Wed, 03 Jan 2007 10:06:07 GMT

Virtual reality shocker. Torturing even a lifeless computer character makes volunteers upset. [news@nature.com]

The ethical problem with this is that a large number of people acted as though they were torturing a real person. The researcher said that some parts of their brain did not know about virtual reality. So these people have to deal with the emotional responses of torturing someone, even though they only did it virtually. If part of their brain reacted exactly the same way as if it was real, then wont they suffer the same sort of trauma? Saying “It is not real” is not true for them, on some level. The possible mental anguish could be a problem.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:58:39 GMT

Voltaire. “To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered.”

[Quotes of the Day]

Dwight D. Eisenhower. “I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”

[Quotes of the Day]

Robert Frost. “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”

[Quotes of the Day]

Sometimes QOTD has a them. Sometimes not. I do like the Eisenhower one, though.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:55:57 GMT

Two die after taking Genentech drug to treat off-label condition: NewsTarget.com. TransWorldNews Jan 3 2007 4:13AM GMT [Moreover Technologies - Biotech news]

They appear to have died of something that is mentioned in the label, so it is not really clear if this is just an expected occurrence given the amount of use. the article provides no context for determining whether this is something to worry about or not.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:38:15 GMT

Man Jumps Onto NYC Subway Tracks To Save Stranger….

And who has not thought: “What if someone else fell? Would I jump to the rescue?”

Wesley Autrey, a 50-year-old construction worker, faced both those questions in a flashing instant yesterday, and got his answers almost as quickly.

[The Huffington Post | Full News Feed]

Read the whole story and be amazed at the courage of some people, These days it is not just on a battlefield. It is this ability to sacrifice for total strangers that makes humans so seemingly unique in the world. While most people would (did) stand around and watch, something any other animal would also do, it seems that some humans would risk death (and cause their children to lose a parent) to help someone that they did not know. Amazing but so very common.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:25:31 GMT

Study finds surfing safer than soccer.

While public perception may frame surfing as a dangerous sport, new research begs to differ. In the first study of its kind, researchers have computed the rate of injury among competitive surfers and found they are less prone to harm than collegiate soccer or basketball players.

read more

[Science Blog - Think. It's not illegal yet.]

Of course, it is hard to surf in Kansas. And surfing does not usually involve kids running at each other at high speed, kicking at each other. Anyone who somehow thinks that soccer or basketball is a non-contact sport has not seen much soccer or basketball. Plus, jumping in the air while surrounded by others is a fine way to sprain an ankle. Harder to do surfing.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:17:10 GMT

Gene-engineered cattle resist mad cow disease: study. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. and Japanese scientists reported on Sunday that they had used genetic engineering to produce cattle that resist mad cow disease. [Reuters: Science]

It will be a very long time before any of these enter the human food chain. They will probably be used to provide materials, such as serum albumin, for research purposes. But it is an interesting way around the problem.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 02:29:44 GMT

$60 Gets You A New Medical Record And Free Foot Amputation. We’ve talked at length about how hard it is to straighten out your record after you’ve had your identity stolen, assuming you know you’re a victim in the first place. While it’s one thing to debate a purchase with your credit card company, it’s an entirely different animal trying to convince your medical provider you still retain possession of both of your feet. One 57-year-old Florida woman found that after her identity was stolen, the information was used to pay for a costly foot amputation. Worse, after heading in for a hysterectomy, she found that the scammer’s medical history was now intertwined with her own — the records suggesting she had magically acquired some of the scammer’s medical conditions (like diabetes). Statistics show some 250,000 Americans had their medical information stolen and misused in recent years, with user records selling for around $60 a pop on the black market. It’s not always individual scammers looking to get free medical care, and the information doesn’t always come from industry insiders. Organized crime rings frequently run insurance scams at bogus clinics, who promise discount health care to the gullible. The scams are amplifying the existing fears surrounding national medical ID systems, since a record that once just resided in your doctor’s office would now be present in a multitude of databases — databases you know will ultimately wind up on some boob’s stolen laptop. Still, human stupidity and crap privacy protection policies are problems whether you’re talking about manila folders or a national fiber-connected medical database. [Techdirt]

It is hard enough to get your credit report cleared up after identity theft. How much harder will it be to deal with insurance companies who will withhold payment? They might not even believe that you did not have an amputation or believe that you committed insurance fraud and want their money back. This could get ugly.

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 01:55:40 GMT

Well, it has been a long time and I have been really busy with Etubics. But new year makes a good time for new beginnings. So I am going to try and get this blog going again.