Regulatory Bodies and Societal Detriment

I have made several statements regarding the absurdity of the FDA's announced position that cannabis has no proven medical benefit. It undermines the legitimacy of this administrative authority. Politically motivated lies and interdiction on medicine, the most sacred of human institutions, originating from the medical regulatory body itself cannot be tolerated. A caveat emptor, free market for medicine would be preferable to draconian restrictions by religiously driven inquisitions.

Now there is some hope. Americans for Safe Access has sued the FDA for violating the Data Quality Act. This comes via the Drug Law Blog (RSS), a very informative source for legal developments in the execrable "War on Drugs," a war against human dignity itself.

Air Traffic

Last weekend I was one of the unhappy passengers to be screwed by the JetBlue fiasco. Hopefully I will be compensated and the company will improve.

On another note, FlightAware is a useful website which tracks and displays US air traffic information. Maps are available showing all airborne planes and flight paths for public airlines.

Ascent of Man

Dr Jacob Bronowski's magnificent 1973 thirteen part BBC television series 'The Ascent of Man' traced our rise both as a species and as moulders of our own environment and future. It covers the history of science, but of science in the broadest terms. Invention from the flint tool to geometry, from the arch to the theory of relativity, are shown to be expressions of man's specific ability to understand nature, to control it, not to be controlled by it. Dr Bronowski's rare grasp not only of science, but also of its historical and social context, gave him great advantages as an historian of ideas. It is a series which gives us a new perspective not just on science, but on civilisation.

Available here on MVGroup or here on BitMeTV.

Gapminder and Worldmapper

I came across this post from Reason magazine pointing out the Gapminder tool for viewing world development statistics. I cannot wait to have proper access to the tools for creating my own statistical displays with this tool.

*Update* Timothy points us to the related site Worldmapper with density equalising maps for World statistics.

The Pigou Club Manifesto

Most readers of this blog will probably already realise that the best way to eliminate carbon emissions is a direct consumption tax on fossil fuels. In the Pigou Club Manifesto Greg Mankiw outlines the seven most important benefits of such a tax.

Parfait

This TechCrunch article is correct in declaring Gmail a perfect email programme with the addition of the new Mail Fetcher feature. The feature has not yet been made available in all accounts, but it will be soon. It allows users of any POP3 enabled accounts to download their mail to gmail in addition to sending. This will make Gmail far and away superior to any other email product currently available at no cost but for minimal noninvasive advertisements.

*Update* The Mail Fetcher feature is now functional for all gmail accounts. It works very well. If you set up gmail forwarding, it will even forward the POP mail as well.

Doomed to Fail

The Chinese policy of Internet censorship is understandable in the context of recent history. Since the Maoist revolution, Zhong Guo has striven to progress with one mind. The nail that sticks up gets hammered down. Limited freedom of speech proved very destabilising for the entire country in the Tienanmen manifestation. Since then, the authoritarian government has maintained its mandate under heaven by providing blistering economic growth and prosperity to the cities. Internet access there has grown very quickly also as an essential component of communication and economic development. Of course the potentially disruptive force of freedom of expression that the Internet inherently allows has proven frustrating and worthy in the eyes of the party of systematic suppression. For determined and intelligent internauts, expression is always possible through encryption and proxying, but is certainly more difficult with the incredible resources of the Chinese security authorities and the audience is significantly smaller. What Zhong Guo will ultimately have to prepare for is a completely free and open Internet made possible through coming technologies. By 2020, we should expect to receive satellite Internet in a simple wristwatch and I seriously doubt the Chinese military will start using their new anti-satellite system to shoot down every internet satellite out of the sky. The democratising effect of the Internet is inevitable. China's policymakers who overall have done very well in the past two decades must prepare for this inevitability and focus on the future rather than holding on too tightly to the oppressive past.

*Update* I somehow missed this Economist article on censorship and circumvention.

Google News and Utilities

Three weeks ago, columnist Robert X. Cringely predicted Google would effectively become the Internet thanks to high demand for Internet video. He managed to crystallise in my mind that Google will be the singular dominant information entity of the future and that at $500, its stock is a good buy. After all, it is extremely profitable, rates as the best company to work for, attracts the best talent, and people genuinely like its product and philosophy.

One technology in which they lack accessibility and functionality is their Bookmarks. In December, they took a small step in correcting this by releasing a new Bookmarks gadget. It has some bugs, but is a significant improvement over the first iteration. It is a perfect addition to the homepage. The newly released Google Toolbar 3.0 also has a quality Bookmarks feature built in.

I was surprised to learn that Google Video can be downloaded as an .avi file.

Lastly, the unofficial Google Operating System blog is an excellent source of useful tools and information as is the Official Blog.

Apple Plays a Different iTune

Given the recent drama in Norige, Steve Jobs has started playing a different tune on DRM. Now he has joined me in calling for open standards for iTMS, but is blaming record labels for Apple's inability to do so. Whether or not this is just a well calculated move to ingratiate himself with disgusted customers while seeking greater control for Apple in the music sales business, it is nonetheless a positive development and hopefully will gain momentum. After all, whatever system allows for the continued creation of high quality media at the lowest cost to the consumer is the socially optimal one. Apple's motives are irrelevant. And what of the incentives for artists to create media in a DRM free, copy friendly world? As the boys of South Park conclude in the episode 7 x 9, 'Christian Rock Hard:'

Kyle: ...[A]ll this time we've been so caught up with how to protect our music that we forgot to just play.

Lars: But why play if we're not gonna make millions of dollars?

Kyle: Because that's what real artists do. People are always gonna find a way to copy our music and swap it for free. If we're real musicians, then we should just play and be stoked that so many people are listening.

Stan: Besides, maybe our songs would have gotten downloaded for free, but if they were good songs then people still would have bought tickets to see our band in concert.

It is that simple.

Human Papillomavirus

Human Papillomavirus or HPV comes in over 100 strains which infect skin and mucous membranes of humans and many animals. Some of these strains are fairly benign and unnoticeable, some cause common warts or plantar warts (warts on the bottom of the foot). Other strains are more malignant causing genital or anal warts or cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is responsible for the death of over 280,000 people per year and is almost always caused by sexually transmitted HPV infection. Unfortunately the use of safe sex practices such as condoms to prevent HPV has been clearly shown to be only partially effective since transmission is skin to skin. Conservatives are correct in suggesting that abstinence is the only way to be truly safe.

I had the good fortune lately to dine with a friend who is working at Merck pharmaceuticals company promoting the use of their new HPV vaccine, Guardasil. Guardasil defends against four common cancer causing HPV types responsible for 70% of cancers and 90% of genital warts. The European Union has already approved the use of guardasil in both men and women while the more backwards and highly politicised US Food and Drug Administration, who deny any medical benefit of cannabis, have so far only approved Guardasil for young women and girls. My friend did inform me that some enlightened US doctors will nonetheless prescribe Guardasil to men even though it is not "indicated."

The State of Tejas recently decided to implement mandatory HPV vaccination for middle school girls with exceptions made for allergic or religious conflict. This is an extremely wise decision by the State legislature and much to the benefit of the people of Texas and those who might have sexual contact with a Texan woman. The move is much to the credit of Texas which is often stereotyped as a bastion of ignorant fundamentalist Christian extremism.

Hopefully new vaccines will emerge combating other strains of the virus and others which plague the human species.

Regarding the ethics of infectious disease transmission and sensible public health policies, I will have much more to say. In the meantime, my readers may ponder this post from Volokh Conspiracy. Most importantly I wish my readers to recognise the tremendous prevalence of HPV in our society, and to take a much more sober view of sexual contact than pop culture and health classes would have you believe. 27 million Americans have genital HPV infection. Many people with HPV, HSV-2 or even HIV, even those who know they have it, will lie about their status and knowingly infect their partners out of shame or selfishness.

Be safe and Ja Bless.

Virgin America

Last month the US Department of Trade denied Virgin America, the new US airline hopeful, the permission to fly domestically within the United States on the ground that it is too much controlled by foreigners. Anyone who has ever flown a US carrier knows how disgustingly poor the overall experience is, with the possible exception of JetBlue. Virgin America promises to change that. This is the sister company of Virgin Galactic, the company aiming to send passengers into space affordability. Who would you rather fly, Delta? I encourage all US citizens who read this blog to enlist their support of Virgin America in their next attempt to secure the needed go-ahead from the US government. I further encourage readers to boycott Continental for lobbying heavily to keep VA grounded. I cannot imagine who would choose to fly Continental in the first place.

Knowing an employee at Virgin America, I can attest to the quality this airline will bring to the industry.

*Update* Freakonomics commented on this as well.

*Update 2* via Digg, yet another great reason to campaign for Virgin to fly.

M$ Vista

I have recently downgraded my PC from Windows XP Professional to Windows Vista. I say downgrade because not only do several hardware components like dual video cards no longer function properly, but even the basic selling point of Vista, its flashy graphics and new look, in fact just look completely silly and ugly. Whatever "artist" they chose to design their GUI should be taken out and shot. When switching I was almost tempted to think that Vista might be good enough to maintain my continued use of the Windows platform, but my short experience has disabused me of such a misguided notion. Any future PCs I use will run Linux with VMware or Parallels allowing a virtual Windows Enterprise session.

Proper Drugs Policy

The Confoederatio Helvetica, or Switzerland as it is commonly known, in my opinion the best designed and run State on Earth, has perhaps the most sensible drugs policy in the world. Cannabis is legal for personal use, and each person is permitted to grow three personal plants at a time. Meanwhile diamorphine (heroin), a far more dangerous and addictive drug is treated as a medical condition for which the state provides treatment which often includes supplying the diamorphine itself to addicts unable to overcome their addiction so that they might still function as normal, productive and law abiding citizens. This liberal policy has led to heroin addiction being viewed as a dead end ignoble drug among the youth, and its use has dramatically fallen largely owing to its legal toleration and availability.

Virgin Stem Cell

I have previously posted on another of Sir Richard Branson's brands Virgin America. Since airlines, music, space travel, and cola clearly are not sufficient, Virgin is moving into Stem Cell storage for parents hopeful for the potential future benefits for their newborn children.

Standards and Openness

Norway's consumer ombudsman has declared the Apple iTMS (iTunes Music Store) illegal for selling music which may only be played on the Apple iPod or through the iTunes software. I agree with this action by the Norwegian government and I strongly encourage other enlightened governments to join Norway to hopefully force an opening of iTunes standards setting a good precedent.

Openness and standardisation within the media as with electrical outlets and computer parts are only to the advantage of consumers and society as a whole. It is true that hundreds of millions of people have purchased iPods or have used iTMS despite the unfair limitations. This speaks very highly of Apple's technology and design. However, Apple will continue to have overwhelming success with this product even in a more competitive environment for music distribution.

I mentioned electrical outlets because while travelling last week, I forgot to bring my cellphone charger. Since virtually every cellphone provider and every manufacturer has their own recharger standards, the markets on rechargers are virtually cornered with artificially created demand. I could not just borrow a friends charger because likely they use a different provider, so in a bind one must buy an entirely new charger for somewhere around $25 USD. Luckily in my case, my hotel had a whole collection of chargers that unlucky guests had left in the room so I was able to find a compatible charger for my phone.

Incidentally, Norwegian legend Jon Lech Johansen may have already solved the iTunes DRM difficulties in practice.

The Neurology of Addiction

An interesting article from the NY Times concerning the insula of the brain.

Gay Adoption

I came across this article this morning. The article arises from the current row in the UK concerning whether Catholic adoption agencies may exclude potential adoptive parents on the basis of sexual orientation. Most gays I know disagree with me in recognising pædophilia as a sexual orientation. Nevertheless I do and to the extent possible sympathise with those of such unfortunate predilections. Unlike normal homosexuality though, pædophiles require particular scrutiny and caution when it comes to interaction with children. The problem of adoption comes when normal homosexuals are conflated with pædophiles. If there were a high correlation between the two phenomenon, there may be a case to be made, but I have not seen any such evidence to that effect.

Homosexuals are just as capable as heterosexuals of providing prosperous homes and loving parenting. Indeed, given the population pressures our world is suffering combined with high levels of inequality, affluent homosexual adoptive couples are something of a godsend. Any people innocently, selflessly, and lovingly willing to give their time, energy, and soul to raising another's child should be revered in our society.

Regarding the legality of a religious organisation in discriminating adoptive couples, I must side with the religious organisations. Catholic organisations pushing for the right of discrimination against homosexuals are confused about child welfare and confused about the doctrines of their own faith. However, the right of conscientious action or objection for a religious organisation should be respected. Moreover, biological parents should have at least the control over their child's rearing in selecting adoption agencies holding similar values to their own. Therefore, the marginal decision for potentially gay versus straight adoption should rest with the biological parent. In this case, according special rights to gays in the guise of anti-discrimination actually amounts to pernicious undue privilege.

On the other side of the coin, the most harmful laws in this category are those which ban gay adoption.

A Warning

Recently, Winnipeg scientists have resurrected the H1N1 influenza virus of 1918 which killed 50 million people with a death rate of 2%. The procedure by which the virus was resurrected was impressive and hopefully will lead to a defence against H5N1 or other future influenzas. Nothing against the Winnipeg scientists nor their research, but it is reminiscent of a very dangerous scenario which must be addressed:

In the brilliant Terry Gilliam film '12 Monkeys' (torrent), a lab scientist working silently develops a virus to wipe out 95% of mankind while making the surface of the Earth uninhabitable. There is a sizable population of humanity who in light of the continued and seemingly inevitable destruction of Earth's biodiversity caused by one single species, would support a mechanism to eliminate that species and the threat by whatever means necessary. The only practical means of carrying this out would be the development of an airborne, highly infectious and deadly virus with a long incubation period. While your average misanthrope is not determined enough to wipe out mankind, a motivated biologist who not so abnormally values non-human life on the same scale as human life could very easily rationalise and carry out the decision to develop the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. I have met several people who in principle are not opposed to such an idea leading me to completely reconsider the likelihood of this event.

Biological science should not be stopped for fear of this scenario. While oversight should be strengthened especially where virus work is concerned, security and oversight in the field should not interfere with scientific progress.

Life on this planet will go on with or without humanity. Humanity surely has many thousands more species to eliminate forever, but the real question is whether humanity itself will survive. Ultimately, humanity's probability of survival is directly proportional to its degree of conservation and stewardship of other life on the planet. Given our current direction, I am betting on 12 Monkeys, this time without the time travel.

Science Further Undercut

Economically and scientifically relevant data on the Earth are no longer important priorities for NASA as shown by budgetary cuts in satellite based Earth observation. Robotic space exploration is the only scientifically or economically effective sort, yet funds are being diverted instead on a fool's errand to send men to the Moon and Mars. Observation of the Earth is important especially to measure climate change. Hopefully the ESA will pick up the pieces on this.

Infectious Disease in Prison

Yet again, civilised society owes safety, decent treatment, and proper medical care to all its prisoners. In this case, Susan Oakie writes in the NEJM about public health in US prisons. Clearly, much more needs to be done to prevent the spread of deadly infectious diseases among inmates. Russian prisons have managed to breed extremely deadly multi-drug resistant tuberculosis which kills 40-60% of those infected. In addition to the measures recommended in Oakie's article, I suggest that all prisoners placed in general population should have compulsory testing for transmissible diseases and those who are infected should be publicly labeled as such if not quarantined while regularly educating prisoners on modes of transmission. Moreover, prison managers - in many cases private corporations in the United States - should be held to pay damages to families of prisoners who die as a result of infections they received in prison. Clearly making sex, drugs and tattooing in prisons 'illegal' is not getting the job done; they are prisoners after all. The human rights situations in prisons are tenuous enough without the possibility for prisoners to be infected with pathogens.

The Continued Inefficacy of Copy Protection

Copy protection on media is a losing proposition. The new HD DVD DRM has now been cracked. It is time that both the large media corporations and governments acknowledge the fecklessness of trying to control the sharing of information, and focus instead on developing reasonable economic mechanisms for the creation and free distribution of high quality content. Film, audio, and print media are public goods and should be treated accordingly.

Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan was one of the most articulate and rational thinkers of the past 50 years. A visionary, humanist, planetary scientist and professor at Cornell University, he put considerable effort into communicating the knowledge and implications of scientific revelation to the general public. On issues from science, public and foreign policy, and informed religious belief, he was an important voice for mankind. Indeed, when in my previous post I declared that technocrats should be the ones setting policy, I was referring to men such as him. His public television series 'Cosmos' should be required viewing.

He died 10 years ago.

Incidentally, most of his public writing was shaped by his regular use of cannabis. While he remained private about this issue during his life so as not to detract from his important public message, he anonymously advocated very strongly for its legalisation and responsible use.

Recently, his wife was interviewed recently by Ira Flatow on NPR Science Friday. This is an archived interview of Carl Sagan himself with Flatow from 1994 which I highly recommend.

My good friend Timothy recently posted about Sagan as well.

Domestication

This article about genetically engineering complacent zombie animals indifferent to their treatment or conditions reminds me of the Ameglian Major Cow from the 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' (part 5) by Douglas Adams. The cow politely offers parts of his body for fine dining.

..."May I urge you to try my liver, it must be very rich and tender by now, I have been force feeding it for months?"

Arthur, disgusted asks, "Is there any reason why I shouldn’t have a green salad?"

The cow replies, "I know many vegetables who are very clear o­n that point sir, which was why it was decided to cut through that whole problem by breeding an animal that actually wanted to be eaten."

While the satire of Adams is proving remarkably prescient, targeted OGM domestication of plants and animals is no different from the millenia of breeding or 'artificial selection' which has produced such agriculturally useful organisms as we have now. Comparing a chihuahua with a wild wolf, one has a sense of revulsion in realising that the chihuahua was the product of human will upon the wolf for in some sense a crime has been committed against nature. However, this act is ultimately no different from the domestication of any other organism. GM is nothing more than the targeted acceleration of the inevitable process of artificial selection and should be embraced despite the 'yuck' factor.

In many ways, humans with less 'yuck' sensibility have a significant survival advantage over those with it in a biotechnology driven world making it somewhat inevitable. I encourage the rest of my species to get over their fears now. Realise the benefits of OGM, and focus on reaping the multifarious benefits it has to offer.

In Defence of the Chimera

This Economist opinion article provides a defence for the creation of chimeras and encourages the expansion of this line of research.

*Update* A classic amusing post from DeLong from a while ago.

Buying a Micronation

PirateBay hopes to purchase Sealand to shield itself from copyright law enforcement. I predict that even if they raised sufficient capital to purchase this currently independent nation, political forces in militarily aggressive empires such as the US and UK would eventually shut them down if only by cutting their Internet connexion. While international copyright laws are severely flawed, these nations would nonetheless have some justification for their action against a cyber-criminal rogue nation of Sealand.

This is reminiscent of Earthstation 5's fraudulent claim to operate out of Palestine to avoid copyright law.

I suggest that in the near future world when high-speed satellite Internet will be available in one's wristwatch everywhere, there is no stopping the flow of information between interested parties. Even absent the wristwatches, the technology for encrypted distributed proxied networks already sufficiently exists for data exchange without Sealand.

Lastly, the idea of purchasing a nation or even creating wealthy bustling nations out of nothing but large fortunes and dirt a la mode de Dubai will become more and more common, especially for special interest groups seeking independence and freedom from persecution just as originally occurred with the colonisation of the New World. The power of Internet communication makes citizenship, political participation, and "nation building" much more accessible to everyone especially the geographically dispersed.

Apple Does it Again

The newly announced iPhone looks absolutely incredible. Too bad we will have to wait until June. Also, too bad we will be limited to Cingulair in the United States. The phone most likely will start at $500 USD plus a minimum $50/month for 2 years commitment, but I dare say it would be worth it for such an amazing device. For a premier device from a company 5 years ahead of its time, who can argue?

Crooked Timber's profound reaction.

Children of Men

I recommend watching the skillfully made, high budget film, 'Children of Men.' (torrent) A science fiction story, it takes place in near-future Great Britain with important parallels to our own time.

Celebration and Reflection

Happy Christmas! Since the domination of Christianity in Rome, it has replaced the pagan holiday of Saturnalia though now has become just as secular as surely Saturnalia must have been during its decline. Let us celebrate our lives, friends, and families. Let us exchange tokens of our affection in examples of the wonderful progress that humanity has achieved after the brilliant collaborative effort by learned and well-intentioned people of science: iPods, computers, cell phones, DVDs, what have you.

When you have finished, take some time to reflect on the mentalities of those who worked to bring you the iPods or the ability to read this blog: people such as Galileo Galilei, Issac Newton, Allan Turing, James Maxwell, Benjamin Franklin, etc. Then take some time to reflect on the political leaders that have tended to dominate while the scientists progressed to our current state. Surely the scientists had a great deal more to do with our current quality of life than did those politicians and rulers and those rulers who did give us progress did so only through listening to the scientists and technocrats.

As we close 2006, let us all recognise that humanity has tried its very hardest to spite the unquestionably positive phase it has entered in the information technology revolution and revert to: a) the Dark Ages of ignorance by religious fundamentalism and jihad; b) the breakdown of the International political system of diplomacy between cooperative sovereign nation states as seen in the run up to the Great War with the war in Iraq. c) the utter fecklessness of International negotiation and treaty organisations a la mode de League of Nations in performing their vital roles to coordinate and enforce basic regulations for the peace and prosperity of mankind on the planet. I refer of course to the collapse of the Kyoto Protocols or any system to limit and reduce the emission of Greenhouse gases and other factors in the sixth extinction currently taking place. As with the League, the non-participation of the United States in climate protection was the decisive factor in its ineffectiveness. d) the erosion of civil liberties and the enforcement of basic constitutional law with a popular nationalistic, jingoistic mobilisation for war against innocuous innocent bystanders with the ultimate aim of seizing military position, valuable resources, and as some sort of unholy experiment in a backwards and ill-founded ideology disturbingly similar to the Fascism or Communism of Eurasia in the 20th Century. Iraq has lost on the order of 600,000 people as a result of the Invasion, only one order of magnitude below the relative losses witnessed in 20th century conflicts.

As we approach January, let us remember Janus, the god of mirrors, the god of doorways, the god of two faces - one looking forward, one backward. New Years, the modern acknowledgement of Janus is coming soon, and so let us reflect.

So far the twenty-first century since the birth of Jesus, which was to be the payoff for the ~10 millennia of human effort and suffering that went before has been a reminder of the lessons of the previous century. We can either choose to learn those lessons the easy way, through an intellectual study of the past and a willingness to cooperate and act properly as responsible, sentient, civilised beings, or to continue to give in to our racial, sectarian, and nationalistic passions on a clear path toward self-destruction.

That having been said, Robert X. Cringely, one of the technocrats, points out in a much less dramatic way some simple examples of how our resources could have been better applied this second millennium since Jesus. It seems almost non sequitur after all I have said, but believe it or not, this post has provoked my end of year meditation.

Ketamine

A friend of mine this week participated in an Army research study to test the effect of low dose ketamine on functional and cognitive ability. This research may have implications to administering ketamine as a less impairing analgesic for soldiers than opiates. The doses were so low that he experienced none of the effects of anaesthetic levels such as dissociative or out of body experiences to his chagrin. He was quite pleased to have tried this controlled substance in a safe and legal context whilst being paid and contributing to the advancement of medical science. Ketamine perfectly illustrates the deleterious effect of puritanical political leaders and lawmakers on medicine, scientific research, freedom, and safety. To paraphrase Orwell, the 'War on Drugs' is a war by the State upon its own citizens, and has little to do with the destructive impact of drugs on people's lives. Fearful of corrupt local law enforcement, and unable to access proper medical care or quality drugs as ravers and other users have been driven deeper underground. In such a miasma, Scientific researchers are unable to properly analyse the effects of the drug over the relatively large preexisting population of users. This translates to loss of life, poor health, and needless suffering for soldier and citizen alike.

I have previously mentioned ketamine.

Johnny Hallyday

French music legend, Johnny Hallyday, has decided to leave his Fatherland to live in Switzerland. Hallyday's sole reason: he is fed up with the cut-throat tax structure in France. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "The power to tax is the power to destroy." The general socialist attitude particularly pronounced among the French is one of contempt for people of wealth. In addition to taxes on income, citoyens are taxed again on aggregate wealth. I am reminded of Ayn Rand's endless ranting novel 'Atlas Shrugged' in which the wealthy and productive captains of industry, disillusioned with the contempt the socialist society has for them and unwilling to watch all of their fortunes nationalised, bankrupt their industries which underpin the economy and escape to a mountain fortress to live in libertarian peace. Charles Bremner's say.

See also the classic Tom Baker 'Doctor Who' episode 'The Sun Makers.'

Psilocybin

Yet another illegal drug proves its medical benefits. Psilocybin has been shown an effective treatment for some people suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Psilocybin, or "Magic Mushroom," is a commonly used hallucinogen which greatly influenced thinkers like Terrance McKenna and is an important sacrament for many aboriginal Americans. This relatively safe substance should be decriminalised the world over along the Dutch model. Additional funding should be granted to studying the potential medical uses for this and other criminalised substances.

New Scientist article on Psychedelic Medicine.

Apocalypto

This weekend I saw Gibson's 'Apocalypto.' I came away extremely impressed. I was very surprised to learn that this is in fact a Disney film. How often does Disney sponsor works of such brutal violence or cultural awareness? I guess it takes Mel Gibson, the man who made 'The Passion.' The film displayed all the best features of a Hollywood epic in terms of elaborate sets, costumes, soundtrack and exquisite cinematography and yet was very unorthodox in its subject matter: a Mayan civilisation with dialogue from its now dead language and its sacrificial victims. While not much is explained about the theology, outlook, rich science, and technology of this civilisation because it is told from the perspective of a fringe hunter gatherer, living a traditional tribal lifestyle in the jungle. The film is aesthetic, visual, visceral, forcing the viewer to evaluate and relate to this completely foreign society and civilisation on purely emotional and instinctual level rather than an intellectual one. If nothing else, I took from it a much deeper appreciation for traditional human lifestyles and the warrior, hunter gatherer within all of us, whose role is largely destroyed in modern society. However, be assured that if all our our technology disappeared in a civilisation ending event, such is the life to which we would return.

If you cannot tolerate violence do not see his film. A lifetime of brutal violence and human suffering is displayed in a mere 2 hours. However, it was not as extreme as Gibson's 'Passion of the Christ' which enthralled so many Christians.

I reject the harsh criticisms I have read or heard about this movie. Mel Gibson is a very sick man, but a genius film maker all the same. For a better understanding of Gibson and his controversial work, I highly recommend the South Park episode, 'The Passion of the Jew.'

Carl Jung

Man's relation to God probably has to undergo a certain important change: Instead of the propitiating praise to an unpredictable king or the child's prayer to a loving father, the responsible living and fulfilling of the divine will in us will be our form of worship and commerce with God.

His goodness means grace and light and His dark side the terrible temptation of power.

Man has already received so much knowledge that he can destroy his own planet.

Let us hope that God's good spirit will guide him in his decisions, because it will depend upon man's decision whether God's creation will continue.

Nothing shows more drastically than this possibility how much of divine power has come within the reach of man.

-Carl G. Jung, Letter to Elined Kotschnig, 1956

Documentary 'Matter of the Heart' on Carl G. Jung.

De France en Anglais

A French 24/24 news station broadcast in English will be a very important advancement for humanity. Like it or not, most of the World's power and wealth is tied up in the hands of English speakers. France must reach out to anglophones if they wish to maintain relevance in the world. The French people have an important and unique perspective to share with the world, but it is not enough to be self-riteous, smug, and otherwise complacent. Unless they engage the rest of the World in the Universal Language, they will continue to be ignored by the wealthy but ignorant unwashed masses of America and elsewhere with potentially devastating consequences à la mode d'Iraq.

This issue highlights the sad state of English proficiency in France, a situation resulting as much from misguided governmental policy as cultural pride. France has a centuries old responsibility to play a leadership role in the World. Such responsibility now demands a nationwide fluency in English. Même si les Anglais sont les ennemis culturels, la France doit bien connaître son ennemi.

Genetic Diversity

New genetic data reveals what most of us already know intuitively, genetic diversity is much more varied and complex than previous studies and textbooks would suggest - statements like "We share 99.5% of our genes with one another." Previous studies did not properly measure the level of copies or deletions among individuals. The existence of high genetic variation makes sense given the large differences seen among humans, but similarly reflects the overall health of our species. Genetic diversity can be thought of as genetic wealth. Genetic poverty, a lack of diversity, comes from intense stress, isolation, or bottlenecking of a population which surely has occurred in the past for almost every species alive today. Indeed, the eugenicists of the twentieth century had their priorities completely backwards. This new understanding of genetic diversity will also help to better treat genetic diseases which are rapidly becoming the limiting factor on human health as infectious disease and malnutrition wane.

Income Distribution

Most socialists view income equality alone to be a positive contributor to social welfare. I disagree with such an evaluation in theory, but among for example wealthy European nations, I agree in practice having preferred the lifestyle and culture I have experienced there to that of any other place.

This FT article gives a spattering of inequality statistics which helps to put capital distribution into some perspective.

Autistic Savants

The line between extreme mental capability and extreme handicap is a very thin one. I recommend this documentary "Brainman" featuring particularly Daniel Tammet who is lucky enough to be both extremely capable in memory and calculation while remaining relatively well adjusted to society and able to communicate his thought processes normally. The documentary features the real Rainman as well as Cambridge Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen, a renowned authority on autism and second cousin to legendary comedian Sacha Baron-Cohen.

Advance in Genetic Engineering

While many lament and fear the development of genetically engineered crops or animals or even people, the potential benefits far outweigh the costs. The latest example is the cotton plant. Cottonseed contains a toxin, gossypol, rendering it inedible to animals. Cotton farmers harvest as much mass of useless cotton seeds as useful cotton fiber. New genetically engineered cotton does not contain gossypol in the protein-rich seeds, thus making the seeds edible by animals and humans alike. This will have the potential to greatly increase the food supply, especially for some of the World's poorest. Cottonseed may prove a culinary delight as well.

Aside: While the spread of new engineered genes into the native populations is something generally to be avoided, let us not forget that almost all crops and livestock are the result of the slow process of genetic engineering through artificial selection, or breeding. Very few human engineered crops fare very well against the time-tested rigors of the Darwinian wilderness.

Contraception

Perhaps one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century was the development of effective contraception technology especially the birth control pill. The hormone-free male version of this pill currently under research could make women much healthier with minimal impact on male health and long term fertility. Let us hope that this drug proves safe and effective.

Cocaine

It is amazing how much crime and human destruction occurs owing to the illegality of certain substances. This article from the BBC shows that now poisoning, fraud, and abuse of animals can be added to the normal crimes of trafficking, possession, and sale of a controlled substance. Moreover, consumers of the recreational "champagne" drug, cocaine, are now ingesting carcinogenic additives. Traditionally, cocaine was cut with caffeine. Now it seems dealers whose objective is to maximise profits and whose product is unregulated and untestable because of illegality are moving on to more pernicious cutting agents, ie Phenacetin.

While I would be someday interested in trying traditional coca tea or chewing coca leaves especially in the mountains, ingesting processed cocaine whose dosage is about 1000 times higher is very unhealthy causing cardiovascular and brain damage. Processed cocaine is also extremely addictive. The hydrochloric acid in processed cocaine destroys nasal passageways, mucous membranes, and sinuses.

Despite such drawbacks, adults who are educated about the risks of cocaine should have the right to buy it from licenced distributors and consume it at their discretion. At the very least, laws worldwide should be made to reflect the policies of Bolivian president and former coca farmer Evo Morales: Yes to coca, no to cocaine. As with most illegal drugs, legalisation of cocaine would dramatically reduce crime by lowering the price, legitimising the producers and distributors, and lowering the associated health risks by ensuring a clean supply. Cheap processed cocaine would likely reduce the demand for cheaper more destructive forms of the the drug including crack and freebase.

The ongoing war by the US in Columbia against FARC which includes the use of chemical weapons against farmers and their crops is simply immoral.

In the wake of Milton Friedman's passing, let us remember that human freedom to control one's own life, beliefs, and economic behaviour also includes the freedom to alter ones own body chemistry or mental processes. With freedom comes responsibility. Irresponsible self-destructive personal behaviour affecting only the user and those emotionally affected by the user is no grounds for a general government interdiction on drugs.

DARPA Challenge

DARPA, the defense research agency responsible for the creation of the Internet, presented the Grand Challenge the last two years where a vehicle had to negotiate 132 miles of rugged terrain in under 10 hours. After no entrants finished the first year, several automated vehicles finished the second year giving great promise for the future of cheap, efficient and safe autonomous vehicle transit. It is impressive how such low budget competitions can through hype and prestige induce enormous advances in technological development. I highly recommend watching this inspiring Horizon documentary on the races.

Milton Friedman

Every economist whose blog I read had something to say about the passing of the legendary economist, Milton Friedman. Since I can add nothing substantive to this discussion, I am providing links to download his PBS television series 'Free to Choose' as well as his appearance on Charlie Rose.

Web 2.0

I actually hate this term coined by software publishing mogul, Tim O'Reiley, but I like the concept. Cyberpanopticon provides a link to a useful compendium of popular Web 2.0 sites.

Secondly, one of the sites listed was for the Google Web Toolkit. With this toolkit, coding Web 2.0 AJAX sites is much easier through Java wrappers. I only just discovered this, but I plan to spend significant time making use of it.

Traffic and Externalities

In addition to carbon emissions, one must not also forget about the negative externality of traffic congestion and increased accident liklihood with regard to automobiles. The issue is explained in this great post from Economist's View, one of the many blogs I read as noted in my 'Suggested RSS and Podcasts.'

Energy Transfer Using Electromagnetic Resonance

This technology could be very effective at further improving our lives by freeing us of wires over moderate distances.

Refunds for Windows

It seems it is possible to bypass pernicious OEM agreements and receive a refund for preinstalled Windows software on Dell or similar systems. This could give you significant savings on your next purchase of a computer.

Healthcare and Human Rights in Prisons

The Fyodor Dostoevsky quote from this post is again pertinent. The ruling in this case to compensate prisoners who were not given proper access to treatment for opiate addiction while in prison was a sensible decision by the court (relative to the unspecified amount of compensation).

One could argue that the provision of extremely expensive noncritical care , such as brain surgery, is above and beyond the financial responsibility of a state which does not already provide universal care. However, where socialised medicine exists, such as the UK, all prisoners deserve the same level of medical care as everyone else including drug treatment programmes. To deny medicine or access to care to a prisoner is a violation of human rights and compensation is due in such cases.

Diabetes

Knowing many people with life-threatening Type 1 juvenile diabetes, I hail the development of artificial pancreas technology.

Google Radio?

As I woke up this morning out of a dream in which I was living in the 1940's listening to World War II broadcasts, I suddenly realised how absurd it was that that radio stations archives were not readily accessible to everyone on the Internet. Audio does not take up tremendous storage capacity, so radio broadcasts should be accessible back to the origins of radio, and playable today contiguous with the other programmes of the day just as it would have been heard at the time of original broadcast. This could be done easily with RSS or Podcasting. I call on the major information indexing services Google, Yahoo, and the dying Microsoft to implement this technology as soon as possible for their own benefit and the enrichment of all humanity. Furthermore, the audio data must be downloadable in compressed audio format such as mp3, not some absurd streaming format.

Let's get with the programme.

1984

You can watch the film version of Orwell's 1984 streamed in low quality or download the book here. If you have never seen the film or read the book, you should do both.

Vita Vinum Est

Yesterdays post about caloric restriction relates to today's post on the health benefits of vino rosso. Resveratol, a chemical in red wine affects one of the key ageing genes, SIRT1, to slow the process of ageing and extend lifespan in mammals. Besides being healthy, red wine is also very pleasant to drink bringing physical, mental and social well-being.

Caloric Restriction

Caloric Restriction, the limiting of caloric intake while maintaining normal levels of all other vital nutrients, has been shown to be the only reliable method to significantly extend an animal's lifespan by slowing the process of ageing. A new NY Times article about CR explains the idea fairly well. This is a short FT article from June.

Many people have begun CR diets in an attempt to extend their best years. The Caloric Restriction Society is an organisation which promotes and supports CR.

As touched on in the NY Times article, CR research has the potential to reveal many of the genetic pathways for senescent processes, and in turn, new anti-ageing drugs may come from such research.

Foreign Aid

I am a firm believer in the moral imperative of wealthy nations with immigration controls to assist the World's poorest. Unfortunately, when foreign aid distribution is administered by wealthy governments, the worthless inefficiencies of bureaucracy usually squander all the resources.

This NY Times article about condoms for Africa via Cowen illustrates the point. I propose governments begin to divert such funds to well-established, efficient, and successful charitable foundations such as Bill and Melinda Gates run by true captains of industry.

Software Disapproval

I cannot say for Windows at this point, but the new Mac version of Firefox 2.0 has crashed on me 5 times or so in the last 24 hours during normal use. While the recovery of a session with tabs compensates for this slightly, it does not bring back, for example, the text in the box in which I am typing this. I almost lost a gmail as well were it not for gmail's excellent autosave draft feature.

Indeed, I did lose a nice post I wrote yesterday in Spanish concerning Bush's backstabbing of North Americans with his signing of an order to build the Wall. The thrust was that his alleged pro-immigration position was the last shred of dignity the man had left which he has now utterly demolished.

Back to Firefox, I approve of the built in spell checker, which mostly eliminates my need for the google toolbar plugin.

Recommended Documentary

For anyone who does not understand Karl Rove, the evil genius behind every Bush election victory and the victory of many other Republicans, this documentary is for you.

The Economic Burden of Reproduction in a Wealthy Society

This article in the LA Times laments the fact that families and children place a difficult burden on most families. It concludes:

Forming a family and having kids is the most personal of decisions. Yet it's a decision that has profound benefits for society as a whole. Americans do need to make the right choices for their families. But they shouldn't have to choose between economic security and getting married and having kids.

Oh YES they should! The increased cost of having children in a wealthy society is the only thing keeping population in those societies at bay. It is arguably the best reason to support economic development in poor nations.

If a ravaged planet and Malthusian population crash is what you seek, then the socialistic reproductive subsidies suggested by the normally sensible Mark Toma are policies you should seek. It is far more sensible to strive for the population growth rate of China, Europe, or even the US than that of India for economic, humanitarian, and environmental reasons.

Toma is correct in calling for more educational subsidies, but for the average prospective parent, any new subsidies should be offset by additional taxes or penalties to having more children.

Possible Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease

In research by Gary Wenk on Alzheimer's model rats funded by the US Government, a synthetic cannabinoid agonist with anti-inflammatory properties was shown to improve memory and orientation. The study reveals further medical uses of cannabis, a plant whose usefulness has been understood for millenia.

Do not Abuse Your Children

In the West, the tendency has been moving away from parents beating their children. While this is a positive step in a civilised society which has lost touch with the harsh realities of survival in the wilderness, many parents have substituted verbal and mental chastisement and abuse for physical punishment. While no marks are left and the effect is more subtle than a corporal attack, mental scars do result such as impaired verbal, speech, and brain development.

The culture and legal system currently dictate that one may not physically abuse their children, but unusual deference is otherwise given to the parents in raising their child. Most natural families are not nuclear, but are more tribal, with extended family having at least as much to do with raising the children as the biological parents. Therefore in natural families, children tend to be more protected from the excesses of their parents than modern families whose dominance has resulted from advances in transportation and housing technology and the economic drive to migrate to maximise buying power.

I therefore reject this modern notion of "Don't tell me how to raise my kids!" Nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes, most often without realising them. Qualified reproduction may be a human right, but abusing your progeny is not.

Bottom Line: Neither physically nor verbally abuse your children.

(I do not nor would I suggest a legal mechanism to enforce restraint in verbally abusing one's children. I aim simply to educate.)

C++ Connectivity in Eclipse part 2

As a follow up to one of my first posts, I suggest this related article for anyone who wants to code C or C++ in a powerful,versitile, user-friendly and multi-platform software development environment.

New Berry Juice May Be Available Soon

Indian scientists have designed a way to extract the juice of the sea buckthorn, berries which are very high in antioxidants.

The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get...Richer

The majority of socialists I have met have no understanding of economics. This post by Mankiw illustrates the fact that relative income inequality owing to a freer-market economy does not create poverty, but in fact eliminates it. The poor in the US are significantly wealthier than the poor in Europe - at least on paper.

I would argue that the social welfare of better quality of life, better designed cities, richer culture, and cleaner environment of Europe is not reflected in the financial markets and GDP calculations, but the point remains that income inequality is not itself a bad thing if it owes to an unfettered, competitive market system.

Woman Adopts Child

Madonna Ciccone has jumped on the bandwagon of celebrity adoption of African children. While I honestly do not appreciate her music nor acting and the trendiness of this adoption is easily mocked, I greatly respect the act of adopting an orphan child. Moreover, I will go so far as to say that given the millions of orphans and the huge income discrepancies between the developed and undeveloped world, adoption of orphans from poor countries by typical families from wealthy countries is a moral imperative. If Madonna fans begin to seriously consider doing this themselves this adoption and the surrounding media hype will be a very positive development for humanity.

Richard Feynman: The Douglas Robb Memorial Lectures

If you have never heard Feynman lecture on Physics, you are in for a treat. These are streaming Real Video files of Feynman lecturing at the University of Auckland, NZ. I must credit Timothy for providing me the link. I detest streaming media, especially from Real, but as Timothy chastised me once, "Beggars can't be choosers." These lectures are superb.

More on Robot Games

Previously, I posted on Robo-Basho.

A recent post in Robots-Dreams features an interview with Robotic Amusements founder Joseph Johnson. His goal: inspiring youth to pursue careers in science and engineering.

The Destruction of Language, Expression and Thought

Mark has posted an excellent summary and commentary on John McWhorter's new book 'Doing Our Own Thing.' There I left a poorly written comment.

Aside: The wikipedia entry on McWhorter is suspiciously scant for such a famous writer. I could have off the top of my head written a better biography.

Talent and Meritocracy

The latest issue of the Economist has a survey of Talent. I recommend 'The Battle for Brainpower' and 'Meritocracy and its discontents'

Dynamic Capitalism

Yesterday, Edmund Phelps was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics joining all the other Americans who were granted the Nobel Prizes in hard sciences this year. Today, he has an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal contrasting the social market system of continental Europe with the more dynamic free-market capitalist system of North America and UK. He argues that even under a Rawlsian system (social utility function) where consideration is given only to the lowest-earning rung of society, the dynamic system is still preferable i.e. free markets make everyone wealthier.

The Seeds of Revolution

If anything could destabilise the French state and lead ultimately to la 6eme République, it is the restriction of tobacco consumption. French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has announced just such a move in new policies designed to ban tobacco consumption in certain public locations. Vive la Revolution!

Software Recommendation: Parallels

Having yesterday upgraded my RAM, today I installed Parallels on my MacBook Pro. Then I installed virtualised Windows. I am so impressed right now at how fast windows is working, how easily it was installed, and how well integrated the virtualised Windows interacts with the host OSX. This site describes the setup process.

Parallels will also virtualise Unix/Linux. That is my next step.

What is Life?

Is each individual cell of a complex organism equivalent to the entire organism. Genetically speaking, yes. This has now been demonstrated. An entire mouse has been generated from a single non-reproductive blood cell. An egg cell was also used, but eggs are not themselves viable nor reproductive. This finding makes it clear that there is nothing particularly special about an embryonic stem cell from a philosophical point of view. Real scientists have known this for years despite what religious or political forces may imagine. In 'Monty Python's The Meaning of Life' there is the song 'Every Sperm is Sacred.' This parody of absurd religious thinking now should to be changed to 'Every Cell is Sacred.'

People should have the right to reproduce as they see fit assuming they have paid their dues/taxes to society and are not through recklessness creating a malformed or diseased offspring in an artificial way. Scientists should have the right to experiment with whatever cells they want to which are created artificially and have no possibility of causing human suffering.

David Friedman

David Friedman, son of legendary economist Milton Friedman, has a blog.(feed) He does not post very frequently, but they are usually very thoughtful. I think it is fair to label him a libertarian anarchist, but that really does not say much. I was introduced to him originally through reading his book "The Machinery of Freedom" which imagines how an anarcho-libertarian society could be possible. Though it is not reality based in my view, it is thought provoking. He is not afraid to question anything. This recent post well illustates the type of thinker he is. His questions and ideas have very important social relevance and should not be seen merely as "on the fringe." I admire too the way this established author is composing a modern text.

Another Blog

My esteemed friend, Mark, has a new blog. (XML feed) It promises to be very insightful.

Neuroeconomics Again

Will Wilkinson (good alliterative name) of the CATO Institute writes a poignant article on the topic of Neuroeconomics. It suggests that a Paternalistic System would correct irrational behaviour of individuals at little cost to rational actors, and therefore significantly increase social welfare. He cogently argues that despite the scientific evidence, a laissez-faire approach is still preferable given the technology and political structures which exist. I believe Wilkinson is correct, but I am open to the possibility that continued improvement of technology will enable changes in human organisational structure and physiological monitoring such that laissez-faire will no longer be a social optimum.

This came to me via Tyler Cowen's reaction to Hare's work on psychopathy upon which I have commented. This controversial post is also relevant.

Holding Government to Account

Very often, there is a vacuum of accountability at the upper echelons of Political and Fiscal power. This WSJ Opinion piece correctly argues for the SEC to hold San Diego city council members criminally responsible for their actions in defrauding and underfunding the city pension fund. Government fiscal irresponsibility should be considered tantamount to corporate accounting fraud.

Psychos

This article in wired argues that psychopathy deserves more respect and sympathy as is currently granted other mental disorders such as schizophrenia. I have known a few psychopaths in my day, and have witnessed how quickly the rest of society will shun them once the word gets out about their condition. Indeed, we all know how "psycho" is used in common parlance as a derogatory term.

However, let us not forget that psychopathy, which implies a lack of empathy for other people, can make a person potentially dangerous. Unfortunately, many such people also tend to rise quickly in corporate or political situations and so their destructive potential can be multiplied. Organisations should put significant effort into preventing people with such untreated conditions from gaining positions of authority over others.

Blog Recommendation: Cyberpanopticon

My friend Timothy has a blog that seems is shaping up quite well. I think it will focus primarily on International Relations, History, Science, and Law.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

The only way for the US to regain any sort of credibility in the World as a force for freedom, progress, and development rather than as a tyrannical empire and gross violator of human rights would be to hold those with power responsible for their actions and inactions and to compensate to the extent possible those who have been adversely affected by the illegal policies of the past five years.

To that end, the US congress should begin by exercising their responsibilities under their constitution with regards to removing a failed executive.

Mineral Slime

It is pitiful that despite all humanity has accomplished, burning dead plants is still the dominant energy source for developed economic activity. Advancing technology it seems has been lowering the costs of discovering and mining new sources of fossil fuel more than it has been developing alternative sources absent of negative externalities.

The latest oil discovery in the Gulf exemplifies this phenomenon. I was able this weekend to purchase petroleum at about 0.50 USD per litre. While on paper, the financial markets and economy are given a boost by this phenomenon, this masks the real destruction that finds like this have on a properly quantified economy which incorporates environmental and welfare statistics. The true cost of that petrol to society was something more like 1.50 USD per litre. In reality, new oil discoveries are like a methamphetamine addict getting their hands on a new bag of meth. While they may consider themselves much better off at the time, the long run consequences are dire and their behaviour in consuming it is irrational.

Nearly every sensible economist agrees that heavy carbon taxation is desperately needed worldwide to counter the negative externalities created from burning hydrocarbons. For a while, even good economists where questioning the true existence of a global warming phenomenon. Those days are past. The scientific evidence is irrefutable. The necessity is clear, but the political action has yet to be taken.

Congratulations Sverige

My friend Diana is very happy about the situation in Sweden. The conservative coalition has toppled the Socialists after years of old, overgrown domination and unsustainable economic policy. Of course for any Americans reading this, Swedish conservatives are sort of like left-leaning Democrats. Republicans do not exist there except maybe in the mental hospitals where they belong. But I digress...

From this Economist article, it seems regulations and taxation will be loosened up slightly, but no radical changes to the Swedish system will occur. Still, for all of my Swedish friends, may the new policies bring you enhanced opportunities, health, and wealth.

In related news, the Piratpartiet scored less than one percent of the vote. For a one-issue party in such a critical election, we should not be surprised, but I am nonetheless disappointed at such a poor showing. Copyright protections are desperately in need of reform worldwide, and Sweden is a great place for the movement to begin.

Basing Laws on Science

This article in the FT considers research at the University College London which explores neurological development and the neurological basis for behaviour.

The study has implications for the use of anti- social behaviour orders for juveniles and in determining at what age we should be criminally responsible.

In a broader sense, this type of research should have implications into the stage at which a person should be considered self-sufficient and independent. To have an age arbitrarily set at 16,18, or 21 above which one's parents are no longer responsible nor legally authoritative is potentially dangerous. For example, the age of sexual consent in Canada is 14. Rights and privileges ought to be based on some sort of merit, neurological or otherwise.

Perhaps the argument works both ways. Above the age of 18, it is well known that mental acuity starts to decline. This may explain why older voters are more likely to vote for war criminals like Cheney and Bush. Perhaps such people should lose their voting rights.

The Economic blogsphere is currently enamoured with this New Yorker article about neurology and risk behaviour.

Fascinating Science

It appears some sheep depend on a retrovirus to reproduce.

Software Recommendation: Desktop Manager

Since now I have a MacBook Pro, I now can run all the great OS X software I have dreamed about. Desktop Manager brings the multiple desktop feature of KDE or GNOME to OS X with some very nice transition eye candy. Switching between desktops happens as easily as scrolling the mouse to the edge of the screen. Increase productivity while being entertained. Now I am joining the ranks of all those annoying people telling you how great their Mac software is that you have no chance to run.

Labour Mobility

Diana makes a great point about the need for loose restrictions on human migration. In general, resistance I have seen to immigration in the United States and Europe comes partially from irrational fears or ignorance of basic economic principals. However, the primary motivation I have observed stems from blind racial, sectarian, and nationalistic passions. Such idiocy should have been abandoned in the 19th century. Nation-states themselves are merely artifacts of the Congress of Vienna and need to be completely rethought in the 21st century. They only serve to deepen the imbalances and poverty that already exist.

Japanese Language and People

I know you all enjoyed the Russian Language and People Series. I was thrilled to find Japanese Language and People has been released on UKNova. If you do not have a membership to UKNova, you will have to contact someone who is.

The Decline and Fall of the Microsoft Empire

I have previously adulated Bill Gates on this blog. Now, I am going to slam his ailing behemoth. Last night I tried to sign into my hotmail account which I have had for over 7 years. To my surprise, I had not signed in for over 30 days and so my account along with the massive 10 MB or so of junk mail that was straining Microsoft's servers were summarily deleted. I can reactivate the account, but why? I already lost everything I would have wanted to keep. There may be some accounts I signed up for whose passwords I cannot remember, but until it becomes an issue I would rather have nothing to do with such a worthless organisation which currently only stifles human progress.

Another Blog to Read

Having moved from Sverige to Nagasaki, my friend Diana has a new blog (site feed). I cannot say enough good things about her.

Robo Basho

I know the creators of a new robot arcade game, Robo Basho, by the company Robotic Amusements. It is a brilliant creation which demonstrates the amazing talents of these two individuals from conceptual design to mechanical, electrical and software engineering. Robo Basho is fun for all ages.

Here is the YouTube video featuring the inventors.

California's Political Progress

With the recent move to limit greenhouse gas emission, California will serve as a positive example of responsible governance to the rest of the United States and to the rest of the world.

Economist Article, Le Figaro Article

An Upper Limit on Fertility Treatments

Usually I am very loathe to support government limitations on the medical services patients may seek. However, medical procedures designed to create new life directly affect people other than the patient, ie the children who are created. This alone justifies government intervention. The power to add more people to society also implies reactionary or limiting powers by the society over the creators in the context of maximising social welfare eg population engineering in Asia.

In reference to this article, for a morbidly obese mother to take radical medical action to become pregnant is unethical and abusive towards the child. For the NHS to be expected to finance such services is absolutely detrimental to British society. The demand of well-educated, hard-working labour to immigrate to Great Britain more than compensates for an otherwise negative population growth rate. Therefore, there is no reason for the government to finance such dangerous and expensive measures to add more children to the population.

The Economy of Europe

The NBER has a very good research summary by Alberto Alesina. It presents a nice overview of the history and state of the European economic culture.

Must Have Firefox Extensions

Some like Opera, but with its extendable capabilities, Firefox is the best web browser currently available in my estimation. Here are some tools to multiply Firefox's effectiveness:

Adblock: This plugin is very effective at blocking most ads. It greatly enhances the surfing experience.

Flashblock: Some pesky ads or even intended content for pages like Google Video use Macromedia Flash, my arch enemy. This user-friendly extension allows total control on when you view this Flash.

PDF Download: Adobe Acrobat PDF files can be quite annoying when your browser opens them by default, slows the system, and hogs memory. This extension gives you the choice every time. Usually I choose to download rather than open.

Google Toolbar: The Google Toolbar comes with a lot of unnecessary features, but the one I use most frequently is the spell checker which works better than any other web spell checker available. The 'Send with Gmail' as default mail application is also helpful. PageRank is nifty.

International Intellectual Property Law and the Cranberries

It is generally understood among economists that the United States Intellectual Property law is too strong and thus hurts overall social welfare and creates incentives such that every savvy Internet user is now a criminal because in regards to media, the protections are largely unenforceable. In the dark and barbaric world outside the Faterland, US IP is even less respected by the general populace despite WTO TRIPS standards and other bilateral agreements. Indeed, Russia's accession to the WTO has effectively been blocked by the US over this issue.

Currently, the most glaring example of the IP dispute is the Russian music pay site allofmp3.com which offers tracks or albums of music at cut-throat rates without nasty DRM. Ironically, calls my the RIAA and other IP unions to eliminate the site only furthered its popularity and reduced the sale volume of retail sites like iTMS.

To give a personal example, I love the Irish group 'The Cranberries' (discography torrent). Their song 'I Don't Need' has only been on a couple of compilations or singles and so is difficult to find. I even went so far as to pay $1 for the DRMed version of it on iTMS last year, but since this limits you to 5 systems, after transferring my music library several times, the track no longer worked. This is really a hassle so in order to skip all the nonsense and support a developing nation, I signed up to allofmp3. It was easy; they accepted Visa, and the 320 Kbps track cost $0.30. Here's to maintaining the status quo.

Podcasts and RSS Feeds

I have utilised the Bulk Upload feature of Google Base to upload all the RSS feeds to which I subscribe in addition to the Podcasts which I had already uploaded. I even added some Bling with the pictures. My preferred feed reader is the Google Personalised Homepage. I strongly encourage everyone to use it. I hope that readers will find both the GPH engine and my RSS feed content to be very valuable resources as I do.

ACORN

A good friend just accepted a position in Connecticut for ACORN: Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Their priorities and politics are not completely in line with my own, but I have always greatly respected his hard work and dedication to bring about a better World. Hopefully, he can further this work at ACORN.

Sensible Drug Policy

I will have a great deal more to say on the topic of drug policy. I have already expressed that government policy ought to be consistent among different drugs and should allow private enterprise some flexibility with drug employment policies despite cultural norms. Conversely, it is my belief that governments should restrict drugs only to the extent necessary to reduce any externalities they might produce. This can usually be accomplished through reasonable taxation to offset medical costs and benefit society as a whole and through restricting public use to designated or licenced locations. A recent NY Times opinion article addresses this topic in the context of cannabis and the Dutch model. For those without NY Times Select access, this is an adequate synopsis.

Zhong Guo's Population Control

China is the only place that has taken the radical yet necessary steps to halt population growth. Through the one China policy, China is now below the replacement rate of fertility, common in Europe, but phenomenal for a developing country. Unfortunately, given cultural biases, female children are less common than male owing to deliberate abortions or neglect by parents disappointed by a daughter and inwardly hoping to try again for a boy. Statistics are examined in a new study by Qu Jiang Ding and Therese Hesketh in a recent British Medical Journal article (full pdf)

The male:female ratio in Zhong Guo is now 1.23, the highest anywhere. The female-devaluing cultural problem exists elsewhere in Asia. From the article:

"[M]any other Asian countries that have declining birth rates and traditional preferences for male babies are seeing serious sex imbalances: 1.19 for Taiwan, 1.18 for Singapore, 1.12 for South Korea, and 1.20 for parts of northern India."

Any discussion of population control is controversial especially among religious fundamentalists, but I would propose that governments contending with such issues should impose progressive taxation on children born, with higher rates for males. Without doing a thorough welfare analysis, such a system could allow for determined parents to have more than one child while controlling population and mitigating sex ratio imbalances. Age old cultural preferences are a bit harder to change.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms' by Luo Guangzhou is widely acknowledged as one of the best epic works of Chinese literature. It is set in one of the most dynamic periods of Chinese history in the third century AD.

The Chinese 58 hour, live action, high budget, television production of this epic has become available with English subtitles on the torrent networks. It reminds us that when the Chinese set their collective consciousness to a task, the rest of the world can only watch in awed silence.

A Japanese anime version of this epic is also accessible.

The Rights to Medicine

I contend that the status quo of overly restrictive regulations on access to medication impinges on the rights of patients and often their quality of health. The issue relates more broadly to the insane so-called "War on Drugs."

Susan Okie, MD has written a Perspective article in the 'New England Journal of Medicine' relating to a May ruling by the DC Circuit, US Court of Appeals. I agree strongly with the decision of one of the justices:

"The prerogative asserted by the FDA — to prevent a terminally ill patient from using potentially life-saving medication to which those in Phase II clinical trials have access...impinges upon an individual liberty deeply rooted in our Nation's history and tradition of self-preservation."
                                                            -Judge Judith Rogers

NEJM Interview on the subject.

In a related story, a study has been released showing the potent and imediate efficacy of the popular "street drug" ketamine as an anti-depressant. Currently, a severely depressed and potentially suicidal person who procures and uses ketamine could face years of imprisonment for using this "controlled substance."

Progress in Prostate Cancer

Last year, University of Wisconsin researches found that pomegranates, in addition to being very tasty, helped to combat prostate cancer. Today, Calypso Medical Technologies won approval from the FDA for a device which tracks the exact location of a prostate tumour, improving the targeting, efficacy, and safety of radiation therapy.

Progress in the European Union

Tobacco Smoking is the greatest drug plague facing humanity at this time. Tobacco Smoking affects not only the smoker, but anyone around who must deal with second hand smoke or the presence of a person wreaking from its recent consumption. It is perfectly rational that employers should be able to have employment policies which deny jobs to smokers just as heroin and methamphetamine addicts may similarly be denied jobs. I applaud the European Commission's recent decision in this regard.