Thought Experiments : The Blog: Evil
Go to the link for a thoughtful blog discussion underway about the concept of evil. (It's in Bryan Appleyard's pleasantly eclectic blog, which is worth checking daily.)
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Accidental deaths of WWII
The friendly fires of hell | Jerusalem Post
This article tells the tragic story of 7,000 odd concentration camp inmates accidentally killed in the very last days of World War II.
(As the article notes, it may have been the intention of the Nazis that they all drown anyway, but it is still somewhat embarrassing that it was the British attack that did the job.)
You can learn something new every day.
This article tells the tragic story of 7,000 odd concentration camp inmates accidentally killed in the very last days of World War II.
(As the article notes, it may have been the intention of the Nazis that they all drown anyway, but it is still somewhat embarrassing that it was the British attack that did the job.)
You can learn something new every day.
I don't understand ...
Janet Elder - On Polling - Campaign 2008 - New York Times
This article points out that President Bush has significantly higher support in polls amongst the under 30's than he does with those over 60.
They also support the Iraq war more strongly, and the same age group did the same even during much of the Vietnam war, apparently.
Very odd, is all I can say.
This article points out that President Bush has significantly higher support in polls amongst the under 30's than he does with those over 60.
They also support the Iraq war more strongly, and the same age group did the same even during much of the Vietnam war, apparently.
Very odd, is all I can say.
Some Virginia Tech commentary
For some well worth reading blog commentary on the Virginia Tech killings, there are a couple of good posts by Former Spook. As you might expect, Neo-Neocon writes well about it too.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The uncertainties of psychiatry
NEJM -- Treatment of Bipolar Depression
This editorial from the New England Journal of Medicine talks about recent studies on the use of antidepressants for bipolar disorder (the manic/depressive illness). This is of some interest to me because I have recently been reading at work psychiatric reports on someone who was initially diagnosed with this.
It would appear that American psychiatrists don't like to give anti-depressants for it because they believe it increases the risk of manic episodes. Apparently, European psychs don't worry about this much, and a recent study seemingly backing them up. However, the editorial questions whether this is a valid conclusion from the study.
This strikes me as odd: that there are different schools of thought depending on which continent your psychiatrist works.
Given that bipolar and anti-depressants have both been around for a long time, I would have thought that such an issue would have been sorted out long ago.
Instead, you get the feeling that, to a large extent, psychiatric patients are treated by trial and error, with individual biases not necessarily supported by studies playing a significant role.
Everyone should keep their fingers crossed for their continuing mental health.
This editorial from the New England Journal of Medicine talks about recent studies on the use of antidepressants for bipolar disorder (the manic/depressive illness). This is of some interest to me because I have recently been reading at work psychiatric reports on someone who was initially diagnosed with this.
It would appear that American psychiatrists don't like to give anti-depressants for it because they believe it increases the risk of manic episodes. Apparently, European psychs don't worry about this much, and a recent study seemingly backing them up. However, the editorial questions whether this is a valid conclusion from the study.
This strikes me as odd: that there are different schools of thought depending on which continent your psychiatrist works.
Given that bipolar and anti-depressants have both been around for a long time, I would have thought that such an issue would have been sorted out long ago.
Instead, you get the feeling that, to a large extent, psychiatric patients are treated by trial and error, with individual biases not necessarily supported by studies playing a significant role.
Everyone should keep their fingers crossed for their continuing mental health.
Hey you!
This has been one of those weeks when I think my posts are particularly entertaining or interesting. As usual, this means no one makes a comment, at all.
At other times, I make a quick post that I don't think particularly well done, and someone at the top of the blogging chain links to it and I get hundreds of "drop-ins" for a couple of days before going back to a normal 30 - 40 hits a day. (OK, that has only happened a few times.)
Blogging is a weird game. Good thing I amuse myself, I guess.
At other times, I make a quick post that I don't think particularly well done, and someone at the top of the blogging chain links to it and I get hundreds of "drop-ins" for a couple of days before going back to a normal 30 - 40 hits a day. (OK, that has only happened a few times.)
Blogging is a weird game. Good thing I amuse myself, I guess.
Out there
news @ nature.com - Physicists bid farewell to reality? -Quantum mechanics just got even stranger.
This is not that easy to follow - understanding quantum non-locality never was. I can't even summarise it well, and news@nature stories aren't available for long. Just go and read it if it is your thing.
I wonder whether non-realistic understandings of the quantum world lend credence to the idea that the universe is a simulation running on someone else's (God's?) uber-computer? It only needs to "render" something when someone is looking at it.
This is not that easy to follow - understanding quantum non-locality never was. I can't even summarise it well, and news@nature stories aren't available for long. Just go and read it if it is your thing.
I wonder whether non-realistic understandings of the quantum world lend credence to the idea that the universe is a simulation running on someone else's (God's?) uber-computer? It only needs to "render" something when someone is looking at it.
Don't leave home without it
'Deflector' shields could protect future astronauts - space - 18 April 2007 - New Scientist Space
More on research into using plasma shields to protect astronauts from radiation. Good to see.
More on research into using plasma shields to protect astronauts from radiation. Good to see.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
While we are talking about English history..
The past was a stinker | Review | Guardian Unlimited Books
This book review of "Hubbub - Filth, Noise & Stench in England" was re-printed in the Sydney Morning Herald a couple of weeks ago. It sounds like an amusingly appalling read. An extract:
Cockayne has dug deep into the archives and come up with a hundred little snatches of story that show ordinary people bustling about their business and taking care not to step in something nasty. Mostly they don't succeed. The walls of domestic dwellings in the 17th century were routinely bulked out by shit shipped from "the necessary house" and quite likely to dissolve into a nasty goo when the rains came down. One authority noted that few homes outlasted the ground lease of 50 years or so, while one German visitor wondered out loud whether he should venture into the street during a violent storm in 1775 "lest the house should fall in, which is no rare occurrence in London". "Kennels", or drainage ditches, were mostly bunged up with everything from brassica stalks to dead babies, and it was a good idea to carry a stick in case there were any rampaging pigs about (market days got them especially jumpy).
Inside was not much better. In 1756 Harrop's Manchester Mercury advertised a book that claimed to get rid of all household vermin, including "adders, badgers, birds, catterpillers [sic], earwigs, fish, flies, foxes, frogs, gnats, Mice, otters, Pismires [ants], Pole-cats, Rabbits, Rats, Snakes, Scorpions, snails, spiders, Toads, Wasps, Weasels, ... Moles, Worms ... Buggs [sic], Lice, & Fleas &c".
Fish were "household vermin"? Maybe it means silverfish.
This book review of "Hubbub - Filth, Noise & Stench in England" was re-printed in the Sydney Morning Herald a couple of weeks ago. It sounds like an amusingly appalling read. An extract:
Cockayne has dug deep into the archives and come up with a hundred little snatches of story that show ordinary people bustling about their business and taking care not to step in something nasty. Mostly they don't succeed. The walls of domestic dwellings in the 17th century were routinely bulked out by shit shipped from "the necessary house" and quite likely to dissolve into a nasty goo when the rains came down. One authority noted that few homes outlasted the ground lease of 50 years or so, while one German visitor wondered out loud whether he should venture into the street during a violent storm in 1775 "lest the house should fall in, which is no rare occurrence in London". "Kennels", or drainage ditches, were mostly bunged up with everything from brassica stalks to dead babies, and it was a good idea to carry a stick in case there were any rampaging pigs about (market days got them especially jumpy).
Inside was not much better. In 1756 Harrop's Manchester Mercury advertised a book that claimed to get rid of all household vermin, including "adders, badgers, birds, catterpillers [sic], earwigs, fish, flies, foxes, frogs, gnats, Mice, otters, Pismires [ants], Pole-cats, Rabbits, Rats, Snakes, Scorpions, snails, spiders, Toads, Wasps, Weasels, ... Moles, Worms ... Buggs [sic], Lice, & Fleas &c".
Fish were "household vermin"? Maybe it means silverfish.
Eat like an Edwardian
Appetite for excess-TimesOnline
This is a quite amusing article about the excesses of the Edwardian rich man's diet.
If you liked "The Edwardian Country House", which is perhaps the only "reality TV" I have ever taken to, then you will enjoy this article.
This is a quite amusing article about the excesses of the Edwardian rich man's diet.
If you liked "The Edwardian Country House", which is perhaps the only "reality TV" I have ever taken to, then you will enjoy this article.
Stoner provides a health message
The Sydney Morning Herald Blogs: All Men Are Liars
Sam de Brito, whose blog at Fairfax I don't particularly care for, has at least done a service by warning youngsters off marijuana, at least if it is of the hydroponic kind.
I don't have time to go looking for evidence of this today, but is the explanation he gives (that hydroponic stuff is dangerous because it is usually covered in pesticides and fungicides) actually been tested? I have heard it before, and it seems to be widely believed in the smoking community. But has it been tested?
Sam de Brito, whose blog at Fairfax I don't particularly care for, has at least done a service by warning youngsters off marijuana, at least if it is of the hydroponic kind.
I don't have time to go looking for evidence of this today, but is the explanation he gives (that hydroponic stuff is dangerous because it is usually covered in pesticides and fungicides) actually been tested? I have heard it before, and it seems to be widely believed in the smoking community. But has it been tested?
More explanation on why the media does not love K Rudd
Cut & paste: Heavy the media and risk a broken glass jaw, Mr Rudd | Opinion | The Australian
After Kevin Rudd's clumsy attempt at heavy-ing the media was revealed by Alan Ramsey a couple of weeks ago, it's remarkable that Rudd appears to have attempted it again. Laurie Oaks brought this to light in a question at Rudd's Press Club appearance yesterday. Funny how this was not mentioned in the highlights I saw on the evening news (and even The 7.30 Report) last night. Here's Oaks' question:
LAURIE Oakes: This morning the editor of the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, Neil Breen, appeared on radio in Melbourne to talk about what's become known as the false dawn affair, or sun-lies.
After Kevin Rudd's clumsy attempt at heavy-ing the media was revealed by Alan Ramsey a couple of weeks ago, it's remarkable that Rudd appears to have attempted it again. Laurie Oaks brought this to light in a question at Rudd's Press Club appearance yesterday. Funny how this was not mentioned in the highlights I saw on the evening news (and even The 7.30 Report) last night. Here's Oaks' question:
LAURIE Oakes: This morning the editor of the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, Neil Breen, appeared on radio in Melbourne to talk about what's become known as the false dawn affair, or sun-lies.
He said after the story appeared in his paper, "Mr Rudd just went bananas about it, he just went crazy ... The phone calls started from then and they went to the highest powers of News Limited. I ended up speaking with him at length on Tuesday and he was just indignant that we were totally wrong, this story was baseless, when we in fact knew it was right. And then as ... he demanded what sort of remedy he wanted from us (for) publishing this story, (it was clear) he was involved in this fake Anzac service."
He also says, "It was the heaviest situation I've been in, in my journalistic career."
That's why I ask you, is that true? Also, as we know, it's not the first time this sort of thing has happened, as Kerry-Anne Walsh here from The Sun-Herald can attest.
How do you explain or excuse this sort of thing? Do you really think you can heavy the media? And what are you going to do about the glass jaw?
Rudd does not exactly deny it in his wishy washy response.Maybe too much information in this post...
Looks easy enough... but not for everyone - In Depth - theage.com.au
This article is all about pauresis, the inability to readily urinate in close proximity to others. Mostly suffered by men because of the open design of most public urinals.
I think most men would guess, from the number of guys who head to the stalls in a public toilet, that it is not an uncommon problem. Indeed, it's not that unusual to see men who leave the stall door while standing to pee. They just need that additional bit of privacy. The Age article notes that "...a 1975 study by two psychologists at the University of Idaho that found a quarter of the male college students they questioned reported difficulty "getting started" when using public urinals." At another point it says:
People acknowledging occasional problems with hesitancy include Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Denton and US shock jock Howard Stern. In fact, recent studies show that about 7per cent of the public may suffer from this social anxiety disorder to some extent.
As an intermittent mild sufferer of this myself (and yes, just as the article suggests, it was started by some taunting by some nasty older kid behind me in primary school,) I have never understood why the designers of public toilets in Australia (or most of the world) do not seem to pay any attention to this as an issue. For example, going back to my trips to Disneyland in the 1980's, I noticed how the toilets there had the individual urinal that is now common here, but with simple privacy screens attached to the wall between them. These just extended about 40 cm or so between each urinal, mid body, and meant that you just had that additional bit of privacy. It worked for me. I remember thinking at the time that it was nice to see that Disney understood the problem, as I think before that trip I had already read something about paruresis, and the screens seemed to be addressing that issue. (Now that I think about it, maybe it also had something to do with not wanting pedophiles to be able to "check out" boys, but I am not about to write to Disney to ask about their primary motive for this design!)
Ever since then, I have tended to notice whether public toilets have copied this, and I think I can say without fear of contradiction that it is extremely rare to find in Australia, even in toilets in new buildings.
This is an extremely simple and inexpensive feature to put in a new toilet being built, so why hasn't it caught on? If it would make up to , say, 20% of men feel more comfortable, isn't it worth it?
I note that the Age article features the story of a guy with paruresis so severe he can't even go in an aircraft toilet easily. Now that is severe, and I can't imagine why he didn't seek help about this before he was in his fifties.
This article is all about pauresis, the inability to readily urinate in close proximity to others. Mostly suffered by men because of the open design of most public urinals.
I think most men would guess, from the number of guys who head to the stalls in a public toilet, that it is not an uncommon problem. Indeed, it's not that unusual to see men who leave the stall door while standing to pee. They just need that additional bit of privacy. The Age article notes that "...a 1975 study by two psychologists at the University of Idaho that found a quarter of the male college students they questioned reported difficulty "getting started" when using public urinals." At another point it says:
People acknowledging occasional problems with hesitancy include Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Denton and US shock jock Howard Stern. In fact, recent studies show that about 7per cent of the public may suffer from this social anxiety disorder to some extent.
As an intermittent mild sufferer of this myself (and yes, just as the article suggests, it was started by some taunting by some nasty older kid behind me in primary school,) I have never understood why the designers of public toilets in Australia (or most of the world) do not seem to pay any attention to this as an issue. For example, going back to my trips to Disneyland in the 1980's, I noticed how the toilets there had the individual urinal that is now common here, but with simple privacy screens attached to the wall between them. These just extended about 40 cm or so between each urinal, mid body, and meant that you just had that additional bit of privacy. It worked for me. I remember thinking at the time that it was nice to see that Disney understood the problem, as I think before that trip I had already read something about paruresis, and the screens seemed to be addressing that issue. (Now that I think about it, maybe it also had something to do with not wanting pedophiles to be able to "check out" boys, but I am not about to write to Disney to ask about their primary motive for this design!)
Ever since then, I have tended to notice whether public toilets have copied this, and I think I can say without fear of contradiction that it is extremely rare to find in Australia, even in toilets in new buildings.
This is an extremely simple and inexpensive feature to put in a new toilet being built, so why hasn't it caught on? If it would make up to , say, 20% of men feel more comfortable, isn't it worth it?
I note that the Age article features the story of a guy with paruresis so severe he can't even go in an aircraft toilet easily. Now that is severe, and I can't imagine why he didn't seek help about this before he was in his fifties.
On the Virginia Tech killings
Cho Seung-Hui's Plays - News Bloggers
Assuming they are genuine, it is pretty weird reading two short plays by a mass murderer that indicate he did indeed have serious mental issues of some description or other.
I am not sure how I feel about the rapid publishing of this material. It's ghoulishly interesting, but seems too soon after the event.
In cases like this, I can't help thinking about the killer's family and the burden of guilt or shame they presumably must feel. (This is assuming they are relatively normal family and have not mistreated the killer as a child in any dire fashion.) I don't mean to diminish the pain of victims' families, but at least the death of an innocent victim does not carry the same psychological burden of self assessment as that of being the "normal" parent of a mass murderer.
On the topic of gun control philosophy generally that this raises, there's a good discussion in progress at Catallaxy.
Assuming they are genuine, it is pretty weird reading two short plays by a mass murderer that indicate he did indeed have serious mental issues of some description or other.
I am not sure how I feel about the rapid publishing of this material. It's ghoulishly interesting, but seems too soon after the event.
In cases like this, I can't help thinking about the killer's family and the burden of guilt or shame they presumably must feel. (This is assuming they are relatively normal family and have not mistreated the killer as a child in any dire fashion.) I don't mean to diminish the pain of victims' families, but at least the death of an innocent victim does not carry the same psychological burden of self assessment as that of being the "normal" parent of a mass murderer.
On the topic of gun control philosophy generally that this raises, there's a good discussion in progress at Catallaxy.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tipler on life in the universe
My favourite cosmologist Frank Tipler has a recent paper up on arxiv about intelligent life in the universe, and summarising the development of his end of universe theories first explained in length in The Physics of Immortality.
This one is under the arxiv section "popular physics" and is easier reading than some of his stuff. I guess I still have to work out what unitarity is, though, as it is rather crucial to his argument.
For the diminishing number of readers who have made it this far into this post: one of the things which gives me reservations about Tipler is his whole hearted endorsement of "many worlds" interpretation of quantum physics. Over at Quantum Quandaries there is a recent post arguing philosophically about "many worlds", and any post that deals with Kant and quantum physics is well worth reading, isn't it?
This one is under the arxiv section "popular physics" and is easier reading than some of his stuff. I guess I still have to work out what unitarity is, though, as it is rather crucial to his argument.
For the diminishing number of readers who have made it this far into this post: one of the things which gives me reservations about Tipler is his whole hearted endorsement of "many worlds" interpretation of quantum physics. Over at Quantum Quandaries there is a recent post arguing philosophically about "many worlds", and any post that deals with Kant and quantum physics is well worth reading, isn't it?
More on abortion in England
A crisis brought on by our selfish desires-Comment-Columnists-Libby Purves-TimesOnline
Libby Purves notes that in England they are having trouble finding enough young doctors willing to take on abortion training.
Her explanation of the law in England makes it sounds rather similar to ours, with its implementation effectively meaning abortion on demand.
I don't know why issues with abortion seem to be more actively discussed in that country than here.
Libby Purves notes that in England they are having trouble finding enough young doctors willing to take on abortion training.
Her explanation of the law in England makes it sounds rather similar to ours, with its implementation effectively meaning abortion on demand.
I don't know why issues with abortion seem to be more actively discussed in that country than here.
The shorter Rudd
Just a quick comment: it seems that Kevin Rudd is in the odd position (at least for a Labor politician) of appearing to be much more unpopular with journalists than he is with the public.
How long can that go on?
How long can that go on?
Monday, April 16, 2007
How to end the drought
Despite meteorologists earlier this year giving us optimistic news about the end of the El Nino, Brisbane is extremely dry. Water supply dams are at about 20% capacity at the start of our dry winter season. We are meant to be in autumn, but this weekend, I saw that this week may have two days of 31 degrees. The hardware shop that I went to yesterday had sold out of greywater extension hoses, which everyone is buying to get washing machine water outside for the dying plants in their yards. One of my neighbours has lost several large palm trees, and I notice several others around the neighbourhood that are on their way out.
A lot of Australia is suffering, although it does seem that Brisbane has been in a particularly dry band this last year. Far North Queensland is fine; Sydney seems to have had many more days of rain than Brisbane.
Many people over the centuries have believed that drought is sent as a punishment from God. I don't think this is a very likely explanation, but then again there is the eerie co-incidence that Brisbane water supply has been on a downward trend ever since: THEY STARTED MAKING AUSTRALIAN BIG BROTHER HERE.
Have a look at the chart:
(There is a possible flaw in my theory in that it turns out, to my surprise, that BB has been going on since 2001. Maybe the first few seasons weren't as sleazy as those since 2004, when our combined dam levels just started sliding down the slope continuously.)
I find Big Brother the most teeth grindingly awful thing ever shown on television in my lifetime. If I were God, I would want to punish any city hosting it.
Yes, I say that to end the drought, thousands of people should go to Dreamworld and burn down the Big Brother house (just before the new series starts) on the basis that:
a. it would please God (or gods of any description), or
b. even if you don't believe such action will end the drought, it would be a service to humanity anyway, as well as making me very happy.
Get your torches ready, there is no downside to the plan as far as I can see.
(Note: apologies to Danny Katz for my borrowing his trademark use of capitalization for humorous effect. Although, in fact, this post was not meant to be entirely humourous.)
A lot of Australia is suffering, although it does seem that Brisbane has been in a particularly dry band this last year. Far North Queensland is fine; Sydney seems to have had many more days of rain than Brisbane.
Many people over the centuries have believed that drought is sent as a punishment from God. I don't think this is a very likely explanation, but then again there is the eerie co-incidence that Brisbane water supply has been on a downward trend ever since: THEY STARTED MAKING AUSTRALIAN BIG BROTHER HERE.
Have a look at the chart:
(There is a possible flaw in my theory in that it turns out, to my surprise, that BB has been going on since 2001. Maybe the first few seasons weren't as sleazy as those since 2004, when our combined dam levels just started sliding down the slope continuously.)
I find Big Brother the most teeth grindingly awful thing ever shown on television in my lifetime. If I were God, I would want to punish any city hosting it.
Yes, I say that to end the drought, thousands of people should go to Dreamworld and burn down the Big Brother house (just before the new series starts) on the basis that:
a. it would please God (or gods of any description), or
b. even if you don't believe such action will end the drought, it would be a service to humanity anyway, as well as making me very happy.
Get your torches ready, there is no downside to the plan as far as I can see.
(Note: apologies to Danny Katz for my borrowing his trademark use of capitalization for humorous effect. Although, in fact, this post was not meant to be entirely humourous.)
Nick Cohen on eco death threats
Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | Beware the noxious fumes of eco-extremism
Nick is no skeptic of global warming, but still points out how nasty extremism does not help the environmentalists' cause. This point that he makes at the end is quite important:
The absence of visible improvements sets climate-change legislation apart from every other anti-pollution measure. The Clean Air Act of the Fifties ended London's smogs. If Londoners complained about not being able to burn coal in the new smokeless zones, their councillors could point to the incontrovertible fact that deadly peasoupers had gone...
The prohibitions tackling climate change will stand in stark contrast. They will hurt, but they won't produce observable results.
Nick is no skeptic of global warming, but still points out how nasty extremism does not help the environmentalists' cause. This point that he makes at the end is quite important:
The absence of visible improvements sets climate-change legislation apart from every other anti-pollution measure. The Clean Air Act of the Fifties ended London's smogs. If Londoners complained about not being able to burn coal in the new smokeless zones, their councillors could point to the incontrovertible fact that deadly peasoupers had gone...
The prohibitions tackling climate change will stand in stark contrast. They will hurt, but they won't produce observable results.
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