System lowers breast augmentation re-operation rate by 17 percent
Some 20% of all breast augmentations require re-operations. I'm not surprised, but somehow I'm guessing that this doesn't get much publicity among the quarter-million-odd women who have it done every year.
Link stolen from, of all places, Living Code.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Premenstrual voice syndrome?
If I had a death wish I'd speculate about the exact mechanism, but:
PMVS describes a condition seen in a small number of women. It stands for premenstrual voice syndrome. During certain times of the month, the vocal chords of some woman undego apparently hormonal driven changes. There was a loss in suppleness of the vocal chords, resulting in "less vocal stability and an inability to sing high notes."
Yeah, I'm ripping off Richard Gayle again. It's almost like blogging.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
The bell curve sometimes rings false
Consider the 4 men on Mount Rushmore. Now let's average up their accomplishments (don't ask me how, just do it). At least one of them and possibly as many as 3 could have accomplishments which were less than the average for the group. Ergo, according to some people's logic, those guys must really suck.
Well yeah, that's exaggerated a bit, but it's what's behind expressions like "50% the (doctors, lawyers, engineers,...) are from the bottom half of their class". Strictly speaking it's true, and in some contexts might even be clever. But mathematically it's thoroughly asinine - it conveys no information that's meaningful about the performance of the affected individuals. Similar logic would lead you to conclusions like 50% of the decathlon finalists in the Olympics are inferior athletes, or that 50% of the serial killers are better than average citizens, or maybe that the winners of corresponding events at the Olympics and the Special Olympics had comparable performances. The obvious error in all of the above cases is that the populations being considered were from very narrow classes.
This article from The New Yorker by Atul Gawande has been widely discussed lately. In it the author discusses how not all doctors and clinics perform equally well by various yardsticks, using cystic fibrosis treatment as an example.
I don't have time to write any more about it right now, but it's worth a read. More later.
Well yeah, that's exaggerated a bit, but it's what's behind expressions like "50% the (doctors, lawyers, engineers,...) are from the bottom half of their class". Strictly speaking it's true, and in some contexts might even be clever. But mathematically it's thoroughly asinine - it conveys no information that's meaningful about the performance of the affected individuals. Similar logic would lead you to conclusions like 50% of the decathlon finalists in the Olympics are inferior athletes, or that 50% of the serial killers are better than average citizens, or maybe that the winners of corresponding events at the Olympics and the Special Olympics had comparable performances. The obvious error in all of the above cases is that the populations being considered were from very narrow classes.
This article from The New Yorker by Atul Gawande has been widely discussed lately. In it the author discusses how not all doctors and clinics perform equally well by various yardsticks, using cystic fibrosis treatment as an example.
I don't have time to write any more about it right now, but it's worth a read. More later.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
A taste of medicine
Around the 70's there was a bestselling book about an English country doctor. The title eludes me at the moment, but I seem to remember that at one point the doctor smelled a patient's breath, noticed a hint of rotten apples, and from this correctly concluded that the patient had appendicitis.
A father noticed that his little girl always had really salty skin, to the point of calling her "my little potato chip". Then as she got older and "failed to thrive", he found out why she was so salty. Her body did not handle chlorine properly - she had cystic fibrosis. I'll link the article later when I'll have a lot more to say about it.
Lately a medblogger wrote of a patient that had been eating a lot of ice. Of all things, this often indicates an iron deficiency.
Incidentally, how do you think doctors discovered that the urine of diabetes mellitus patients was sweet?
Instrumentation and diagnostic equipment are terrific. But I have to wonder what is lost by using these artificial senses if they are used to the exclusion of the original 5.
A father noticed that his little girl always had really salty skin, to the point of calling her "my little potato chip". Then as she got older and "failed to thrive", he found out why she was so salty. Her body did not handle chlorine properly - she had cystic fibrosis. I'll link the article later when I'll have a lot more to say about it.
Lately a medblogger wrote of a patient that had been eating a lot of ice. Of all things, this often indicates an iron deficiency.
Incidentally, how do you think doctors discovered that the urine of diabetes mellitus patients was sweet?
Instrumentation and diagnostic equipment are terrific. But I have to wonder what is lost by using these artificial senses if they are used to the exclusion of the original 5.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Low standards
Glenn Reynolds is too easily impressed here. All Derbyshire did was express his faith in science, which is of no value in evaluating Intelligent Design.
We might do well to consider how blind science is and always must be. For instance, can anyone prove that gravity will behave the same way tomorrow? Of course you can't - science is based on observation, and you can't observe the future. You just have faith that gravity will be the same, but it probably hasn't even occurred to you that you're making an assumption.
But the hubris really shows when we hear prattle about a "god of the gaps". Right. We have this tiny little light on in the vastness of the universe, and we miss most of what's going on there, and someone speaks of our *scientific ignorance* as a "gap"?
Is there anything to Intelligent Design? Here's the correct, scientific answer - we don't know.
We might do well to consider how blind science is and always must be. For instance, can anyone prove that gravity will behave the same way tomorrow? Of course you can't - science is based on observation, and you can't observe the future. You just have faith that gravity will be the same, but it probably hasn't even occurred to you that you're making an assumption.
But the hubris really shows when we hear prattle about a "god of the gaps". Right. We have this tiny little light on in the vastness of the universe, and we miss most of what's going on there, and someone speaks of our *scientific ignorance* as a "gap"?
Is there anything to Intelligent Design? Here's the correct, scientific answer - we don't know.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Boys will be boys but....
...no girl of Joe Kennedy's had better act like her male relatives.
Kathleen Kennedy was Joe Kennedy's oldest daughter. Legend has it that she was mentally disabled, so Daddy had her lobotomized when she was 23. She died this past week at 86.
Was she mentally disabled? Perhaps no more so than any of her siblings.
she was able to attend school and travel Europe without a chaperone. But she was sneaking out at night and returning to her convent school disheveled and drunk, the nuns feared she was picking up men and more, and she threw temper tantrums. Heavens, Joe Kennedy couldn't let anyone disgrace the family! If that meant that Rosemary would wind up in an infantlike state, mumbling words and sitting for hours staring at walls, well....I won't accuse even Joe Kennedy of expecting that outcome, but it was an awfully heavy-handed way to respond in any case.
Her troubles are over now finally, and she lives on as the inspiration for the Special Olympics.
Kathleen Kennedy was Joe Kennedy's oldest daughter. Legend has it that she was mentally disabled, so Daddy had her lobotomized when she was 23. She died this past week at 86.
Was she mentally disabled? Perhaps no more so than any of her siblings.
she was able to attend school and travel Europe without a chaperone. But she was sneaking out at night and returning to her convent school disheveled and drunk, the nuns feared she was picking up men and more, and she threw temper tantrums. Heavens, Joe Kennedy couldn't let anyone disgrace the family! If that meant that Rosemary would wind up in an infantlike state, mumbling words and sitting for hours staring at walls, well....I won't accuse even Joe Kennedy of expecting that outcome, but it was an awfully heavy-handed way to respond in any case.
Her troubles are over now finally, and she lives on as the inspiration for the Special Olympics.
Torture test
Yep, I'm ripping off Greyhawk's title too. Because it, like the corresponding post linked here about Abu Ghraib, is excellent. It's not just a blog post, it's an essential part of the history of the Iraq war.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Spinal cords repaired with adult stem cells
You can have your broken spinal cord repaired, but you'll pay through the nose.
Perhaps if the late Christopher Reeve had lent his name and reputation to adult stem cell research, this type of progress might have been made soon enough to do him some good, while helping to prevent the further commoditization of human life.
Russian surgeons claim a world first after repairing broken spinal cords using stem cells taken from the patient's nose.
The Moscow team claim it is the first time anyone has been able to treat such severe spinal injuries by reconnecting spinal cord neural tissue.
As has always been true of stem cell miracles to date, the heroes were adult stem cells.
The Moscow team claim it is the first time anyone has been able to treat such severe spinal injuries by reconnecting spinal cord neural tissue.
Perhaps if the late Christopher Reeve had lent his name and reputation to adult stem cell research, this type of progress might have been made soon enough to do him some good, while helping to prevent the further commoditization of human life.
Wish I'd said that
How is it that something so utterly appropriate can be considered unprofessional?
Friday, January 07, 2005
Lotto Winner Comes Forward After Divorce
Right here.
It's not quite like it sounds at first - the ol' lady did know about it, they were already separated, and she divorced him after she was informed.
That's not to say his heart was pure. He'd heard that another man had tried a stunt like this a few years before and the judge had really reamed him for it.
It's not quite like it sounds at first - the ol' lady did know about it, they were already separated, and she divorced him after she was informed.
That's not to say his heart was pure. He'd heard that another man had tried a stunt like this a few years before and the judge had really reamed him for it.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Whittaker sighed
National Review has turned 50, and NRO will be posting items from its archives in celebration throughout the year.
And look here - we have a contemporary review of "Atlas Shrugged" by no less than Whittaker Chambers.
Then as now the book was controversial. IMO everyone ought to read it once just to see what the fuss is about.
And look here - we have a contemporary review of "Atlas Shrugged" by no less than Whittaker Chambers.
Then as now the book was controversial. IMO everyone ought to read it once just to see what the fuss is about.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Monday, January 03, 2005
That jacket is really you...
I mean, it's really you...
What's next? I suppose they can use penile skin to make telescopes. Or maybe they could give it acne and use it for self-regenerating bubble wrap. Chia-Pets could grow real hair. Any other suggestions?
Fancy a partially alive jacket, possibly grown out of your own skin? In reality, it may not be that far away.
Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr at the Tissue Culture & Art Project are attempting to grow a semi-living jacket in an effort to create "victimless leather." Hoping to highlight the possibility of wearing leather without killing an animal, the duo is presently focused on growing living tissue into a leather-like material and having it mature in the form of a miniature, stitchless, coat-like shape.
Read the rest here.
Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr at the Tissue Culture & Art Project are attempting to grow a semi-living jacket in an effort to create "victimless leather." Hoping to highlight the possibility of wearing leather without killing an animal, the duo is presently focused on growing living tissue into a leather-like material and having it mature in the form of a miniature, stitchless, coat-like shape.
What's next? I suppose they can use penile skin to make telescopes. Or maybe they could give it acne and use it for self-regenerating bubble wrap. Chia-Pets could grow real hair. Any other suggestions?
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Be my guinea pig
I haven't tried any of the following vendors, but I'll write about them anyway.
First there's Hometown Favorites. The concept sounds interesting - the proprietor distributes hard-to-find or regional candies, groceries and other nonperishable products.
Or how about SimplyBovine? ("Everything Cows!") I found them while looking for a distributor for "Cow Pies". They also sell, among other things, cow g-strings.
Which reminds me, Valentine's Day is coming! So be sure to place your order with Despair.com for their "BitterSweets" today. Now available in two types - "Dejected" (which includes a reference to blogging!) and "Dysfunctional". (or if you should somehow have a positive attitude, EHarmony offers gift certificates).
Enough for now. Now go stimulate the economy!
First there's Hometown Favorites. The concept sounds interesting - the proprietor distributes hard-to-find or regional candies, groceries and other nonperishable products.
Or how about SimplyBovine? ("Everything Cows!") I found them while looking for a distributor for "Cow Pies". They also sell, among other things, cow g-strings.
Which reminds me, Valentine's Day is coming! So be sure to place your order with Despair.com for their "BitterSweets" today. Now available in two types - "Dejected" (which includes a reference to blogging!) and "Dysfunctional". (or if you should somehow have a positive attitude, EHarmony offers gift certificates).
Enough for now. Now go stimulate the economy!
No thanks, I won't be having any
Ever since I was a kid I've been hearing references to "eggs in your beer" as if it were the ultimate in unreasonable demands. Where it came from I have no clue. I'm guessing it's a Kraut thing, although the first people I recall hearing it from were Irish. Or maybe it's Midwestern.
Go ahead - look it up: Google Search: "eggs in your beer". Or if you're into regionalisms, check out this.
Of course self-respecting bars have to have some pickled eggs or maybe pig's feet. Occasionally there were free salty snacks to encourage beer consumption (although freeloading in bars can be hazardous to your health), but some people I knew didn't leave this to chance - they put salt directly in their beer lest they should be sated before they ran out of money.
I don't know how common this is, but I knew a guy down south who'd get a bottle of Coke (that's a "coke-cola", Yankee!), dump a small bag of salted peanuts into it, and then drink the mess. Maybe it was about freeing up a hand, or gustatory considerations, and I know it's all going to the same place anyway, but it just wasn't my thing.
I shouldn't talk - I've always been a mad scientist in the kitchen. When I was a kid I had to mix whatever condiments happened to be around and try to eat the results. Or else there were Pixy Stix or Lik-em-Aid to be mixed with Kool-Aid or the occasional soft drink. (And I learned from it too. Later on in chemistry classes when they started discussing solubility I suddenly knew why I never could get the chocolate or Peanut Butter Cups to dissolve in the drink concoctions I made.). This means I'm creative with oddball ingredients, but please, don't ever make shrimp stroganoff (I was down to frozen noodles, frozen shrimp, golden mushroom soup and sour cream. Thaw shrimp. Cook noodles. Mix ingredients. Season to taste. Retch. Throw out and resolve never to repeat).
Now is your chance to share recipes for favorite oddball concoctions.
Go ahead - look it up: Google Search: "eggs in your beer". Or if you're into regionalisms, check out this.
Of course self-respecting bars have to have some pickled eggs or maybe pig's feet. Occasionally there were free salty snacks to encourage beer consumption (although freeloading in bars can be hazardous to your health), but some people I knew didn't leave this to chance - they put salt directly in their beer lest they should be sated before they ran out of money.
I don't know how common this is, but I knew a guy down south who'd get a bottle of Coke (that's a "coke-cola", Yankee!), dump a small bag of salted peanuts into it, and then drink the mess. Maybe it was about freeing up a hand, or gustatory considerations, and I know it's all going to the same place anyway, but it just wasn't my thing.
I shouldn't talk - I've always been a mad scientist in the kitchen. When I was a kid I had to mix whatever condiments happened to be around and try to eat the results. Or else there were Pixy Stix or Lik-em-Aid to be mixed with Kool-Aid or the occasional soft drink. (And I learned from it too. Later on in chemistry classes when they started discussing solubility I suddenly knew why I never could get the chocolate or Peanut Butter Cups to dissolve in the drink concoctions I made.). This means I'm creative with oddball ingredients, but please, don't ever make shrimp stroganoff (I was down to frozen noodles, frozen shrimp, golden mushroom soup and sour cream. Thaw shrimp. Cook noodles. Mix ingredients. Season to taste. Retch. Throw out and resolve never to repeat).
Now is your chance to share recipes for favorite oddball concoctions.
Monday, December 27, 2004
For better or for worse but not forebearance
It's not too newsworthy to say that professional athletes are a horny lot. Here's a bit of a history.
But not every player's wife takes this infidelity lying down. Consider Anna Benson, a model/ex-stripper voted "baseball's hottest wife". Her husband, Kris Benson of the Mets, is under notice - on Howard Stern's show she said that if she caught him cheating she would do everybody on his whole team, including coaches, groundskeepers, and bat boys.
This immediately set Eric Raymond's keen analytical mind to work:
Admittedly Ms. Benson is sending somewhat of a mixed message about fidelity, but consider this:
But not every player's wife takes this infidelity lying down. Consider Anna Benson, a model/ex-stripper voted "baseball's hottest wife". Her husband, Kris Benson of the Mets, is under notice - on Howard Stern's show she said that if she caught him cheating she would do everybody on his whole team, including coaches, groundskeepers, and bat boys.
This immediately set Eric Raymond's keen analytical mind to work:
Somehere, a coalition of the most unattractive no-hopers in the Mets organization — probably organized by some dude with a beer gut, bad breath, and a bread-dough complexion who harbors a long-simmering lust for the wench — is now organizing a pool with which to engage the foxiest hookers in the Big Apple to waylay her husband. What a pitch! Throw $50 in the kitty and “Baseball’s Hottest Wife” will bang you too!
In other news, Mets merchandise sales tripled...
Admittedly Ms. Benson is sending somewhat of a mixed message about fidelity, but consider this:
When Kris had Tommy John surgery, he couldn’t move his arms for a week. Every time he went to the bathroom, I had to help him. Plus, he couldn’t hold down his pain medication. We were flying home from the hospital and we had to squeeze into the plane’s bathroom together so I could stick suppositories up his ass to keep him from throwing up.
Sounds like true love to me.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Birth of a slander?
Happy birthday to...
Arthur H. Ehrat of Virden, Ill, who invented the breakaway basketball rim. He's 80 years old.
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