The Angel of Death

...has a face that looks a lot more like a malignant neoplasm than a heart attack.

That's the bottom line from this article at the NYT. The top causes of death are rapidly changing even as we lower the overall mortality rate. Cancer is on the verge of overtaking heart disease. Of course each country and culture will have slightly varying percentages.

As the author astutely points out, cancer is much more complex to "cure" than many other death risk factors. Our cellular machinery has an inbuilt capacity to regenerate tissue and that will always leave the door open for malfunction.

What the internet does

Not going to try to make a deep post here. I think we all forget sometimes just how radically the internet has upset the world. Its full effects have still not shaken out.

Really cool Science videos

Title says it all. I wanted to embed them but they seem to have that function disabled. Check out these fantastic videos from Science:

• Fertilization (human)

I'd seen videos of human fertilization depictions before, but this one is breathtaking. AMAZING

• Inventory of the cell

They use a pancreatic cell from a mouse to show you the relative 3D scale of the organelles, then switch to a graphical depiction. Really informative and neat.

Phases of the moon

As most people know, the month is lunar and the year is solar. But there is no nice 12:1 equivalent in reality, and the months have varying numbers of days. As a result, solar years will contain different numbers of lunar cycles. This year we had the pleasure of seeing 13 full moons; last night (Fri) was the final one. See a cool video showing the moon's cycles below:

Tablet decision

About six months ago (Oct) I mentioned that I liked the Galaxy over the iPad.

As far as hardware specs go, the new iPad2 and Xoom have significantly improved the playing field since that time. Leaps and bounds, really...

But the decision to buy is still a tough one for me.

For one thing, I don't intend to buy a 3G device simply because I don't feel it's worth the extra monthly charge on the data plans, since it is more than offset by the subsidy offered by the carriers.

You can buy a Xoom or iPad2 wi-fi only model for about $500-600. That's a lot of $ for a toy, if you already have a decent laptop, as we do. We're trying to sell our desktop, but it probably won't go for much (if anything).

In comparing the two devices, the iPad2 wins on its apps at the moment, but I have a strong feeling that Android's software and app store will both win out in the long run. It's just too hard to beat open source, and Honeycomb is much newer than the iPad2's predecessors, which set the stage for app development a long time ago. The iPod Touch, iPhone and original iPad mean that Apple simply had a huge head start in the app game. But all it takes is literally browsing the Apple App store, finding neat ideas, and copying them into the Android SDK. That's why the "app advantage" is simply a matter of time, and shouldn't be a serious part of your consideration of which one to buy.

A lower-cost and somewhat attractive alternative is buying a Nook Color for about half the price ($250), and rooting it with either Froyo or Honeycomb. Although the NC doesn't have cameras or the newer software advantages, it is a 7", not a 10" tablet, which I think is a more perfect size for a tablet. The drawback here are the hardware limitations and the eventual problem updating the OS as the hardware was never built for Honeycomb.

So...decisions, decisions...but I'm in no rush.

Some good news, for once

This hits close to home:

With only seven reporters on the Bristol Herald Courier's staff, two bottles of cheap champagne were plenty to toast the newspaper's Pulitzer Prize for public service reporting on Monday.

The Media General newspaper with a circulation of 33,000 received journalism's highest award for the reporting of Daniel Gilbert on the mismanagement of natural gas royalties owed to landowners in Virginia.

"It's a hell of an honor," Gilbert, 28, said moments after learning of the newspaper's award. "It underscores the importance of public service reporting, especially in rural areas."

Editor J. Todd Foster bought the champagne across the street at Food City before the announcement and stuck the bottles in the trunk of his car. He figured he could celebrate a Pulitzer or console himself later if the newspaper didn't win for the celebrated series.

"I'm doing great now," said Foster, who also delivered a cake to the newsroom for the celebration.

The newspaper in an area known primarily for Bristol Motor Speedway reports on an a vast area in far southwest Virginia on the Tennessee border.

"This is validation that a newspaper with limited resources can do world-class journalism," Foster said as he ordered out for more champagne.

Foster said Gilbert's reporting required "a lot of shoe leather" and a tenacious journalist.

"It's why newspapers will continue to survive in some form," Foster said of Gilbert's reporting. "Nobody else is going to do this sort of reporting."

Gilbert investigated a Virginia law that showed how a state board allowed the energy industry to funnel into an unaudited escrow fund tens of millions of dollars in royalties owed to people in one of the poorest regions of the state.

The series led to the first audit of the decades-old escrow account intended for those payments and reform legislation.

"Those people who had mineral rights weren't getting paid," Gilbert said.

The reporting had already garnered national recognition, including top prize for newspapers under 100,000 circulation in an Investigative Reporters and Editors contest.

Gilbert, a University of Chicago graduate who had a freelance career before joining the Bristol newspaper in 2007, said he began his reporting in late 2008 and it "took months to figure out what the story was."

He read books on mineral rights, spoke to a lot of attorneys and attended IRE training for computer-assisted reporting.

"I used whatever time I could get to read up on the law," Gilbert said.

Foster, a veteran investigative journalist, said there were only a couple reporters in the newsroom when he learned the newspaper had won a Pulitzer.

"We have seven news reporters covering an area the size of Connecticut," Foster said. "Nobody was really here."

For his part, Gilbert said the Pulitzer won't send him looking for a new job.

"I have no plans to leave," he said. "Journalism is a pretty uncertain place these days. There's still a lot to do."

More here.

The Bristol Herald Courier, a small paper in the coalfields of Appalachia, beat out journalism's powerhouses to win the Pulitzer Prize for public service Monday for uncovering a scandal in which Virginia landowners were deprived of millions in natural gas royalties.

The seven-reporter daily was honored for what many regard as an endangered form of journalism in this age of wrenching newspaper cutbacks — aggressive reporting on local issues.

...

"You could see they're really doing serious journalism," he said. "I think over time they're going to get stronger."

The 33,000-circulation Bristol Herald Courier won for reporter Daniel Gilbert's computer analysis that showed how a state board allowed the energy industry to funnel into an unaudited escrow fund tens of millions of dollars in royalties owed to people in one of the poorest regions of Virginia.

Gilbert, 28, called the award "a hell of an honor" and said it underscores the importance of public service reporting in rural areas.

With its small staff, two bottles of cheap champagne were all the newsroom needed to mark the occasion.

Editor J. Todd Foster said the story required "a lot of shoe leather" and a tenacious reporter. "It's why newspapers will continue to survive in some form," Foster said of Gilbert's reporting. "Nobody else is going to do this sort of reporting."

Brüno and atheism project

I haven't been able yet to see Brüno, but plan to soon. And Public Enemies.

A Project: I'm going to do a video collage of horrific images of suffering and disease, especially in children, and overlay audio of my own rendition of a classic hymn, "The Love of God" (here's Mercy Me's version from their "Spoken For" album in 2002). I'll post my video to YouTube with the title, "Why I'm an Atheist," or something like that. I think it may go viral. I hope so. It may take some time, but I'd like to finish it before September. And from now own whenever a Christian asks me a question about atheism I'll just give them a link to it.

*UPDATE (7/16): I think this video is a great idea but it doesn't hit you emotionally the way I want mine to.

Early xmas

My beautiful wonderful wife got me the G1 phone with Google's open source Android platform. I love it. I've never had a "smart"phone before and so that alone is great, but adding on the awesomeness of Android is even better. I won't review anything, since you can find hundreds of those in seconds, but I'll just say that the phone is great and the software is sublime, which is the major reason for buying the G1.

Night of the Living GOP

My new horror flick, starring yours truly and Lindsay Lohan:

What a Lame-ass Ending

But, business-wise, a smart one -- leaving so many options for a future movie, the Sopranos' final episode was the epitome of anticlimactic. I was frustrated at the end, but I am also hopeful b/c I think this means they're going to do more with it.

Cooler Than Jurassic Park, and Much Cheaper

Guess what's coming to Branford, a mere hour away?

Why, a great new scientific museum, that's what! It's called Noah's Park, and it's gonna teach us all about Jebus ponies...uh, I mean dinosaurs!

BRANFORD (FBW)—Noah's Park, a Gospel fossil park emulating the blockbuster movie, "Jurassic Park," is gearing up at the Middle Florida Baptist Assembly grounds thanks to the cooperation of several Southern Baptist associations.

The fossil exhibit, brainchild of former pastor and self-taught creationist Tom Baird, is a ministry that uses dinosaur fossils and a planetarium to prove that the biblical narrative of a great flood that destroyed nearly all life on the earth is true, he said. Not only do the fossils and stars show there was a great judgment, Baird said, but they also show God will keep His promise and come again.

With speech sprinkled with references to Scripture, Baird tells the story of the "glories of God" and his judgment on the earth, illustrating the account with dusty dinosaur bones and distant stars.

Awesome! I think Gator Freethought should take a field trip up there over the summer, with a video camera of course, to document the scientific wonders of creation. You can see the driving directions and map here. The lat/lon are from the campsite's webpage.
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Technorati tags: God, Religion, Intelligent Design, Evolution, Creationism

The Mini-Fridge that Launches Beer to You (on the couch) via Remote Control

No more, "Honey, can you get me a beer while you're up...?" I am sooo getting one of these:


Robotic Beer Launching Refrigerator


See here and here for more.
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Technorati tags: cool stuff

HBO Special Airs Tonight: "Friends of God"

"Friends of God", a documentary by Alexandra Pelosi (Nancy's daughter) including interviews with Ted Haggard (before his fall from grace), Jerry Falwell, and other Evangelical leaders, airs tonight on HBO at 9 PM. Americans United has more.

If someone could Tivo this and send it to me, I'd pay them for their trouble.

HBO Synopsis: (link)

With her unique brand of road-tripping reportage, and driven by an unflagging curiosity and genuine interest in learning about this increasingly influential community, Alexandra Pelosi (whose previous HBO credits include 2000's Emmy®-winning "Journeys with George") embarks on a fast-paced cross-country journey, offering snapshots of a cross-section of evangelical America in Friends of God: A Road Trip With Alexandra Pelosi.

A sassy one-woman show who directs and shoots from the driver's seat, Pelosi ventures out over a year-long period for up-close and personal encounters with some influential members of the evangelical community, from Joel Osteen, the most-watched TV minister in America, to pastor Ron Luce, the founder of "Battle Cry," a concert tour that has drawn more than two million young people to its events nationwide. Pelosi also visits with a spectrum of others who embody a wide range of evangelical experiences, among them visitors at religion-themed parks, a Christian comic, creationist educators, Liberty University students and activists in Washington, D.C.

In her slice-of-life exploration, Pelosi travels to the red states and beyond to meet an array of open and forthright evangelicals who represent a broad sampling of the community. Many are pro-life and against gay marriage, and believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible, rebuking Darwinism.

Among them is Pastor Ted Haggard, who recently stepped down as president of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals - the largest evangelical group in the U.S. - following allegations that he had sex with a male prostitute and bought illegal drugs. Before the scandal broke, Haggard welcomed Pelosi to his world, explaining that an evangelical is "a person who believes Jesus is the Son of God, the Bible is the Word of God, and that you must be born again." While mega-churches like his New Life Church in Colorado Springs have replaced the quaint churches of yesteryear, Haggard explains that their sense of community is as strong as ever and this contributes to evangelicals' happy lives.

Says Haggard, "We've settled the issue of eternal life. The Bible is clear about it...we are not afraid of death because of it. We are living in the United States of America; we have representative government; and we have freedom of religion and freedom of the press." He asks, "Why in the world would a person in that environment not be happy?"

During her journey, Pelosi also visits with Rev. Jerry Falwell, leader of The Moral Majority and chancellor and founder of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., who articulates a commitment to change the country and urges his congregation to "vote your values" in elections. "Evangelicals are the largest minority block in this country," he says. "It's not a majority, but I don't think you can win without them. John Kerry learned that. Al Gore learned that. And Hillary will learn that in 2008."

Alexandra Pelosi began her career in TV covering politics in Washington, D.C., and subsequently served as a network news producer for seven years. For her first film, 2000's Emmy®-winning HBO documentary "Journeys with George," she spent 18 months on the campaign trail with future president George Bush. For the 2004 HBO documentary "Diary of a Political Tourist," she spent a year and a half following seven Democratic presidential candidates, including John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Howard Dean. Pelosi is the daughter of California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who becomes the first female Speaker of the House in history next month.

FRIENDS OF GOD: A ROAD TRIP WITH ALEXANDRA PELOSI was written, directed and produced by Alexandra Pelosi. For HBO: supervising producer, Lisa Heller; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

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Technorati tags: God, Religion

Beautiful Cell Animation

A buddy of mine sent me a link to this .swf movie (Shockwave Flash) -- The Inner Life of a Cell: a gorgeous, musical animation of cellular processes that are truly astonishing. I recognized the dynein protein shuttling a vesicle immediately. You can download Martjin Devisser's .flv player (you can save Flash movies to your desktop and play them there) here, or here.

You can read more about the animation project in this article.

Who says science isn't awe-inspiring? That sense of awe and mystery is what Einstein referred to when he said that "science without religion is lame" -- as he later described, in his own words,

How can cosmic religious feeling be communicated from one person to another, if it can give rise to no definite notion of a God and no theology? In my view, it is the most important function of art and science to awaken this feeling and keep it alive in those who are receptive to it...
It is therefore easy to see why the churches have always fought science and persecuted its devotees. On the other hand, I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research. Only those who realize the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer work in theoretical science cannot be achieved are able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of which alone such work, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life, can issue.
What a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and what a yearning to understand, were it but a feeble reflection of the mind revealed in this world, Kepler and Newton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanics! Those whose acquaintance with scientific research is derived chiefly from its practical results easily develop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who, surrounded by a skeptical world, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide through the world and through the centuries.
Only one who has devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid realization of what has inspired these men and given them the strength to remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength.
A contemporary has said, not unjustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific workers are the only profoundly religious people.

I do not chafe at his words. I understand them. Seeing our universe as it is, and as we are, rather than as we wish for it to be -- that is enough, and it is science. And, it is so much more awe-inspiring than the "divine" ramblings, obfuscations, speculations and myths of the mystics...
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Technorati tags: Science

Imperial History of the Mideast

Bet they didn't show you this in any Western Civ class: the rise and fall of every kingdom from Egypt to the present in the Middle East and Europe, in about 90 seconds...

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Technorati tags: World History

30 Days: Atheist Visits Evangelical Xian Family

Those of you who are unawares, you ought to check out the recent 30 Days episode (#3, official website) in which an atheist, Brenda, lives with an Evangelical Christian family, the Shores, for a month. Reviews of the episode are available from Gi4S, Atheist Revolution, Friendly Atheist (aka Hemant the Ebay Atheist), Atheist Mama, and the Disgruntled Chemist. In general, it appears that Brenda came off quite well, and that the Xian hubby did not, and the Xian wife started to realize that "atheists are people too"...
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Technorati tags: Atheism

Flock of Dodos

Dr. Randy Olson, evolutionary ecologist (from Haaaavaad), has put together a documentary of sorts, covering the "Intelligent Design vs. Evolution Circus". From the documentary site's synopsis,

Dodos, rabbit poop, Mt. Rushmore and poker, what more could you ask for to make sense of the controversy of teaching intelligent design versus evolution. In the words of one Kansas School Board member, "It's really quite boring, isn't it?" Filmmaker and evolutionary ecologist Dr. Randy Olson tries to figure out exactly who is the flock of dodos.

Advanced screenings start Feb. 2nd in Kansas. God, I hope I can get a copy of this.

http://www.flockofdodos.com/

Also, go see DailyKO's installment of "Know Your Creationists"--this week, Dr. J Wells.
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Technorati tags: Flock of Dodos, Intelligent Design, Evolution, Creationism, Discovery Institute, Randy Olson