history, links, medical, people, science

Monthly Links

Here we go again with this month’s pointers to curiosities you missed earlier. Not so much science this month!

Science, Technology & Natural World

Scientists are resurrecting some old, apparently safer and greener, nuclear technology.

Mice sing. They sing in ultrasound which we can’t hear (but apparently cats can). And they sing politely to each other!

Health & Medicine

Medics have discovered only the second ever known pair of semi-identical (or sesquizygotic) twins. It’s a weirdness we were always told couldn’t happen; obviously it can but very, very rarely.

Many of us know someone who has panic attacks; some of us even suffer ourselves. Here are seven ways in which you can help someone through a panic attack.

Social Sciences, Business, Law

So many top leaders seem to be totally incompetent. So just how do incompetent men rise to the top?

It was hard to decide where best to put this next item … Researchers are suggesting that “big religion” may be being given too much credit for the evolution of modern society. But how will we ever know?

History, Archaeology & Anthropology

Palaeontologists have discovered an enormous haul of very well preserved, 500 million year old, fossil species in China.

Recently unearthed archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been living in Australia since about 120,000 years ago – that’s twice as long as previously thought.

Somewhat nearer our times, archaeologists have found the wreck of a ship in the Nile which shows that Herodotus was right about Ancient Egyptian shipbuilding almost 2500 years ago.

And coming almost up to date, DNA testing has shown that the crew of Henry VIII’s ship Mary Rose was from the Mediterranean and North Africa.

Lifestyle & Personal Development

Excellence is something we all strive for. But the thought now is that excellence is overrated, even destructive, and we should be cultivating “good enough”.

The world is getting more and more extrovert, so us introverts are feeling more and more guilty at declining invitations or struggling through social obligations. Here’s how one young woman learnt to accept her introversion.

Food & Drink

A company called Garçon Wines is proposing to make flat, rectangular wine bottles from PET plastic. Maybe they’re not as elegant as round bottles but they apparently save huge amounts on shipping and are recyclable.

People

Many of us have small, insignificant birthmarks, but congenital melanocytic naevus (CMN), where birthmarks cover a large area of the skin, is quite rare. It can also be very emotionally disturbing. Now 30 people with CMN have been photographed almost nude for an international exhibition by Brock Elbank. The aim is to make everyone, sufferers and the public, more comfortable with CMN.

More next month …

food+drink, personal

30-a-Week?

We all know that current medical wisdom is that we need at least five portions of fruit and veg a day for good (gut) health – although the definition of “portion” is often far from clear. There’s even a suggestion that 5-a-day isn’t enough and we should be eating 10-a-day!

However recently I came across the concept that as well as our 5-a-day we should be eating at least 30 different plants a week, for optimum gut health. Fortunately you don’t need to eat that mythical portion of each; “some” seems to be enough – although again no-one is being specific.

Now I reckon I’m pretty good at getting my 5-a-day; in fact there’s hardly a day when I don’t, and more often than not I’ll have seven, eight or even 10 a day. But do I get some of 30 plants every week? Can I get 30-a-week?


Being a scientist, of course I had to find out. So last week (Monday 18 March to Sunday 24 March, inclusive) I kept a note of what fruit and veg I was eating. This is what I found:

  • Cashews
  • Hazel nuts
  • Almonds
  • Pecans
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Sultanas
  • Dried cherries
  • Walnuts
  • Avocado
  • Grapes
  • Wheat (bread)
  • Pumpkin seed
  • Olives (green & black)
  • Tomato
  • Banana
  • Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Chicory
  • Cannellini beans
  • Mango (juice)
  • Turmeric
  • Cauliflower
  • Cucumber
  • Lemon
  • Butter beans
  • Mushrooms
  • Rice
  • Ginger
  • Chilli
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Sweet Pepper
  • Fennel
  • Potato
  • Black Pepper
  • Blueberries
  • Whatever herbs & spices were in sauces, curry paste, etc
  • Other seeds in the bread

That’s 40; count them! I achieved this without any real effort, and without the ubiquitous apples and pears (both of which eat regularly) and oranges (which I almost never eat ‘cos these days they’re rubbish). It is also without counting things like tea, beer, G&T. There are lots of other things which I could easily have added easily, and which I often eat, had I wanted to: kidney beans, lime, aubergine, courgette, lettuce, spinach, nectarine …

I was surprised how easy this was, and with no special effort on my part; I certainly didn’t go looking for different things to boost the total.

You can find more about the 30-a-week suggestion at:

Enjoy your plants!

history, ramblings

Easter? Confused?

One of our favourite London bloggers, Diamond Geezer, earlier this week picked up on something I’d missed.

If you follow the rule, Easter should be this weekend – the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. The Equinox was on 20 March and the full moon on 21 March. This would make Easter almost as early as it ever can be.

But it isn’t.

Easter isn’t until 21 April, apparently a full four weeks late, and almost as late as it can be!

WTF is going on?

Well it turns out that the rule isn’t quite what we think it is. Why? Because it was set by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD who, amongst other things, set the date of the Equinox in concrete as 21 March when it actually moves around by a day or so. No-one has since redefined it.

This means in some years Easter falls on what appears to be the wrong date, although this is only likely if the full moon and the Equinox are very close together, as they are this year.

I’ll leave it as an exercise for the student to read DG’s post and understand the details.

Another example of the Law of Things Aren’t What They Seem.

quotes

Monthly Quotes

OMG! What’s happening to time? It must be speeding up as we’re almost a quarter of the way through this year! But that means it’s time for our monthly collection of recently encountered, interesting and/or amusing quotes.

Treat yourself the way you would treat a small child. Feed yourself healthy food. Make sure you spend time outside. Put yourself to bed early. Let yourself take naps. Don’t say mean things to yourself. Don’t put yourself in danger.
[unknown]

Being good enough doesn’t just apply to our individual lives. It also can inform how we think about our institutions … Good-enough workplaces would give employees a decent wage, relatively interesting work and opportunities to develop. But they wouldn’t make outlandish promises about being everything for staff, nor would they make outlandish demands on them … Good-enough healthcare would provide the support we need when we are ill, but it doesn’t constantly intrude into people’s life to ensure they are well.
[André Spicer; Guardian; 28/02/2019; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/28/excellent-overrated-good-enough-modern-quest-damaging]

Don’t let them tell you you’re annoying, unlikeable, difficult, problematic, or stepping out of your place. They’re just afraid of you. You scare them because they are weak. Because they are afraid of your truth.
[Jameela Jamil]

Buddhism is all about science. If science is the pursuit of the accurate knowledge of reality, then science is Buddhism.
[Robert AF Thurman]

My timeline is currently populated by people who believe that God is Flat, that Darwin supported brexit and that Jesus is not a greenhouse gas. Or something like that.
[Brian Cox on Twitter]

Science has always worked to convert invisible information into the range we can perceive. This is what microscopes and telescopes do: changing the very small or very distant into a form we can digest with our eyes.
[David Eagleman; neuroscientist; Stanford University; quoted at https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/02/nanotech-injections-give-mice-infrared-vision/583768/]

We should bear in mind that, in general, it is the object of our newspapers rather to create a sensation – to make a point – than to further the cause of truth.
[Edgar Allan Poe, The Mystery of Marie Roget]

In life, there’s always a solution to a problem. Not taking control of the situation and doing nothing will only make your problems worse.
[Professor Cary Cooper; University of Lancaster]

It will be exceedingly hard, but that is significantly better than impossible.
[Troels Schönfeldt at https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2019/nuclear-goes-retro-much-greener-outlook]

The whole Brexit process was bound to be difficult despite the claims of Brexiteers that all would be easy and that beneficial trade deals would rain down. It is hard to think of any modern parallel for such avoidable chaos … We are witnessing a golden age of political blundering and it is far from clear what will emerge over the remaining 24 days.
[Law & Lawyers Weblog; 05/03/2019; http://obiterj.blogspot.com/2019/03/24-days-to-brexit-brief-roundup.html]

They’ve shown precisely no ability to manage this process in an adult way. They’ve shown no understanding of the systems they’re discussing. They’ve shown no ability to consider the interests of the country over their own spaffed-out ideological wet dreams.
[Ian Dunt on Twitter about the government and Brexit]

Even when forced to accept that calling for a People’s Vote must be adopted as Labour Party policy, as it was after last night’s vote against adopting Labour’s plan for Brexit, Corbyn does so with congenital truculence. As the BBC’s John Pienaar put it, adopting the policy with all the enthusiasm of a schoolboy staring at a large plate of Brussels sprouts.
[Peter Walmsley on Facebook; 28/02/2019]

From Questions to the Attorney General (Geoffrey Cox QC MP), House of Commons, 7 March 2019:
Helen Goodman MP: … is it still Government policy to seek a reopening of the withdrawal agreement?
Geoffrey Cox: It is Government policy to achieve the necessary change in the backstop that will cause me to review and change my advice. That is Government policy; that is the subject of the discussions that we are having. I would say that it has come to be called “Cox’s codpiece”. What I am concerned to ensure is that what is inside the codpiece is in full working order.
Mr Speaker: Well! I hope everybody heard that. In the interests of the accessibility of our proceedings – in case anybody did not hear it – the right hon. and learned Gentleman referred to Cox’s codpiece. I have repeated it so that the alliterative quality is clear to all observers.
[Hansard; https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-03-07/debates/4ACABC6F-EE41-4F99-90DA-2BA5235AF58A/EUWithdrawalAgreementNorthernIreland]

amusements

Your PC

Sorting through a box of old papers the other day, I happened upon the following from 1999. Not much changes!

Your PC
(PC = Personal Cat)

SPECIFICATIONS

Standard input:

  1. bilateral frontal whisker array
  2. bilateral adjustable audio dishes (range 20Hz-20kHz)
  3. stereoscopic scanning device, with night vision
  4. Velcro™ flavour sampling device/energy collector
  5. twin front-mounted odour sampling devices.

Standard output:

  1. internally mounted purr box
  2. single speaker with separate growl mode
  3. rear-mounted, fully-jointed semaphore device

Processor:

  1. parallel neuron array with Random Access Memory
  2. autonomic control of system software

Included Hardware:

  1. calcium-based skeletal structure
  2. byte-to-bit conversion array
  3. retractable document shredder/hole punch
  4. paw pad printer
  5. mouse (standard catnip)

Also included: natural fibre protective covering in various colours.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE
Your PC will come pre loaded with one of the following:
• DOS (domestic short hair)
• OS (other short hair)
• MS (mega-soft, installed in units with fuzzy covering)

  1. Conversion to Eunuchs can be done by a simple operation. This is recommended to prevent the proliferation of cheap PC clones.
  2. Bundled Software may include the following: Mortal Kombat, Acrobat, Explorer, and Stuff it Expander.
  3. Your PC will automatically convert from laptop to desktop as needed.
  4. There are no user-serviceable parts inside.

OPERATING YOUR PC

  1. To start up your PC, push the power button (on any electric can opener).
  2. Your PC has an energy-saving mode known as Sleep. Your PC will Sleep automatically if unused for a short period of time, or you may invoke the Sleep mode by placing your PC in a soft, warm area. To wake your PC from Sleep you may press the power button as in Start, shake the mouse, or tap any of the PC’s input devices (see specs).
  3. To perform a Warm Boot: Remove your shoe, then tap the PC gently with your toes.
  4. To perform a Cold Boot: Same technique as for Warm Boot, but leave your shoe on.
  5. To Reboot: Repeat the Warm Boot.
  6. Cleaning your PC: Use only mild soap and water, no solvents. Surface wash only. Total immersion is not recommended. If partial immersion is necessary, wear proper hand and face protection and make sure your PC is fully dry when finished.
  7. Compatibility and Networking: Your PC is designed to independently assess compatibility with other PCs.
  8. Running Eunuchs will generally give your PC greater compatibility with other PCs. It may be necessary to install a fire wall between incompatible PCs as each may attempt to breach the other’s security systems.
  9. Compatible PCs may share thermal energy and cleaning tasks and may network for gaming purposes.
  10. Please note that your PC will be incompatible with units of type BIRD, FISH and RODENT, unless appropriate security measures (such as a fire wall) are installed. Your PC may tolerate one or more DOG units provided they occupy a subordinate position within the hierarchical structure.
  11. Power Requirements: Alternating supply of canned cat food and dry cat food. Direct supply of water. Direct access to solar and thermal energy sources.

TROUBLESHOOTING

  1. PC has difficulty exiting: Perform a Warm Boot.
  2. PC shares files from dinner/table/plates without permission: Boot your PC prior to running food-related software.
  3. PC hangs up phone during call: Try invoking sleep mode prior to making call. Otherwise perform a Warm Boot.
  4. PC is frozen: PC is probably scanning for small life forms. Wait for task to complete or, if necessary Warm Reboot.
  5. Deleted material not going to trash or recycling bin: Reprogram preferences in PC sys/litter box/deposit/target.aim.
books, personal

Ten Books I Found Influential or Formative: 2

Following on from my series of 10 Books I’ve Loved and Books I’ve Hated or Cannot Read I now bring you the third instalment: 10 Books I Found Influential or Formative.

They are all books I’ve read, at different times, and which have had a profound influence on life, mind or belief. I have excluded anything from the previous two lists. Nor have I included anything directly related to either academic studies or work; not because I think they should be off-limits but because I can’t single out anything particular.

Again, rather than spread this across ten days, I’m posting the list in two posts, each of five books, a few days apart. There is a short commentary on why I found each book so influential. This is the second part.

In each part I’m nominating three people to produce their own list. The first three are: Christine Berberich, Ziggy Lubkowski, John Potter. Of course anyone else is welcome to sing along!

John Burton et al.; The Oxford Book of Insects

I’m not quite sure when I first came across this book, but I know my copy dates from at least the time I was a post-grad; it is still on the shelf over my desk. Although it is not academic it is a good first guide to the insect world, and as such has continued to stimulate my interest not just in insects but the natural world in general.

William Shakespeare; Julius Caesar

The first half of Julius Ceasar is the only bit of Shakespeare I ever really understood. Which is just as well as we did the whole play for O-level, and luckily I got an exam question on the first half. The second half (all the war etc.) remained a mystery to me.

Robert H Rimmer; The Harrad Experiment

My father provided this as reading material in the late 60s; GOK what his motive was! It is fiction but portrays an environment of free love and free sex in (as I recall) a student setting – something understandably attractive to the average teenager in the 60s. And it certainly helped develop my moral compass and relaxed attitudes towards sexuality.

James A Coleman; Relativity for the Layman

I don’t recall at what point I read this, whether as an undergraduate or a post-grad. Clearly I felt the need to have at least a passing knowledge of relativity, something which (with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics) has stood me in good stead for my ongoing interest in the physical sciences.

David Feinstein & Stanley Krippner; Personal Mythology

As one might suspect this is all about personal development, and discovering and understanding your inner story. I claim no success in doing this, but the section on finding and meeting your inner shaman is something I’ve found of recurrent interest.

Later in the year I hope to follow on with further, similarly themed, book posts. Watch this space!

books, personal

Ten Books I Found Influential or Formative: 1

Following on from my series of 10 Books I’ve Loved and Books I’ve Hated or Cannot Read I now bring you the third instalment: 10 Books I Found Influential or Formative.

They are all books I’ve read, at different times, and which have had a profound influence on life, mind or belief. I have excluded anything from the previous two lists. Nor have I included anything directly related to either academic studies or work; not because I think they should be off-limits but because I can’t single out anything particular.

Again, rather than spread this across ten days, I’m posting the list in two posts, each of five books, a few days apart. There is a short commentary on why I found each book so influential. This is part the first.

In each part I’m nominating three people to produce their own list. The first three are: Katy Wheatley, Noreen Marshall, Julia Say. Of course anyone else is welcome to sing along!

Peter Russell; The Brain Book

This book was the basis for a hugely formative course I went on when first teaching at work. Amongst other things it includes an introduction to Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping techniques as well as much about how learning is thought to work. The course was also the one which energised me to learn Transcendental Meditation (which I’m trying to rejuvenate).

Havelock Ellis; The Psychology of Sex

When I was growing up, every book in the house was accessible, and this was on the shelves in the living room. So, of course, I read large chunks of this when I was doing A-levels. Needless to say I learnt a lot and it kept me one step ahead of my then girlfriend!

Lewis Carroll; Alice in Wonderland

Although Carroll originally conceived this as a children’s story, it has been incredibly influential for many people. It’s not just amusing, but filled with logical inconsistencies and alternative ways of looking at things. I didn’t know it at the time but I suspect this was one of those books which nurtured my inner scientist.

Anthony Powell; A Question of Upbringing

Anthony Powell was recommended to me by our friend Jilly. And it is true to say that this book changed my life! Powell became one of my heroes. A website developed and evolved, in 2000, into the Anthony Powell Society of which I was Hon. Secretary for 18 years until last October. The Anthony Powell Society has taken me places, and introduced me to people, I would never have dreamed possible.

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

I was introduced to this by my father and our local librarian, Jack Edwards, as the fount of much useful, interesting and often esoteric knowledge. A delight in “knowledge trifles” has remained with me ever since.

Part two in a few days time.

personal, ramblings

Ten Things, March

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …

Ten Things about March

  1. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war
  2. In Wales, St David’s day is celebrated on 1st …
  3. … and 1st is also the start of meteorological Spring
  4. Similarly the Irish celebrate St Patrick’s day on 17th
  5. My father’s birthday was also in March
  6. Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, which is 15th
  7. Then there’s the Spring Equinox, celebrated by pagans as Ostara
  8. The Feast of the Annunciation is on 25th, exactly nine months before Christmas
  9. Birthstone: Aquamarine
  10. In the UK Summertime begins on last Sunday
amusements

Counters

2 Comments

Each month this year we’re bringing you a post under the general title “Things that Count in [Number]” where [Number] will be the month. And naturally each month’s post will contain the [Number] of items (so just one for January, up to 12 for December).

For our purposes the definition of counting includes things which either come in groups of [Number] (eg. four suits in a pack of playing cards) or things which count in [Number] (eg. decimal coinage counting in tens).

Things which Count in Three …

  1. Witches in Macbeth
  2. Bones in the middle ear
  3. Cerberus’ heads