12.29.05
Posted in Humor at 7:12 pm by site admin
Wired has posted their annual Foot-In-Mouth awards. These quotes are all technology related and may not appeal to more normal tastes. Highlights of this year include:
“Lightweight, and crank it on, and you shuffle the shuffle.”
– President Bush
Now for a small chuckle, check out the interview transcript of Bush at the Washington Post
“All research up until now has been conducted in strict observance of the government-set guidelines.”
– Korean stem-cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk
The cloning pioneer initially denies accusations that he broke ethical guidelines in conducting stem-cell research, but eventually admits he lied to protect co-workers. Later, he withdraws a groundbreaking research paper amid accusations of falsified data.
“You’re obviously from France.”
– Intel CEO Paul Ottelini
This zinger deflects criticism when a reporter with an accent asks why Intel is so far behind Advanced Micro Devices on a dual-core server chip. After the laughter subsides, AMD continues to assault Intel’s leadership position.
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Posted in Environment at 7:06 pm by site admin
One of many effects of global warming is the warming of the artic and the melting of the permafrost. This article on Scientific American suggests permafrost could disappear by 2100.
While a watery artic would allow for more direct shipping routes, it does pose a threat to the way of life in these artic regions. There are already many stories relating how roads and buildings built on the peramfrost are falling apart. I also saw a special on tv the other day about how the polar bear population in the artic is in danger. Polar bears have had to migrate further and many have died from starvation or gotten trapped on drifting ice.
Some researches say the artic melting is part of a multi-year cycle of warming/cooling of the sun/earth AND NOT the result of man. Either way, am curious how the global warming will affect the sea levels. Will there be a second Atlantis?
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12.28.05
Posted in Daoism, health at 5:07 pm by site admin
I saw this in a book on daoism at the bookstore.
The sage falls asleep not
Because he ought to
Not even because he wants to
But because he is sleepy.
Happy sleepy day!
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12.12.05
Posted in Religion/Philosophy, health at 4:56 pm by site admin
This article on wired talks about another one of the Dalai Lama’s talks: Dalai Lama Gets Meditation Lesson. A group of scientists told the Dalai Lama and an audience of 2,500 about recent experiments showing meditation can strengthen the immune system, prevent relapse in people with depression and lower cortisol (associated with stress) levels. The article is pretty short with little other interesting things. At the end of the article, it states:
While Western researchers are exploring the effects of meditation on physical health, Alan Wallace, a leading Tibetan scholar and one of the Dalai Lama’s translators, pointed out that when faced with physical ailments, Tibetans traditionally turned to doctors or healers, not to meditation.
The purpose of meditation, added the Dalai Lama, is not to cure physical ailments, but to free people from emotional suffering.
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12.09.05
Posted in Religion/Philosophy, health at 10:10 pm by site admin
I’ve been busy and havent had much chance to jot down many of the interesting things i’ve read over the past month. I found this funny article on wired. Heres a link to census info regarding Health, United States 2004: With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans.
Interesting tidbits:
1. Overpopulation (nothing new here)
2. Until boredom do us part. The new definition of marriage.
3. Try out a new pickup line: “Say, didn’t we meet about 140 years ago at the heart-lung transplant center?”
This article doesnt present anything greatly new, but it does have some humor in it. My question is the following: If we can live forever, how does this affect the soul and reincarnation? If man achieves immortality, does the microcosm become the macrocosm? Do we reinvent a layer of recursion to reference existence?
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