I was perusing the web after I put away all my special dishes and food required for my holiday. (OK, I was vegging out after stuffing and carrying 8 tubs, with an average weight of 25 kilos down 10 steps and through a narrow hallway, leaving them in storage until next year.) And, I ran across a new device that intrigues me- and I think you will be interested as well.
Continue reading Tal navigates his “Narrow Straits”
I hate injections. Ever since I was five years old and was “rewarded” with bi-weekly injections (oh, Dr. Isaacson- sorry for that black eye)- that continued for nearly a decade.
Continue reading No More Needle Sticks?
We know that manufacturing jobs are being exported. But, now the R&D is being exported, too. Not only because the US is not producing fantastic scientific and engineering talent, but to afford corporations the ability to tailor their products to the overseas markets…plus, this curries favor with foreign governments by opening R&D centers in their lands. 
The US National Science Board (part of the National Science Foundation) reported that US multinationals have grown their R&D employment tallies overseas- with 85% of all new jobs being located outside the US. Right now, the total employment in US R&D activities is 73% of the total overall (down from 84% in 2004). Before you jump up and down, consider this fact- more than ½ of the engineering degrees being awarded are from Asia (56% in 2008) and only 4% graduate from the US- and that does not include the fact that more than ½ the PhD degrees granted in the US are awarded to foreign students (57%).
Continue reading Whither R and D? Or, is it wither R &D?
Standards. Standards of behavior. Standards of product quality. Standards of currency. We know them- we think.
Do you remember the George Carlin routines about cars and driving? One of my favorites…
Continue reading Intersections
Most of you know that I believe we need to develop alternative energy sources. That does not make me an apologist for the cause; simple a recognition of the facts as they exist.
Continue reading Solar powered cell phones- NOT
When it comes to power generation, there are some truisms. Unless we develop new engine technology, we are going to need fluid (liquids or gases) fuels or batteries to run our cars. But, the bulk of commercial and residential energy demand beyond transportation is for heating and cooling our buildings. There is no reason that this need be met by liquid fuels. Given the stationary aspect of these needs, hydropower, solar, wind, and other technologies make perfect sense as the source of this energy.
Continue reading Solar to Steam Plant Operational
I have written about the advances in neuroscience- and the fact that many of these advances are being turned towards law enforcement. After all, if the brain can tell (give away?) our motivations and ideas (how the brain affects behavior)- it’s not surprising that police and the courts would find these items of great interest (since their function is to attempt to regulate behavior).
Continue reading The Law is NOT Science
We have been seeking the ‘Holy Grail’ to treat Parkinson’s Disease with stem cells for some time. Given the restrictions on embryonic stem cells, research has been focused on integumentary and pluripotent stem cells. A big step forward has been made by a group of researchers working together, all from different institution. Drs. Lorenz Studer, Sonja Kriks & Jae-Won Shim of the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY, along with other researchers there, plus researchers at the Cornell Medical School, Northwestern Medical, and Rush Memorial (the last two in Chicago, IL) published the results of their study in Nature on 10 November 2011.
Continue reading Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Moves Closer
I’m all for safety. I’m all for logic. When someone purports a safety rule that flies in the face of logic and DATA- then I say “WTF?” That’s today’s (14 Dec 11) response.
Continue reading A WTF Moment. One that needs to be stopped- NOW!