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LOVE STORY (Taylor Swift) meets VIVA LA VIDA (Coldplay) – Piano Cello – by Jon Schmidt
My buddy Rob just brought this Jon Schmidt YouTube to my attention. It’s terrific!
Health Care Solutions
I am a big believer in free-market solutions. However, I’m not a big believer in Wild West capitalism. Government plays a vital role in helping us prevent capitalistic abuse. But what’s the right role of government in health care?
I found that both John Stossel’s 20/20 “Sick in America” and a recent report from Safeway give brilliant insight into the situation and possible solutions. Enjoy!
Sick in America Part 2
Sick in America Part 3
Sick in America Part 4
Sick in America Part 5
Sick in America Part 6How Safeway Is Cutting Health-Care Costs from the Wall Street Journal
The Weaponization of Insects
This idea.
Oh, my, heck.
One of my first novelettes was about using insects as military grade spies. Just a bit of wetware to get control of their brains. Then mount a nano recording and transmitting device…
How are you going to stop that?
But wait–insects can be far more sinister.
Jeffrey A. Lockwood has written Six-Legged Soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War. I can’t wait to read this. I hope it’s not a fluff book. Can’t wait to report my findings to you. Read more about it.
Oh, and did I mention that I’ve got weaponized insects in the novel I’m currently working on? Crown of a Dark God is turning into such a blast to write.
Epigenetics
Our genes aren’t in charge.Yes, you say, of course. There’s environment and choice; both of these affect what we become.
But I’m not talking about being in charge at that level. I’m saying that our genes aren’t even in charge of themselves.
What?
We all know that computer hardware (processor, RAM, motherboard, etc.) is important, but that the software that runs the show. Well it appears that our genes are like the hardware. Something else runs the show.
That something else is our epigenome, our epigentic tags (“epi” meaning just above as in “epidermis” or “epicenter”). The tags are chemicals that turn particular genes on and off, telling cells what they’re supposed to be–liver, skin, brain.
Furthermore, researchers think they the tags can change through a number of means, including what we eat. For example, you can take two identical set of genes for hair and, with tags, change hair color.
Research has also shown the epigenome can be passed down to posterity. So what you eat and its effect on you can be passed down to your posterity. Likewise, what you are is what your parents and maybe grandparents ate.
Genes are only a part of the story.
Holy heck, this is so cool. Watch the 12 minute video now.
TED
I LOVE TED.
No, I’m not coming out of any closet. I’m talking the annual Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) forum. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).
For example, here’s Richard Dawkins’ “Queerer than we can suppose: the strangeness of science.”
Or here’s Hans Rosling’s “Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you’ve ever seen” and his New insights on poverty and life around the world.
Or how about Howard Rheingold’s “Way-new collaboration”There is, if done well, very few things as stimulating as an excellent speech. Thank you TED for providing a way to revive this marvelous genre by sharing it on the internet.
Go to TED. But beware: you may end up unable to stop listening to one fascinating idea after another.
Camille Paglia, Word Ninja
I think I must disagree with half of everything Paglia says (I’m a Republican, she’s a Democrat). But when you can write like a kung fu master, you have to be read:Advanced whack-a-mole is clearly needed for that yammering smarty-pants Newt Gingrich, who is always so very, very pleased with himself but has yet to produce a single enduring thought.
Holy schnitzel, that’s what words are for. I’m still laughing and nodding my head. Can I be Camille for a while?
The fact is while Paglia is clearly liberal, she’s not a party lemming. This is one of the things that is so refreshing about her. She’s not afraid to call ’em as she sees them, even if that means roasting her own party or praising the other.
And here: Paglia page.