Mark Lusher

Your Computer Really Is a Part of You | Wired Science | Wired.com

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:17 +0000

An empirical test of ideas proposed by Martin Heidegger shows the great German philosopher to be correct: Everyday tools really do become part of ourselves.

The findings come from a deceptively simple study of people using a computer mouse rigged to malfunction. The resulting disruption in attention wasn’t superficial. It seemingly extended to the very roots of cognition.

“The person and the various parts of their brain and the mouse and the monitor are so tightly intertwined that they’re just one thing,” said Anthony Chemero, a cognitive scientist at Franklin & Marshall College. “The tool isn’t separate from you. It’s part of you.”

via Your Computer Really Is a Part of You | Wired Science | Wired.com.

Chile, nine days later – The Big Picture – Boston.com

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:55:08 +0000

Nine days after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake killed hundreds of people in south-central Chile, relief efforts were beginning to reach those in need, rescue missions became recovery missions, and rebuilding is already under way. In the days since the February 27th quake, nearly 150 aftershocks have been recorded, including thirteen above magnitude 6.0. The government has been criticized by Chileans, who say the response was slow and inefficient. One recent government action was to grant a short amnesty to looters before sending troops out in search of stolen goods. Nearly $2 million worth of looted items were returned, often dumped on roadsides, by Sunday. Collected here are photographs from the past week in quake-affected Chile. (41 photos total)

via Chile, nine days later – The Big Picture – Boston.com.

Cure for “Crazy Cat Lady” Syndrome

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:52:35 +0000

“Toxoplasmosis, a common food- and pet-borne illness linked to hallucinations, personality alteration, and, since it’s often carried by house pets, the stereotype of the crazy cat lady, infects around 15 percent of the US population. Luckily, a new technique that traps the parasite with gold nanoparticles, and then zaps them with lasers, should help ease the $7.7 billion the disease costs America every year.”

Gold Nanoparticles and Lasers Kill the Brain Parasite That Causes “Crazy Cat Lady” Syndrome | Popular Science.

Beer and health: Preventive effects of beer components on lifestyle-related diseases. Keiji Kondo. 2008; BioFactors – Wiley InterScience

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:38:03 +0000

ABSTRACTIt has been demonstrated that the light-to-moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with significant reductions in all-cause and particularly cardiovascular mortality. While the inverse association between red-wine consumption and cardiovascular risk is globally recognized as the French paradox, many epidemiological studies have concluded that beer and red wine are equally beneficial. Moderate alcohol intake improves lipoprotein metabolism and lowers cardiovascular mortality risk. The question now is whether additional health benefits associated with the non-alcohol components in beer may be expected. This article summarizes the results of the latest studies on the health benefits of beer while referring to our recent results, which demonstrate the preventive effects of beer and its components on lifestyle-related diseases. A series of studies using animal models have shown that beer may prevent carcinogenesis and osteoporosis; beer provides plasma with significant protection from oxidative stress; and isohumulones, the bitter substances derived from hops, may prevent and improve obesity and type-2 diabetes, improve lipid metabolism, and suppress atherosclerosis. Further studies are needed to clarify the components in addition to isohumulones that are responsible for these beneficial effects of beer, and the underlying mechanisms must be addressed.

via Beer and health: Preventive effects of beer components on lifestyle-related diseases. Keiji Kondo. 2008; BioFactors – Wiley InterScience.

Dice 2010: Design outside the box

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:14:18 +0000

Wii Games – E3 2010 – Guitar Hero 5

God The Universe And Everything Else

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:00:37 +0000

Hosted by Magnús Magnússon, with Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan and Arthur C. Clarke.

Slums Urban Living « Prospect Magazine

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:11:37 +0000

“Sixty million people in the developing world are leaving the countryside every year. The squatter cities that have emerged can teach us much about future urban living…

“It was a community, Calthorpe decided, because it was walkable.“

Article continues..”The magic of squatter cities is that they are improved steadily and gradually by their residents. To a planner’s eye, these cities look chaotic. I trained as a biologist and to my eye, they look organic. Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green. They have maximum density—1m people per square mile in some areas of Mumbai—and have minimum energy and material use. People get around by foot, bicycle, rickshaw, or the universal shared taxi.”

via Slums Urban Living « Prospect Magazine.

Mississauga Canada Debt Free City

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:33:24 +0000

City of Mississauga with Mayor Hazel McCallion.

Boulder Ranked #1 By Gallup-Healthways Well-Being

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:26:40 +0000

Boulders setting, including a greenbelt of public lands around the city, may help explain its top ranking, Mayor Susan Osborne says. “We tend to have lots of opportunities for being outside,” she says. The jobless rate is 5.7%, below the nations 9.7%.

via Western cities fare best in well-being index – USATODAY.com.

Ice Energy :: Ice Bear: How it Works

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:29:35 +0000

The Ice Bear energy storage system works with a standard commercial air conditioning system. Requiring no modification to existing ductwork, each Ice Bear unit can be applied to 85% of air conditioners ranging from a 3-5 ton system to a 20-ton system, providing 30 ton hours of cooling.

The Ice Bear energy storage unit operates in two basic modes, Ice Cooling and Ice Charging, to store cooling energy at night, and to deliver that energy the following day.

During Ice Charge mode, a self-contained charging system freezes 450 gallons of water in the Ice Bear’s insulated tank by pumping refrigerant through a configuration of copper coils within it. The water that surrounds these coils freezes and turns to ice. The condensing unit then turns off, and the ice is stored until its cooling energy is needed.As daytime temperatures rise, the power consumption of air conditioning rises along with it, pushing the grid to peak demand levels. During this peak window, typically from noon to 6 pm, the Ice Bear unit replaces the energy intensive compressor of the air conditioner.The Ice Bear unit, fully charged from the night before, switches to Ice Cooling mode. The Ice Bear uses the ice, rather than the AC unit’s compressor, to cool the hot refrigerant, slowing melting the ice as it travels through a series of copper coils. A small, highly efficient pump pushes ice-cold refrigerant through a modified Ice Energy LiquidDX® evaporator coil installed in the conventional air conditioning unit.The Ice Cooling cycle lasts for at least 6 hours. Once the ice has fully melted, the Ice Bear transfers the job of cooling back to the building’s AC unit, to provide cooling, as needed, until the next day. During the cool of the night, the Ice Charge mode is activated and the entire cycle begins again.

via Ice Energy :: Ice Bear: How it Works.