11.29.04
Posted in Unfiled at 4:42 pm by James
My friend sent me this url on How much is too much pay?. Basically the gist is that some people get paid enormous sums of money for no good reason. The writer agrees that risk takers and owners should be entitled to benefits, but does not agree with counter-intuitive things like paying off bad CEOs. The writer also makes a good claim about how everyone in a company is important. Granted you have alot of pay going to the big movers and shakers, they wouldnt be able to do their job without the other people in the company..
Permalink
11.22.04
Posted in Daoism at 5:57 pm by James
On saturday, our kungfu class went out to eat after training. On the way out, we started talking about ‘treating other people like you treat the ground’. This daoist principle has both a positive and negative way of looking at it. At the end of the remark, we passed a woman and her kid loading groceries in the car. After the kid finished putting the last bag in the car, he kicked the cart straight back away from the car. The cart passed right in front of us. The idea of treating others like i treat the ground came up, and i left the cart where it moved to. The cart was too close to the car to allow the woman to back out properly. And sure enough, the kid had to get out and move the cart. I think next time he’ll push the cart further… hopefully he’ll put it somewhere it wont impede another car.
Permalink
11.18.04
Posted in health, internet at 8:58 pm by James
Gee. Excessive use of computers may cause glaucoma. Who would have thougth starring at a flat surface for 9hrs a day would cause long-term vision problems.. i hope they dont link computer junkie “behavior” to “problems” like obesity, blood toxicity, diabetes, kidney stones, etc.
Permalink
Posted in Unfiled at 8:53 pm by James
Article aboue evolution of humans based on ability to run long distances. Of particular insight is that (1) a large
gluteus maximus is necessary to stabilize a forward leaning trunk during a controlled fall (reads run) , (2) Achilles’ tendon releases elastic energy used duing a run (but not usually during a walk), and (3) ligaments in neck that stabilize the head too. #2 i think will require some thought.
“Have you ever looked at an ape?” Dr. Bramble said. “They have no buns.”
Permalink
Posted in Unfiled at 3:54 pm by James
Heres an interesting article about how walmart is watching you… Nothing too exciting.. mainly the normal customer profiling, mining basket shopping info, etc. Its a good read (4 pages worth). It talks some about how this data is the art of business. ie. they dont want to have the lowest price on all items.. just the key 1-2 items to attract customers and give the customer a lower overall basket price..
They also talk about the hurricanes in FL. Turns out people buy pop tarts when the hurricane is coming.
Permalink
Posted in health, Religion/Philosophy at 10:44 am by James
Article about the history of the chakra system. Nothing too exciting, but it did have the following which confirms a hunch about the correlation between chakras and nerve centers i had a few years back…
The word chakra is Sanskrit for wheel or disk and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the body. Each of these centers correlates to major nerve ganglia branching forth from the spinal column. In addition the chakras also correlate to levels of consciousness, archetypal elements, developmental stages of life, colors, sounds, body functions, and much, much more.
Permalink
11.15.04
Posted in health at 5:40 pm by James
Eh. well not contraception. but i just posted somethign about contraception, so it was a funny thought. Stress can make pregnant women miscarry Everything can be smmed up in the following:
“That leads to rejection of the fetus because the blood supply can’t be sustained,†says Arck. The chain of events uncovered by her team starts with the release of stress hormones such as cortisol. As cortisol levels rise in the bloodstream, they suppress the production of progesterone, a hormone that is crucial to maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
This was done on mice, so dont go crazy. However, we all know stress is bad…. It can cause autoimmune diseases, atleast i think so.
sorry.. this has nothing to do with corrosion.
Permalink
Posted in Restaurants at 5:33 pm by James
A story after my own stomach: Here Comes Ramen, the Slurp Heard Round the World. I am not a big fan of instant noodles, but the real deal is the real deal. Its like this in thailand. noodle shops everywhere. In houston all we have are vietnamese noodle shops. they are good, but they are not as sophisticated as ramen shops. This is true asian fastfood, not like american fast food made from questionable and unknown animal and plant products that is frozen and flown from distant countries. This stuff is made from scratch with great flavor and a complex array of meat, vegetables, etc. The great thing about soup is that it cooks in a snap. Compare that to american fastfood where u get your potatoes cooked in a a stew of oil.
I think soup shops will change the landscape of quick bites. This was an idea i was considering a while ago.. Gotta finish school first.
Permalink
Posted in health at 5:25 pm by James
Found this article at wired about Male Contraception Gets a Boost. Basically the contraception is caused by injecting a guy with a protein not normally found in his blood. So the body reacts, and viola, you’re shooting blanks.
Now the part I love is how they already foresee using this on humans given:
In the experiments, designed in the United States and carried out in India, seven of the nine males tested developed high antibody levels. Five of the seven recovered fertility once the immunization stopped. They were injected with eppin about every three weeks to maintain the immunization
And from that they make their conclusion:
“I think it’s significant because the reversibility is very attractive,” said DeLeon, who was not part of the research team.
geez. i think there are safer ways. perhaps using self will and stopping things from happening. If you want to see how the competition compares, check out: Scarlet Teen contraception guide Its a sexual education site targeted at young teens. I found that page when reading an article on wired about Curbing your enthusiasm. basically the author believes Bush’s sexual education plan is about ignorance, not abstinance.
Permalink
11.13.04
Posted in health, Religion/Philosophy at 8:34 am by James
I was searching the internet yesterday for info on no-mind. I stumbled to this article on Taming the Monkey Mind. Its a very interesting read with analysis contrasting eastern and western thought. The following stuck out as something i never really thought about:
Compared to the linear Left Brain, the Oriental Mind is a multiple processor able to process multiple data streams simultaneously – something that happens within the first 10 milliseconds of its impetus to action.
I did some looking, and i found the comparison is considered either linear vs. non-linear OR linear vs organic OR linear vs lateral thought. I saw one reference to lateral thought as chaos! I found the following on in this article on linear vs non-linear thought.
The WILLINGNESS to ACCEPT that there is uncertainty with regard to the future & complexity is an inherent feature within the issue for which solutions are being sought.Â
I think this might explain my inability to draw logical conclusions during conversations or in arguments. Sometimes I catch myself finding a lead thought only to pause and say to myself “i dont know if thats what they are referring to”. Many times i an just dumb-founded: “whats the point they are getting at?” Its either the NLT or my inability to draw conclusions- which is a charcteristic of linear thought.. if foo then bar else baz. I think my most common responses are: “I dont know”, “I’ll have to think about it”, or “I’ll have to sleep on it”.
I also found this page comparing eastern and western thought. Interesting read, but im not sure if i agree with everything.. For example, i think many asians are fairly materalistic. I suppose one could argue that its a western influence… but for most asians, money is king..
Permalink
11.10.04
Posted in health, Unfiled at 9:13 pm by James
Check out this article at the sfgate.. Heres the short.. being fat => apple shape => lots of fat => metabolic syndrome => fat attack => decreased cognitive functions.
Yaffe said the key problem seems to be high levels of inflammation that can result from the metabolic syndrome. That’s because large amounts of visceral fat can put certain hormones and other molecules into circulation that can have corrosive effects throughout the body.
Inflammation is mentioned in some my earlier posts. I’m being to see how inflammation is one vehicle of what we call aging..
“It turns out that fat cells are not so benign,” she said. “They don’t just sit there and take up space. They may actually produce inflammation.”
Permalink
Posted in health at 8:59 pm by James
Check out this article at newscientist.com about vitamin E. They did some study on patients with chronic health problems. They found out that Vitamin E increased the risk of dying in 5yrs by 5%. Well they say it might be b/c these people were not in the best of conditions. Perhaps because Vitamin E is an anti-coagulant, which might contribute to strokes. Of particular interest in the article is this:
Or, say the researchers, vitamin E could become a “turncoat” free radical at high doses, damaging the very proteins and fats it usually protects.
I think this comment refers to test tubes though. They arent sure if the body neutralizes these free radicals.
Permalink
Posted in Unfiled at 8:51 pm by James
Ever hear about the Tibetian Book of the Dead? Well apparently theres an American one too. Check out Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadaver by Mary Roach. You can check it out on amazon.com. Its about all the self-less things dead people do for living people. From the Book Description on amazon:
Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science’s boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They’ve tested France’s first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.
Amazon is one of the best sites to get books from. Go check the place out. My favorite aspect of the amazon shopping experience is the book recommendations amazon provides. two beans up!
Permalink
11.08.04
Posted in Unfiled at 5:32 pm by James
Check out this article at the nytimes. This guy is getting paid big bucks b/c he understands what motivates people. He doesnt buy into all the focus group, etc bs. People dont always know exactky what they want…..
Consumers make decisions from the gut, not the brain, Dr. Rapaille maintains, based on the earliest memories of home and happiness. Thus the way to understand their choices is not polls or focus groups, tools of more standard market research. Instead Dr. Rapaille says he prefers the psychoanalytic methods of Freud and Jung, which expose unconscious desires that transcend time and fashion.
I also like this line.. It reminds me of my own thoughts. I always look at cars and see faces.. Cars remind me of people/animals… I never thought about “large butts” though.
He talks about the Prowler as if it were human. “Look at the big butt,” Dr. Rapaille said, pointing to the place where a trunk would be, if there were one. “And the face,” he adds. “Eyes, a nose and that menacing chin.” A broad gesture takes in the Prowler’s front wheels, which move independently, each hooded with its own bumper, and the grill in between.
Permalink
11.05.04
Posted in Unfiled at 11:59 am by James
Today I decided to head to visit Half Price Books on the way to Rice. So I took the more direct local route on Beechnut. While the street was under construction traffic was light. I spent 30min-1hr looking around at Half Price Books then went to Jason’s Deli to grab lunch. When I got back, I started leaving when I noticed by car was a bit wobly. So I stopped and checked the damage. I had a flat. I started to search the trunk compartment for equpiment when two mexicans stopped and asked if i wanted help. They started discussing their price in spanish ($10). I told them I didn’t need help and started trying to figure everything out. I called my dad who was going to come by and patch and fill up the tire, but in the end, we decided that it would be easier to just change the tire. After about 45min figuring out how things work, i changed the tire. The spare was a bit flat, but I still got back ok. About 5-6wks ago, I helped my dad rotate the tires on my mom’s truck. So this experience was a good test. I learned a good bit and was able to apply the knowledge I learned 5-6wks ago. I think its good to be physical and get something real done. Most of the time I stare at the computer all day. The book I got costed more than i expected….. Sucks to have a flat tire. However, the experience is A++.
Permalink