Bush’s threat to veto stem cell funding is morally bankrupt?

(via boingboing)
Let me start by saying that I am not linking to this article because I agree nor because I disagree. I simply don’t know enough about the stem cell research debate to judge whether or not it is good or bad to perform the research or limit money for doing so. I am linking to this article that is critical of Bush because I find the argument put forth compelling and intelligent, and it shows a view of the situation that I had not considered before.

Over at Salon.com, Scott Rosenberg makes a good case for the claims behind the stem cell research veto being bogus. I’m still thinking about this and trying to decide how I feel about the whole issue. I need to learn more about stem cell research and what limits, if any, the 2001 funding stops caused, as well as what gains we can realistically expect if stem cell research is increased.

President Bush appears poised for the first veto of his presidency. The cause that has finally pushed him to reject Congressional legislation? An attempt to expand funding for stem cell research that Bush hobbled back in 2001.

For millions of Americans, the potential fruits of stem cell research — in the form of cures to dangerous diseases — are a serious matter with grave personal import. For President Bush, the issue has always served as a political football.

On the one hand, Bush argues that the destruction of human embryos (microscopic organisms made up of a few cells) is a kind of killing. His press spokesman, Tony Snow, adopting the supercharged cant of anti-abortion activists, referred to it recently as “murder.” In order to stop such “murder,” Bush agreed in 2001 to limit all federal funding of stem cell research to a handful of pre-existing “lines” of cells — cells that had been created specifically for research. His argument was, let’s not use tax dollars to pay for the destruction of more embryos for the sake of research.

Here is why Bush’s position is a joke: Thousands and thousands of embryos are destroyed every year in fertility clinics. They are created in petri dishes as part of fertility treatments like IVF; then they are discarded.

Hmmmmm. To my eye, this is a well written article. I think it’s worth reading, regardless of which side of the issue you fall on. The above snip is substantial and informative, but not all of the article. Follow the link and read for yourself.
[tags]Stem cell research, Bush veto[/tags]

BBC: Disney axes 650 global film jobs

I find the BBC’s wording of that headline curious, given who’s birthday it is today. That said, this doesn’t sound like happy-fun-rosy times at Disney now, does it?

US entertainment giant Disney is to cut 650 jobs worldwide as part of plans to produce fewer adult-oriented films and concentrate on family blockbusters.

The firm is to reduce its film output from about 18 to 12 movies a year, with only two or three from adult-oriented subsidiary Touchstone Pictures.

The article says the cutbacks are part of an effort to reduce the number of flops (like The Ladykillers and The Alamo) and hopefully produce more big hits (like the recent Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest).

[tags]Disney, Movies, Pirates of the Caribbean, Box office hits, Job cutbacks[/tags]

CinemaNow to Offer Burnable Film Downloads

I’ll be watching this to see how it works out. I’m interested in the limitations put on the burned discs.

CinemaNow will soon start selling downloads of popular films that can be transferred, or “burned,” to blank DVDs for use with home DVD players, and such Hollywood heavies as Walt Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have already signed on to provide content, the Associated Press reports via the New York Post.

. . .

In the past, CinemaNow users couldn’t watch film downloads on their televisions unless they connected them to computers, the AP reports.

. . .

Hollywood studios have been hesitant to adopt the online download sales medium for films due to piracy concerns and the possible cannibalization of retail stores sales, but advances in encryption and additional digital rights protection technologies have led them to experiment with the concept.

. . .

Benjamin Feingold, president of Sony’s home entertainment division, told the AP, “It’s a test of the distribution and security architecture,” and he agreed that studios would license more content once the system is vetted.

The company will offer films starting at $8.99 each, and they’ll include all the features that a DVD purchased in a retail store would, according to the AP, though once a copy is burned, its quality will be slightly lower than an official studio DVD. CinemaNow’s film downloads will also be able to be transferred to DVD only once, but customers will be able to repeatedly watch the movies on their computers, according to the AP.

I’m interested in what DRM protections they’ll be using, and whether the burned discs can be backed up. I know there are piracy issues here, but there are also issues of me being able to keep a movie I’ve paid for and should legally be allowed to watch whenever I want. At least, if I understand what they are doing, that seems to be an issue to me.

[tags]CinemaNow, Legally downloadable movies[/tags]

New wonder in shaving! Electric razors now available

electric_razor_sml.jpgBringing us an article from the February 1932 issue of Modern Mechanix, the web site Modern Mechanix has the all the details on these new fancy contraptions.

AT LAST the electrical dry shave is with us! Requiring no blades, no lather, no cleaning, the ingenious razor shown in action in the photo at the left gives a cleaner shave than any conventional type razor, it is claimed.

Plug the razor into a wall socket and it’s ready for use—no hot water or towels required. The razor cuts the hair in exactly the same way as the clippers used by barbers. It has but one moving part.

Yeah, I need to get one of those. Why, supposedly, you can’t even cut yourself with one of these fancy ‘lectric razors.

[tags]Electric Razor, Modern Mechanix[/tags]

Are you getting enough caffeine?

(via boingboing)
I drink Mountain Dew.  I actually like the taste of it.  A few years ago, I converted to diet Mountain Dew, since as much as I drink meant I was taking in an extra 500-1000 calories a day in sugar.  I know the diet drinks have other problems associated with them, but Mountain Dew is one of the few caffeinated drinks I can tolerate, and I’ve not figured how to get more sleep on a consistent basis yet.

That all said, if you ever wondered if you were getting enough/too much/too little caffeine from your beverage of choice, then cspinet has a guide to help you determine how much you are getting.  For the record, here are some numbers that help me decide what to consume.

  • Coffee, grande (16 oz.) Starbucks -  550
  • NoDoz, Regular Strength (1) – 100
  • Mountain Dew (12 oz.) – 55
  • Water, caffeinated (Edge 2 O), (8 oz.) – 70

Now I need to track down an affordable provider of that caffeinated water and I’ll be able to drop my Mountain Dew habit *AND* get a boost to my caffeine intake.  W00t!

[tags]Caffeine[/tags]

Chris Pirillo doesn’t like Vista

I’ve not tried the new version of Windows.  I have no idea if it’s as good or as bad as some people say.  But I’ve found Chris Pirillo’s commentaries are usually along the lines of what I would say if I wrote as well as he does.  So, see why Chris thinks Windows Vista is just lipstick on a pig.

I wish I was making this shit up – I really do. I also wish that someone at Microsoft would wake up to the fact that the user experience in Windows Vista is 10x worse than it was in Windows XP (if only because they couldn’t get developers to adhere to XP guidelines, and now Vista apps look even more Frankenstined).

I wish Microsoft would hire somebody to look at this stuff before it ships – and do something about the problems before the world has to deal with them.

Admittedly, it’s some pretty lipstick.  But still, Chris says it’s lipstick on a pig, and I’ll trust his judgement until I have a chance to try it myself.
[tags]Chris Pirillo, Microsoft, Vista, Lipstick on a pig[/tags]

Happy Birthday, Ms. Axe Master

180px-LizzieBorden1893.jpgBorn today in 1860 is the fabulous Ms. Lizzie Borden. She may not have been the prettiest or smartest girl in her class, but she could handle an axe like few others at that time. And, she was quite masterful at telling tall tales as to where she really was when the fateful event occurred.  There is so much to her tale and so much history in there.  Why not learn a little bit more about the dear young lady?

Despite her acquittal, Lizzie Borden remains in popular imagination as a brutal murderess. This is due in part to the following:

  • The murders were never solved.
  • For a number of years, on the anniversary of the murders, the more sensational press re-accused her of the crime.
  • The infamous doggerel endured, insinuating her guilt into the public mind thereafter.

The home where the murders occurred is now a bed and breakfast which enjoys considerable popularity. The house is also open for daily tours. Ongoing work has restored the home to a close approximation of its 1892 condition. “Maplecroft,” the mansion Lizzie bought after her acquittal, on then-fashionable French Street is privately owned, and only occasionally available for touring.

[tags]Happy Birthday, Lizzie Borden, Quality Axing[/tags]

Dealing with bike tire punctures – add a second tube

This guide at Instructables has the simple instructions needed to get a second inner tube put in your bike tire.  If you’ve ever suffered a puncture while biking far from civilization, you’ll appreciate this. My solution with my mountain bike was to buy kevlar tire liners, but this is a good method to try, as well.  With a second tube in the tire, if you get a puncture in the first tube, you just use your pump to inflate the second tube and off you go.

Pictures are included in case the write-up isn’t detailed enough.

Drill a hole in the rim of the wheel for the second valve stem at about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way around the rim from the original one. If your drill finds the going hard, start of with a small drill bit and gradually work up in size.

. . .

Things to consider – Drilling a hole in the rim will weaken it, ensure that the results of your drilling will be strong enough and avoid drilling directly opposite from the original hole creating a weakness accross the line of symetry.

[tags]Biking, Bike tire punctures[/tags]

UK scientists working to restore sight

(via Engadget)
In an effort to improve the lives of those who have lost their sight, scientists in the UK are working on an electronic optical implant that will give vision back to the blind.

Technology similar to that found in devices like digital cameras could be in use within a decade.

Dr Mathieson said: “By implanting a device into the eye, we hope we will be able to fool the brain into believing the retina is still in working order.”

. . .

Dr Mathieson said: “Advances in microelectronics have allowed us to develop a small device to be implanted on the retina itself.

. . .

The implant prototype has 100 pixels but the team hope that number will increase significantly as their work progresses.

Dr Mathieson, said: “Around 500 pixels would allow people to walk down the street and recognise faces.

The 10-year availabilty is a concern to me, but I really want this technology to come through. I always see stories of technology that is 10 years off and assume it’s at least double that, and likely further out. Just think of how many technology products that are 5 years away never even arrive. So I’m a bit dubious of this claim, but I do expect eventually this will come to pass.

[tags]Optical restoration, Visual implants[/tags]