees which include issues of ethics.
• The link between funding and media coverage needs to be broken.
Really Magazine couldn’t agree more with all of those steps - especially the last one . . .
Notes:
( The Social Market Foundation received ( in 2004 ) just over half its funding from industry : for example - BP International, the Chemical Industries Association, GlaxoSmithKline, the Mobile Operators Association, Pfizer, Shell international, the Sugar Bureau, etc etc )
source: their
annual report
Also see:
The Science Media Centre’s brochure ‘ Communicating Risk in a Soundbite ‘ which might be helpful for any scientists, doctors and engineers preparing for a media interview - here's some of their hot tips . . .
• Stay calm
• Say “ I certainly won’t stop eating X because of this “
• Don’t say “ That cloud of chemicals is no more dangerous than a gin and tonic ”
The Science Media Centre is funded
by ( for example ) BP International,
the Chemical Industries Association, GlaxoSmithKline, the Mobile Operators
Association,
Pfizer, Shell Chemicals, Tate and Lyle plc etc etc
08 MAR 06
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Indispensable for baptisms and batteries
“ Ecopsychology, or eco-psychology as it is sometimes called, is situated at the intersection of a number of fields of enquiry, including environmental philosophy, psychology, and ecology, but is not limited by any disciplinary boundaries.”
Read more here: www.ecopsychology.org
If you only click on one link today, make it this one >
' In Praise of Water ' - an on-line essay from the same source.
07 MAR 06
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Still hot and bothered
The US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) takes transport very seriously :
“ In America, the personal car (or light truck) is not only a right we expect, or a necessity for our way of life but also a symbol of our freedom. “
and, perhaps bearing in mind that it’s still summer in at least half of the world, they have press-released details of a new method of what we might call ‘ in-car thermal freedom enhancement ’.
With the help of ADAM (ADvanced Automotive Manikin) – “ which actually breathes and sweats “ they have recently been testing fan-cooled vehicle seats.
Two fans are located in each seat, one in the seat cushion, and one in the seat back. “ By removing the cause of restlessness, the entire vehicle will be perceived as more comfortable “.
At first sight, it may not seem like huge leap forward in the effort to
secure an energy future for the nation that is environmentally and economically
sustainable ; but the NREL points out -
" If all passenger vehicles had ventilated seats,
we estimate that there could be a 7.5 percent reduction in national air-conditioning
fuel use.”
Really Magazine welcomes any idea which might help to decrease driver-restlessness, but wonders where the hot air – extracted from under the seats – actually ends up ?
Unless it’s ducted to the outside of the vehicle*, then the hot, sweaty, and decidedly less-than-refreshing air will simply be recirculated back into the driver compartment. And, bearing in mind the additional heat caused by the fan motors, wouldn't the overall medium-term effect be to heat up the inside of the vehicle ? . . .
[ * note: it
isn't ]
06 MAR 06
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I said open the pod bay doors HAL . . .
An estimated 1.3 million people in the US are injured each year from medication errors – and a simple, but deadly contributing factor is confusion over the administering of drugs which have similar(ish) names.
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is very much aware of the problem – here’s an outline of the potential for confusion, which they published last year.
In a quick search for possible candidates, Really Magazine turned up :
toradol / tramadol
promazine / protamine
phentermine / phenelzine
There are currently over 4,400 trademarked drug brand-names in the US alone, so it’s clear that choosing a new name which is very hard to confuse with another is no easy task.
Especially bearing in mind that names which have substantially different spellings can still sound alike when spoken.
Help may be at hand though with a new(ish) A.I. software suite called ALINE, described in the January issue of the journal ‘Artificial Intelligence in Medicine ’
The software specifically searches for pronunciation similarities between word pairs – and is currently being used by the FDA to rank possible new names in terms of confusability.
The new system can, it's said, identify sound-alike drug names with great accuracy in a matter of seconds.
The author of the programme is making it available free of charge for anyone who has a use for it – and has even implemented a live version for the internet.
Really Magazine put it to the test with some word pairs : which are given a similarity-rating by the artificial intelligence engine . . .
First test, a control : two identical words
scotland / scotland [similarity score:240]
Oddly though, another identical pair got a very different score
doyle / doyle [similarity score:115]
Now, as another control, two words which sound very different
orange / parsnip [similarity score: 62]
And on to some pairs of words which Really Magazine thought sounded pretty similar.
bough / now [similarity score: 44]
dough / no [similarity score: 40]
psyche / nike [similarity score: 44]
As you can see, the computer disagreed with us.
As a final test, some more real drug names
vincristine / vindesine [crashed the system ]
metoprolol / misoprostol [crashed the system]
. . .
Perhaps ALINE is a bit under the weather at the moment.
04 MAR 06
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300 million golfers can’t be wrong.
A little more spin on the ‘ Golfball in Space ‘ story.
Here’s the press-release - from three weeks back.
However,
as the BBC was reporting yesterday, not everyone thinks that launching
a golfball from the International Space Station (ISS) is such a
great idea . . .
If all goes according to plan, the golfball will slowly decay into an orbit which will see it burn up like a meteorite in the upper regions of the atmosphere.
If all doesn’t go according to plan – let’s, for example, envisage a scenario where the trajectory of the shot accidently leaves it in the same orbit as the ISS - then it could cause some damage next time it comes around.
Though the “ head- on collision with an impact speed of about 9.4km (5.8 miles) per second “ mentioned by the BBC seems somewhat exaggerated.
True, they’ll be hitting the ball with a scandium-alloy club – but Really Magazine doubts if even Tiger Woods could manage a 9.4km per second drive.
The astro-golf attempt awaits final approval . . .
For a computer-generated artist’s impression of what the space golf
attempt might possibly look like - see this
video ( caution: 40Mb .wmv file
). ( the clip also includes real footage of NASA astronauts ‘ playing
golf ’ on
the moon – pure cheese of course. )
03 MAR 06
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Suit you Madam . . .
“ Researchers [ from Ohio State University ] secretly
observed interactions between customers and salesclerks at three large-sized
women's clothing stores,
timing how long clerks took to greet customers, and rating the clerks' friendliness. “
( Note : that’s ‘large-sized women’ – not ‘large-sized stores’ )
Results ?
“ Well-dressed and groomed women received the friendliest and, in some cases, fastest service from salesclerks. “
Really Magazine doesn’t know what conclusion to draw on this one, especially considering the grooming levels in the office - which barely qualify us for getting a pint in the Coach and Horses without an insult . . .
see: http://researchnews.osu.edu
Note: “The large-sized apparel business is one of the faster growing segments in the fashion industry “
02 MAR 06
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Where does ‘Patriotism’ end - and ‘Nationalism’ begin ?
It’s simply explained thus by researchers from the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), Univ. of Chicago :
“ Patriotism is love of one’s country or dedicated allegiance to same, while nationalism is a strong national devotion that places one’s own country above all others. National pride co-exists with patriotism and is a prerequisite of nationalism, but nationalism extends beyond national pride, and feeling national pride is not equivalent to being nationalistic . . .“
OK?
The study across 33 nations, published today in the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, found Venezuela the country which scored highest in ‘ National Pride ‘.
On a scale of 0 – 25, Venezuela clocked up an impressive 18, followed closely by the United States with 17.7.
Then came Australia (17.5), Austria (17.4), South Africa (17), Canada (17), Chile (17.1), New Zealand (16.6) and Israel (16.2).
And down at the bottom of the list ?
Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Latvia - and last of all the eastern portion of Germany . . .
Does the study tell us about possible national psychological tendencies ?, or perhaps the influence of simple geographic advantages ?, or historical perceptions across the populations ?, or a mixture of all three ? – or more ? – or none ? - of the above ?
Really Magazine is not sure.
The full article is ‘subscribers only', but here’s the first 150 words . . .
01 MAR 06
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