Mutations affecting the lamin A protein and the aging process
Posted on 2006-04-28 at 07:56
According to two researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland (Tom Misteli and Paola Scaffidi) in an article they wrote for the journal Science (Scaffidi P. & Misteli T. . Sciencexpress, 10.1126/science.1127168 (2006).), the nuclei of cells taken from the elderly tend to be wrinkled. The DNA accumulates damage, and the levels of some proteins that package up DNA deviate from the norm of youth. This mirrors the same changes that have been previously observed in cells from children who suffer from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.
In short, this is caused by a mutation in the healthy formation of our lamin A protein (one of the components of the nucleus and nucleus wall).
Why should you care?
Well, that same pair of researchers say that healthy cells always produce trace amounts of aberrant lamin A protein, but that younger cells regularly eliminate the aberration. Elderly cells don't. When the production of this aberration is blocked, the cell shows none of these nucleus mutations. In other words, the cells can correct themselves if given normal lamin A protein instead of the aberration. We can make old cells young again.
The next step in this research is to develop a drug to assist the body with fighting aberrant lamin A protein and testing with animals. We are a ways off from a human trial of such a drug, but we are talking years not centuries. I can wait.
To what extent is our Will free?
Posted on 2006-04-27 at 07:53
Brought up in a discussion on slashdot:
Jose M.R. Delgado, M.D. published Physical Control of the Mind: Toward a Psychocivilized Society. From that book, he states:
ESB [electrical stimulation of the brain -- JAB] may evoke more elaborate responses. For example, in one of our patients, electrical stimulation of the rostral part of the internal capsule produced head turning and slow displacement of the body to either side with a well-oriented and apparently normal sequence, as if the patient were looking for something. This stimulation was repeated six times on two different days with comparable results. The interesting fact was that the patient considered the evoked activity spontaneous and always offered a reasonable explanation for it. When asked, "What are you doing?" the answers were, "I am looking for my slippers," "I heard a noise," "I am restless," and "I was looking under the bed." In this case it was difficult to ascertain whether the stimulation had evoked a movement which the patient tried to justify, or if an hallucination had been elicited which subsequently induced the patient to move and to explore the surroundings.
Consider also Richard Dawkins' The Extended Phenotype (in the chapter titled "Host Phenotypes of Parasite Genes"):
Many fascinating examples of parasites manipulating the behavior of their hosts can be given. For nematomorph larvae, who need to break out of their insect hosts and get into water where they live as adults, '...a major difficulty in the parasite's life is the return to water. It is, therefore, of particular interest that the parasite appears to affect the behavior of its host, and "encourages" it to return to water. The mechanism by which this is achieved is obscure, but there are sufficient isolated reports to certify that the parasite does influence its host, and often suicidally for the host... One of the more dramatic reports describes an infected bee flying over a pool and, when about six feet over it, diving straight into the water. Immediately on impact the gordian worm burst out and swam into the water, the maimed bee being left to die' (Croll 1966).
A short koan
Posted on 2006-04-26 at 09:02
A Buddhist master and his pupils were walking through the forest discussing the nature of illusion when they stumbled quite by accident on a old statue of the Gautama Buddha.
The students stared the hoary relic, in awe of it's beauty and age. Then the master spoke. "Look at the relic. What do you see?"
One student said, "I see a great gift from Buddha." and he suggested bringing it back to the temple that it may be used for daily worship.
Another said, "I see a beautiful work of art." and he suggested that it be brought to a museum, where it could be properly safegaurded and enjoyed for years.
Another said, "I see a national treasure." and he suggested that it be given to the government so that the nation may never lose this piece of its heritage.
The master stood silent listening to the answers. After the last student finished, the master pulled a small ax from his belt and walked up to the statue. "Do you want to know what I see?" The students offered an emphatic yes.
At that signal, the master lifted the ax over his head and brought it crashing down on the statue. Again and again, he brought the ax viciously on the buddha, until the statue in a thousand fragments lie and the ax handle itself cracked from the force of his blows. When he was done, he turned to his students---the destroyed relic behind him---and spoke.
"No ax, no Buddha."
The master and the students did not speak as they walked back to the temple.
A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money
Posted on 2006-04-25 at 08:22
In 1980, CEOs were compensated an average of $10 for every $1 earned by another U.S. worker. In 2006, the difference was $430 for every $1.
In 1982, the ratio of average CEO pay to the average pay of a production (i.e., non-management) worker was 42-to-1. In 2004, that ratio was 431-to-1.
If the minimum wage rose as fast as CEO compensation has just since 1990 it would now be $23.03 an hour instead of just $5.15. What about taking the pay rise since 1980? Minimum wage would be over $44.00.
So, when will it be time for another one of these?
I'm not one for dog shows and the like...
Posted on 2006-04-24 at 07:58
...but seriously, this dog is some cool stuff:
Robert E. Howard has enviably lyrical prose
Posted on 2006-04-23 at 21:40
In this world men struggle and suffer vainly, finding pleasure only in the bright madness of battle ... Let me live deep where I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay and am content.
Spoken by Conan in Queen of the Black Coast
The Homo Movieseat Firewall and the Twin Prime Conjecture
Posted on 2006-04-23 at 14:28
Last night, Bryan and I went to the movies to watch V For Vendetta. Overall, a good movie. But that's not what I'm writing about right now. Nope. Right now I'm gonna talk about math and the art of not being homo in a movie theater.
You see, Bryan has this thing about movies. He doesn't like guys to sit right next to him. It creeps him out. He likes to see one seat between all male friends in the theater. He says he only wants to sit close if it's a date. He's a total freak about it. It's his homo firewall. That one seat is all that stands between him and a torrid, slathering homo-erotic lovefest with oil, candles, Spock in leather chaps, and a soft Barry Manilow song.
Well, anyway, I'm sitting there right next to him (because it is my duty to creep Bryan out) and all I can think about is the Twin Prime Conjecture. What is the Twin Prime Conjecture? Let me explain.
You see around the year 300 BC this guy Euclid noticed that prime numbers (you know, those numbers which are only evenly divisible by themselves and 1) tend to come in pairs separated by one number. Like 11 [skip 12] 13, or 17 [skip 18] 19, or 101 [skip 102] 103. Put as Euclid did: there are infinitely many primes p such that p + 2 is also prime. He proposed that prime numbers would tend to group in that way infinitely. This conjecture has never been proved, though numerical evidence---not to mention simple heuristic reasoning involving the probabilistic distribution of primes---suggests its veracity.
Well anyway, I sat there, no seat between Bryan and I, his enormous mass (he is a fat bitch!) shifting uncomfortably from the entire movie. I should have put a hand on his knee halfway through, but I didn't want any uncut fingernail getting caught in the bristly, donkey-like fur that covers his Neanderthal legs. Instead I just leaned on the arm rest between us to invade his chair-space and spent the movie thinking of new prime twins.
I'm a hopeless freak in so many core ways.
For 10 seconds of uncomfortable bliss
Posted on 2006-04-19 at 08:03
It wasn't like the squirrel had it coming. He was long since tamed by human contact. Living in the middle of the schoolyard will do that for an animal. Some of the students would feed him; heck even the mean kids were pretty nice to him. Well, everyone but me, I guess.
I had no history of being mean to animals. When it came down to it, I had a soft spot for them. I guess that makes the squirrel incident all the more peculiar.
I don't know what stray neuron misfired in my skull, but when I saw the squirrel, I just knew that its destiny lie elsewhere that day. I decided that I would be its agent of fate. Borrowing April's bookbag and taking care to remove each item from it one-by-one---I often wonder what those gathered to watch the Tommy Show were thinking as they circled around for this week's episode---I stalked the friendly squirrel. He probably thought I was going to feed him: Did I mention how bad I felt about the squirrel's role in all this? Once close enough, I launched upon the squirrel with the opened and empty bookbag, capturing him underneath in one swift, cruel, and comical motion. For a few seconds he scurried, or so the frantic bookbag canvas suggested, but eventually he accepted his swallowed fate. Nature is good about such things.
Gathering the sides slowly, so as to avoid his accidental freedom, I managed to get the mouth of the bag closed and the bag turned rightside up again, squirrel still inside. Half way to my goal, I was still not entirely clear on what it is the voices wanted me to do, but I obeyed, a dutiful soldier to my Id. The Voices of Id were rarely wrong. How could I doubt them this far into the mission?
Excusing myself from the culpable crowd of peers, I made my way into the school administrative office, squirrely bookbag tightly pressed to my chest. "Can I speak with principal Clootie?" No questions were asked. The office staff probably thought I'd been sent down in trouble again.
Now, I should pause here to tell you that for all the guilt I have over the squirrel's unwitting involvement, I had none over Clootie's role. What he got, he deserved. I reserve for him the sort of blind hatred that I can really only muster when talking about the people that tormented me as a child. He and one wild-haired aunt share that space together for eternity, though neither knows the other. Really, they should get married and have impish little malformed children together. The world is overdue to a good anti-Christ and I've little doubt that their offspring would fill the role nicely.
Anyway, the principal was at his desk---most likely planning this week's plots against me---when I entered. He was mad. Not because I hadn't knocked, but because it was me. I was greeted with a snarled "What?" I should have thanked him, for I was just starting to feel guilty about the squirrel and might've left without fullfilling my duty to the Voices of Id, but his opening volley push concerns for personal and squirrelish safety aside and left nothing between he and I but crackling hatred.
"I need to show you something, Clootie." I called him Clootie instead of principal Clootie, mostly because it irked him that I talked to him as would his gym teacher. He often told me it betrayed a lack of respect. To this day, I'm confused by his use of the word "betrayed".
"Hurry up, then. What is it?" I leaned forward, bookbag slowly extending out toward his face. If my life had a sound track, it would've been playing something from Mozart's Requiem at that moment...or maybe Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.
When I was close enough to his face that he could smell dust and canvas---the smell of a well made, little used Junior High bookbag: I pulled the bag open with a pop, taking care to thrust it forward at the same time. As if sprung from some MacGyver'd trampoline, the Squirrel flew out of the bookbag with a screech and a sort of gargling hiss towards the face and chest of Clootie. Clootie screamed. The squirrel screeched. I cackled. Fun was had by everyone except Clootie...and the squirrel. Coming to a momentary stop on top of the papers on Clootie's desk, the squirrel took a moment to appreciate that he'd been given a second chance at life. He saw me, a flash of "imgonnagetyousucka" in his eyes. He saw Clootie, by now pressed against the back wall sputtering word fragments. Assessing his situation, the squirrel did the smart thing---I'm just glad someone in this story did a smart thing---and darted behind a cabinet, the papers on which he stood flung every which way as he scurried frantically to dark safety.
Over the next 10 seconds, as Clootie tried to regain composure and pretended to regain dignity and as the kudos of the Voices of Id dimmed, all the rest of the world faded away and eventually all that existed was me, Clootie, and a silence pregnant with a palpable feeling of "whatthefuck?!?".
I'm not going to say I'm proud of that moment, but neither will I feign shame. The squirrel was taken away by animal control. Clootie took the next day off. Another suspension loomed in my immediate future. Overall, it was a good day.
Communist China's first international religious gathering
Posted on 2006-04-13 at 08:18
Buddhist monks and scholars from all over the world are in Hangzhou, China for a Buddhist conference and forum.
China has about 100 million Buddhists and China hopes that the World Buddhist Forum will begin the smooth relations between the religion population and the formally atheist communist party. Additionally, China hopes that the conference will help to repair its reputation in the world as a place of religious intolerance.
Undercutting those agendii, the Dalai Lama---the spiritual leader of the Buddhists---was not invited to attend. China regard him as a dissenting voice and a potentially disruptive attendee. Qi Xiaofei, vice-director of the state administration for religious affairs, explained, "The Dalai Lama is not only a religious figure, but is also a long-time stubborn secessionist who has tried to split his Chinese motherland and break the unity among different ethnic groups."
Currently worship is permitted only through state-run organizations. Loyalty to religious groups outside those state-controlled organizations is often punished. In the case of Buddhism, the state has appointed Gyaltsen Norbu as the Panchen Lama---the second most signifigant Buddhist title behind the Dalai Lama---even though the Dalai Lama has already appointed his own Panchen Lama. Gyaltsen Norbu is in attendence at the World Buddhist forum as the figurehead for Chinese official Buddhism. Some reports suggest that the other Buddhists in attendence are shunning the state-appointed Lama.
China's President Hu Jintao will be visiting Washington next week, and there exists some speculation that this conference is partly an attempt to ease relations for that trip.
It seems that religion has not lost its efficacy in the modern world when a government so powerful as China fears it so much as to squelch its practice and when a government so powerful as the United States fears it so much as to take up its causes against all reason.
Like a bad afterschool special
Posted on 2006-04-12 at 22:18
I'm tempted by his suave manner and piercing gaze.
Now Playing
Posted on 2006-04-09 at 21:57
Then you came along with your siren of song
To tempt me to madness!
I thought for a while that your poignant smile was tinged with the sadness
Of a great love for me.
Things I want to start doing...again
Posted on 2006-04-08 at 21:03
There are a few things that I think should not be the sole domain of children. I want to start doing these things again:
- Do cartwheels just because they are fun.
- Dot all my "i"s with smiley faces or maybe frowny faces if I'm mad.
- Refuse to eat any cookies unless I have a full glass of dunking milk.
- Wear a cape, because deep down everyone loves capes.
- Try to get coworkers to trade me for a better bagged lunch.
- Come home everyday from work and go outside to play until I have to come in.
- Have my wife or kid read me a story before bed.
- Find a cool stick and save it.
- Pour way too much sugar all over my cereal.
- Periodically test my jedi mind powers. One day it might work.
- Make fun braking and screeching noises with every corner I turn.
- Give myself gold stars for everything I do right.
- Play in puddles.
President Bush is a liar
Posted on 2006-04-07 at 21:19
From a speech President Bush gave yesterday to a North Carolina Audience:
When the president says something, he better mean what he says. [...] In order to be effective, in order to maintain credibility, words have got to mean something. You just can't say things in the job I'm in and not mean what you say.
From a press conference President Bush gave in 2003 concerning the CIA agent leak:
If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it, and we'll take the appropriate action
From the mouth of the White House Spokesman, Scott McClellan, at the time:
If anyone in this administration was involved in it (the CIA leak), they would no longer be in this administration.
After Scooter Libby testified that it was President Bush himself---not an unknown member of the administration or even a known intermediary---who purposefully leaked the information that endangered the lives of or CIA operatives in the field to harm one politic opponent, The White House, via its mouthpiece Scott McClellan again, asserted the president's right to selectively declassify information, with McClellan noting the difference between leaks that can compromise national security and a president's decision to declassify information "when it is in the public interest." He continued by suggesting that Democrats who fail to recognize that distinction are "engaging in crass politics."
Where are the republicans with a backbone? Where are the members of his party who are willing to stand up and say "You've crossed the line"?
If former President Clinton had been caught doing half the things this president has been proved to do (not counting those things for which the jury is---literally---still out), congress would have put forth a motion that he be put in the stockade! So much for consistency. And I defended those guys during the Clinton trials. I said that if the shoe were on the other foot, the Republicans would do the right thing. I was wrong. It won't happen twice.
Wanna lose a leg? You aren't alone.
Posted on 2006-04-07 at 08:35
Body Integrity Identity Disorder is a malady that causes the sufferer to desire to loss of one of more of him own limbs. Though uncommon, it's not unheard of to voluntarily amputate one's own limbs to achieve "the body you were meant to have".
I'd throw a Darwinian insult here if the reality weren't so pathetic. I guess there is an illness for just about everything.
Yesterday
Posted on 2006-04-06 at 07:39
Shortly after 1pm, the time/date was 1:2:3 4/5/6.
Stupid, but kinda neat.
Freenet, Liberty, and Obscurity
Posted on 2006-04-06 at 07:30
The Freenet Project has released Freenet version 0.7 Alpha 1. To quote their own release notes:
Freenet 0.7 represents a major new approach to peer-to-peer network design. To protect the network, and the user's anonymity, Freenet users will now have the ability to connect directly to other people that they know and trust, together forming a "global darknet" making it extremely difficult for any third party, whether a government or another powerful organisation, to determine that a user is participating in Freenet, let alone what they are doing with it.
It's as I said on slashdot, though: I'd rather be free by liberty and than free by obscurity. To quote Satan from Milton's Paradise Lost:
This place our dungeon, not our safe retreat
Beyond his potent arm, to live exempt
From Heaven's high jurisdiction, in new league
Banded against his throne, but to remain
In strictest bondage, though thus far removed,
Under th' inevitable curb, reserved
His captive multitude.
Paradise Lost, Book II, Lines 317-323
Fighting from our dark places isn't really going to win this battle for Freedom. I appreciate what Freenet is doing. It's securing our fallback position. We need that, but we need more a willingness on the part of our citizenry to take the fight to the day-lit streets of the Mall in Washington D.C.
It comes to about $0.50 per voter
Posted on 2006-04-03 at 21:08
The state of Arizona has placed an initiative on the ballot to offer a lottery-like reward for voting. In short, each person who votes would get a chance to win the $1,000,000.00 award doled out every two years. The money will come from the Arizona Lottery and private donations.
I don't have any comment on this, really, but I found it interesting.
On the same referendum: A property tax rollback, an anti-homosexual marriage law, the elimination of plea bargains, and a recall of an elected official. I also have no comment about any of that...because each one speaks for itself.