How true

Hey, I do believe xkcd is satirising Ender's Game, which I only read a few years ago and came away utterly puzzled as to why it is held in high regard by many science fiction fans. It was, in my view, just awful.

All the popular topics

Sex in space could be the key to the survival of humans | The Japan Times Online

Here's an article made for this blog: it features rats, sex, space flight, and the future of humanity.

I didn't know this:

In 1979, the Cosmos 1129 space mission, also known as Bion 5, was a joint collaboration between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was primarily a biomedical program, and on this particular mission male and female rats were sent into space and allowed to do what comes naturally.

Whatever problems there might be with having sex in microgravity, floating in space, the rats managed it. I'm not surprised really. If you've ever dissected a male rat in biology class you'll have noted the size of their testicles: I'm sure that given a sniff of a female, even a rat floating in orbit round our planet would try to get it on.

Two other species were on board Bion 5, by the way: the Japanese quail, and some carrots. But my concern here is with the rats. When they returned to Earth, the female rats were examined. Two had become pregnant, but they did not give birth. Apparently the space-embryos were reabsorbed.

The concern is that humans may not reproduce well under less than 1 G.

Observations

Currently reading: A Wrinkle in Time (last read in primary school - it's even more Christian than I remember), Julian Barne's quasi-memoir Nothing to be Frightened Of, and that book about Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome (it can be picked up and put down with gaps of weeks at a time without losing track.)

Currently sick of: politics. I find nothing of interest really going on in Australian Federal politics at the moment. I feel much better about it whenever Kevin Rudd is missing from the TV screens for any length of time. (If he disappeared entirely for 3 months, I am sure his approval ratings would be even higher.) I find Lindsay Tanner the most likeable Labor politician. Tony Abbott has a strange sense of public decency for a serious catholic: the more "s*it" he speaks, the less likeable a significant section of the community will find him.

Current movie viewing plans: see Up. Probably next weekend.

Current problems: work. Too busy, yet I want to check this blog and the internet about 12 times a day.

Something currently feeling vindicated about: my brother who is a semi-regular visitor at St Mary's in Exile in South Brisbane acknowledged it seems to be "losing its way," and attendances are probably down. (The last few sermons I have watched on the internet certainly indicate the place is still in intense navel gazing mode, and is just as dull in its own way as any "traditional" parish with an old priest who re-reads sermons from 30 years ago.)

Learn something

'Inside of a Dog - What Dogs See, Smell, and Know,' by Alexandra Horowitz - Review - NYTimes.com

You will probably learn something you didn't know about dogs if you read this book review.

A late cartoon

Regrets

Mighty Mouse takes off – thanks to magnets - New Scientist

Sometimes I really wish I had become a scientist:

With the aid of a strong magnetic field, mice have been made to levitate for hours at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. The floating rodents could provide a valuable insight into how astronauts are affected by extended spells in zero gravity.

Refer to Peter Singer

Mind Hacks: Brain scanning unborn babies

Scientists can now do MRI on unborn babies. Peter Singer, who now just seems to bang on about social justice, but presumably is still of the view that even newborn babies "do not have the same right to life as a person", should read it.

Ocean acidification update, part whatever..

Some recent studies report:

* subtropical corals showing a net loss of calcium carbonate under decreased ocean pH:

These experimental results provide support for the conclusion that some net calcifying communities could become subject to net dissolution in response to anthropogenic ocean acidification within this century.

* the results of experiments on a couple of planktonic foraminifera (which are a small critter that produces calcium carbonate shells) do not like more CO2:

At the [CO32−] expected for the end of the century, the calcification rates of these two species are projected to be 6 to 13% lower than at present conditions, while the final shell weights are reduced by 20 to 27% for O. universa and by 4 to 6% for G. sacculifer. These results indicate that ocean acidification would impact calcite production by foraminifera and may decrease the calcite flux contribution from these organisms.

* bivalves in Antarctic waters (the first predicted to suffer increased ocean acidification) don't take it well either:

After 5 weeks the shells and thallus of the coralline alga had suffered significant dissolution when compared to controls. Moroever, one of the shells of the bivalve L. elliptica in acidified seawater became so fragile it fragmented into multiple pieces. Our findings indicate that antarctic calcified seafloor macroorganisms, and the communities they comprise, are likely to be the first to experience the cascading impacts of ocean acidification.

* Pteropods, and important fish food, show significantly reduced calcification at pH levels predicted for 2100:

This result supports the concern for the future of pteropods in a high-CO2 world, as well as of those species dependent upon them as a food resource. A decline of their populations would likely cause dramatic changes to the structure, function and services of polar ecosystems.

Remember, boys and girls, reducing CO2 is not just about warming.

All about hoki

An Unlikely Star Among Seafood Causes a Row - NYTimes.com

I knew about orange roughy, but until now, didn't know anything about hoki, despite it being a pretty popular fish in the freezer compartment of the supermarket.

Well, now I know.

Just ridiculous

Astronauts could reach Mars in 2020s, panel says

Apparently, it is being suggested that it may be a worthwhile thing to not bother developing landing vehicles for Mars, but just send a crew to orbit around the planet and get close to its moons.

(Or alternatively, go and doodle around an asteroid.)

Is there no limit to the silliness of suggestions that are being put up at the moment?

Using current rockets, a manned trip to Mars is going to be long and tedious, as well as dangerous due to the unresolved issue of how to provide adequate protection from radiation. That you would even think about doing it just to provide more pictures from orbit is about the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard.

If you aren't going to land on the planet, moon or asteroid, you just wouldn't seriously contemplate it.

Naughty names

Teachers believe Callum, Connor and Jack are the naughtiest boys in class - Telegraph

Researchers also found that teachers keep a close eye on those called Chelsea, Brandon, Charlie, Courtney and Chardonnay.

A study of 3,000 school teachers formulated the 'Teachers Pet and Pest Name Chart' which showed that more than a third of teachers expect children with certain names to be more trouble than others.

Just lucky I didn't go ahead with plans to name my daughter Pinot Gris, then.

AIDS and belief in Africa, and related notes

The New Atlantis - AIDS Relief and Moral Myopia

This article is a great read that I can't recommend highly enough. It paints a very convincing picture of how the typical African "world view" of the importance of the spiritual world, and the nature of sexual relationships, means that Western faith in the condom as the solution to the spread of AIDS just doesn't work.

In fact - oh horror, it's just like the Catholic Church likes to say - behavioural and psycho/social change in that continent is ultimately the more important issue.

The article is also interesting in that it seems to suggest that the Pentecostal Churches, which psychologically are more "in tune" with traditional African belief in witchcraft and routine miracles, is not helping much.

Anyone interested can go back and look at my earlier lengthy post prompted by criticism of the Pope's comments on Africa and AIDS earlier this year.

In another AIDs story of interest, The Age ran a long article about a nun in New Guinea who has had a major role in limiting HIV spread in that country. (And she makes it clear she has no problem with condom use for the infected.)

Finally, in Australia the number of new HIV infections every year is still roughly 1,000. 64% of that are men who have sex with men. Obviously, warnings are not being heeded.

Mind you, on the heterosexual side of the ledger, the same article points out that there are 58,000 new cases of Chlamydia annually, mostly in the young, which is a number heading in the wrong direction. Condoms don't appear to be too popular in the youth demographic, then, despite sex education presumably being more widespread and detailed than ever before.

On pointless challenges

How can I resist commenting on the misfortunes of Jessica Watson, the 16 year old who wants to be the youngest person to sail around the world, but has trouble avoiding large freighters before her boat even gets to the (metaphoric) corner of the block?

The public reaction is interesting. Apart from the armchair sailors debating maritime right of way (kind of an academic point if your boat starts sinking, I would have thought,) the comments in the Courier Mail (see at the end of the above link) are split between those who think:

a. she's clearly too young and inexperienced, and what the heck are her parents doing encouraging her to do this anyway; and

b. she's an inspiration, living her dream, seizing the day, full of courage, etc, and all you naysayers should be ashamed.

I note that within category b is one prominent politician:

Premier Anna Bligh urged Jessica to continue her "big dream" once she has recovered from the accident.

Ms Bligh said Jessica was "a determined young woman" who would almost certainly continue her quest.

"There's been a lot of discussion about whether this young woman is up to it; I think she is".

One suspects that there's a bit of "Girls can do anything" motivation there that would not be present if she were a he.

I can't say that I have spotted any comment that reflects my position, which is:

1. People, at least if they are adults, should be free to set themselves whatever pointless personal challenges (PPCs) they want to in life and attempt them. (Subject to their not expecting inordinately large public costs to be incurred in rescue services or medical treatment.)

2. PPCs are, however, indeed pointless.*

3. The undertaking of a PPC is therefore rarely worthy of admiration. Maybe some are technically interesting, but not admirable. "Following your dream" is rather overstated as a sensible motivation in life.

4. Indeed, being the youngest by a few months or a year to achieve something inherently dangerous and which has been done before by umpteen others is probably the most pointless form of PPC possible.

Sorry, but Jessica has negative admiration in this corner of the woods. As for her parents - I find it hard to fathom their mindset. If she comes to harm, I guess they'll run the "died while doing something she loved" line.

* To clarify: personal challenges which involve an actual or potential income, such as striving for sporting excellence, are not entirely pointless. Nor is being the first person to explore a corner of the earth - who knows what you may find. But being the first to do something that has already been done, just in a more difficult way; that's pointless.

Busy, but someone book me a cruise

Cruises to Alaska, Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico and the world on Holland America, one of the best cruise lines

Is it just my ignorance, or are the prices for the cruises from this company - which is advertising heavily on the internet at the moment - unusually good value?

How generous

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saudi cleric urges prayer reform

A leading Saudi cleric has called on Muslims not to pray for the destruction of unbelievers.

A supplication to that effect is often reiterated at the end of every Friday prayer in Arab countries, something critics say can radicalise youth...

It is very common for the Friday prayer in Arab societies to end with the Imam calling for the destruction of the "kuffar", the un-believers, to which the worshippers respond "Amen".

Yes and no

Fundamentalism will damage society, says top scientist - Science, News - The Independent

Lord May of Oxford, the president of the British Science Festival, said that although religion may have once helped to stabilise human societies, the rise in fundamentalism could make it more difficult to bring about the sort of high-level co-operation needed to tackle the global problems of climate change and a growing human population.

Actually, I suppose fundamentalism could help if a religion has a new revelation from God telling them to stop making so much CO2!

But I can't be too critical: I did make some comments here recently worrying that religious inspired fatalism (eg, encouraged by the belief that the world is about to end) acts as a disincentive for big projects to help ensure the survival of humanity.

To that extent, fundamentalism could be a danger to environmental causes. But there is one comment in the article that seems far off the mark:

The rise of fundamentalism, not just in the Muslim world but in the United States, and within the Catholic church, could actually make global co-operation more difficult at a time when an unprecedented level of teamwork was needed, Lord May said

I don't see a hell of a lot of evidence for a surge in "fundamentalism" in the Catholic Church.

Why liquids are banned on flights

The drink bottle that could have downed a plane | UK news | guardian.co.uk

A lot of people ridicule the liquids ban on international flights, but the evidence at the trial of the would-be terrorists in England indicates that this was exactly the method being planned by them:

According to the prosecution the plan involved a syringe being plunged into the bottom of a Lucozade or Oasis bottle and the liquid removed. The tiny hole in the plastic would then be resealed so that even if it was inspected at an airport security check it would appear unopened.

The original contents were to be replaced with a homemade liquid explosive before a dye was added so it appeared to be the same colour as the original drink.

The liquid explosive was to be based on hydrogen peroxide, used extensively by terrorists because its constituent parts are easily available.

Tests by government scientists, played to the jury, produced videos of the devices producing an explosion powerful enough to punch a hole in an aircraft fuselage. The handwritten notes and diary entries written by members of the terror cell and recovered by police showed the sophistication of the terrorists' devices and extent to which they had thought how best to bypass airport security.

The cell planned to use household and everyday items that would appear innocent to airport security guards. Pornographic magazines would be packed in their hand luggage to distract airport security staff.

Pornography used in the course of terrorism: that's novel.

Home, home on the pond

Half of the fish consumed globally is now raised on farms, study finds

Why does aquaculture interest me? I don't know: it just does.

Tired doctors

Patients dying at the hands of doctors working for days on end | The Courier-Mail

Public hospital doctors in Queensland certainly got a lot of publicity yesterday about their long work hours and the mistakes they are leading to. Even though this is all part of a pay and conditions campaign, I doubt there is much reason to doubt the stories of overwork and its dangerous consequences.

On talkback radio, and in comments in the paper, many people make a pretty valid comparison: we have tight laws to try to prevent long distance truck drivers from falling asleep on the job, yet there is no equivalent for hospitals, despite the life and death nature of what they routinely do.

Part of the issue with junior doctors and long hours seems to have been a reluctance of older doctors, who had it tough when they were an intern, to agree that young doctors should have better conditions. And in fact, in the comments in the Courier Mail following the story, there is still evidence of a "suck it up" attitude:

I am actually a doctor at one of the large hospitals in Brisbane and it has been blown out of proportion all this safe hours rubbish. I have not worked over 60 hours in a week for more then 5 years. Most of the doctors are complaining that they do not work enough because they now don't get enough experience. Going to see a senior doctor is not goign to be as safe in a few years time becasue instead of seeing hundreds of different cases on a specific illness he will have only seen 20 or 30 because of all these safe hours hysteria. There are a few exceptions to the rule but in the majority junior docotrs don't get enough experience anymore.... I am sure if you check those doctors records who make the mistakes I have a feeling you would see they probably make mistakes if they are tired or not....

I suspect "Joan" is a crusty old nurse offering her support to that anonymous doctor:

I agree with the doctor in comment 99. Most of the junior doctors are gone by 5pm - regardless of what is happening medically with their patients.The really long shifts disappeared a generation ago - and now those doctors ( as the senior consultants) are actually the ones filling in the gaps left by the "safe hours" campaigners amongst the junior doctors. Without enough experience these junior doctors will never reach the same level of skill that more senior doctors achieved during their early training years. Maybe the problem is that since medicine became a post graduate degree, the young enthusiastic junior doctors have been replaced by older more militant ones. Maybe the current junior doctors can't function under stress - which surely should be a prerequisite in their job.

In a few subsequent comments, many doctors dispute Joan's account of what a breeze the hours now are.

Of course, having more doctors in the system would help too.

Various comments on CO2

Clean coal: Miracle or mirage? - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Four Corners devotes an entire show tonight to the issue of "clean coal" and it would appear from the preview at the link that it will confirm all my suspicions that it is not going to work.

Meanwhile, in the Australian this morning, the much derided Bjorn Lomborg makes the point again that concentrating on CO2 targets without putting adequate investment into new technology is going to ensure the targets are not met. (I would also add that concentrating on a establishing a system which has a built in incentive to invent phoney offsets - such as an ETS - is not going to help either.)

He appears to advocate a very low initial carbon tax but (if I read him correctly) all of the money thereby raised would be going into new technology development. I guess the problem with this is that it would be a case of governments trying to pick winners out of a range of potential useful technology, which has its own risks of failure. But if the problem is urgent, I don't know that we have much choice.

Besides, to a significant degree, we already know one thing that would help - ramping up nuclear power. And my inclination - much repeated here - is to go with small systems that can be quickly deployed. The next generation of big reactors, which do have their advantages, can follow through later.

Fran Barlow has been making comments a lot at John Quiggin and LP about nuclear power. Like Barry Brook, she appears to be a lefty (well, I assume Brook is - he is a scientist who believes in AGW, after all) who has become completely convinced of the need for nuclear to be involved in reducing CO2. Yet, she thinks it is pointless to politically promote this in Australia.

I made a comment at an LP thread about this a couple of weeks ago, to which I think no one replied. I'll make it here then:

I must say I am somewhat puzzled with the attitude that seems to be “sure, we know nuclear would be good, but we may as well forget it as we can’t get it through politically in the foreseeable future.”

Seems a very defeatist attitude towards changing Labor Party policy from a bunch of people who are (I presume) Labor supporters! Of course, you’ll never get the Greens on side, but if you actually had Labor policy change you’re not going to have a problem with the conservative side of politics. That would then render Green control of the Senate irrelevant.

So the crux of the matter is getting Labor to accept the inevitable sooner rather than later. What percentage of sensible Labor Party members do you need before they’ll have the temerity to challenge Labor policy on this?

Barlow's big concern is that, even with the Liberals and Labor both "on side", enough Labor voters will desert to the Greens to be a major problem. But surely not enough to prevent a government being formed in the House of Reps, and to allow for a combined conservative and Labor Senate vote to get it through there?

So when will prominent Labor identities start the push to get their policy changed? Dithering around on blogs about how it is needed is not going to be enough.

UPDATE: if anything, I thought the Four Corners show last night was a little too soft on clean coal. For example, there was very little talk of the practical challenges of how many places around a country are geologically suitable for carbon sequestration, and how you get the CO2 to those spots. I think it could have had more detail on that and other aspects.

UPDATE 2: As I have a rare link here from LP, I'll point people back to this previous post about clean coal from 2007, which may be of interest. This post was pretty worthwhile too, if I do say so myself!